For Immediate Release
January 14, 2005

Global Message

From Secretary of State Powell in an interview on NPR with Juan Williams, 1/11/05

Over the past four years, President Bush has doubled development assistance to the developing world.

President Bush's Administration has created the Millennium Challenge Account to focus on developing countries that are committed to democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and economic freedom.

The United States is contributing $15 million into HIV/AIDS. Development aid and HIV/AIDS are linked because they both relate to alleviating poverty.

The goal is to help these developing countries create functioning economies and a healthy population so people can be educated with development assistance. Then they can create conditions within the country that will attract trade, and allow them to participate in an open trading system.

The goal is to break countries out of the pattern of simply receiving aid and never really improving the lives of the citizens of those countries.

When an unprecedented natural disaster happens over thousands of miles - like the tsunamis - development is immediately set back, especially in a place like Banda Aceh.

It is important that the massive outpouring of aid we have seen from the international community to tsunami affected countries be used to reestablish these communities, and to rebuild infrastructure so the people can participate in economic development and in helping their people have better lives.