Washington, DC -- U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah and other key figures at USAID will take part in the Annual Legislative Conference of the Congressional Black Caucus today and tomorrow to highlight different aspects of the agency's worldwide work to bring hope to those in need.

Dr. Shah will deliver a keynote speech that addresses some of the challenges facing Africa today, discusses international efforts to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals and highlights some of USAID's recent reforms. He'll speak at the start of an event hosted by Rep. Donald M. Payne, chairman of the Africa and Global Health subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Friday starting at 9.

Paul Weisenfeld, USAID's Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator to the Latin American and Caribbean Region, will participate in a panel convened by Rep. John Conyers on reconstruction efforts in Haiti. It takes place today from 12:30 to 2.

Sharon Cromer, the Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for USAID's Africa bureau, takes part in a forum hosted by Rep. Hank Johnson titled, "Africa Command and U.S. Relations" that will look at the significance of Africa as it relates to world security, today at 4 p.m.

And at a panel on minority business strategic relationships convened by CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee on Friday from 10:30 to noon, Mauricio Vera, Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilitzation, will provide an overview of the USAID contracting process with an emphasis on new and ongoing initiatives designed to increase opportunities for small and minority owned businesses.

The annual conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center is hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which facilitates the exchange of ideas and information, provides leadership develpment and scholastic opportunities, and develops programs to address social, economic and health disparities.

For more information about USAID's programs, please visit: usaid.gov. To read our blog, see blog.usaid.gov.