[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 42 (Monday, October 27, 2008)]
[Pages 1369-1376]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the White House Summit on International Development

October 21, 2008

    Thank you all. Madam President, I could not think of anybody better 
to give me dancing lessons than you. [Laughter] We love you. I love your 
spirit; I love your leadership; I love the example you set for leaders 
all across the globe. And it's an honor to be here with you.
    And it's an honor to be here with you all. I welcome you to the 
White House Summit on International Development. It's a summit to herald 
the outstanding work being done to lift up souls in need. I appreciate 
the fact that folks in this room represent thousands that are replacing 
disease with health, dependency with self-reliance, and despair with 
hope.
    The people gathered here come from different countries--I see we 
represent different professions--but we're united by our

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commitment to charting a new era in development. Today I'm going to talk 
with you about this new philosophy, about the way it's transforming 
countries and saving lives, and about why it's essential to continue in 
the years ahead.
    Before I do so, I want to recognize not only the President, but her 
son, Robert. I suspect your mother tells you what to do like my mother 
tells me what to do. [Laughter] As a matter of fact, your mother tells 
me what to do. [Laughter] Welcome.
    Congressman Donald Payne, we're sure proud you're here; thank you, 
Mr. Chairman, for coming. Much of the success of the programs we've 
implemented are due to, one, the generosity of the American people, but 
also the fine group of people that are implementers: Henrietta Fore, the 
Administrator of USAID; Rob Mosbacher, president and CEO of OPIC; 
Ambassador John Danilovich, Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO; 
Ambassador Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; Rear Admiral Tim 
Ziemer, U.S. Malaria Coordinator. Thank you all for being leaders.
    The second choice to introduce me was Bob Geldof, musician. Of 
course, he'd have got up and said, ``I saw him try to sing while in 
Africa.'' [Laughter] I've come to really appreciate Bob Geldof. He is a 
genuine person who has used his fame to help others in need, and it is 
a--it's been a joy to work with you. And you know, you and I might look 
differently, but I think we share the same compassion and the same 
hopes. And thank you for joining us today.
    I want to thank the panelists who have participated in this 
conference. I do want to welcome members of the diplomatic corps; thank 
you all for coming by today.
    You know, we meet today in the middle of a serious global financial 
crisis. Over the past few weeks, we have seen how the world's economies 
are more interconnected than ever before. The crisis is having a major 
impact on working people all over the world, including many in 
developing nations.
    During times of economic crisis, some may be tempted to turn inward, 
focusing on our problems here at home, while ignoring our interests 
around the world. This would be a serious mistake. America is 
committed--and America must stay committed--to international development 
for reasons that remain true regardless of the ebb and flow of the 
markets. We believe that development is in America's security interests. 
We face an enemy that can't stand freedom. And the only way they can 
recruit to their hateful ideology is by exploiting despair, and the best 
way to respond is to spread hope.
    We believe that we ought to remain committed to development because 
it's in our long-term economic interests. When America helps developing 
nations rise out of poverty, we create new markets for our goods and 
services, and better jobs for American workers. And we're committed to 
development because it's in our moral interests. I strongly believe in 
the timeless truth, to whom much is given, much is required. We are a 
blessed nation, and I believe we have a duty to help those less 
fortunate around the world. We believe that power to save lives comes 
with the obligation to use it. And I believe our Nation is better when 
we help people fight hunger and disease and illiteracy.
    For all of these reasons, this administration has made international 
development one of our biggest priorities. As the President mentioned, 
we've worked with partner nations--as well as the World Bank, and the 
IMF, and the African Development Bank, and the Inter-American 
Development Bank--to relieve tens of billions of dollars in debt from 
some of the world's poorest nations. By relieving crushing debt burdens, 
it gives people hope. We've also worked with wealthier nations to 
provide aid in the form of grants instead of loans. For the past 8 
years, the United States has provided more foreign assistance than at 
any time in the past half century.
