President Biden held a press briefing on Thursday with Kenya's President William Ruto.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 >> Good afternoon, everyone.
00:01 Please have a seat.
00:03 Mr. President, six decades ago,
00:08 when Kenya was declared its independence,
00:12 President Lyndon B. Johnson wrote a letter
00:16 from our nation to yours, and he said,
00:18 "May the responsibilities of freedom
00:21 wake the best that is in you."
00:23 Today, we have marked 60 years of partnership
00:28 between our democracies,
00:30 and we're fulfilling that wish together,
00:32 and we're continuing.
00:34 I truly believe it has brought out the best in both of us,
00:37 not only in Kenya and America, but around the world.
00:40 It's had a positive impact.
00:41 But through our partnership, we're continuing
00:45 to meet our responsibilities in four key areas.
00:47 First, I'm proud to announce we're working with Congress
00:51 to designate Kenya a major non-NATO ally.
00:55 That's a fulfillment of years of collaboration.
00:58 Our joint counterterrorism operations
01:01 have degraded ISIS and al-Shabaab across East Africa.
01:05 Our mutual support for Ukraine has rallied the world
01:09 to stand behind the U.N. Charter.
01:11 And our work together on Haiti is helping pave the way
01:15 to reduce instability and insecurity.
01:17 I want to thank you, Mr. President,
01:19 and Kenya's leadership
01:20 for the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti.
01:24 Our new partner -- global partnership
01:25 is going to build on all this progress.
01:27 We're going to make -- meet new challenges with more resources.
01:31 And it's going to strengthen the security of our countries
01:34 and our countries around the world.
01:36 Second, we're deepening our economic cooperation.
01:39 Both President Rudin and I have focused on growing economies --
01:43 are growing economies --
01:45 and growing them from the bottom up,
01:46 the middle out, the bottom up.
01:48 And when that happens, everybody does well, not the top down.
01:51 Because when the middle class does well,
01:53 the poor have a ladder up,
01:55 and the wealthy still do very well.
01:57 That's true in Kenya, that's true in America,
01:59 and that's true around the world.
02:01 Right now, in many countries,
02:04 debt stands in the way of growth.
02:06 Too many nations are forced to make a choice
02:08 between development and debt,
02:10 between investing in their people
02:12 and paying back their creditors.
02:14 So, today, we're launching what we're calling
02:16 the "Nairobi, Washington Vision."
02:17 This -- this initiative is going to bring together
02:20 international financial institutions and nations
02:23 from all around the world to mobilize more resources
02:25 for countries saddled with debt,
02:27 to open more opportunities to the private sector financing,
02:31 and to promote transparent, sustainable,
02:33 and affordable lending practices.
02:35 These are big goals.
02:37 It's going to take time to see lasting progress,
02:39 but we're providing $250 million --
02:41 the United States is -- to the World Bank
02:44 and a crisis response window.
02:46 In the coming weeks, the United States
02:47 is going to make an additional $21 billion
02:49 available to the International Monetary Fund.
02:53 And today, I'm proud to announce there will be $250 billion
02:56 in new lending capacity for multilateral development banks,
03:00 like the World Bank, to help low-income nations
03:02 invest in their development and tackle growing challenges.
03:05 This is supported by the United States
03:08 and many other countries as well.
03:09 Next, we're launching a new era of technolog- --
03:13 technological cooperation between the United States
03:15 and Kenya. That means new partnerships --
03:18 new partnerships with industry, artificial intelligence,
03:22 semiconductors, and cybersecurity companies.
03:24 New initiatives to expand affordable Internet
03:27 all across East Africa. New education programs --
03:30 they're going to bring Kenyan students to the United States
03:33 to study in the STEM fields.
03:35 And I'm proud to announce that I'm working with Congress
03:37 to make Kenya the first country in Africa
03:41 to receive funding through the CHIPS and Science Act,
03:43 which has served us well.
03:45 This funding will link their supply chains
03:48 to the United States and to our partners,
03:51 and spur innovation that extends from Silicon Valley
03:54 in California to Silicon Savannah in Kenya --
03:57 which, by the way, is already a $1 billion tech cub --
04:01 already a billion-dollar tech cub.
