WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development today released the following statement from Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah on the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' progress report on U.S. leadership in global agricultural development:

"We are pleased to see that U.S. Government efforts under Feed the Future, President Obama's global hunger and food security initiative, have been commended in this year's Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Progress Report on U.S. Leadership in Global Agricultural Development. The report, authored by some of the most respected experts in the food security field, reflects the Obama Administration's commitment to address global hunger and that of the broader community that acts together to address this challenge worldwide.

The overall message conveyed by the report is clear: Feed the Future is working. However, we know that our work is not yet done. We must continue working collaboratively across the U.S. Government and with our partners to end chronic food insecurity. As a whole-of-government initiative through which several U.S. federal agencies contribute their unique expertise and leverage resources, Feed the Future is set up to do exactly this. By working together - and with the valued input of our development partners from universities, the research community, multilaterals, civil society, the private sector, and the non-governmental sector- we have the ability to break the cycle of poverty and food insecurity, reduce the need for aid over time, and help countries become more active contributors to global security and growth.

Our next major step is to deepen our work on food security. We expect that the G-8 will work together to build upon and strengthen the historic commitments on food security made at the 2009 L'Aquila Summit, and will encourage broader investment in agricultural development."