Conference on Public-Private Partnerships and Economic Development: Kigali, Rwanda

摘要

Todays White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Conference is offered as a continued expansion of President Bushs vision for compassion in action around the globe. Its objective is to highlight, honor and expand innovative private-sector solutions to the great needs of our day and further advance the U.S. Governments battle against poverty, disease, illiteracy, and other ills in Rwanda and across Africa. A transformation in the U.S. Governments approach to international development is both a cause and an effect of the broad shift in the way development work has evolved worldwide. At the heart of this change is emphasis on public-private partnerships, innovative approaches, and entrepreneurial social ventures. Forty years ago, only 30 percent of U.S. capital flows to the developing world were private funds, and 70 percent came in the form of U.S. official development assistance. Today, while we have more than doubled our governments development assistance in this decade, American private capital represents more than 80 percent of capital funding to developing countries. Private capital investment flows to the developing world tripled between 2003 and 2005 alone. These changes in investment reflect the emergence of the private for-profit sector and the non-governmental sector as significant participants in the development process.