Transcript
MR. NIGEL PURVIS: — for Global Affairs, Paula Dobriansky. Since assuming her current position a year ago, Dr. Dobriansky has managed for President Bush and Secretary Powell an enormous range of foreign policy issues, including democracy, human rights, environment, science, labor, counter-narcotics and law enforcement, refugee and humanitarian relief matters and Tibet policy, and that's only about half of it.
Last year I had the privilege of working with Under Secretary Dobriansky as her acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment and Science. I can assure you of the priority she attaches to the topic she will be addressing today, sustainable development. Whether advancing the president's innovative international approach to combating HIV/AIDS or defending the United States' climate change policies, Under Secretary Dobriansky pursues her mission with a steady grace that yields concrete results.
Paula Dobriansky is no stranger to this Washington forum. Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Dobriansky served as senior vice president and director of the Washington office of the Council on Foreign Relations. She has a distinguished record of previous government service, including as a long time National Security Council staff member and a senior policy maker in the State Department and the United States Information Agency. She has had an active career in the private sector as an international affairs adviser and as a corporate board member. Under Secretary Dobriansky graduated with highest honors from Georgetown University and earned her Ph.D. in Soviet Studies at Harvard University.
Under Secretary Dobriansky intends to outline today for the first time how the Bush administration will approach the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development, or WSSD as it has become known. This event, which will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September of this year, marks the 10 year anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit. Importantly, it represents a continuation of the international community's efforts to develop a more effective approach to international development. Whereas the November 2001 World Trade Organization meeting dealt with expanding trade opportunities, and the recent U.N. Summit on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico, attended by President Bush, addressed the financial challenges to development, WSSD will focus on the intersection of economic, environmental and social issues.
Under Secretary Dobriansky is here today to tell us about the Bush administration's partnership oriented approach to international prosperity. Contrary to the Council on Foreign Relations' ordinary practice, this event is on the record. Under Secretary Dobriansky has agreed kindly to answer a few questions from the audience at the conclusion of her address. This meeting with end promptly at 1:15, unless we exhaust questions from you beforehand. So please join me in welcoming Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, Paula Dobriansky.
(Applause.)
MS. PAULA DOBRIANSKY: First, thank you, Nigel, for that very warm and also full introduction. And I'd also like to thank Anne Luzzatto and the Council on Foreign Relations, Anne Luzzatto and team, as well as Jim Steinberg and the Brookings Institution. Really, I'm very delighted to be here this afternoon with all of you. In fact, as I look around the audience I see many, many familiar faces. So just — I'm pleased to be here today with you and really glad to have this opportunity to discuss our vision for meeting one of the great challenges of the new era in which we have entered.
How to continue to widen the circle of hope and prosperity in ways that foster natural resource stewardship and environment protection for current and future generations? It is a vision for implementing sustainable development that we hope others will share as well. As President Bush recognized in his groundbreaking anti-poverty speech on March 14, which was preceding the Monterrey Conference, he said that there exists, quote, "a growing divide between wealth and poverty, between opportunity and misery that is both a challenge to our compassion and a source of instability," unquote.
Building on the successful outcomes of the Doha Trade Ministerial, the Monterrey Financing For Development Summit and the upcoming World Food Summit, which will be at the beginning of June, the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development can take practical measures to enhance human productivity, reduce poverty and foster economic growth and opportunity, together with environmental quality. Our shared commitment must be to provide all people with the opportunity to lead healthy, productive and fulfilling lives. We have decades of experience in the effort to alleviate poverty and help developing countries move along the path of sustainable economic growth. We have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of development assistance, as well as the results of both good and bad governance, and I believe the emerging new consensus reflects the lessons learned over this period.
As President Bush put it clearly in Monterrey, quote, "For decades the success of development aid was measured only in the resources spent, not the results achieved. Yet pouring money into a failed status quo does little to help the poor, and can actually delay the progress of reform. We must accept a higher, more difficult, more promising call," unquote. Next week I will lead our U.S. delegation at a ministerial meeting in Indonesia to prepare for the Johannesburg summit. The vision that we will take with us brims with expectation that the Johannesburg summit will answer this more promising call, providing positive, forward looking leadership for domestic efforts and multilateral cooperation for years to come.
But if Johannesburg is to truly implement the international community's new consensus, demonstrated in Monterrey, to effectively mobilize resources for sustainable development, it should produce compelling results, not merely high sounding rhetoric. We already have agreed upon Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration goals. The world community does not need to negotiate new goals or create new global bureaucracies. If we are serious, Johannesburg must be about actual implementation. I think U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan put it very well when he outlined this reality in a clear way by saying, quote, "The summit aims to move from commitments, of which we have had plenty, 30 years ago and 10 years ago, to action," unquote.
