Policy Landmark Events
Landmark events in Global Washington’s work have brought together global development leaders to promote and pursue our mission. These events mark achievements in Global Washington’s work as a catalyst for new ideas and productive collaboration.
Reforming Aid, Transforming the World- August 30, 2011
Paul Weisenfeld, Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Food Security, USAID
Nearly 150 people gathered at the University of Washington to hear expert speakers from the public and private sectors discuss this important topic. Speakers included
U.S. Representative Adam Smith, Co-Chair of The Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance; Kent R. Hill, Senior Vice President, International Programs, World Vision United States; Sophia Belay, Microinsurance Program Coordinator, Oxfam America; and Paul Weisenfeld, Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Food Security, USAID. The discussion was moderated by Carol Welch, Senior Program Officer, Global Development Policy and Advocacy, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Effective aid is about more than an intellectual debate about where our dollars are best spent. As these speakers emphasized, given the gravity of the current famine in the Horn of Africa, in some cases effective foreign assistance can mean the difference between life or death. We encourage your continued attention to this crucial bugetary matter, including letting your congressional representative know your views on the subject. Your voice does make a difference. As Congressman Adam Smith said, “we respond to what our constituents want.”
If you missed the event, or just want more information, please see the resources below:
- Event Page
- Global Washington’s recap report
- Global Washington’s blog post
- Pictures from the event
- Partial transcript of the event
A Discussion with USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah- August 13, 2010
Speaking before packed pews at Saint Mark’s Cathedral on Friday, August 13, 2010, USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah shared his, and indeed our collective charge: to identify better ways to solve global problems at lower cost, using strategies that can scale and sustain. Driven by an enthusiasm to experiment and measure results, Shah and a panel of government, philan thropic, education, non-profit and business leaders reflected on the role of technology in development and brainstormed together about how best to stimulate and apply innovation to achieve these goals.
Guest Speakers: Prema Arasu, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President, International Programs, Washington State University; Akhtar Badshah, Senior Director, Global Community Affairs, Microsoft; Chris Elias, President & CEO, PATH; Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President, Global Development Program, Gates Foundation; Congressman Jim McDermott(D-WASH); Congressman Adam Smith (D-WASH).
- Read a report about the event here
- Watch the program here
- See photos of the event here
- Read News coverage of the event (DOCX)
Global Development through Aid, Partnerships, Trade and Education:
Recommendations from Global Washington: An event Recap
On Tuesday, July 6th, Global Washington unveiled its policy paper containing recommendations for reforming global development policy at an event hosted by Seattle University. Over 400 people attended to hear featured speaker Senator Maria Cantwell, USAID Chief Innovation Officer Maura O’Neill, and the Global Washington member panelists speak on aid, trade, public-private partnerships, and education. It was an exciting day for the global development sector in Washington State.
Read more about this event in our recap here.
You can also read the full report here, and the executive summary here.
