Speeches

Support for faith-based organizations has long been one of USAID's policy priorities, not only in the Middle East region but around the world. Working with these types of organizations with extensive on-the-ground contacts and expertise is part of a new strategy that USAID is undertaking. In 2019, we launched our new partnership initiative, what we call NPI, in Northern Iraq. It was the first time USAID has worked directly with local groups in nearly 20 years. We were looking for ways to expand similar programming and grow our partnerships with civil society groups and faith-based organizations across the region, including Lebanon.

As you may have heard, the United States Government so far has provided more than $18 million in humanitarian assistance from USAID and the U.S. Department of Defense to aid the people of Lebanon. This funding brings the total humanitarian assistance provided by the American people in Lebanon to nearly $594 million over the last year and a half. While in Beirut, I got an initial assessment from our disaster assistance response team, who is leading the U.S. Government’s humanitarian response in this case on the critical needs. Priority needs include food, health, and shelter. The explosions left approximately 2,500 homes uninhabitable, damaged or destroyed more than a dozen hospitals and health centers, disrupted food imports at the port, and destroyed shops and businesses that families have relied on for generations for their livelihoods. I had the honor of speaking with some of the people affected when I visited the Port of Beirut, the site of destruction. I met first responders who lost colleagues who were on the site when the second explosion occurred.

At USAID, we believe that the contributions of women are critical to a country’s political, economic, and social development. That’s why women’s empowerment is an integral part of USAID’s work.  Investing in women is not only the smart thing to do; it’s a priority for countries around the world, because engaging with women can unlock human potential on a transformational scale. Our mission at AID is to build a more free, stable, and prosperous world.  Our assistance lifts lives, bolsters communities, and advances women as integral members of their communities along those countries’ journeys to self-reliance.

In 2019, the Deal Room helped originate more than $200 million in investment commitments for African businesses. We are excited to see even more deals done in 2020 and together, drive agricultural growth in Africa. Many people don’t know this, but I am a smallholder farmer myself. So I understand the challenges of being part of the agriculture sector and the roles that farmers and agribusiness play in the economy -- whether in local communities or around the world.