But how can we best make progress in realizing the agenda that we have all agreed upon? How many children will escape childbirth death? How many mothers will survive childbirth and lead healthy lives? How many people will have access to safe drinking water and clean sources of energy? How many children can we send to school? How many people can we lift out of poverty? How many people around the world will be able to live in a clean environment? The bottom line for a successful Johannesburg summit will be imparting new momentum to achieve real development results. The essence of the message from the United States — that the United States will carry to Johannesburg is that we must continue down the path laid out in Monterrey, working together to build global prosperity.
Our vision for the World Summit on Sustainable Development is twofold. First, we believe sustainable development for every nation begins at home, with the support of effective domestic policies. This is an unmistakable lesson of past development efforts. Second, we believe that the best way to capitalize upon these effective domestic policies is through building and maturing local, national and international public/private partnerships. Through this approach, sustainable development can be achieved in a way that benefits both developing and developed nations.
President Bush has emphasized that the hopes of all people, no matter where they live, lie in good governance, political and economic freedom and the rule of law. These fundamental principles will generate and harness the human and financial resources needed to promote economic growth, a vibrant civil society, natural resources stewardship and environmental protection. Our goal is to ensure a better quality of life for all. Democracy and respect for human rights empower people to take charge of their own destinies. Self-governing people, prepared to participate in an open world marketplace, are the very foundation of sustainable development and that begins with good governance. Without a foundation of good governance, no amount of outside assistance will produce ultimately sustainable development. At the same time, effective domestic governance will tend to generate internal economic dynamism, become a magnet for local resources and foreign investment and thus create the climate for economic success and social development.
Let me take a moment, if I may, to outline what I mean when I speak of good governance. This is a term that is tossed around a lot, but it's worth taking a moment to explain it. To begin with, good governance encompasses the creation and support of effective democratic institutions, public institutions that will make policy objectively and rationally for the betterment of all citizens. Indispensable to good governance is an independent judiciary that will in turn implement these laws fairly and equitably. Inherent in these democratic institutions is the assurance that all members of society will enjoy a participatory role in government and have a meaningful voice in shaping their country's policies. In making domestic policies, governments should also adhere to sound monetary, fiscal and trade principles that promote investment, economic growth and advances social development, natural resource stewardship and environmental protection.
Moreover, policy decisions must be reached through an informed decision-making process that takes into account science and the scientific method. And crucial to the hopes for any long term success in building a stronger and more prosperous society is the assurance that corruption at all levels will be routed out. Anti-corruption laws are needed, as well as a system that enforces these laws with commitment, swiftness and equity. These aspects of governance maintain peace and stability and mobilize internal and external resources in support of sustainable development. Additionally, they contribute to economic growth, higher living standards, social equality and responsible environmental stewardship in which natural resources are wisely managed for both present and future generations.
In order to promote sustainable development, the World Summit on Sustainable Development should concentrate on how the world can work together to encourage these needed changes. We endorse and continue to support national efforts to improve transparency in domestic governments and to fight strongly against corruption. We support these efforts because we share together with our partners a strong commitment to the reality that only open, law-based societies that foster private investment, enterprise and entrepreneurship can unleash our human potential to build lasting and widely shared prosperity. We also believe investment in basic health, education and the environment is vital to advance social development and to give every person, especially children, a chance at sharing in the benefits of economic growth.
The second key to our vision is the idea that we must work effectively to address the challenges of sustainable development through partnerships among governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and other elements of civil society. One of the public/private initiatives we plan to showcase in Johannesburg is the Geographic Information for Sustainable Development project, which makes satellite imagery available to people around the world, to policy makers, to users, to scientists, so that they can get instant access to satellite photography. These pictures will help them map watersheds, plan agricultural crop strategies and also trace urbanization trends.
Linking this data with geographic information systems, global positioning system technology and the Internet gives us new ways to increase productivity and to bring the power of technology to the most distant corners of the world. Poor regions in Africa are the project's initial focus. This project joins the State Department, USAID and the technical agencies of the United States government with the open GIS consortium, the largest industry association of GIS technology and services. I think it is a wonderful illustration of how public/private partnerships in fact can be a force multiplier, leveraging resources for development.
We in the United States government are working with our friends and allies to promote sustainable development. Yet, no government individually or collectively, developed or developing, can be successful without active partnership with the private sector, with non-profit organizations and other participants. We can strive together for freer and more open societies, thriving economies and healthy environments and help developing countries integrate fully into the global economy, to reap the benefits from international trade investment and cooperative partnerships.
