Secretary Clinton’s Remarks at Feed the Future: Partnering with Civil Society

The following is an excerpt from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s remarks at the Feed the Future: Partnering with Civil Society event around the 2012 U.N. General Assembly. Read the full remarks on the U.S. Department of State website. To watch a broadcast of the event and learn more, visit our U.N. General Assembly page. 

As a result of all the work of so many people over the last four years, food security is now at the top of our national and foreign policy agendas, as well as that of so many other nations in the world, because we understand it is a humanitarian and moral imperative, but it also directly relates to global security and stability. I’ve seen in my travels how increased investments in agriculture and nutrition are paying off in rising prosperity, healthier children, better markets, and stronger communities.

So we meet here today knowing that progress is possible, is taking place. But I want to say a few words about our civil society partners, because along with the private sector, which already is giving unprecedented support toagricultural development in Africa, and now through our New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, are really increasing their investment and their collaboration.

But civil society organizations are crucial to our success in both the public and the private sector. They have longstanding relationships in communities and valuable technical expertise, and they work every single day on their commitment to try to make the world a better place for all of us.

So today, I am pleased to announce a new commitment by civil society groups: InterAction, an alliance of 198 U.S.-based organizations—and Sam Worthington, its president, is here today—is pledging more than $1 billion of private, nongovernmental funds over the next three years to improve food security and nutrition worldwide.