Statement by Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, on U.S. Global Engagement

The idea that each of us is created equal, and that everyone has the inalienable right to live with dignity, stands at the heart of what makes the United States an exceptional nation.

Generations of Americans from all walks of life — from government, civil society, businesses large and small, churches and faith-based organizations, philanthropies, and charities — have worked to advance this idea within our borders and across the globe. In doing so, they have demonstrated that lifting up others in our communities and across our planet makes our nation stronger and more secure.

For instance, American humanitarian and development assistance, primarily delivered by the U.S. Agency for International Development working together with U.S. military service members and diplomats, has been essential to America’s national security for decades. USAID personnel and partners have helped millions of children, especially girls, attend school and lifted global literacy rates by a third over the last two decades. In recent years, they have protected 25 million children from deadly preventable diseases. They helped save 25 million people from AIDS and ensured 5.5 million babies were born HIV-free. They prevented pandemic threats such as Ebola from spreading within America’s shores. They fed millions of families who suffer from the risks of starvation and, by supporting better agriculture, helped 5.2 million families escape hunger altogether. They helped millions of entrepreneurs, many of them women, found and further small businesses and create jobs. And they fought corruption and advanced democracy, transparency, and the rule of law in difficult settings across the globe.

We’re all better off for it. This work serves American interests: protecting us from wars, terror attacks, famines, pandemics, uncontrolled migration, and economic crises, even as it provides new markets, new allies, and new partners for the United States instead of America’s competitors. It has also furthered the belief — core to America’s founding, as well as the faiths of many Americans — that in serving the most vulnerable, we express our common humanity.

Today, more than ever, the world needs individuals and institutions working toward shared prosperity and security. The Rockefeller Foundation is dedicated to doing our part, and we will continue to work with anyone committed to the same.