I think we have learned through 60 years of concerted development assistance efforts that the most successful programs and projects are unquestionably those that foster these kinds of partnerships. Partnerships that creatively capture the human, technological, creative and financial resources potentially available from non-government sources, can achieve far more than the relatively few dollars available through all sources of official overseas development aid worldwide. I think the message from Monterrey is very clear in this regard. There can be no sustainable development that is not grounded in productivity driven growth of developing countries.
The most important engine of growth is the private sector. Nine of every 10 dollars are in the hands of the private sector, not governments. Furthermore, the examples that we have of successful development in parts of East Asia and Latin America show that the most dynamic growth, prosperity and innovation are being forged by the energy, risks and rewards of non-governmental actors. We hope that the dialogue leading up to Johannesburg opens channels of communication and fosters creative thinking across the spectrum of governments, non-governmental actors, individuals, businesses to identify their common interests and to create a plan to advance them together. In partnership, we will work at Johannesburg to unite governments, the private sector and civil society, to strengthen democratic institutions of governance, open markets and mobilize and use all development resources more effectively.
These resources include domestic savings, trade and investment, traditional aid and private philanthropy, capacity building programs and efforts to promote the spread of environmentally sensitive industrial, agricultural, educational and scientific technologies. Our shared commitment will be to provide all people with the opportunities to lead healthy, productive and fulfilling lives. As we work toward advancing lasting reforms, we invite developed and developing nations alike to join us, to open our economies and societies to growth. To provide freedom, security and hope for present and future generations. To provide all people with the opportunity for healthy and productive lives. To serve as good stewards of our natural resources and our environment.
Through these measures the Johannesburg summit can strengthen and build upon the new international consensus on sustainable development. To this end, we will work to advance through concrete actions the following goals: reduce the number of people living without safe drinking water and provide integrated watershed approaches to managing water and land resources. To enhance access to and adoption where appropriate of clean energy, including renewables, from villages to metropolis. Stem the global pandemic of AIDS and drastically reduce tuberculosis and malaria. Ensure universal access to basic education and eliminate gender disparities. Reduce hunger and increase sustainable agricultural productivity in the developing world, without further degradation of forests and fragile lands. And manage and conserve our forests and the vital resources of our oceans.
We re-dedicate ourselves to turn our vision into reality and we support immediate concrete action to this end. The test of any man lies not in espousing words but in fulfilling deeds. And the true test of the World Summit on Sustainable Development will not lie in the rhetoric that is negotiated, but in actions taken to improve conditions worldwide. The new vision President Bush emphasized before Monterrey unleashes the potential of those who are poor, instead of locking them into a cycle of dependence. This new vision looks beyond arbitrary inputs from the rich and demands tangible outcomes for the poor.
Likewise, Johannesburg demands a new vision of real reforms in developing nations, strengthened by real support from international partnerships. Through this new vision we invite the world's citizens and their governments to work together to build global prosperity. Thank you.
(Applause.)
MR. PURVIS: Thank you very much. As members of our audience formulate their questions, let me remind questioners to stand once they have been recognized and to wait for a microphone, which will be circulating, before speaking. In addition, please identify yourself by name and professional affiliation.
MR. JAMES ROCHOW: My name is James Rochow. I'm a director of international programs for an NGO based in Washington, DC, called the Alliance To End Childhood Lead Poisoning. I think I'd like to start with sort of a very nuts and bolts question, if I may, and I must confess a hidden agenda — or not so hidden. We are promoting our own partnership, the Global Lead Initiative, and I note, to try to curry favor with the speaker, that we seem to be swimming toward the NGO community. But we definitely strongly support partnerships as the key outcome of the world summit.
So therefore my question is what is the process that the U.S. government is undertaking to decide what partnerships to support? And if one does have a partnership proposal, what is the best way to call it to the attention of the U.S. government to try to obtain its support?
MS. DOBRIANSKY: Okay, thank you. First, let me double underscore the importance of public/private partnerships. I'll say one word about what we've been doing in terms of our outreach. We have engaged the non-governmental community, this being a wide range of non-governmental organizations. At the same time, we have also been engaging a wide range of countries, both developing and developed countries, in discussing a number of areas that we have identified as areas that we deem to be ones that build upon already where we've come to.
These mean, in particular, we are focused on three areas to start with. One is water, health and energy. In addition to that, we also are looking at developing partnerships in the area of sustainable agriculture and rural development, oceans, forests and education. Thus far I would say that in our discussions, some of this already builds upon already existing partnerships. Let me pick out one for example. In the area of health we have, in our opinion, quite a ways to go. The challenge in dealing with HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases, we have a significant challenge ahead of us.
