Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented her view on “Development in the 21st Century” in a major address last week at the Center for Global Development. Clinton argued that the time has come, despite economic and political difficulties at home, to give development its proper due and elevate it as “a central pillar of all that we do in foreign policy”:

“Because development is indispensible, it does demand a new approach suited for the times in which we find ourselves. For too long, our work has been driven by conflict and controversy. Differences of opinion over where and how to pursue development have hardened into entrenched, almost theological, positions that hold us back. These stand-offs aren’t fair to the experts who put their lives on the line doing this critical work. They aren’t fair to the American taxpayers who, by and large, want to do good in the world, so long as the money is used well.

“So it’s time for a new mindset for a new century. Time to retire old debates and replace dogmatic attitudes with clear reasoning and common sense. And time to elevate development as a central pillar of all that we do in our foreign policy. And it is past time to rebuild USAID into the world’s premier development agency.”

Clinton also spoke of the importance of the nexus of development and diplomacy:

“Some of the most transformative figures in the history of development represent that convergence between development and diplomacy. People like Norman Borlaug, the father of the Green Revolution, or Jim Grant, whose global immunization campaigns saved millions of children, or Wangari Maathai, whose Green Belt Movement has planted millions of trees across Africa and trained thousands of women to be leaders in conservation. These development giants combined outstanding technical expertise with a passionate belief in the power of their ideas. They did whatever it took to convince at times quite reluctant leaders to join them, and as a result, helped to build and lead national, regional, and international movements for change.

“Today, we have many such “development diplomats” working at USAID. They embody the integration between development and diplomacy that, when allowed to flourish, can amplify both disciplines.

“For example, a lack of support from government leaders can be stalled or stymie development projects, particularly programs that target marginalized populations, like people with HIV, women, or refugees. In those cases, our diplomats, working hand in hand with our development experts, can help make the difference. They have the access and leverage to convince government ministers to offer support.”

On the heels of this speech, Clinton swore in Dr. Rajiv Shah as the new Administrator for USAID in a ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington.