Good afternoon. I want to thank my colleagues in the Office of Population and Reproductive Health, and Roger-Mark and the Woodrow Wilson Center, for putting together this important event on the Sahel.

I’d like to offer a few closing reflections to what I’m sure was a fascinating day-long conversation. I regret not being able to join you for the entire event. But I am glad that Alexandra, Vanita, Sylvia and others from USAID were here to talk more in depth about our efforts in the region.

As you know, the Sahel is in many ways ground zero for advancing USAID’s mission to end extreme poverty and promote democratic, resilient societies. Africa is one of the world’s fastest-growing regions; but it is also home to more than one-third of those living in extreme poverty. Many of these poorest communities are in the Sahel. If we are to unlock Africa’s promise, we must tackle the drivers that keep Sahelians trapped in a cycle of crisis and extreme poverty.

As I am sure you discussed earlier, population pressure is an important driver of vulnerability in the region. In Niger—which has the highest birth rate in the world—the population is expected to double by 2035. The UN projects that the population in the Sahel will be 340 million by 2050— triple the size today and more than 10 times the size in 1950. As a result, more and more people are struggling to survive with limited land, resources, and economic opportunities.

These pressures are compounded by a changing climate. More frequent droughts are making it harder for farmers to grow food and families to feed their children. Because of chronic malnutrition, one bad harvest can drive a community over the cliff. Sadly, many communities are forced into conflict over grazing, water, and other resources.

We know that extreme poverty is increasingly concentrated in fragile states, and the Sahel is a prime example. While Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Niger have taken democratic steps in recent years, the region remains blighted by terrorism. Disenfranchised young people— without land, jobs, or a sense of security and justice—are often lured into violent extremism. Gender disparities are pervasive; and we all know it’s hard for a country to get ahead if half of its population is left behind.

These complex challenges combine to result in great vulnerabilities—to drought, conflict, and terrorism—that have kept millions across the Sahel in a state of perpetual humanitarian crisis.

Despite these challenges, governments in the Sahel have taken important steps recently to help the most vulnerable break out of a cycle of crisis, poverty, and food insecurity. There are hopeful re-greening efforts underway in Niger and Burkina Faso. And we were heartened by the Government of Niger’s decision to put a quarter of its budget towards Nigeriens Nourish Nigeriens, a plan to increase food security.

As I’m sure my colleagues have mentioned we have also changed the way we do business to meet these challenges. USAID’s resilience policy seeks to help the world’s most vulnerable bounce back better from recurring crises that keep communities locked in extreme poverty. These efforts are in support of country-led plans like Niger’s.

In Dakar in 2012, we brought together our humanitarian and development teams to form a regional Joint Planning Cell (JPC) for the Sahel. The cell identified underlying vulnerabilities, many of which you have discussed today. They assessed how population pressure, climate change, spikes in food prices, and weak governance were driving the same communities into crisis each year.

They then designed joint humanitarian and development programs that target these root problems and importantly, that recognize risk factors as a daily reality. So for instance, we assume in these programs that droughts are likely. We then build in “crisis modifiers”-- funds from our humanitarian accounts-- to reduce losses when a drought hits.

One of the most exciting projects we have designed is RISE: Resilience in the Sahel Enhance. RISE provides $130 million to give 1.9 million of the Sahel’s most vulnerable a chance to break the cycle of crisis, escape chronic poverty, and lessen their need for future humanitarian assistance.

In targeted zones in Niger and Burkina Faso, RISE includes economic, governance, health and nutrition investments to build the capacity of pastoralists to thrive peacefully. For instance, we are giving farmers access to early warning information to practice climate-smart farming, and promoting more efficient water use.

We know that women are often the pillar of stability in a household. That is why we are giving them greater access to credit and savings so that they can build up household assets and go beyond living day by day. Given the demographic challenges of the region, we know that family planning is critical if we are to empower women to plan ahead. And so our Office of Population and Reproductive Health is collaborating closely with our resilience teams to provide mobile family planning services in the focused resilience zones.

Through RISE and our support for the Global Alliance for Resilience in the Sahel, we are also bolstering the capacity of governments to execute inclusive growth strategies, manage natural resources (including ensuring women have land rights), and invest in disaster risk reduction. We are also working with local communities so that they can have their voices heard in government policies and propose local solutions to mitigate conflicts and manage resources wisely.

USAID has also partnered with The Rockefeller Foundation and Swedish Sida to launch a Global Resilience Partnership, which will leverage $150 million to scale up resilience innovations in three target regions, including the Sahel. The GRP’s first activity, the Global Resilience Challenge, has already produced finalist teams that are looking to tackle issues such as how to expand micro-credit and insurance for farmers in the Sahel.

We hope that RISE and other resilience investments will create a more virtuous cycle of peace and prosperity for Sahelians.

We will continue to innovate and learn from our efforts as we try to bring these resilience investments to scale. And research partners like the Woodrow Wilson Center will continue help us make informed, evidence-based investments in this region.

I am certain that there were many rich insights in today’s discussion, and I look forward to seeing how those might shape and inform our work.

I look forward to your questions.