04:04 Finally, we're ensuring democracy delivers
04:07 for our people.
04:08 That includes Kenya's diaspora community
04:10 here in the United States.
04:12 Two years ago, our nation's first Black Vice President
04:15 and President Kamala Harris launched
04:18 the nation's first Presidential Advisory Council
04:20 on African Diaspora Engagement.
04:22 Today, we're building on her work
04:24 to strengthen longstanding bonds between our people.
04:27 I also want to thank you, Mr. President,
04:29 for taking action to implement the long-awaited
04:32 Public Benefits Organization Act,
04:34 which provides historic protections for civil society
04:37 and NGOs all across Kenya.
04:40 Like you, I believe the future is going to be won by countries
04:43 that unleash the full potential --
04:45 the full potential of their population,
04:47 including civil society, women, and young people.
04:50 I look forward to working together to implement this act
04:53 and jumpstarting anti-corruption reforms
04:56 to promote democratic values and bind our nation together.
04:59 Now, let me close with this.
05:01 Taken together, these are responsibilities
05:04 Kenya and America must meet in the years ahead --
05:06 meet them together as partners for security,
05:10 for prosperity, for innovation,
05:12 and, most importantly, for democracy.
05:15 But I know these responsibilities
05:16 will wake the best in us.
05:19 And I know we'll bring --
05:20 not only bring our nations together,
05:22 but I want to thank you for -- again, Mr. President,
05:24 for being here and knowing we have even bigger dreams
05:27 in cooperating with our countries.
05:29 The floor is yours, sir.
05:31 >> Prime Minister Ndiaye: Thank you, Mr. President.
05:35 And I want to, in a very, very sincere way,
05:38 thank you, Mr. President, for inviting me
05:42 to make this visit to the United States
05:45 on behalf of the people and government of Kenya.
05:48 I also take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude
05:52 for the warm welcome we have received on arrival
05:55 and the excellent hospitality of the American people.
05:59 My visit provides us, Mr. President,
06:02 with the opportunity to celebrate 60 years
06:05 of bilateral relations rooted on shared values
06:09 of freedom, democracy, rule of law,
06:12 equality, and inclusivity.
06:16 My visit takes place at a time
06:19 when democracy is perceived to be retreating worldwide.
06:22 The accelerating drift towards regimes
06:26 indifferent to democratic values is a deep concern to us.
06:31 And I believe it is time the U.S.,
06:34 working with Kenya, deploys its capabilities
06:37 and rally like-minded democratic countries
06:41 to set up the course for democracy.
06:45 During our discussions,
06:46 we agreed on the significant opportunity for the U.S.
06:50 to radically recalibrate its strategy
06:54 and strengthen its support for Africa,
06:56 as discussed at the U.S.-Africa Leadership Summit,
07:00 by enhancing its investment
07:03 in the institutions of African integration
07:06 and increasing support for peace and security.
07:12 As we take this historic step of elevating our partnership
07:17 to be more effective in addressing global challenges,
07:21 it is important for us to appreciate
07:24 that many countries in Africa, including Kenya,
07:26 are struggling with an overwhelming convergence
07:30 of multiple shocks,
07:32 including extreme climate events,
07:34 debt distress, and the disruptive upheavals
07:40 in Europe and the Middle East,
07:42 whose cumulative impact is to divert national resources
07:47 from investment in people and economic growth
07:50 into managing climate-induced crises
07:54 and servicing sovereign debt.
07:56 For this reason, I have underscored the imperative
08:01 for our partnership to facilitate recovery
08:05 from this multiple crisis,
08:06 and particularly for the United States of America,
08:10 to take a leading role
08:12 in a comprehensive debt resolution framework
08:15 by doubling contributions
08:18 to the concessionary financing window of the World Bank,
08:22 and also to work with the IMF on rechanneling SDRs
08:26 to institutions like the Africa Development Bank
08:30 to further leverage on private sector funding
08:34 to support countries.