    We're using this aid to foster sustainable economic growth and 
promote good governance and advance a model of true partnership that 
gives poor nations a real stake in their own development. We're 
encouraging volunteer organizations, local charities, and the faith 
community to take on an even greater role, because we strongly believe 
that they offer compassion that no government can offer. Most of all, 
we're insisting on accountability in return for our assistance, so we 
can

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ensure that our generosity leads to measurable results. You know, for 
too long, foreign aid was designed to make us feel good. Now, we're 
ensuring that our resources do good.
    This new approach to development is embodied by a revolutionary 
initiative called the Millennium Challenge Account. See, this program 
says that the United States will help, but we expect countries that we 
help to fight corruption and to govern justly. There's nothing more 
pitiful than to have people's hopes robbed by corrupt government 
officials. We say to those we want to help, support open markets to 
trade and investment, and above all, invest in your people's health and 
education. You see, by tying our aid to these policies, we are 
encouraging developing nations to make tough economic and political and 
social reforms. We encourage leaders to respect their citizens, uphold 
human dignity, and work to earn the trust of their people. This approach 
is based on a clear conviction: People in the developing world have the 
capacity to improve their own lives, and they will rise to meet high 
standards.
    I refuse to accept the development model that says, oh, these people 
are doomed forever; let's just throw money at the problem. We believe 
that if you set high standards, good people will rise to meet those 
standards, regardless of where they live in the world. So the Millennium 
Challenge Account is a robust program that has invested $6.7 billion in 
35 countries around the world. From Albania to Moldova to Indonesia to 
Mongolia to Paraguay to Peru, these partnerships are helping developing 
nations take charge of their future, and more importantly, unleash the 
talents of their people.
    For example, this February, President Kikwete of Tanzania and I 
signed a 5-year, nearly $700 million compact to improve the country's 
transportation, energy, and water supply. It's pretty basic needs, isn't 
it?--transportation, energy, and water supply. The partnership will 
build roads that connect rural Tanzanians to markets and schools and 
health clinics. It's hard to have a modern society if you can't get your 
product from rural to urban centers in your country. It's hard to get 
doctors to help people in the rural part of the country if you don't 
have roads to connect health care clinics to those in need. It's going 
to extend electricity to homes and businesses in some of the most remote 
areas of the country. It will increase access to clean drinking water, 
which will help reduce preventable diseases, especially in young 
children. Through these projects, the Millennium Challenge compact is 
helping Tanzania build a foundation for success in the 21st century, 
showing the promise of a new era in development.
    In the new era of development, America and our partners are helping 
to meet basic human needs like food and clean water. There's nothing 
more basic than food and clean water. Since 2002, the United States has 
provided more than $16 billion in food assistance, helping to ensure 
that tens of millions of people around the world do not go hungry. In 
response to the current global food crisis, we've committed $5.5 billion 
to address global hunger over the next 2 years. And that's important. 
These are stopgap measures. The American people care when they hear 
people are going hungry around the world. And I want to thank the 
American people for their generosity.
    But as we work to resolve the crisis in the long run, we have got to 
find better solutions for global hunger in the long term. In the short 
run, we're helping; in the long term, we're developing a strategy and 
working with partners to help them grow their own food. There's no other 
way to put it. The best long-term policy for the United States is to 
help nations develop their own agricultural industry, so we don't have 
to deal with global food crisis year in and year out.
    And so we supply poor and rural farmers with fertilizer and water-
management systems. We distribute better seeds that will boost yields 
and invest in research that will make crops like rice and wheat more 
resistant to drought and pests. You know, one of the really important 
challenges that this administration has taken on, and future 
administrations must take on, is to say to other markets around the 
world, it is okay to import markets to crops grown with biotechnology. A 
lot of countries are resistant upon introducing these new 
technologically advanced crops, because they fear they're not going to 
be able to sell their crops elsewhere. And

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yet these crops will help people realize a vibrant agricultural 
industry.
