WASHINGTON, D.C. – On November 21, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah will deliver opening remarks at Demand Solutions, a two-day event that will bring together some of the world’s most creative minds to share practical ideas on how to improve people’s lives around the world.  Dr. Shah’s address will focus on USAID’s commitment to using science, technology, innovation, and partnerships to solve the world's most intractable development challenges and end extreme poverty in the next two decades.

Organized by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), USAID and the Blum Centers at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles, Demand Solutions will offer participants an opportunity to meet innovators who are breaking new ground in healthcare, education, housing, citizen participation, and other fields.

Alex Dehgan, Science Adviser to the USAID Administrator will participate on a panel that will discuss how open knowledge can be used to influence development and improve the quality of life for people all over the world.  Other USAID officials participating in the conference include Director for the Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact Wendy Taylor, Director of the USAID Center for Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance David Yang, and Development innovation Ventures Division Chief Jeffrey Brown.

Innovators will also speak at the event, including USAID Grand Challenges for Development winners:  Laura Stachel, creator of a compact solar electric system that fits in a suitcase and is being used to reduce maternal mortality and Jorge Odon, an Argentine car mechanic who developed a low-cost device to assist with prolonged labor and delivery.

Press interested in attending can register here.  For interview requests with conference speakers and other media questions, please email Valeria Pacheco at valeriap@iadb.org.