WASHINGTON — USGLC President and CEO Liz Schrayer issued the following statement on the release of the 2016 Democratic Party Platform draft:

Today, the Democratic Party Platform restated its long-standing commitment to America’s global leadership – critical to our nation’s security and economic interests. This is vital given today’s complex global challenges and the threats we face. Of particular importance is the full endorsement of development assistance as an ‘essential instrument of American power’ to ‘prevent threats, enhance stability, and reduce the need for military force.’

The platform recognizes that with less than one percent of the federal budget, our nation’s development programs have achieved game-changing outcomes to ‘cut extreme poverty in half,’ save lives and reduce child mortality, tackle global hunger, fight pandemics, and ‘put an AIDS-free generation within reach’ – and it reaffirms a strong position of support for investing in global health and ending extreme poverty.

We welcome this forward-looking vision of strong American engagement in the world through development and diplomacy – and look forward to continued support from both sides of the aisle.

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (www.usglc.org) is a broad-based influential network of 500 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic, military, and community leaders in all 50 states who support strategic investments to elevate development and diplomacy alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world.