    I believe that as the United States moves forward, we ought to 
purchase up to a quarter of our food from local farmers. In other words, 
of all the food aid we get we ought to take a quarter of that, Donald, 
and purchase the food directly from local farmers. If it's in our 
interest to help build a local agricultural industry, then instead of 
just giving food, we ought to purchase food from the farmers themselves, 
to help build a vibrant agricultural sector in parts of the world where 
food is desperately needed. I support the World Bank's strategy to 
increase investment in agriculture.
    What I'm telling you is there's a better way than just a kind of 
patchwork approach. It's an approach that basically says we can use our 
technological advancement and our expertise to help build vibrant 
agricultural industries in nations where there ought to be crops today.
    The United States works with partner nations to deal with the lack 
of clean water. Last year, we dedicated nearly a billion dollars to 
improve sanitation and water supplies in developing nations. We're also 
wise enough to enlist the private sector to help as well.
    I want to share with you an interesting program--for two reasons, 
one, it's interesting, and two, my wife thought of it--[laughter]--or 
has actually been involved with it; she didn't think of it. But she 
thought of it for this speech. She has been involved with a public-
private partnership called the PlayPumps Alliance. It brings together 
international foundations and corporations and the U.S. Government. Now, 
catch this: PlayPumps are children's merry-go-rounds attached to a water 
pump and a storage tank. When the wheel turns, clean drinking water is 
produced. And as my good wife says, ``PlayPumps are fueled by a 
limitless energy source--[laughter]--children at play.''
    The United States is working with our partners to install 4,000 
pumps in schools and communities across sub-Sahara Africa, which will 
provide clean drinking water to as many as 10 million people. It's not 
that hard to help people get clean drinking water. It takes focus, 
imagination, and effort. And I call upon all nations around the world to 
join us.
    In the new era of development, America and our partners recognize 
that education is the gateway to prosperity and essential to any 
society's long-term success. It's pretty obvious, isn't it? If people 
are educated, they can read the instructions on a medicine bottle. They 
can keep receipts for a small business. They can learn about the rights 
and privileges they have under their country's constitutions. Yet too 
many people can't read. America and our partners are determined to 
extend the promise of good education to more people in the developing 
world.
    In the Middle East, USAID has partnered with local officials to 
start kindergartens in Jordan, taught hundreds of thousands of children 
about information technology in Morocco, built 70 schools for girls in 
Egypt.
    Through our Africa Education Initiative, as the President mentioned, 
the United States has trained more than 700,000 teachers. I think you 
said a million teachers? Yes, I'll go for a million then. [Laughter] 
Somewhere between 700 and a million. [Laughter] Distributed more than 10 
million textbooks--somewhere between 10 million and 15 million--and 
provided hundreds of thousands of scholarships to help girls go to 
school.
    Last year, I announced a new initiative that will devote $425 
million to improve education in Ethiopia and Ghana and Honduras and 
Liberia and Mali and Yemen. Why? Why do we do that? Because the truth of 
the matter is, we want children to fulfill their God-given potential; 
that's why we do that. And so we're helping to train the doctors and the 
lawyers and the engineers and entrepreneurs and the women presidents who 
will be vital to the future of the developing world.
    In the new era of development, America and our partners are helping 
to lift the burden of deadly disease. In Africa, the treatable and 
preventable disease of malaria kills one child every 30 seconds. So in 
2005, I launched a 5-year, $1.2 billion initiative that cut the number 
of malaria-related deaths in 15 African nations by half.
    Through the initiative, we joined with African governments--notice, 
``we joined with African governments''--to design malaria

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control strategies that will work with their nations. We expect results 
for the money we spend. And yet we're confident when we work with 
governments that they can develop the strategy necessary to achieve the 
objectives. And so we supply the money, and our partner nations work to 
distribute insecticide-treated bed nets, conduct indoor spraying 
campaigns, and provide cutting-edge drugs.