08:36 Unless this is done, and done immediately,
08:39 the values of freedom, democracy,
08:42 and the rule of law are in great jeopardy.
08:45 On regional peace and security in the Horn of Africa
08:49 and the Great Lakes region,
08:51 I express optimism that Kenya and the U.S.
08:54 will innovatively design appropriate defense
08:59 and security frameworks to help Kenya,
09:02 as the anchor state, and the region in general,
09:05 to deal with the peace and security challenges
09:09 that are undermining human well-being,
09:11 slowing down development,
09:13 and also having a negative impact on democracy.
09:18 We affirm our mutual commitment to the stabilization of Haiti
09:23 through the multinational security support mission.
09:27 The Kenya-U.S. climate and clean energy industrial partnership
09:31 we have just committed to is an encouraging milestone
09:36 on our collective journey
09:38 and builds on the paradigm shift we have inaugurated
09:41 at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi last year.
09:45 Accordingly, Africa's resource potential
09:49 is a huge opportunity to deploy U.S. technology and investment
09:55 to catalyze unprecedented growth through green industrialization.
10:00 We've also agreed to hasten the renewal of the Africa Growth
10:05 and Opportunities Act to sustain the rising momentum
10:09 of our investments and exports in the manufacturing space.
10:13 Similarly, we agreed to undertake sustainable green growth
10:18 by facilitating conclusion of our strategic trade
10:22 and investment partnership alongside the renewal of AGOA.
10:25 During our discussions, I witnessed firsthand
10:30 President Biden's and the U.S. government's determination
10:35 to make our partnership work and resolve to spread
10:39 and deepen the roots of freedom, democracy,
10:43 security, and prosperity throughout the world.
10:46 As my visit comes to a close,
10:49 I am confident that our engagements
10:53 have laid a solid foundation for us to continue the good work
10:59 we have begun with stronger faith
11:01 and greater hope for success
11:04 because in Joe Biden, Kenya and Africa
11:08 have a strong and committed friend.
11:11 I thank you.
11:14 >> The President: Thank you, Mr. President.
11:15 You do have a friend. And, you know,
11:17 the African continent is a billion people not too soon.
11:20 The idea we're going to ignore it makes no sense at all.
11:23 First question, Michael Wilner, McClatchy.
11:27 >> The Press: Thank you, Mr. President.
11:33 Two questions, if I may, on --
11:34 >> The President: No, one.
11:36 >> The Press: I'm going to do my level best on Haiti
11:39 and on Israel.
11:41 Your administration went on a worldwide search
11:43 for security forces,
11:45 Beninese forces, Bangladeshi, Canadian, Chilean,
11:50 any but American forces to stand up
11:53 this multinational security support mission for Haiti
11:56 before Kenya stood up to lead.
11:58 Can you explain why it is that you believe,
12:01 on the one hand, that this mission is so critical
12:05 and on the other, why it is that you have categorically ruled out
12:09 contributing U.S. forces to this effort?
12:11 Is it your goal to beat back Haiti's gangs
12:14 or to contain them? And on Israel, does the United States --
12:18 >> The President: One question. I'll answer your question.
12:20 >> The Press: Okay. Yeah. Let me --
12:21 >> The President: The question --
12:22 the question with regard to Haiti is,
12:24 we concluded that for the United States
12:26 to deploy forces in the hemisphere
12:28 just raises all kinds of questions
12:30 that can be easily misrepresented
12:33 by what we're trying to do
12:35 and be able to be used by those who disagree with us
12:38 and against our -- against the interests of Haiti
12:40 and the United States.
12:42 So, we set out to find a partner or partners
12:45 who would lead that effort that we would participate in,
12:48 not with American forces, but with supplies
12:51 and making sure they had what they needed.
12:54 And so, you know, I'm very grateful
12:56 for President Ruda's leadership here --
12:58 only national effort -- but Kenya's willingness
13:01 to really lead this matter -- matters.
13:03 And you're not the only country, but you're leading this effort.
13:07 And there's going to be U.S. forces --
13:08 none on the ground --
13:10 but we're going to supply logistics,
13:11 intelligence, and equipment.
