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    Obama Presses for Development Initiatives to Continue Beyond Presidency

   by Mary Alice Salinas

   President Barack Obama is pressing for the next president to continue
   key global development initiatives in order to "keep the momentum
   going" following dramatic gains.

   "I'm here to say that whoever the next president is, development has to
   remain a fundamental pillar of American foreign policy," he said
   Wednesday during the [1]White House Summit on Global Development in
   Washington.

   Shortly after speaking, the White House announced that the president
   had signed into law the bipartisan Global Food Security Act.

   The law directs authorities to promote global food security, to help
   communities become more resilient to the impact of events such
   as drought, and to improve nutrition. It codifies much of a signature
   Obama initiative known as [2]Feed the Future.

   The Republican-led Congress also adopted the Electrify Africa Act,
   which is linked to Obama's signature [3]Power Africa initiative.

   ''The Electrify Africa Act provides a framework for a public-private
   partnership between the United States and sub-Saharan African countries
   to help millions of people gain access to reliable electricity.

   Smart moves

   Obama called development "one of the smartest investments" a nation can
   make.

   In 2010, he issued his U.S. Global Development Policy, declaring global
   development a "core pillar" of engagement, one equal to diplomacy and
   the military.

   "We know there is a correlation between no education, no jobs, no hope,
   the violation of basic human dignity, and conflict and instability," he
   told the group, which included development leaders, private and public
   sector officials, members of civil society, religious groups and
   entrepreneurs.

   The White House said the Feed the Future program, which was implemented
   after a spike in world food prices in 2009, had significantly reduced
   poverty and malnutrition.

   In 2015, it provided nutrition interventions to nearly 18 million
   children, according to the administration.

   Obama's Power Africa initiative has "set the stage for a steady flow of
   private sector investments in an expanding energy sector," and global
   health programs have led to lower maternal and child mortality rates
   around the world, according to the administration.

   When Obama took office in 2009, he continued initiatives begun under
   President George W. Bush because they were "delivering results and
   saving lives," the White House said.

   AIDS, malaria

   The initiatives that started under Bush include the[4] Millennium
   Challenge Corporation, which promotes economic development and the
   fight against global poverty; the [5]President's Emergency Plan for
   AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the [6]President's Malaria Initiative.


   PEPFAR has so dramatically reduced the number of people on
   treatment-based research, that the program has shifted its focus to the
   most vulnerable groups, officials said.

   "An AIDS-free generation is within sight," said Gayle Smith, U.S.
   Agency for International Development administrator.

   The malaria program has saved more than 6 million lives since it was
   implemented, Smith added.  Other health programs have helped save the
   lives of 4.5 million children and 200,000 mothers since 2008, according
   to USAID.

   Organizers said the summit also highlighted the need for more
   development efforts.

   "We're reminded every day that nearly a billion fellow human beings
   still confront poverty. For this reason, we want to continue and build
   on the progress," said Mary Beth Goodman, the National Security
   Council's senior director for development and democracy.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [7]http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-presses-development-initiatives
   -continue-beyond-presidency/3427828.html

References

   1. https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/07/14/white-house-summit-global-development-reflecting-real-progress
   2. https://www.feedthefuture.gov/
   3. https://www.usaid.gov/powerafrica
   4. https://www.mcc.gov/
   5. http://www.pepfar.gov/
   6. https://www.pmi.gov/
   7. http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-presses-development-initiatives-continue-beyond-presidency/3427828.html