    The interesting thing about this initiative is, it's easy to measure 
whether or not we're being successful. In the new development agenda, 
results matter a lot. And therefore, when the United States works with 
countries, we expect there to be a well-defined strategy and the ability 
to measure whether or not our money is working. I don't think that's too 
much to ask, nor do the people who are trying to help think that's too 
much to ask.
    So far, our efforts have reached 25 million people. In places like 
Zambia and Ethiopia and Rwanda and Zanzibar, the numbers of people sick 
or dying from malaria have dropped dramatically. We have not only made 
progress around the edges, we've made dramatic progress in saving lives. 
I find that the work to defeat malaria is exciting work, and it is 
inspiring work. And frankly, it's not all that hard to design a strategy 
to get bed nets to people. And I want to thank my fellow citizens for 
caring deeply about this initiative. And I want to thank our partners 
for working hard to make sure that a mom won't have to worry about her 
child dying because of a mosquito bite.
    The President talked about our fight against HIV/AIDS. And it's a 
noble battle, and it's a necessary battle. In 2003, as she had 
mentioned, we launched PEPFAR. The program is the largest commitment by 
any nation to combat a single disease in human history. Ambassador Dybul 
and I believe that the program is effective because it is defined by a 
few key principles. You know, if you're going to have a new era of 
development, it's important to have clear definitions. It's one thing 
just to throw money at the problem; it's another thing to insist upon 
strategies that actually work. So the emergency plan demands specific 
measurable targets for progress. His job is to not only put the 
implementers in place and to find those souls who are on the frontlines 
of saving lives and empower them; his job is to report back to the 
President and say, ``Here is the progress we're making, Mr. President.'' 
That way it gives me a chance to say, ``Well, if you're not making 
enough progress, Mark, do something differently, please.''
    It employs a prevention strategy that works: ABC, which means 
``Abstinence, Be faithful, and use Condoms.'' This isn't guesswork; this 
is a program that is working. It puts local partners in the lead, 
because they know the needs of their people best. It enlists new 
partners from the international community, the private sector, and the 
faith community.
    I can't tell you how many people that I've met in the United States 
who say, ``I'm part of PEPFAR because my church has adopted the 
program.'' You know, there's nothing better than having people who hear 
the universal call to love a brother like you'd like to be loved 
yourselves on the frontline of helping to save lives.
    And the United States Government is smart enough to enlist the 
compassion and love and hard work of people in the faith community in 
the United States to help our brothers and sisters in need. So far, the 
results are striking. When we launched the initiative in 2003, only 
50,000 people in sub-Sahara Africa were receiving antiretroviral 
treatment.
    Today, we support treatment for nearly 1.7 million people in the 
region, and tens of thousands of more around the world, from Asia to the 
Caribbean to Eastern Europe. PEPFAR has supported care for nearly 7 
million people, including millions of orphans and vulnerable children. 
PEPFAR has allowed nearly 200,000 children in Africa to be born HIV-
free. PEPFAR is working. And I want to thank the United States Congress 
for coming together to reauthorize and dramatically expand this program.
    I'm sure that many of you had the same experiences that Laura and I 
have had in meeting people whose lives have been touched by the 
initiatives we're talking about today. I'll never forget meeting Harriet 
Namutebi. She is--we met her in Africa on our trip 5 years ago. She lost 
her brother, her husband, and one of her children to

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AIDS. She was diagnosed, she locked herself in her room, she refused to 
eat, and she wanted to die.
    But at a clinic supported by PEPFAR, Harriet was given a new lease 
on life. Counselors at the clinic showed Harriet how to live positively 
with HIV. A loving soul took this person who was in despair and said, 
``Here's a chance for you.''
