Bond Stresses Biotechnology, Clean Energy Projects as Key Smart Power Initiatives

Press Release

Bond Stresses Biotechnology, Clean Energy Projects as Key Smart Power Initiatives

U.S. Senator Kit Bond, a senior member of the Senate State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, today stressed the importance of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to our Smart Power foreign policy strategy. Bond praised Dr. Rajiv Shah for his leadership of USAID and urged his continued support of biotechnology and clean energy projects as part of our effort to win hearts and minds around the world.

"USAID may not get all the glory on TV, but your work -- helping the world's poorest people with global issues like the need for clean water, child mortality, HIV, and malaria, is integral to our Smart Power strategy," said Bond.

At today's Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the fiscal year 2011 budget request for USAID Bond emphasized his support for the agency's work and the need for increased funding to expand the numbers of Foreign Services Officers within the agency. Additional Foreign Service Officers are key to lessening USAID's over-reliance on contractors, increasing accountability and effectiveness.

Bond emphasized that USAID's work is essential to our nation's "Smart Power" strategy -- the combination of America's military, diplomatic and economic efforts in foreign countries. Smart Power can consist of military force if necessary, but focuses on the employment of economic development, educational, and diplomatic strategies in areas that are hostile or neutral towards the U.S. Traditional Smart Power initiatives include the Peace Corps, humanitarian food aid, educational exchanges, and USAID Foreign Service Officers. Other forms include increased trade and private, free-enterprise investment. Bond has been one of the leading proponents for increasing our Smart Power investment, particularly to improve our relationship with Muslim countries in Southeast Asia.

While not traditional Smart Power projects, Bond urged Dr. Shah and USAID to continue to support biotechnology and clean energy projects in the developing world. Biotechnology contributes to improving food security and a better life for people throughout the developing world. Bond noted that the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis is leading the way to improving crop yields, increasing the resistance to disease, drought, and pests and empowering farmers around the world. With people throughout the world living off of food sources that contain poor nutritional content and are highly susceptible to diseases that can wipe out entire crops, USAID support of biotechnology projects, like the Center's cassava and sweet potato work, is critical to combating hunger in our world's poorest countries.

"Projects like this will play a pivotal role in developing and applying the most modern scientific and business thinking to the age-old problem of providing food, plant, fiber and energy products to the people of the world in ways that can be sustained for generations to come," said Bond.

The Senator also questioned Dr. Shah on USAID's clean energy projects. Bond just returned from India where he learned of USAID's effort to make India's coal-based generation cleaner. Despite the project's success, and the importance to India's largely coal-dependent population, Bond heard concerns from Indian and American officials that the project may no longer be admissible due to constraints placed in last year's State and Foreign Operations funding bill. The Senator asked Dr. Shah to follow up with him on concerns over the possible cancellation of a project that is critical improving our environment and providing much needed clean energy solutions.

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