It’s day 3 here at the UN Week Digital Media Lounge, and we got a nice surprise this morning. USAID Administrator Dr. Raj Shah stopped by for a quick discussion moderated by Sen. Tim Wirth, President, UN Foundation.

Rapid highlights from the conversation:

• The Obama administration is restructuring itself to focus more on  economic development, both domestically and internationally.
• A top priority for the U.S. government is pulling people globally to a higher standard of living.  Shah emphasized that they are  trying to change the perception that the U.S. is only concerned with projecting their own ideals, and trying to reinforce their commitment to expanding freedom and democracy and improving food security and global health. The “pillar of strategy” of the administration is to focus on economic growth.
• Shah also touched on the importance of public-private partnerships, stating the importance of bringing in businesses to invest more in global health problems. Shah cited the work of Coca-Cola and their announcement to empower 5 million female entrepreneurs by 2020. NTD control programs are an excellent example of public-private partnerships.
• Shah highlighted the Obama administrations new focus on elevating innovation, particularly in sciences for the future. He wants us to think about development in a technological context. Innovative ideas bring tangible solutions.
• Shah emphasized “mutual accountability” as the fundamental driver of how USAID wants to operate. He wants to improve governance of USAID funded programs as well as work more effectively with partners and implementers.
• USAID is planning to launch a new website that will be more transparent, highlighting global programs.
• In keeping with the momentum of yesterday’s theme, Raj and Sen. Tim Wirth both discussed at length the importance of investing in women and girls. Wirth talked about the UN Foundation’s GirlUp campaign and how the average global citizen can get involved in the movement.

Overall, it was a fruitful discussion, though mostly broad stroke and predictable. We were asked to submit questions, and I submitted a question about USAID’s plans for integrating NTD control into existing initiatives for HIV/AID, TB and Malaria– but it was left unanswered. When I tried to speak with Dr. Shah by the step and repeat, I was again denied.

I was  disappointed that they didn’t select questions for Shah that were on a specific topic. I was also surprised that they didn’t make his appearance more interactive considering this forum. I think that bloggers would have had more material to work with, if we had gotten the opportunity to ask questions about specific initiatives and programs rather than a 5,000 foot view of how USAID operates and how the Obama administration plans to expand global health and development programs.

I did get a 40 second clip of Shah talking about USAID’s investment strategies. It’s a quick clip, and isn’t too substantive, but I thought I’d still post it here!