Speeches

Needless to say, we are facing a global crisis of really unprecedented proportions. The recent IPCC report called the climate crisis a “code red for humanity.” And you need look no further than the devastating floods in Pakistan which have left nearly one-third of the country underwater, or to the Horn of Africa, where 20 million people are now facing starvation, to know that we are not adapting swiftly enough and we are not reducing our carbon emissions swiftly enough to tackle the scope and scale of this crisis. 

The United States is really grateful to partner with each of you here today to address this horrific food crisis in the Horn, and thanks for taking the time away from all the other things you could be doing as well. There are a lot of challenges facing the world right now, but none as acute as this one right now.

I want to start by thanking the Ford Foundation, Girls not Brides, Girls First Fund, and VOW for Girls for continuing to bring urgently needed attention to the complex issues and outright injustices that prevent women and girls from reaching their full potential. 

We are referring to this as the Inspiration Summit, because this is a room filled with prospects for reform and filled with hope. Each of the countries that we have with us gathered, have inspired us, have inspired President Biden, with their determination to push ahead and try to create a freer, more just, and more equal society in their own nation. Often, they are pushing against strong headwinds against really difficult legacies and inheritances.