FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, January 10, 2005
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The White House - Office of the Press Secretary
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President Thanks USAID Employees and NGO Presidents |
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USAID Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
11:32 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. (Applause.) Thanks for the
warm welcome. Good morning. A little more than two weeks ago, the world
witnessed one of the worst displays of natural destruction in history. Since
that time, the world has witnessed one of history's greatest displays of
compassion.
Most of you are members of this great organization, the United States Agency
for International Development. Some of you are members of non-governmental
organizations. All of you are playing an important role in that compassionate
response. The world has taken notice, and the American people are grateful.
Throughout the many affected regions the loss of life and property is
immense. People and nations throughout Asia and around the world are working to
ease the suffering brought on by this terrible disaster. The international
community has responded with generosity and compassion, and the men and women of
USAID have been at the center of that response. And I'm here to thank you.
(Applause.)
I want to thank our Secretary of State for his fantastic service to our
nation. I want to thank him for recently leading a delegation to the affected
areas to express our nation's deepest concerns. I want to thank him for keeping
my little brother straight. (Laughter.) But the Secretary is -- anytime he
represents America does so with such dignity and strength. And, Mr. Secretary,
you did so again, and the world better understands our heart as a result of your
trip, and I thank you for it. (Applause.)
And I appreciate Andrew's work. (Applause.) Andrew, you should take that as a
good sign. (Laughter.) Either that, or it's all your close relatives who are
here. (Laughter.) But I really do want to thank Andrew for not only helping to
organize the effort, but for his travels and his concern and his willingness to
put in the long hours necessary to make sure that which we spend works.
And I want to thank you all for working along with Andrew. I know the
response disaster team of USAID is sitting behind me. Andrew tells me that the
response disaster team went into work the minute we heard about the disaster.
And since then, you've been working long hours. I appreciate it very much.
We just finished meeting with a group of representatives and heads of
non-governmental organizations, NGOs, all of which are providing love and
compassion and help. After that meeting I must tell you my spirits were raised
even higher than they were walking into the meeting. There is no question in my
mind that the NGOs of America provide such vital, vital help in times of
disaster.
A little later on, I want to make yet another appeal for people in America to
donate money. But I do want to remind our fellow citizens, as you donate money
to the tsunami relief effort, make sure you continue to contribute to NGOs,
because those groups -- we still have problems in other parts of our country and
other parts of the world. It is essential that your contribution not replace the
ongoing contributions you're making to help the NGOs of America. You should view
the tsunami relief effort as extra help, to help solve the problem, so that we
don't short-change the compassionate needs -- the needs for compassion elsewhere
in our country and the world.
Colin and brother Jeb earlier, and Andy came by and reported to me what they
have seen. The pictures do not do the devastation justice. They don't tell the
whole story of what we've seen on TV, what these people have seen in person. The
devastation was on a scale that none of them had ever experienced. I think Colin
referred to Banda Aceh as something the equivalent of Hiroshima. They reported
that the efforts are well-coordinated; in other words, there's a huge problem,
but the good news is, is that the efforts -- the compassion, the money, the hope
-- is well-coordinated, and that your work is making a difference in saving
lives and helping people who need help. That's what you're here to do, and it's
working.
USAID personnel in the region responded the very day the disaster struck. So
not only did the response team get set up, but the people around the world began
to move. Your fellow colleagues and yourselves have been working day and night,
24 hours a day, and we're grateful. It's not easy, I know, it's hard,
particularly in the time of year in which this hit. But you're doing your job.
And for that, I'm extremely grateful.
I think the intensity of the effort reflects the enormity of the task. After
all, the death toll is estimated at 150,000 people, and may climb even higher.
Among the dead are thousands of children, and as many as 5 million people are
thought to be homeless or without food and clean water. You're coordinating
airlifts of relief supplies to the affected areas; you're arranging for clean
water; you're arranging for medical aid; you're arranging for psychological
help; and that's important work.
USAID has delivered food, temporary shelter, hygiene kits and supplies to
help people survive. In other words, we've been focused on the relief effort;
now we're beginning to focus on rehabilitation and rebuilding. And as a result,
USAID is arranging small loans for those whose livelihoods have been destroyed.
We were talking about the NGOs who have been working along with USAID. I think
Ruth mentioned the fact that her agency has now provided a fishing boat. In
other words, we're beginning to help rebuild lives and help people get back on
their feet.
The NGOs, including our faith-based organizations, had been working in these
regions for decades. As the head of the NGO or the representative of the NGO,
spoke -- said, "Well, Mr. President, we have been there for 30 or 40 years." And
as a result of having been there, there's an infrastructure in place, which is
good news for those who need help.
