SECRETARY RUBIO:<\/b>\u00a0 Good morning.\u00a0 And I\u2019m really excited to be here today for this.\u00a0 This is our \u2013 let me first start by thanking you, Mr. President, for being with us today, and for your minister for being here as well.\u00a0 Kenya is one of our strongest partners in so many different fields, whether it\u2019s the fight that we\u2019ve fought together against terrorism on the continent but beyond that, and in our own hemisphere.\u00a0 Kenya\u2019s played an extraordinary role, a really heroic role in trying to help stabilize Haiti \u2013 it\u2019s a very difficult situation.\u00a0 They\u2019ve carried a huge burden as a country for the better part of two years now, and had it not been for their engagement \u2013 and I just expressed this to President Ruto, the \u2013 as bad as Haiti is it would be indescribable what it would look like today were it not for the efforts they have made.\u00a0 Our gratitude for the role they\u2019ve played is extraordinary.<\/p>\n
Had it not been for the role they played, what we are hoping to do next in Haiti would have been impossible, which is to transition to a gang suppression force.\u00a0 And we know there\u2019s a transition period and we\u2019re going to be very involved in being helpful in bridging that.\u00a0 And we want them, and we hope to encourage them to continue to be engaged moving forward as we move into this new phase of trying to bring stability to Haiti, but we understand and believe they cannot do it by themselves.<\/p>\n
So I wanted to use this as an opportunity to continue to encourage countries in the region and around the world to step up and contribute and be a part of this effort.\u00a0 We need their money, we need their funds, and we need their personnel as well to make this work.\u00a0 If we had five or ten countries willing to step forward and do just half of what Kenya\u2019s done already it would be an extraordinary achievement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And we hope that that will happen.\u00a0 It needs to happen.\u00a0 If we\u2019re serious about it it needs to happen.\u00a0 We \u2013 everybody loves to have press conferences and put out statements about how terrible the situation is in Haiti; it\u2019s time to do something about it.\u00a0 And I particularly point to the countries in our hemisphere, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Caribbean Basin and beyond \u2013 that we need to step up in this hemisphere and do more.\u00a0 The United States will continue to do its part, but I just wanted to express, again, our gratitude.<\/p>\n
Today, we\u2019re here to announce the first signing that we\u2019re going to have with the first country in the world on our America First Global Health Strategy.\u00a0 And I want to, for members of the press and the public that will learn about this through you, walk a little bit, very briefly, into exactly what the thinking is.<\/p>\n
The United States has spent billions of dollars over the years in helping with health strategies all across the world.\u00a0 What we learned over time and especially after coming here, is that oftentimes \u2013 and I\u2019m oversimplifying it but this is an accurate description \u2013 what would happen is we would go to a country and say we\u2019re going to help you with your health care needs.\u00a0 Then we would drive over to western \u2013 northern Virginian somewhere, find an NGO, one of these organizations, give them all the money, tell them go to this country and do their health care program for them.\u00a0 That NGO would then take about \u2013 some percentage of that money for their overhead and administrative costs, and by the time it got down to it, the host country had very little influence, it was sort of imposed on them, and only a percentage of the overall money ever actually reached the patients and the people on the ground that we were trying to help because of these costs.<\/p>\n
This makes no sense.\u00a0 So why are we hiring American and international NGOs to go into other countries and run health care systems that are parallel and sometimes in conflict with the health care systems of the host country?\u00a0 If we\u2019re trying to help countries, help the country, don\u2019t help the NGO to go in and find a new line of business.\u00a0 And so that\u2019s what \u2013 the model that we\u2019re breaking.\u00a0 We\u2019re not doing this anymore.\u00a0 We are not going to spend billions of dollars funding the NGO industrial complex while close and important partners like Kenya are \u2013 either have no role to play or have very little influence over how health care money is being spent.\u00a0 Bottom line is if you want to help a country, work with that country, not work with a third party that imposes things on that country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And so for us the first \u2013 we hope to sign many of these in the days to come, but the first one we\u2019re going to sign is with Kenya, and the reason why is twofold.\u00a0 Number one, because of our close partnership.\u00a0 Number two, because they are a highly \u2013 they have stable and strong institutions, both in government and in the health care sector.\u00a0 And over the next few years we\u2019re going to be investing $1.6 billion in health assistance over the next five years, and you\u2019ll see how that program works out, but the investment is in combination.\u00a0 It will allow us, first of all, to leverage private \u2013 the private sector to create a sustainable U.S. health assistance model around the world \u2013 and not just in Kenya, but this is the perfect place to prove that it\u2019s going to work, because it is going to work.<\/p>\n
And what it means is that money is not just going to be spent to provide medicine and care; it\u2019s going to be spent to improve the domestic infrastructure, health care infrastructure, so that in five or six or seven or eight years countries will say we no longer need this much assistance, if any, because we have our own system, you\u2019ve helped us to build it, it\u2019s now delivering results; and, in fact, we now \u2013 these third \u2013 like maybe Kenya \u2013 want to go and teach other countries how to do it.\u00a0 And this is a very real possibility and it\u2019s something we believe in.<\/p>\n
