Speeches Shim
There is a model of resourcing development that tilts the balance of power away from funders, toward the communities in which we work. A model that prizes the knowledge of people in those communities, respects their expertise, and engages them as partners rather than as beneficiaries. A model that elevates the voices of marginalized populations that are too often ignored or excluded.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), it is my pleasure and honor to welcome you to the USAID Central Asia Clean Energy Forum.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), it is my pleasure and honor to welcome you to the USAID Central Asia Clean Energy Forum.
USAID is currently working to encourage more civic participation, and supporting independent media so that people have trusted sources of information—and so the journalists providing that information can operate free from intimidation.
Madagascar’s new Mission Director must be someone who understands the country’s political, economic, and cultural context. Someone who can win the trust and respect of those who work for her – whether from the United States or Madagascar. Someone decisive yet collaborative, informed yet curious. In all of those respects – from her vast experience in Africa, to her proven ability to win the respect of her staff, to her track record for getting things done – Anne is the perfect person to take on this new role. And it’s my great pleasure to now administer to her the oath of office.
It is a pleasure to be here with you today as a partner in the fight against tuberculosis in Cambodia. By supporting this important national self assessment of TB diagnostic networks workshop and through the other USAID funded TB activities, we hope to underscore USAID’s commitment to assisting the National TB Control Program to end TB in Cambodia.
Well normally, I visit Sri Lanka, or in the past, I have visited in circumstances where there have been political fights about this or that. There have been economic challenges for sure, over the years. Obviously, issues related to human rights violations associated with the conflicts that brought me to Sri Lanka when I was President Obama's Human Rights Adviser, when I was UN Ambassador, but unfortunately, this trip really is motivated by the gravity of Sri Lanka's economic crisis.
Good afternoon, everyone. I want to start by thanking our incredible team here, Ambassador Julie Chung and USAID Mission Director Gabe Grau. I also want to thank all of you for joining us here on a Sunday afternoon. I really appreciate you being here. This is my first time back in Sri Lanka since 2019, and it is wonderful to be back. I have been greeted with the same warmth and hospitality on this trip as I have on all my previous trips. It has also been immensely informative for me, as the head of USAID to see the economic crisis the country is experiencing up close.
First of all, let me say I feel so privileged and humbled to be back in Sri Lanka representing the United States. I was part of the Obama Administration – I was the Human Rights Advisor to President Obama and then I was the Ambassador to the UN – and traveled to Sri Lanka multiple times and I’ve had a chance over the years to get to know the Sri Lankan people, who have a very, very special place in my heart.
Well, part of the time, I felt like maybe I had entered the apocalypse. You know, it just felt as if, you look down in a helicopter, flying for two, three, four hours all around, you know, in all directions, and all you see is water. And so you, you kind of still have the reflex of thinking, when you look down and you see water, we must be over a lake or we must be over an ocean. And then you see, you know, the faint outline of the roof of a home popping up, or maybe there's a tiny little island to the community that happens to be on raised land, or maybe somebody has cleared out just a little bridge area to be able to transport something back to one's home.
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Last updated: November 06, 2020
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