Panel photo by AIDF.

Our panel had members representing everyone from USAID to for-profit businesses and multilateral development agencies.  Everyone agreed that building partnerships in the development field is crucial to the future of American development policy.

People forget that utilizing partnerships is hardly new – it has long been the basis for successful development. Inside the US government, some of our most innovative development programs are built upon partnerships. For example, the President’s Malaria Initiative, which is housed at USAID, taps into the expertise and capabilities of a number of agencies, including the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services, State – even the Department of Defense.

Our best programs are also based upon international partnerships . . .designing programs that meet the needs and priorities of developing nations as well as our own policy choices.

What may be new is that we’re finally beginning to effectively partner with the private sector. Where our nation’s development priorities coincide with the interests of private sector parties – including large, for profit companies – then remarkable results can be efficiently achieved by bringing everyone’s strengths to bear!