At an event held alongside the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave praise and recognition to InterAction and its members for their continuing work to fight global hunger. Clinton also announced that an alliance of 198 U.S.-based organizations have pledged more than $1 billion of private, non-governmental funds over the next three years to improve food security and nutrition worldwide. “Global hunger is one of the most serious challenges facing our generation, but a strong commitment by organizations such as our members and the political will of governments can make a huge difference in tackling this problem,” said Sam Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction.
Through the support of thousands of smallholder famers and the sponsorship of more self-sufficient communities, InterAction’s members emphasize efforts that will provide better, more reliable nutrition for children. By providing the necessary skills and tools, farmers can produce healthier livestock and more nutritious crops, benefiting both the farmers and the local communities as a whole.
A strong commitment from both organizations and governments is needed to improve global health and fight under-nutrition. As Worthington pointed out on Thursday, InterAction’s members compliment the efforts of U.S. Government programs, such as Feed the Future. “NGOs’ private resources and strong local links complement the efforts of the U.S. government and others to meet development goals worldwide.”
The Obama administration is also looking to further their commitments and objectives in the field of global development. On September 22, 2012 President Obama, without precedent from any prior U.S. administrator, signed a Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development. The recognition of a global future, which focuses on American strength through development and diplomacy, is one important step towards a just and sustainable international order. In this policy directive, President Obama pledges to focus U.S development efforts in a way that will maximize the impact of investments and policies, focusing on broad-based economic growth and democratic governance. The United States will,
- Elevate broad-based economic growth as a top priority, ensuring that our investments and policies are guided by rigorous assessments of what the U.S. can do to help countries achieve sustainable growth.
- Increase the focus of resources, policy tools, and engagement in support of select countries and sub-regions where the conditions are right to sustain progress.
- Use U.S. leadership in the multilateral development banks, U.N. agencies, other international organizations, other donors, foundations, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and other stakeholders to deploy the full range of our development tools and policies at our disposal.
With the upcoming election fast approaching, the international community must take the initiative to know and understand the direction of U.S. foreign policy. The recognition of global strength and prosperity must be fully realized no matter who represents the United States following this election season, and the relationship between the government and the non-profit sector must continue to flourish. With increased cooperation and understanding between NGOs and the government, global development goals can be achieved more efficiently and effectively, a sentiment that was expressed by both Secretary Clinton and InterAction president and CEO, Sam Worthington.
For more information on InterAction and its members go to http://www.interaction.org/, and for the Fact Sheet: U.S. Global Development Policy in its entirety go to http://wh.gov/iLb.