13:13 As a matter of fact, some equipment has already arrived.
13:16 And Kenya is stepping up with police
13:18 and other countries plan to do as well.
13:20 The United States is going to support
13:22 the collective effort here.
13:24 And, of course, Kenya won't be going in alone.
13:27 We're working with Congress to provide $300 million
13:29 to MSS Mission and an additional $60 million
13:34 for equipment assistance.
13:35 And we have also -- we've received
13:37 and are continuing to bring major contributions
13:40 from other partners in as well.
13:41 President Ruda and I agree that Haitian people deserve better.
13:45 They deserve peace and security.
13:47 And I thank him for taking on this responsibility.
13:51 But we have his back, and we're there all the way.
13:53 >> I do have a question for you, President Ruda.
13:57 But before I do, I do very briefly have a question
14:02 on whether the United States has any evidence at all
14:06 that would substantiate the ICC prosecutors'
14:09 specific allegations against Israeli leaders
14:13 that they are using starvation as a tactic of war in Gaza
14:19 or exculpatory evidence, for that matter.
14:21 And if you would commit to releasing that information
14:26 before any potential issuance of ICC arrest warrants.
14:33 And, President Ruda, the mission that Kenya is about to lead
14:39 in Haiti is obviously a support mission that is well-known.
14:43 But the fact is that Haiti's national police
14:47 have been internationally funded and trained for some time
14:53 and nevertheless have obviously failed to beat back these gangs.
14:59 Will Kenyan forces in partnership with the MSS
15:05 be out front in the fight against these gangs,
15:08 or will they be a static force behind the HNP?
15:12 And are you concerned about casualties
15:16 among the Kenyan forces?
15:18 >> Thank you very much.
15:22 Kenya believes that the responsibility of peace
15:26 and security anywhere in the world, including in Haiti,
15:31 is the collective responsibility of all nations
15:35 and all peoples who believe in freedom,
15:38 self-determination, democracy, and justice.
15:42 And it is the reason why Kenya took up this responsibility,
15:46 because we have been participating in peacemaking
15:50 and we have been participating in peacekeeping
15:53 over the last 40 years in 47 countries,
15:57 including very difficult neighborhoods,
16:01 like what we are going to face in Haiti.
16:04 We are going to take up that responsibility
16:06 alongside the Haitian police,
16:09 and we have clear modus operandi
16:13 how we are going to relate with the situation on the ground
16:17 that has been agreed under the United Nations framework.
16:22 So we are looking forward to this deployment
16:24 because we believe that the women and children in Haiti
16:28 deserve peace like all other women and children
16:31 and people around the world.
16:36 >> If we made our position on ICC --
16:38 you guys never keep the deal, but that's okay --
16:43 that, you know, we've made our position clear on the ICC.
16:49 We don't think the --
16:50 we don't recognize the jurisdiction, the ICC,
16:54 the way it's being exercised, and it's that simple.
16:59 We don't think there's an equivalence
17:00 between what Israel did with Hamas did.
17:05 >> Okay. Do I ask the next question as well?
17:10 Let me ask Ayub Abdikadi from Kenya for the next question.
17:17 He's Ayub.
17:19 >> Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you.
17:20 One question, and this is on Haiti.
17:23 [laughter]
17:26 President Biden, Kenya is rather doing the heavy lifting
17:31 in a turbulent region -- Somalia, South Sudan,
17:33 the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
17:36 Washington, as you have mentioned,
17:37 has committed millions of dollars
17:39 for the cause in Haiti.
17:41 Isn't it ironic that while America is ending
17:43 its forever wars in Afghanistan,
17:45 the latest in 2021, under your leadership,
17:48 when you withdrew troops from Kabul,
17:50 and that you are committing Kenya to another foreign war
17:53 12,000 kilometers away from Nairobi?
17:55 I mean, why the discrepancy?
17:56 Why the dichotomy?
17:57 While you are ending your forever wars, overseas wars,
18:00 yet you are committing Kenya to Haiti?
18:02 Can you explain that?
