13 January 2011
Middle East Looking for Leadership and Reform, Clinton Says
Washington — The people and leaders of the Middle East must work together to build a stronger foundation for their region, which is demanding economic and political reform, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told political, business and civil society leaders in Doha, Qatar.
Speaking January 13 at the seventh Forum for the Future, Clinton said the people of the Middle East “are looking for real leadership in the 21st century, and I think it can be provided, and I know that this is the moment to do so.”
Through vision, strategy and commitment, “you can help build a future that your young people will believe in, stay for, and defend,” she said. “It is time to see civil society not as a threat, but as a partner. And it is time for the elites in every society to invest in the futures of their own countries.”
Founded in 2004, Forum for the Future is an initiative between the countries of the Middle East and North Africa and the Group of 8 major industrialized economies. It provides an opportunity for officials from government, civil society and the private sector to discuss political and economic reforms aimed at promoting greater freedom, democracy and economic growth in the region.
With a growing majority of people under the age of 30, Clinton said that across the region “one in five young people is unemployed,” and in some places “the percentage is far more.”
Recalling her discussions with leaders and average citizens alike, Clinton said that while the people of the region are deeply proud of what the Middle East has accomplished, they are also concerned about the future.
“While some countries have made great strides in governance, in many others, people have grown tired of corrupt institutions and a stagnant political order. They are demanding reform to make their governments more effective, more responsive and more open. And all this is taking place against a backdrop of depleting resources: Water tables are dropping, oil reserves are running out and too few countries have adopted long-term plans for addressing these problems,” she said.
The region is in need of “firmer ground,” Clinton said. “I believe that the leaders of this region, in partnership with their people, have the capacity to build that stronger foundation,” by drawing on positive examples and models already at work in the Middle East to create jobs, improve education, make political reforms, and foster a greater respect for diversity.
She praised innovations, grass-roots-level economic and educational programs, and development projects she had seen during her current trip, which has taken her to the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman, as well as Qatar.
“I am here to pledge my country’s support for those who step up to solve the problems that we and you face,” she said. The United States wants to build stronger partnerships with those who are working to bring long-term stability and progress, and knows that “what happens in this region will have implications far beyond.”
Those who oppose reforms or cling to the status quo may be able temporarily to “hold back the full impact of their countries’ problems.” But Clinton warned that if leaders fail to offer meaningful opportunities for their young people and do not present a positive vision, people such as violent extremists and others who would “prey on desperation and poverty” will instead “fill the vacuum.”
The rising generation of Middle Eastern youth “has the potential to achieve so much,” and “we need to give them the chance to do so,” the secretary said.
“What we need is a real vision for that future that comes from each of you, from governments that must deliver on their promises, from civil society and business leaders who must build their people up, and of course, from the people themselves,” Clinton said.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
