Statement: Business Action -- Working for Sustainable Solutions

Thanks to Lloyd for that kind introduction. It is a pleasure to be with you this evening.

Let me also thank Bertrand, Reuel, and Andre for their leadership and vision in hosting tonight’s event. I am also pleased to see representatives from the World Bank and IUCN at tonight’s event. Thanks to Chairman Ashe for his commitment to engaging the private sector on this topic.

Dialogue with stakeholders from all sectors is an important tool for finding solutions to the myriad challenges we face, including providing millions of the world’s poor with greater access to water and modern energy services. I look forward to hearing more from this group about its efforts to address these challenges.

We believe that to be sustainable, development must be based on economic growth, social development and environmental stewardship, all built upon a foundation of domestic good governance. Governments, businesses and civil society all have a crucial role to play in raising the quality of people’s lives and contributing to the rising tide of prosperity.

Businesses grow when they have a healthy and educated workforce. For example, reducing the water-related diseases, for example, increases a company’s efficiency and effectiveness. Healthy workers not only improve their company’s productivity, but are also active members of their community -- both in the near-term and for future generations. Governments benefit when their citizens and businesses are healthy and productive. Stewardship of natural resources is also critical to business and to the communities in which you operate.

I am impressed with the innovative ways in which many businesses around the world are balancing profit motive with responsible natural resource management and use.

Many of the companies that you represent are investing in natural capital, implementing whole-system design, and adopting innovative technologies. They demonstrate that you can simultaneously make a profit while safeguarding the environment.

Last summer, I participated in the Global Compact’s Leader’s Summit. The Compact is advancing a number of issues critical to the Commission on Sustainable Development, including anticorruption, human rights, and the environment. Many of the Compact’s participants are members of the International Chamber of Commerce, World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Energy Council. I encourage your continued efforts on these issues.

The entrepreneurial spirit of these companies is also evident in the partnerships that emerged from the World Summit on Sustainable Development. One of these is the Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development Initiative. Later this evening, I am participating in this partnership’s inaugural award ceremonies. Initiatives such as Seed are vital to helping local communities improve the quality of their citizens' lives and can make an important contribution to our efforts to achieve development goals.

One of the five partnerships that we will recognize is the Sustainable Rice Initiative. The SRI currently operates in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Madagascar and has developed a method of harvesting rice that reduces water requirements by 50% while increasing its yield by 100%. This partnership is living proof of the interrelation among economic growth, social development and environmental stewardship.

The United States continues to work in partnership with stakeholders from around the world to address development challenges. One of our tools in these efforts is USAID’s Global Development Alliance. Through its public-private partnerships, GDA mobilizes governments, the private sector and civil society resources and tools towards innovative development solutions.

Since its launch in 2001 the GDA had fostered over 290 partnerships. The U.S. Government has invested roughly $1 billion, and GDA partners have contributed over $3 billion in cash and in-kind donations. One of the GDA partnerships, the International Association of Local and Regional Development Funds, helps foster reforms in developing countries’ municipal financing mechanisms to enable improved access to water and sanitation.

We have also formed GDA energy partnerships that range from solar electrification of houses in the Mindanao region of the Philippines to the Chevron-Texaco sponsored project in Angola that works to help agriculture development for families ravaged by 27 years of civil war. This is our business model for how to get results. I encourage you to talk to our embassies and missions in the countries where you operate to explore opportunities for partnering with us.

As we transition to the two-year "energy cycle," I believe that the "Business Action for Energy" can play an important role in working with government, civil society and other relevant stakeholders to provide access to modern energy services. We look forward to working with you.