18:04 >> Very easily.
18:05 There's a reason why Afghanistan has been known
18:09 as the graveyard of empires.
18:12 The likelihood of anybody uniting Afghanistan
18:16 is highly, highly, highly unlikely, number one.
18:20 Number two, there are ways to control ISIS
18:23 other than occupying Afghanistan.
18:26 It was an unnecessary need.
18:28 Now, with regard to Haiti, Haiti is in an area of the Caribbean
18:33 that is very volatile.
18:36 There's a lot going on in this hemisphere,
18:38 and we're in a situation where we want to do all we can
18:42 without us looking like America, once again,
18:44 is stepping over and deciding this is what must be done.
18:48 Haitians are looking for help, as well as the folks
18:51 in the Caribbean are looking for help.
18:53 And so we checked out with a number of other countries.
18:57 The one who stepped up was Haiti.
18:59 We've committed to provide the war with all the intelligence
19:02 and equipment and the like to Haiti.
19:05 And so it's a logical thing.
19:06 And you have a first-rate capability,
19:09 and you keep your word.
19:11 That's an important dynamic.
19:13 >> I agree with President Biden
19:17 that Kenya's participation in Haiti
19:21 is not so much about what happened in the past.
19:26 It's about what we believe in,
19:30 the peace and security of humanity.
19:33 And we don't find that the U.S. is committing Kenya
19:38 because the U.S. cannot commit Kenya.
19:43 I am the president of Kenya.
19:44 It's me to make that decision.
19:47 And it's the people of Kenya to commit their own troops,
19:50 using their own structures.
19:52 We've gone through the processes in Kenya.
19:54 Parliament has approved.
19:56 We have a clear mandate.
19:58 We have a clear framework.
20:00 And it is us, the people of Kenya,
20:02 who made this decision in the interest
20:06 of serving peace and stability as a responsible global citizen
20:11 and understanding that insecurity,
20:15 instability anywhere is insecurity
20:19 and instability everywhere.
20:22 >> And by the way, you asked about --
20:25 you implied that we weren't doing anything anywhere else.
20:28 Well, we're kind of occupied around the world,
20:30 but we're also engaged in Congo, in the neighborhood.
20:34 And, you know, we're going to continue to help alleviate
20:38 human suffering there.
20:39 The United States is the largest humanitarian donor,
20:42 providing $375 million in humanitarian funding
20:46 just this year, including support
20:48 for more than 6 million displaced people from the DRC.
20:51 So we are engaged in more than one place.
20:54 >> Follow-up to my president, Dr. Ruto.
20:59 You said that Kenya is committed.
21:01 And in your Carter speech in Atlanta,
21:05 you said it's based on humanitarianism,
21:07 helping Haiti out.
21:08 But can you explain the geopolitical goal,
21:11 12,000 kilometers away from Nairobi,
21:14 when schools in the counties of Baringo, West Pokot,
21:16 and Turkana have not yet opened
21:18 because of the banditry problem,
21:20 yet you are committing our national police force to Haiti.
21:23 And where is the priority?
21:24 Is this being one of your major manifesto pillars,
21:27 talking about security?
21:28 And to the extent that even the Defense Cabinet Secretary
21:31 talked about the deployment of, if need be,
21:33 the Kenyan military or the special personnel
21:36 to make sure that schools are open,
21:37 children go to school in areas that are bandit-prone in Kenya.
21:41 Why are you committing to Haiti
21:42 when we have a problem back home?
21:44 Is it an irony that you are putting the fire
21:46 in the faraway neighbor's home
21:48 when our own home is on fire?
21:50 - Thank you very much.
21:53 I made a commitment to the people of Kenya
21:56 to sort out insecurity in the North Rift.
21:59 I have followed that with action.
22:03 As we talk, there are 3,000 military officers
22:08 in the North Rift, 2,000 police officers in the North Rift.
22:13 We have renovated the first 15 schools
22:17 and completed, we have reopened 20 schools already
22:22 that were closed in the North Rift.
22:24 And that exercise is ongoing.