    Thanks to the antiretroviral treatments Harriet received, she is now 
in good health. She cares for four children. She is an enthusiastic 
member of the clinic's drama group, which educates others about HIV. She 
is living proof of what people in Africa call the Lazarus effect: 
Communities once given up for dead are now being brought back to life. 
And it is a joy to be a part of PEPFAR.
    In the new era of development, we are working with partners to 
unleash the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known, and 
that is free trade. For developing nations, the value of trade is nearly 
40 times the value of foreign aid. Let me repeat that: For developing 
nations, the value of trade is 40 times the value of foreign aid. Isn't 
that an interesting statistic? What should that tell you? It says, if 
you're interested in helping the developing world, promote trade. That's 
what it ought to tell you.
    According to the World Bank, the complete elimination of barriers to 
trading goods would boost annual income in developing countries by more 
than $140 billion. I think that would go a long way, don't you, Madam 
President?
    You know, trade opens growth, ignites growth, but it also produces 
other benefits. It helps increase transparency; it helps increase the 
rule of law. During my administration, we have worked hard to reduce 
barriers to trade and investment. When I took office, we had free trade 
agreements in effect with three nations. Today, we have them with 14 
nations; most of them are developing countries. We've also--[applause].
    My predecessor, President Clinton, did a smart thing with the 
African Growth and Opportunity Act. My administration had the honor of 
extending that act. In 2005, I worked with Congress to pass a free trade 
agreement with the Dominican Republic and nations in Central America; 
it's called CAFTA. And although it's still in its early stages, trade 
between participating countries with the U.S. is up 30 percent since its 
enactment. Do you know what that means? That means more jobs for workers 
in those countries. It means more food for families. It means more 
investment that developing countries need to grow and prosper. That's 
what that means.
    Trade is essential to prosperity in both good economic times and 
bad. During periods of crisis, like the one we're in now, protectionism 
may seem like the best way to safeguard wealth. But when major economies 
try to wall themselves off, they deny themselves the growth that comes 
from exports and deepen poverty by depriving poor nations of vital 
markets for their goods. You see, in the midst of this crisis, I believe 
the world ought to send a clear signal that we remain committed to open 
markets by reducing barriers to trade across the globe. The recent 
impasse in the Doha round of trade talks is disappointing, but that 
doesn't have to be the final world--word. And so before I leave office, 
I'm going to press hard to make sure we have a successful Doha round.
    In this new era of development, countries that make the courageous 
choice to embrace democracy must realize the economic benefits that go 
with it. When young democracies do not deliver improvements in their 
people's daily lives, the people start to lose faith in free societies. 
That's a fact.
    For example, let's talk about our own neighborhood. I believe it's 
in our interest that we have a good, sound neighborhood. It's in our 
interest our neighborhood prosper and get along. And we've seen hopeful 
advances for democracy and free enterprise in North and South America. 
There's no doubt about it; there's been some amazing advances. Yet 
there's also voices that challenge free markets and democratic values--
quite loud voices. Some of them have gained a following, because amid 
the progress in our hemisphere, we also see terrible want. What the 
campesinos and trabajadores want is--what they don't need is false 
populism; what they do need is social justice. And the development aid 
of the United States has been focused on providing social justice in our 
neighborhood.

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    True social justice requires creating new opportunities for 
prosperity and upward mobility. So working in partnership with Latin 
American nations, we've helped more than 400,000 poor and disadvantaged 
children learn to read. We've increased economic opportunity by 
relieving debt and opening trade, as I mentioned. We've delivered aid 
that empowers the poor and the marginalized. Since I took office, with 
support from the Congress, the United States has provided nearly $15 
billion to the region with a special focus on helping the poor.
    True social justice requires government institutions that are fair 
and effective and free from corruption. You can't have social justice if 
your government is stealing from you. Since 2001, the United States has 
doubled our worldwide commitment to programs that foster democracy and 
good government, including programs in Latin America. We've entered into 
the Millennium Challenge Account agreements with six nations in Latin 
America and the Caribbean, and a number of other countries are pursuing 
compacts.
