Last night, President Obama spoke at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship – the first summit to build off his promise of a “new beginning” from last year’s speech in Cairo. The Summit, co-hosted by the Departments of State and Commerce, is a step toward building closer ties between the U.S. and Muslim communities worldwide. In his remarks, President Obama noted recent efforts taken to strengthen partnership that include expanding educational exchanges, collaborating on global health issues with the Organization of Islamic Conference, and fostering innovation in science and technology. He also noted steps the U.S. has taken to improve relations:
Posts Tagged ‘partnership’
QDDR Series Extra: MFAN Member White on Development as a Discipline
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Yesterday, MFAN featured a blog post by Karin Christiansen on aid transparency as follow-up to the QDDR blog series last month. Below is another QDDR extra from MFAN member Jonathan White, senior program officer at the German Marshall Fund. Do you think there are any questions – other than those noted by White – that the QDDR and PSD must answer to ensure these reviews lead to the creation of a national development strategy?
Enabling Development as a Discipline
By Jonathan White
The Presidential Study Directive on Global Development (PSD) and the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) represent an unprecedented confluence of factors which could fundamentally alter U.S. engagement with the world. But will the PSD and the QDDR coalesce around a unified outcomes-oriented strategy that enables the discipline of development in the U.S. political system?
USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah mentioned “development as a discipline” in his Congressional testimony. What underlies this notion is that development represents a distinctive body of knowledge. Currently there is no center of gravity in the U.S. government for cultivating, testing, refining, and mastering the discipline of development which can harvest and importantly implement global best practices.
NATO Secretary General Rasmussen on Development
Friday, April 9th, 2010
Yesterday at the University of Chicago, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen gave a speech on “Afghanistan and the Future of Peace Operations.” The speech focused on NATO’s role in Afghanistan and how — eight years into the conflict — it has only become more clear that both a military and a civilian effort are required for security and success. Rasmussen made a forceful case for development, saying, “In Afghanistan, there can be no development without security. But equally, there can be no lasting security without development.” Later, he spoke about how NATO has adopted a “whole-of-government approach” to Afghanistan; “Diplomats, defense ministries and development experts sit together, plan together and operate together, including in Provincial Reconstruction Teams all over Afghanistan.” He also made the case for increased partnership among NGOs, international organizations, and other allies and global stakeholders. See below for more excerpts from his speech, and read the full speech here.
“…everything is, indeed, connected. The military mission cannot ultimately succeed until the civilian aspects – better governance, improved development, and a rising economy – succeed.”
“The answer is that we need what we call a comprehensive approach. And that is the first lesson of this mission. The days when the military could defeat the enemy, then hand the baton off to the civilians and go home, are past us.”
“We don’t just need better relations with other international organizations and NGOs. To my mind, NATO also needs to institutionalize a broad and inclusive security dialogue and, where appropriate, partnership with relevant countries from around the world.”
QDDR Blog Series: MFAN Principal Ray Offenheiser on Country Ownership
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
The fifth installment in MFAN’s QDDR blog series comes from MFAN Principal Ray Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. To see other posts in the series, click on the following names - George Ingram, Noam Unger, David Beckmann, Ritu Sharma & Nora O’Connell.
The PSD & QDDR: What’s in it for poor countries?
by Raymond C. Offenheiser
President Obama and his administration have emphasized the need for U.S. development policy and practice to support “country ownership”—the idea that poor countries and their people need to lead their own development. As Secretary Clinton has said, “In Africa and elsewhere, we seek more agile, effective, and creative partnerships. We will focus on country-driven solutions that give responsible governments more information, capacity, and control as they tailor strategies to meet their needs.” So how can the PSD and the QDDR interim report suggest ways to better transfer information, capacity and control to recipients?
