Thank you, Byron, for that kind introduction, and for your commitment to development and to the work of USAID and our partners.

I also want to thank Katherine Raphaelson, president of SID-Washington, for steering this great organization and being such a good partner to USAID.

Thank you both for inviting me to this important day of discussions. I am honored to be here.

One of the most common questions I have received over the past eight months has been, “after more than 30 years in the army — and having served as ambassador to Tanzania, why did you come to USAID?”

Well to me, the answer is simple. Having deployed across the world, I have seen how the United States’ development efforts represent the vanguard of our national and economic security.

Because time and again, we have seen the intersection of extreme ideology, extreme poverty, and extreme climate routinely push millions of people to the edge of survival and challenge our collective security.

To confront these realities, USAID is focusing — as an agency — with renewed energy on answering President Obama’s call to end extreme poverty by 2030.

In doing so, we are taking aim at the greatest threats of our time without firing a single shot.  

As you discuss extreme poverty, inequality, and their implications throughout the conference today, I want to acknowledge what is at stake.  

During my recent travels, I saw some of the many challenges we collectively face in the world.

In India, I met a woman who has lived for over 45 years in an urban slum with 3,000 other residents, that until just months ago did not have a single latrine, and unsanitary conditions have led to frequent illness…

In Colombia, I met a man who was pulled from school by a violent militant group at age 15, where he spent years hungry and cut off from family, fighting in a war that was not of his choosing…

In Nepal, I visited a remote village where most of the homes were flattened by the recent earthquakes, where people are forced to live in open spaces because of the threat of additional shocks.

We see this around the world, in far too many places, far too many times.

In urban slums, children are lost to agonizing but preventable infections; in refugee camps, children’s growth is stunted and their education is halted; and on dusty plains, children cry as they waste away from chronic hunger and disease.

Entire generations’ worth of potential is left on the sidelines —and entire communities are cast back into a vicious cycle of extreme poverty.

At USAID, we firmly believe we can break this cycle, and end extreme poverty.

To get there, we must generate economic growth that is robust, broad-based, and sustainable.  We must connect the poor to markets and public services.  And, we must not leave a single person behind.

As we strengthen markets and people rise from extreme poverty, we must also strengthen the institutions that form the bedrock of a resilient, democratic society.

We must foster legitimate and effective governance in these institutions, not only to protect a nation’s people against inevitable shocks and stresses, but also because it is the right thing to do.

We stand firm in our belief that this is the right path, even as we see more closing spaces around the globe.

Since 2012, more than 50 governments have introduced or enacted measures restricting civil society, ranging from the delay of registering a civil organization, to the imprisonment and physical harassment of those who do the work.

USAID works through President Obama’s stand with the civil society initiative, to maintain and support the civil society organizations, to foster innovation, partnerships, and support for the activities of independent civil societies. 

As we tackle these ambitious goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting resilient, democratic societies, USAID has also re-examined how we fundamentally operate as an organization.

Over the past five years, we have rebuilt our policy and budget capabilities, adopted a rigorous approach to evaluation and transparency, hired more than 1,100 new foreign service staff, and focused on delivering local solutions that have enabled us to partner with hundreds of local organizations.

Through Power Africa, we are working to bring electricity to at least 60 million households and businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Through feed the future, we have helped 7 million farmers boost their harvests with new technologies and management practices, and improved nutrition for more than 12 million children — all in the last year alone.

Through our first-ever water and development strategy, we will sustainably improve the water supply for 10 million people — as well as improve sanitation for 6 million people.

And through the U.S. global development lab, we have received 15,000 applications for our competitions —with 544 innovations funded and implemented in the field.

These successes are only possible because we are embracing a new and improved way of doing business — one grounded in innovation, local leadership, and public-private partnerships.

Which brings me to what I believe is the most catalytic piece of USAID’s new way of doing business — partnerships.

In 1960, external public financing accounted for 71 percent of financial flows to the developing world. Today, it stands at 9 percent, and domestic public revenue has tripled since 2000.

And, not only does development financing look different, but so does the very nature of our challenges.

From refugee crises to the spread of disease, we must tackle horizontal problems that span borders and continents. And, when we try to solve any of this alone, we rarely have more than a vertical impact.

So today, we need to approach the work of USAID and other donors not as the only, or even primary, source of development impact, but as catalysts.

And, we have already seen, when we do work as catalysts and partner to solve problems, we create positive change on a far greater scale than ever before.

Through Power Africa, we have leveraged more than $20 billion from the private sector for new on- and off-grid projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Through our Ebola grand challenge, universities, the private sector and ngos partnered to create safer protective suits for nurses and doctors.

Through feed the future programs in Bangladesh, we have partnered with local governments, the private sector and civil society organizations to reduce children’s stunting by as much as 15% in the last 3 years, according to preliminary study results.

And, with our making all voices count grand challenge, USAID has partnered with other donors and a philanthropic investment firm to amplify citizens’ voices and enable governments to open up, listen, and respond.

Because when we partner, we make steady progress against seemingly intractable problems.

And, as all of you here today know, we have no shortage of seemingly intractable problems.

To address these challenges — to move the needle forward —we need you to join us — as partners in doing the heavy lifting that will be required.

Together, let us open doors to innovators around the world to define the challenges, test our ideas, and scale the solutions.

Together, let us measure success differently — with real outcomes — mentor local organizations and companies, and build sustainable markets.  

And together, let us work every single day to ensure our efforts will produce strong institutions, vibrant private sectors, and thriving resilient, democratic societies.    

Let us collectively work ourselves out of a job in the current circumstance, wherever that might be, and help lift a recipient country or community to middle-income status. Then go next where we are needed most.

Finally, lest we forget, we should pause to acknowledge the remarkable progress made against the millennium development goals.

But it must not be more than a pause.

Because now, at this moment, we have an unprecedented opportunity to lift the remaining 1.2 billion people out of extreme poverty — out of slums, out of hunger, and out of impossible choices.

The post-2015 development agenda and financing for development conference are our moments, for setting the proper compass points and methods for the future we seek.

We must seize the opportunity now, and define a new and sustainable vision for global development.

Let us compel and inspire the change we seek to achieve.

Together, let us answer the president’s call to bring an end to extreme poverty, and create a brighter future of prosperity and security that eludes so many people around the world today.

Thank you for your kind attention, and for all you do every day to make our world a better place.