    We've worked with countries like El Salvador to train law 
enforcement officers who can combat criminal gangs. Mexico--we're 
partnering with the Government to stop smugglers who traffic in 
everything from guns to human beings. Colombia--we've worked closely 
with President Uribe to defeat the cocaine cartels and narcoterrorists. 
By the way, it is no coincidence last year that Colombia's economy saw 
its largest growth in nearly three decades, because that country has got 
a strong leader willing to take on the FARC.
    True social justice requires compassion. And some of the greatest 
work of compassion in Latin America is being done by the United States 
military. I don't know if you ever heard of the Navy hospital ship 
called the Comfort, but it sailed to 12 countries in Latin America and 
the Caribbean last year. Doctors treated tens of thousands of poor 
patients and conducted more than 26,000 surgeries. Dentists and 
hygienists filled cavities and cared for infections and treated young 
children. These men and women are showing that the nations of Latin 
America have a strong partner in the United States of America. They're a 
part of our efforts to show that the institutions of freedom and 
capitalism and democracy are not threats to be feared, but the surest 
path to social justice there is.
    From fostering good governance and reform to alleviating hunger and 
disease to advancing education, prosperity, and justice, our new 
approach to development has shown inspiring signs of success. Yet this 
success can be reversed, and the cost of abandoning our commitments 
would be far higher than the cost of fulfilling them. So I urge both 
parties in Congress to ensure that our development efforts remain an 
enduring priority of the United States.
    I call on other members of the G-8 and the United Nations, as well 
as our fellow contributors to the Global Fund, to follow through on 
their pledges. Corporations and foundations have shared their resources 
and expertise with the developing world, and I urge them to continue 
their generosity. Faith-based groups have done amazing work to heal the 
sick and lift up the suffering, and I urge them to carry on their 
missions of mercy.
    It's amazing what individual Americans have done to help with our--
the new era of development. I got a Christmas gift from one of my little 
nephews, which was mosquito nets. Thousands of individuals and 
schoolchildren in--all across the country are donating $10 to buy a 
mosquito net to help save a life. There are people who are raising money 
for HIV/AIDS initiative. There are people who are going on a service 
mission with their house of worship. These folks are making a huge 
contribution, and I urge them to continue their good work.
    History shows what happens when America combines our great 
compassion with our steadfast determination. We are a compassionate 
people, and we are a determined people. During a recent visit, a good 
friend of mine shared his vivid childhood memories of the Marshall plan. 
We were sitting--standing on the South Lawn. He said he'll never forget 
the kindness America showed his nation in a time of need, and now that 
man is the Prime Minister of Italy. And last week, Silvio Berlusconi 
expressed his enduring loyalty and gratitude to the people of the United 
States.

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    It's not hard to imagine what fruits our compassion will yield 60 
years from today. We can see it in the faces of Afghan girls going to 
school for the first time. We can see them in the proud eyes of Latin 
American workers providing for themselves and for their families. We see 
them in the joy of new African mothers whose babies are protected from 
malaria and HIV. We see them in the outpouring of thanks throughout the 
developing world. I'm just so sorry that not every American could have 
been with Laura and me and see what we saw in our trip to Africa last 
year. Schoolchildren sang songs about America's generosity. One shop-
owner, I think who was in Liberia, Madam President, painted his stall in 
our Nation's colors. Tens of thousands of people lined the roadsides 
during our visit, cheering and waving American flags in gratitude to the 
American people.
    I'm honored to be the President of such a nation filled with people 
of such generosity and goodness. I'm proud to join with all of you in 
ushering in a new era of development. This is an historic commitment 
that we all can be proud of, one that will secure a bright future for 
our partners in the developing world, one that will make America a 
better place. God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 1:22 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building and 
International Trade Center. In his remarks, he referred to President 
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, who introduced the President.