Not only are these people, the NGOs, expressing the world's concern, the
cooperation between our government and the NGOs has been superb. And that's
important. It is important because we don't want to have a duplication of
effort. We want to make sure that we assess the needs, and make sure that our
contributions, whether they be from the public sector or the private sector, are
spent wisely. And having listened carefully to Colin and Andrew, and the NGO
heads, I can say to the American people that to the best extent possible, we're
coordinating our efforts.
We're not only coordinating our efforts here at home, we're also doing a
better job of coordinating our efforts with other governments and international
NGOs. We made an initial commitment of $350 million for relief efforts. That's a
commitment from the federal government. And the NGOs, in turn, are using some of
those funds effectively to meet the needs of the people on the ground. In other
words, what we have done is we made a commitment at the federal level, and we
said, how best to spend that money. And the best way to spend that money is to
actually spend it with people who know what they're doing on the ground. We
don't need to try to -- now is not the time to try to come up with a new way of
solving old problems. Now is the way to use people who have been solving
problems in an effective way to help people on the ground. And that's exactly
what we're doing.
Our military is doing a fantastic job, by the way. I want to thank our
commanders on the ground, and I want to thank our troops who are representing
the best of America. Navy vessels, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, have moved
into the region and they are providing food and medical supplies and clean
water. Helicopters and military aircraft are meeting critical needs by
airlifting supplies directly to the victims. After all, many of the victims have
lived in remote areas. And so many other places, our servicemen -- like in so
many other places, those who wear our uniform are showing the great decency of
America. And I thank them for that. I can't tell you how much our government and
the people of America appreciate the good work our military is doing to help
relieve the suffering from this crisis. (Applause.)
The NGOs with which I met tell me about the incredible outpouring of
generosity here at home. And I want to thank all those who have contributed to
the NGOs. I particularly want to thank two former Presidents -- 41 and 42 --
(laughter) -- or Dad and Bill -- (laughter) -- for stepping up and helping to
raise money. It's important that Presidents Clinton and Bush do what they have
done, and I can't thank them enough for taking time out of their busy schedules
to send out an appeal to the citizens of our country.
Listen, people want to help. I repeat, make sure that this help doesn't take
the place of other help you're giving, but if you do want to continue to help,
and I ask you to do so, please go to
www.usafreedomcorps.gov on the web page, and that's a way to make sure your
money -- shows you where to send your money, and to make sure it's properly
used. And, as well, hopefully the legislation I sign that will allow taxpayers
to deduct this month's contribution for tsunami relief from your 2004 tax
returns is further incentive, kind of a little kick to the heart. (Laughter and
applause.)
The United States government and the NGOs that have worked so hard for so
long in the region are committed to this area of the world for a long time. This
is one of these projects that's not going to happen overnight. The intense
scrutiny may dissipate, and probably will, but our focus has got to stay on this
part of the world. We have a duty -- we have made a commitment, and our
commitment is a long-term commitment, to help these good folks in the part of
the world that got affected get back on their feet.
Well after the immediate danger passes, USAID is still going to be in the
hard-hit areas. And I thank you for that. See, you're going to be helping the
people improve their schools and develop health services and mitigate conflict
and reinvigorate local economies, and help build institutions of democracy, so
people can live in peace and freedom.
As our government's leader in relief and reconstruction, USAID and its
predecessors have done this kind of work before. You have done big jobs in the
past, such as the Marshall Plan. And we're committed to not only solving this
problem, but we're committed to the work that goes on year-round in nearly a
hundred countries, countries that include Iraq and Afghanistan, where you're
helping to build -- to bring a better future to millions of people who have been
newly liberated, and to regions in the world like Darfur, in the Sudan, where
you're helping to reduce deaths and violence in that troubled region.
The efforts of USAID is essential for the foreign policy of the United States
of America. Your efforts and the efforts of others, especially to create jobs,
promote markets, improve health, fight HIV/AIDS, and help democracy take root,
are instrumental to making the world a better place and to protecting the
American people.
From Sudan to Sumatra, the world has seen America at its best through the
work you do. Sometimes you don't get thanked enough. I don't know how many times
a President has been by to say thanks, but -- (applause.) But I'll tell you
this: It's my distinct honor to come by and say thanks. (Applause.) I appreciate
your compassion. I appreciate your love for your fellow human being, and thank
you for the work you do.
May God bless you all. (Applause.)
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