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Speeches and Testimony

Speeches

Speech

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

(as prepared for delivery)

 

  • Your Excellency, Ty Sokhun, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
  • Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

Thank you so much for joining me to launch the Feed the Future Cambodia Harvest II program. Feed the Future is the U.S government’s initiative to end global hunger and improve food security around the world. The past success of Feed the Future in Cambodia came from the partnership between our two nations and people. That partnership continues to be strengthened by the real progress we are making to reduce poverty and hunger in Cambodia.

Speech

Saturday, October 19, 2013

The goal of USAID’s support to technology in Cambodia is to bring tangible benefits to citizens and effect positive change through improved communications and access to information.   I hope that as you participate in the BarCamp, you will consider how you can combine your skills, what you learn here, and emerging technologies to contribute to a brighter future for Cambodia.  This is a chance for Cambodia to become, in the words of USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, “a country that believes that dedication and innovation are the only things needed to bridge the gap between the inconceivable and the achievable.”

Speech

Friday, October 18, 2013
USAID Cambodia is implementing one of President Obama’s key initiatives, Feed the Future to fight global hunger and malnutrition and help communities pull themselves out of poverty.  Nowhere is this more important than here in Cambodia.  We know that malnutrition and lack of early child development continues to hold back the country’s children.  We also know that one out of four Cambodians lives below the poverty line and many more very close to the line.  Think about what kind of opportunities await once we eliminate these challenges.
 

Speech

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

On behalf of USAID, it is my great pleasure to join you today for this special event, as we complete the handover of critical medical equipment to the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope.  I would like to thank our colleagues at the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope for organizing today’s event.  I would also like to thank our colleagues from the Ministry of Health and the Australian Embassy for joining us as well as commend their combined efforts to improve women’s health in Cambodia.

When the Sihanouk Hospital requested USAID assistance to procure equipment to open a Women’s Health Clinic, we recognized the opportunity to contribute toward improving women’s health in Cambodia.  The Sihanouk Hospital provides free medical care to Cambodians who have no other options for care.  It is a critical and exemplary mission.  To date, the hospital has provided more than one million free patient consultations.

Speech

Wednesday, April 10, 2013
I arrived in Cambodia just recently but I have already been impressed with the progress in health.  I want to congratulate you especially, Your Excellency Dr. Mam Bunheng, for your achievement. From the highest level of government down to community organizations, Cambodia has come together impressively to improve health, including HIV/AIDS. It is now possible to envision the next generation as AIDS free.
 
I am proud to be with you today to showcase the U.S. Government’s commitment to Cambodia’s HIV response.  Our efforts will be successful only if we work together as a team – by bringing our unique strengths to the table.  It’s such a team that I am honored to have joined in Cambodia.  Since the inception of its HIV/AIDS program in 1986, USAID has been on the forefront of the global AIDS crisis, investing more than $7 billion to fight the pandemic. Today, with more than 33 million people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, USAID is a key partner in the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest and most diverse HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment initiative in the world.

Speech

Monday, March 25, 2013
Despite significant progress towards tuberculosis control in the past decade, this disease continues to be a major challenge to the health of communities around the world. In 2011- the latest year for which estimates are available - there were 8.7 million new cases of TB and 1.4 million people died as a result of their illness.  In Cambodia alone, 61,000 people are estimated to suffer from TB each year.  9,000 of those will die annually.
 
The good news is that Cambodia has shown the world what can be achieved when countries apply a concerted and relentless effort to fight disease.  This effort brought Cambodia a 45% decrease in prevalence of TB between the 2002 and 2011.  That is astonishing!  I would like to congratulate the Royal Government of Cambodia and all of you on this great achievement and for your contributions to global tuberculosis control. 
 

Speech

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

It is a great pleasure to be here today at the opening ceremony of the 18th Annual Tuberculosis Conference.  I would like to thank CENAT for inviting me. USAID is following the progress made in TB control efforts in Cambodia with great interest and we are glad to be part of this important workshop.

Last year, we were extremely impressed to learn of the impact that years of TB control efforts have had in the country - documented by repeat prevalence surveys showing 45% decrease in TB prevalence in nine years.  This is a remarkable achievement and Cambodia is being applauded worldwide for this success, and we, USAID, is very proud to have contributed to this achievement.

We know also that momentum needs to be sustained for many more years, even decades, to reach the ultimate goal of eliminating TB as a public health problem by 2050.  It is with that goal that we need to continue our relentless efforts in the coming years.

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