Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are the backbone of almost all economies in the world. Their essential contribution to sustained and broad-based development has become even more indispensable in the regional and global economy of today. This is particularly the case in ASEAN, with each member nation having between 52 and 97 percent of its domestic employment within the SME sector. Here in Cambodia, a recent report from the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia puts SME employment at 73 percent of the domestic work force.
Two and a half years ago, as part of a discussion of how we would get, there a few of us gathered in the dead of winter for a discussion on how we tackle perhaps the greatest barrier to growth across the African continent. At that time I would not have imagined that Power Africa would grow into such a vibrant and exciting public-private collaboration to achieve exactly that objective. Progress has come not from putting a whole lot of new money on the table, or even because we have so many new partners that are engaged - and both of those are areas where we have made real progress - but our progress actually comes from a willingness to embrace a new model of development.
As you all know, wildlife trafficking is a logistics and transport-intensive activity. Traffickers of wildlife and wildlife products have discrete smuggling methods, networks, routes and markets. And evidence indicates that legitimate transportation and distribution supply chains are also being used to traffic illegal wildlife. For example, ivory is most often hidden in shipping containers, while rhino horn is usually trafficked by air passengers.
For generations, the United States has been a leader in providing development assistance to alleviate suffering in Kenya and across the globe. But food price spikes and resulting instability in 2007 and 2008 were a wake-up call: More needed to be done to break the vicious cycle of hunger and poverty.
And we are especially honored to have Ethiopia’s First Lady join us this morning to officially open the conference. She has been a very important advocate for strengthening the role of women in the professional world, and her presence today also shows Ethiopia’s support for this important initiative that addresses the role of women in agribusiness.
Khi chúng ta cùng kỷ niệm 20 năm bình thường hóa quan hệ giữa Việt Nam và Hoa Kỳ và hướng tới tương lai, có lẽ vấn đề biến đổi khí hậu và môi trường chính là cơ hội tốt nhất để đưa hai nước xích lại gần nhau. Vì vậy, đây thực sự là vinh hạnh cho tôi khi được phát biểu về vấn đề này vào đầu nhiệm kỳ của mình ở Việt Nam và trong một sự kiện quan trọng như thế này.
As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of normalized relations between the United States and Vietnam and look to the future, perhaps is there no greater opportunity to bring our two great nations together than on climate change and the environment. It is, therefore, truly an honor to speak on this topic so early in my tenure here in Vietnam and at such an important event.
Good morning all, and welcome to USAID’s second Mobile Solutions for Development Forum. USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA), along with our partner and event co-organizer, FHI360, is privileged to have close to 100 people here today, all with amazing backgrounds and experience - from the private sector, NGOs, and the academic community, to other donors, USAID staff, and implementing partners, from many countries in the region. I am sure your discussions will be rich and productive!
This inaugural Vietnam Policymakers Seminar Series is co-organized by the USAID Governance for Inclusive Growth Program (GIG) and the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Academy of Policy Development (MPI/APD). The series of seminars has been developed to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and best practices on policy analysis and a networking forum for mid-level Vietnamese government officials.
Today’s ceremony demonstrates the U.S. Government’s ongoing commitment to help bring peace and stability in Mindanao. Graduates, we have no doubt that you will shape a more stable and prosperous future for the Philippines.
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