Will President Obama reveal details of a new U.S. global development policy next week? That’s the hope. The president is expected to speak during the two major United Nations events in New York next week -- the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Summit and the General Assembly—and hopes are high that he will unveil long-awaited details of how the United States will prioritize and improve its global development policy.Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition will host an impressive lineup of Obama team members to discuss the administration’s new development policy. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, and Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Daniel Yohannes will all be there—a good sign of interagency involvement and recognition that development is more than just aid, but also trade, investment, security, and more.Appetites are more than whetted for the results of two major development policy reviews--the Presidential Study Directive (PSD) on U.S. Global Development Policy and the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). And development aficionados are hoping to get more than just a taste of the outcomes of these processes.We had a preview of the administration’s “new approach” to advancing global development in the National Security Strategy and at the G8 summit in Canada earlier this summer. We also heard more about the U.S. approach for meeting the MDGs in June from USAID.I suspect we’ll hear similar framing this week as well as a mix of new thinking and highlights of what the administration is already working on (i.e. presidential initiatives on global health, food security, and climate resilience). If and when this all happens, it will be great to see Obama and his team using their bully pulpits for global development and bringing more clarity to what U.S. global development is trying to achieve. And I know I and others will be listening for what but also specifics on how the administration will put all of this into practice.Let us know what you hear and what you think!