Toward that end, the global fund which had been established on January 1 of this year sets up what is called a country coordinating mechanism in which those countries that apply for funding from the global fund have to manifest that there is a partnership that exists between various countries, as well as the NGO community in the country. It's absolutely critical because if one wants to ensure the dissemination of medical products, commodities, the local community plays a very vital and vibrant role in that regard. So simply put, these are the areas that we already have had under discussion. But, by the way, that's at one level. At another level there are quite a few proposals and ideas that the NGO community, that they're doing unto themselves and that's the beauty in fact of the summit.
There is an expectation that there will be some 50,000 participants gathered in Johannesburg at the end of August and at the beginning of September, and I think a significant number will in fact be NGOs from across the globe. Many of these are partnering on their own and some of them, by the way, want to partner on their own. They don't necessarily want to have at this stage engagement with governmental partnerships. But the point is that there is quite a significant range of activity that's going on. I'm mentioning the ones that we are putting on the table formally to engage with others. But at the same time, we very much welcome and are trying to hook up with, be part of the—literally the plethora of ideas and proposals that are being advanced by NGOs.
MR. MAX CHAPMAN: Good — hello?
MS. DOBRIANSKY: It's on.
MR. CHAPMAN: Max Chapman, Software Technology magazine. Good afternoon. In terms of true implementation, of which you've spoken and with regard to some of your earlier speeches, for partnerships to work social development and educational development must come first. The perspective of the dominant Islamic philosophers and theologians of our age seem to be — to focus on Sharia and the retro-economic model of the ancient pastoral society. Since ego, tradition, identity and pride may have historically contributed to ethnic and religious divisions, how will Western society begin to persuade Islamic thinkers and leaders, and gain their buy-in to sustainable economic and the materialistic age? And can you use the Internet and the world press to help with this change of mindset?
MS. DOBRIANSKY: Let me go with the last point and then work backwards. In terms of the Internet, well, I even referenced it in my own remarks. Certainly, I think there will be many efforts to use the Internet in a wide variety of ways, not only in targeting the community to which you addressed yourself, but I think you'll find that through the Internet there have been many creative partnerships which in fact have been developed and forged, particularly in those areas that may not be as accessible where you have certain societies communicating with others in other societies. It's just been invaluable, I have to say.
But coming to the point about the Islamic community or the Muslim community, I would go back to actually September 11. And I would start with September 11, because I think that actually September 11 in many ways opened a door for not only the United States but for others — for others to engage more actively those societies in the Middle East and throughout the world that are Muslim based.
In fact, one of the areas — when Nigel was referring to my portfolio, one of the areas that I deal with has been with the re-construction of Afghanistan. And in that effort we've been very focused on the role of women and the future of women in Afghanistan. What kind of role they can play in Afghanistan. And one of the things we did, by the way, and this is applicable to the sustainable development conference, I'll put it all together. But one of the things that we did is we brought together representatives from the Muslim community, not only the Middle East but from other countries, we brought them together to have a very fluid discussion. There were governmental representatives and there were non-governmental representatives who took part in this discussion. It was, I would say, a very good dialogue because basically it was one that was open, it looked at what areas can be built upon, what areas there will be change, what areas already are changing. The point is that I think that we are at a stage where there is an open door for such vibrant discourse and engagement.
And then that brings us to Johannesburg. Personally, I see Johannesburg as really being an opportunity for a great deal of engagement and discourse. In fact, if we move from our meeting in Indonesia, we have a successful meeting in Indonesia, which we are looking toward having a successful meeting in Indonesia, we lay the basis for Johannesburg. You know what that will enable? That will enable the opportunity to really have more time spent on the kind of engagement we'd like to have with other countries and with the NGO community rather than being buried in rooms, you know, dealing and working with text. This is what I think is really the most exciting aspect and prospect about the upcoming summit, at least as we see it. And we also, we have felt and sensed from our engagement and discussions with not only the NGO community but other countries, that this is what they want and this is what they're looking to as well.
MR. ROBERT NEWBERG: Robert Newberg, formerly with AID. How would you explain the U.S. steel tariff decision in the context of the world development agenda?
MS. DOBRIANSKY: (Laughs) I'll leave that to my colleague, Alan Larson. All I could say is, seriously, look, there is an interrelationship in one regard — actually two points in one regard. Let me start with this: I think that what happened in Monterrey was ground breaking and it relates — and you being formerly from AID. And that is is ground breaking in terms of the approach which we and other countries seek to take as part of a partnership. A partnership between developed countries and developing countries. Assistance cannot only flow in one direction. And there can't be at the other end no sense of commitment, no sense of structure and a basis by which to use these resources effectively. There has to be a commitment, there has to be partnership. That's what is new that was put on the table and which was agreed to.
But also as part of that is, I think, a commitment to a market-based environment. Yes, a market-based environment there are challenges to it, but you have to begin somewhere. And, bluntly speaking, if you don't have a foundation to begin with, meaning in any of the —