WASHINGTON, D.C. – From October 10th - 11th Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will travel to Berkeley, and Los Angeles California to announce innovative new development efforts and talk to university communities about how students and faculty can work with USAID to reduce poverty, create healthier communities and promote worldwide economic development. 

On October 10^th, Administrator Shah will travel to the University of California Berkeley where he will attend a science fair style presentation with students who are creating new, innovative development solutions. After, he will deliver a keynote address to students and faculty at the Blum Center for Developing Economies entitled: An Open-Source Approach to Global Development – both events are open to press. He will also emphasize USAID's broader commitment to the harnessing of technology to address fundamental human rights challenges and launch the Tech Challenge for Atrocity Prevention, to identify innovative applications of new and existing technologies to help prevent mass atrocities.

In February 2012, USAID signed a Cooperative Agreement with the Blum Center, whose work links world-class faculty, inspiring new curriculum, and innovative technologies, services and business models to create real-world solutions for developing economies. The new agreement allows USAID to work closely with Blum Center staff, staff at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, world class faculty and researchers, and students to expand the pool of problem-solvers in our own country and work together to tackle the development challenges of our time.

In Los Angeles, Administrator Shah and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Los Angeles to formalize a partnership to share experiences and knowledge on combating gang violence and promoting youth development in Latin America and the Caribbean. This supports USAID’s extensive regional security efforts through the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI).

Later, Administrator Shah will visit Pepperdine University where he will announce the Counter Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) Campus Challenge. The intent of the challenge is to increase global awareness about trafficking, inspire activism among students and scholars at colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad and create innovative technological solutions to advance TIP prevention and protection.

For more information, please visit Fall Semester | U.S. Agency for International Development or contact kbazbaz@usaid.gov.