Good morning everyone. Salam Alaikum.
First, I would like to recognize his Excellency CEO Dr. Abdullah, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Dr. Sima Samar, Dr. Sorabi and other distinguished guests who are here with us today. The U.S. government is extremely proud to be partnering with you and with the Afghan Government on Musharikat, on Promote and on women's issues, more generally.
The United States Government has been pleased to intensify its efforts with the Government and people of Zambia to increase energy generation and access through clean, renewable energy. We believe the Industrial Development Corporation, or IDC/IFC Scaling Solar program offers an excellent example, and one we have been pleased to support under Power Africa. U.S. President Obama announced the Power Africa initiative in 2013.
<p>Good morning, I am honored to be here today representing the United States Agency for International Development, better known as USAID. I bring you greetings from the United States Ambassador to Zambia, Mr. Eric Schultz. I am delighted to join the Minister of Gender, Honorable Professor Nkandu Luo, all other ministers and members of parliament at this timely event to encourage a cohesive national response to prevent Gender-Based Violence and Child Marriage. We see this as an important forum for sharing ideas about how we can most effectively work together and leverage our unique roles in meeting this common goal.</p>
Cabinet Secretary Dr. Mailu, Director of Medical Services Dr. Kioko, National Malaria Control Program Head Dr. Waqo, WHO Representative Dr. Mandhlate, Ladies and gentlemen, Good morning! It is my pleasure to join you all to observe World Malaria Day. Why do we commemorate World Malaria Day together every year? The answer is simple: malaria remains a serious threat to people’s health. Globally, malaria kills a child every two minutes. In Kenya, 70 percent of the population is at risk. Today we renew our resolve to eliminate this disease.
If we bring together the knowledge of the development and humanitarian communities, I know we can find the solutions needed to transform the way we respond to crises. But for this community to continue to respond like you have to disaster after disaster and crisis after crisis, the whole world is going to have to step up. We have to expand the resources available to meet the high level of need, understanding that any contribution, no matter how small, is needed and impactful. Humanitarian response is a burden shared by all of humanity, and the way we finance it should reflect that.
The Millennium Alliance has grown from three founding partners in 2012 - FICCI, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Science and Technology - to now having eight partners including UKAID, ICCO Cooperation, ICICI Foundation, Wadhwani Initiative for Sustainable Health (WISH) Foundation and the World Bank. It has been an impressive journey and we are proud to have all of you as part of the alliance.
What began as a seven million dollar initiative is now a 25 million dollar and growing partnership that is supporting nearly 62 innovators through seed funding and capacity building services, as well as an additional 100 innovators with networking and advisory assistance. We are leveraging the best of our partner institutions and the best of private Indian philanthropy to develop solutions to tough challenges, making our joint assistance more efficient and effective. The alliance has proved that when we work together, we’re a powerful force for change.
Indian farmers need climate adaptation support, and they need it promptly. That is why USAID/India and Skymet Weather Services started a four-year “Partnership in Climate Services for Resilient Agriculture in India” in October 2015 to help a farmer decide which crop to sow and how to harvest best results against the threats of climate change.
The U.S. Government is a committed partner of Kenya in agriculture, supporting Kenya through President Obama’s Feed the Future global program. Feed the Future aims to reduce poverty and stunting by 20 percent through agriculture. Its Kenya Innovation Engine bridges the gap and catalyzes private investment by reducing investors’ risk in backing innovations to address food security, malnutrition, and poverty across Kenya.
It is my pleasure to join you in marking an important day for family planning and reproductive health in Kenya, one on which we reaffirm the country’s commitment in these areas.
Justice Ginsburg and her colleagues across the judiciary are our nation’s most credible voices on what works and why, and a continued partnership with the U.S. judiciary will be essential to our success going forward. That’s why I am thrilled that USAID has recently renewed our agreement with the International Judicial Relations Committee so we can continue to tap into the extraordinary wealth of knowledge and experience of American judges.
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Last updated: September 20, 2016
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