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Hillary Clinton Voices Her Support of Grameen America's Efforts |
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced her support for Grameen America on January 6, 2010, citing our work in New York City as a "breakthrough idea that transforms lives and reshapes our thinking." She spoke at the Center for Global Development in Washington D.C., expressing the importance of new innovations to meet the challenges faced by today's poor.
She stated: "Of course, innovation is not only the invention of new technologies. It's any breakthrough idea that transforms lives and reshapes our thinking. Like Muhammad Yunus's belief that poor women armed with credit could become drivers of economic and social progress. Or the insight behind conditional cash transfer programs, which seamlessly and successfully integrate efforts to fight poverty and promote education and health. These innovations have traveled the world; New York City launched a conditional cash transfer program modeled after Mexico's; Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank has opened a branch in Queens. We must ensure that other extraordinary innovations are also discovered and disseminated."
The Secretary of State has long been an ardent supporter of microfinance in the U.S. Twenty years ago, while the first lady of Arkansas, she heard the inspiring story of Grameen's efforts in Bangladesh from Professor Muhammad Yunus. Always attracted to new and innovative ideas, she decided to bring microfinance to Arkansas, and she and her husband invited Professor Yunus to help them develop a program for the poor rural communities in their state. Since then, she has visited microcredit programs in countries such as Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Vietnam, and South Africa. She mentioned microfinance as a important tool in her confirmation speech as Secretary of State, in an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show in December 2009, and continues to be an ardent supporter of similar programs in the U.S.
Secretary of State Clinton's full remarks at the Center for Global Development may be read online.
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