Consul General Ratney's Remarks to the Palestinian American Chamber of Commerce in Ramallah

December 10, 2012

It’s an honor to be here tonight with representatives of so many Palestinian businesses – lots of people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting before – and many new faces who I hope to get to know.

I’ve been serving here as Consul General for only four months, but it’s become very clear to me that this relationship – the partnership between the AmCham and the American Consulate General, is one I want to expand upon, to cultivate.  And it’s one I intend to be very personally involved in the coming months and years.

It’s always useful to hear from you about your successes and your challenges in doing business here. And no one has been shy about sharing their stories with me. While a business deal or a shipment of goods is not usually considered headline news, these kinds of private sector transactions, multiplied thousands, if not millions, of times, are the key to a healthy and vibrant economy.

Without a growing private sector and economy, no people can succeed. Let me repeat that: Without a growing private sector and economy, no people can succeed.

Expanding an economy is not an easy task for a government or a private sector anywhere. In the United States we have our own challenges – particularly in the past few years – in building our economy and creating opportunities opportunities for workers who have lost their jobs and for students who are graduating and hoping to enter the work force. There are some similar challenges here and frankly in most countries. But, as you know better than I, you face a whole host of other, unique difficulties in doing business in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. I don’t have to tell you that some of these difficulties are extremely complicated and messy, but I can tell you that after four months here, I am beginning to better understand the complexity and the ramifications of various policies and practices.

Despite these challenges, I’ve seen great potential here. I’ve had the pleasure to meet numerous Palestinian leaders in the private sector who’ve tapped into this potential, who’ve helped to employ an educated and eager Palestinian workforce, and who have had a positive impact on those employees, and their families.

No matter the country, it’s the private sector which serves not just as the engine of an economy, but also as a force of change.

That is certainly the case here – where the telecom and IT sector instantly connects Palestinians with each other and with the rest of the world, where exporters and shippers bring olive oil from Palestinian farmers to the finest grocery stores and gourmet shops in America, and from there to the dinner table of American consumers. And where stone cut from a West Bank quarry is sold to builders in America, or Asia, or Saudi Arabia, or Israel. All of these transactions are individually small, but taken together they play a key role in connecting Palestinians to their neighbors and to the world. And they play a key role in shaping Palestinian society. In spite of the difficulties in doing business in the Palestinian economy, you haven’t given up. That motivates me. In fact it inspires me. And it motivates and inspires every one of my colleagues at the American Consulate General in Jerusalem.

Far from giving up, you and your companies have grown and built jobs and opportunities here. The United States government hasn’t given up either. Now, I didn’t come to deliver a political speech, although I know that in this part of the world, politics weighs heavily on everything, including on business decisions.

So let me just say that despite our recent differences of opinion on the surest path to the creation of an independent Palestinian state, the U.S. has been and remains committed – - committed to helping to build that prosperous and vital state for all Palestinians. A state living side-by-side in peace and security with its Israeli neighbor. A state fully integrated into the global economy. This is something that President Obama himself has said many times, and it was just said again on November 30 by Secretary Clinton.

The United States has committed enormous resources to this goal, spending over $4 billion during the last 18 years to help build this economy and create conditions that will support an independent Palestinian state. To help create a healthy economy and a growing private sector, the United States continues to work with our Palestinian partners every day to help create precisely those necessary conditions for growth. As many of you know, this partnership has encompassed an enormous range of activities. USAID, for example, has numerous projects in the agriculture, tourism, stone and marble, and information technology sectors, among many others. These projects seek to create new standards, build capacity, and improve linkages both inside and outside of Palestinian society.

And I can assure you, working with our partners in USAID, we are going to continue to work hard with each of you and your fellow Palestinian leaders in politics, government and industry.

Meanwhile, our Public Diplomacy colleagues at the American Consulate General continue to engage with Palestinian audiences – and particularly with youth – to help them gain access to resources, mentors, and educational opportunities – some in the U.S. – that will increase their competitiveness throughout the rest of their lives.

Our Economic section colleagues – and I believe many of you already know them very well – work with business leaders, PA officials, and non-governmental organizations to build connections and create new opportunities.

And I believe these activities bring concrete results.

At the end of November, for example, USAID worked with local Information Technology partners to put together a terrific event – HiTech Hub. This event showcased the talents of Palestinian youth from universities throughout the West Bank Participants in HiTech pitched their business plans and competed for funding and mentorship. Likewise, earlier this year, along with Partners for a New Beginning, we brought in a business expert who taught young Palestinian entrepreneurs how to organize and manage their fledgling companies’ finances. Just last week, we provided training in marketing skills to Palestinian women from the West Bank and Gaza. And we then organized a bazaar in Jerusalem where they sold their crafts, and earned additional income. This list could go on and on.

The ultimate goal of these programs and many others like them is to increase opportunities for all Palestinians and to help those with vision and ambition find the resources and guidance they need to succeed.

This is also an area where you, as members of the Palestinian American Chamber of Commerce and representatives of American businesses have an important role to play. As those who have achieved success here in the Palestinian territories, I know you take the responsibility of mentoring the new generation of business leaders very seriously.

Many of you are reaching back and helping others coming up the ladder, fostering a new generation of business leaders and providing jobs and hope to numerous families.

You also have an important role to play as advocates for change and improvements in your society and economy. You can encourage the Palestinian Authority to adopt the rules and regulations that will help foster investment and innovation here, even as my colleagues and I work with other governments, including the Israeli government, to help improve the lot of your businesses and your people.

Ladies and gentlemen, as members of the Palestinian American Chamber of Commerce, you are uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge between the Palestinian and American people.

I’d ask each of you to take advantage of that position by reaching out and explaining the Palestinian economy to the world. I’m quite sure that as you increase your activities and outreach, your influence here will grow as well.

We want to be partners in helping you reach your goals. I personally consider myself your partner.

I look forward to traveling with you at some point in the future to the United States in order to help American audiences understand not only the challenges you face, but also – and perhaps most importantly - the very real business opportunities that exist in the West Bank and Gaza.

Believe me, I understand the challenges you face. And as I travel around this region, I will continue to learn, And I will remain committed to working with you to surmount those challenges. You know better than I, it’s hard work. But I look forward to the partnership.

Ladies and gentlemen, By serving as leaders in the business community, you represent the bedrock of a stable society, and the economic pillars of a future Palestinian state.

For everything that you do, for your friendships both professional and personal, for your partnership with the United States, for your honesty and dedication, and for your invitation to me here this evening, I thank all of you very, very much.

Thank you and good evening.