Good afternoon! I am really excited to be here today. Indeed, from the day that Tom first shared with me an early draft, I have been waiting impatiently for this book to be published. And now that the day has come, I must start by congratulating the authors – both Tom and Diane, and note how pleased I am to see such a crowded room for this launch.
We are here today to reaffirm our interest and commitment to following up on the outcomes of the Copenhagen Consultation in 2012 to provide ourselves with a new tool in our work in promoting sustainable economic growth around the world. This is essential if we are to fulfill the vision we all share for the future. Indeed, two months ago, President Barack Obama pledged in his State of the Union address that the United States will join with our allies to eradicate extreme poverty in the next two decades. He said that this will be achieved by connecting more people to the global economy and empowering women; by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve; by helping communities to feed, power and educate themselves; by saving the world’s children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation.
It is my pleasure to join you to mark the 2013 Vietnamese Disabilities Day and talk about our joint efforts to encourage and support Vietnamese with disabilities.
Tôi vinh dự được cùng quý vị kỷ niệm Ngày người Khuyết tật Việt nam 2013 và phát biểu về nỗ lực chung của chúng ta nhằm khuyến khích và hỗ trợ người khuyết tật Việt Nam.
I must admit that it’s daunting to speak before religious scholars, and organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, St. Egidio, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. I feel like the man who was asked to speak about Whale Anatomy, and as he looks into the audience, he sees Jonah.
The task is made less daunting by the recognition that Pope John’s 23rd encyclical is accessible throughout five decades. In the 1960’s, it’s accessible during nuclear disarmament and an end to the arms race, as well as decolonization and an end to the caste system dividing nations. It can be applied to the 1970’s, as we witnessed gender equality and women’s empowerment on the rise, and an end to racial and ethnic prejudice and discrimination. We can look to it as we committed to treatises on the inter-connection of global human rights and peace in the 1980’s. And in the 1990’s, it’s useful at the need to ensure that growing science and technology is pursued not as a goal of its own but as a means toward the betterment of mankind. More recently, perhaps not surprising given my position as USAID’s Deputy Administrator, it is a strong endorsement of foreign assistance as a means of building peaceful, stable societies. It may sound self-serving since my agency’s budget is going to the Hill tomorrow, but paragraph 88 reminds us:
Since 1954, we have helped feed a billion people in over 150 countries. Initially, it was an act with no apparent downside. Our farmers had an outlet for their surplus food. Our ocean carriers filled their vessels with food aid. And vulnerable people halfway around the world received their next meal.
But over the last 60 years, the world has changed. Today, agriculture is the second most productive aspect of the American economy, and we just experienced the strongest four years in history for agricultural trade. Between now and 2050, demand for food will be so strong that agricultural production will have to grow 60 percent just to keep up. Rather than surpluses, we talk of shortages. And as a result, the cost of doing business has grown by 200 percent—eroding our humanitarian reach and impact.
Thank you. It is really special to have the opportunity to be here, and I just want to say thank you very much.
And I do want to note that it is very special for me to get to be hosted by Senator Boozman here in his home state. He has been obviously a dedicated public servant and I think everyone here knows about his tremendous accomplishments on behalf of the state. What you might not know as much about is the fact that he chairs the Malaria Caucus and the Hunger Caucus, and that he fights really hard on issues that maybe have not traditionally been seen as particularly rewarding to spend time on from a political perspective because he brings such personal passion and commitment to the work, and I have had a chance to see that leadership in action in Washington.
HANOI, April 3, 2013 -- It is my pleasure to join you in opening this important conference on One Health coordination. Vietnam is showing leadership in this area and the United States is very pleased to partner with Vietnam to effectively detect and control infectious diseases, before they damage the health and livelihoods of the people of Vietnam and the world.
HÀ NỘI, ngày 3/4/2013 -- Tôi vui mừng được tham gia cùng quý vị trong buổi khai mạc hội nghị quan trọng này về phối hợp áp dụng phương thức tiếp cận Một Sức khoẻ. Việt Nam đang thể hiện vai trò đi đầu trong lĩnh vực này và Hoa Kỳ rất vui mừng cộng tác với Việt Nam trong việc phát hiện và kiểm soát có hiệu quả các bệnh truyền nhiễm trước khi các bệnh đó ảnh hưởng đến sức khoẻ và sinh kế của người dân Việt Nam và thế giới.
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