By the way, Kenya will \u2013 our partner.\u00a0 Okay, we\u2019re not imposing this.\u00a0 They\u2019re our partner; $850 million is what they\u2019re going to give to support these efforts.\u00a0 So this is truly a partnership.\u00a0 This is the way we should be doing assistance around the world.\u00a0 True assistance is self-sustainability, building the ability to sustain yourself in the long term.<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s an honor to be able to do this with you today.\u00a0 I\u2019m excited.\u00a0 This is our first one.\u00a0 We \u2013 we hope to sign, I don\u2019t know, 30, 40, how many?\u00a0 Fifty?\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 Well, this is number one.\u00a0 We\u2019ll always remember this one. You always \u2013 the first one is the one that \u2013 and we think we\u2019ve picked the perfect partner.\u00a0 I thank you for being here today.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re also here, you\u2019re going to join us in a few minutes over at the Institute of Peace for another important topic on the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, so we\u2019re grateful you\u2019re here for both of these things, but it lined up perfectly.<\/p>\n
We are honored to welcome you to the State Department, Mr. President, and thank you for joining us today.<\/p>\n
PRESIDENT RUTO:<\/b>\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0 (Applause.)<\/p>\n
Thank you very much, Secretary Rubio.\u00a0 Secretary of State of the United States, distinguished members of the United States delegation, ladies and gentlemen, for over a quarter of a century the United States has worked alongside Kenya, investing over $7 billion in well-being, health, and progress for our citizens.\u00a0 This partnership has saved millions from malaria, from HIV\/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other life-threatening outbreaks.<\/p>\n
Together we have built resilient \u2013 resilience, restored hope, and supported impactful institutions.\u00a0 Today we reaffirm this consequential, transformative, and historic partnership which stands as a testament that \u2013 that becomes possible when two friendly nations unite around a common vision\u00a0and a shared resolve to make health care systems not only stronger, but more resilient and truly sustainable.<\/p>\n
The framework we sign today adds momentum to my administration\u2019s universal health coverage that is focused on supply of modern equipment to our hospitals, efficient and timely delivery of health commodities to our facilities, enhancement of our health workforce, and health insurance for all, leaving no Kenyan behind.\u00a0 This facility will also boost disease surveillance and emergency preparedness.<\/p>\n
On behalf of the government and people of Kenya, I express profound gratitude to the United States, to President Donald Trump, and to you, Marco, for the commitment of U.S. dollars \u2013 1.6 billion \u2013 to Kenya over the next five years.\u00a0 This gesture of goodwill by President Trump on behalf of the American taxpayers reinforce our ongoing mobilization of domestic resources by Kenyans and actors and stakeholders in Kenya to the health sector.\u00a0 And I assure you that every shilling and every dollar will be spent efficiently, effectively, and accountably.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And let me say this for the record, that already we are mobilizing our own domestic resources to the tune of $3 billion to support the health \u2013 deployment of health infrastructure in Kenya.\u00a0 Not just health personnel \u2013 we now have 107,000 community health promotors built into the health infrastructure, building from the bottom of the pyramid in every village, in every health center, in every dispensary, and making sure that health does not become a privilege for those who can afford, but a right for every citizen.<\/p>\n
Thank you very much to President Trump and his foresight and commitment to the relationship that exists between Kenya and the United States and between the United States and Africa.\u00a0 And let me say this, that as we sign this agreement \u2013 the first one ever \u2013 we don\u2019t take it for granted that many officials have spent many hours in putting this together.\u00a0 I want to commend them, both from the United States and from Kenya, so that we can do the easy job \u2013 me and Marco here \u2013 to do the final seam of this agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let me also commit that Kenya will continue to be available in Haiti, to do what we can to ensure that the experience we have gathered over the last couple of months \u2013 running into two years now \u2013 will be of benefit to the Gang Suppression Force.\u00a0 I did promise that we are not going to walk away from Haiti, and I want to say that Kenya would not have succeeded in Haiti if it were not for the support, the friendship, and the partnership of the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We look forward \u2013 and I join Secretary Marco \u2013 in encouraging others from across the globe, especially in this region, the Organization of American States, that this is your neighborhood.\u00a0 If they can step forward with personnel, with resources, with equipment, with funding, we can all contribute to helping humanity in Haiti.\u00a0 And Kenya will play our role, we will make sure that there is a smooth transition, and we will play our roles even after that to make sure that we do not lose the gains that have been made.\u00a0 Thank you very much.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We will be also participating in one of the most consequential and historic signing ceremonies in the next event on eastern DRC that will see stability, peace, and progress achieved as a result of the bringing together of the various teams and creating an ecosystem where our region, the East African region, we can unlock the potential that comes out of the peace and stability that we envisage, and encourage all actors that we work together towards the success of what President Trump has put together.\u00a0 Thank you very much.\u00a0 (Applause.)<\/p>\n
(The framework was signed.)<\/p>\n
(Applause.)<\/p>\n
PRESIDENT RUTO:<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Congratulations\u00a0again, Secretary Rubio.\u00a0<\/p>\n
SECRETARY RUBIO:<\/b>\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0 This was great.\u00a0 And we\u2019ll see you in a few minutes, right?<\/p>\n
PRESIDENT RUTO:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>Yes, we\u2019ll see you in a few minutes.\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SECRETARY RUBIO:\u00a0 Good morning.\u00a0 And I\u2019m really excited to be here today for this.\u00a0 This is our \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229856,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[49,978,659],"class_list":{"0":"post-612276","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-united-states","9":"tag-us","10":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}