Global Entrepreneurship Week

We welcome today the launch of "Global Entrepreneurship Week," during which governments and organizations worldwide will host events ranging from invention competitions to local entrepreneurship summits, all designed to jumpstart innovation and entrepreneurship, especially among young people. In targeting youth, the initiative's U.S. sponsor, the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and its British sponsor, Make Your Mark Campaign, hope to inspire young people to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship.

In today's increasingly interconnected world, new entrepreneurial ideas can be born anywhere - but to truly flourish, they must be nurtured. Global Entrepreneurship Week will spotlight how young people's ideas can contribute to global economic development, and will give them the tools to put those ideas into practice.

The United States is pleased to be able to support this initiative. As President Bush has noted, "The role of government is not to create wealth; the role of our government is to create an environment in which the entrepreneur can flourish, in which minds can expand, in which technologies can reach new frontiers."

The first Global Entrepreneurship Week will take place November 17-23, 2008. More information can be found at http://www.unleashingideas.org.