22:27 We have made tremendous progress in making sure
22:31 that we create security at home,
22:33 but that does not take away our responsibility.
22:37 Even as we were deploying troops and policemen
22:41 in our own country in North Rift
22:43 to sort out the banditry problem,
22:46 we still deployed 1,000 troops to DRC Congo
22:51 because that is our neighborhood.
22:55 We have 5,000 troops in Somalia
22:58 because equally that is our responsibility.
23:01 And Haiti should not be an exception.
23:06 That's why deploying 1,000 security men to Haiti
23:12 speaks to the same belief and commitment
23:16 to peace and security.
23:18 - Next question from April Ryan.
23:22 - Mr. President, President Biden, President Ruto, thank you.
23:30 First of all, when you talk about Haiti,
23:33 President Ruto, you said Haiti is a collective responsibility
23:36 for all nations.
23:37 And for you, Mr. President, President Biden,
23:40 President Ruto, do you believe that these nations
23:44 can break the back of this militia
23:47 that has gripped the nation there?
23:50 And also when it comes to Congo,
23:51 thank you, Mr. President, for bringing up
23:53 what the United States is doing for the Congo,
23:55 especially as that flag is behind you at Morehouse.
24:00 Mr. President, could you tell me
24:02 what the African Union is doing,
24:04 as well as Kenya is doing when it comes
24:06 to the humanitarian crisis in the Congo?
24:09 Thank you.
24:10 - What was my question?
24:14 (audience laughing)
24:16 - Sir, your question was Haiti.
24:18 Can the United States and Kenya
24:21 or the nations collectively break the backs
24:24 of this coordinated militia that has the grips
24:27 of the nation, that makes you the president?
24:29 - Yes.
24:30 The very way we're doing it.
24:36 We're not talking about a thousand-person army
24:40 that's made up of trained Persian.
24:43 This is a crisis.
24:44 It's able to be dealt with.
24:46 And we think we can deal with this way
24:47 with a multinational approach,
24:49 with Haiti leading the way
24:51 and us providing the intelligence as well as equipment.
24:54 - Gangs and criminals do not have nationalities.
25:05 They have no religion.
25:06 They have no language.
25:09 Their language is one.
25:12 To deal with them firmly,
25:16 decisively, within the parameters of the law.
25:21 And that's why we're building a coalition
25:25 of nations beyond Kenya and the US.
25:30 Many who are making contribution
25:32 towards the MSS force in Haiti
25:35 to secure that country
25:40 and to break the back of the gangs
25:43 and the criminals that have visited untold suffering
25:48 in that country.
25:51 On DRC, the AU, the East African community
25:56 and Kenya are seized with that matter.
26:00 I've just told you that Kenya had a thousand troops in Haiti.
26:05 We now have another 800, not in Haiti, but in DRC.
26:11 We now have another 800 troops from SADC.
26:15 We are going to be having a meeting
26:19 of the East African community.
26:21 I did send my minister,
26:25 my foreign minister to Kinshasa.
26:29 They had a conversation.
26:31 And shortly, we will be looking at how to begin
26:35 the dialogue process under the Nairobi process
26:39 because we believe there is no military solution
26:42 to what is going on in DRC.
26:44 But instead, dialogue should be able to give us
26:47 the necessary momentum and outcomes
26:52 that would sell the matters in Eastern DRC.
26:56 So both the AU, the East African community
26:59 and Kenya as a country are seized of that matter.
27:03 We know that the humanitarian crisis in Eastern DRC
27:07 has displaced close to seven million people.
27:12 And I want to thank the United States of America
27:14 for stepping in with humanitarian support for that region
27:19 because it is a collaboration of different countries
27:25 in different ways to deal with that situation.
27:28 The rest of us are committing troops.
27:31 We are committing our, deploying our infrastructure
27:36 to facilitate the resolution of the matters in DRC.
27:40 Let me ask Nancy Agutu from Kenya.
27:51 She's here, okay, Nancy.
27:54 - Thank you, Mr. President.
27:56 Africa is asking America to lead the way
27:58 and double its contribution to the World Bank's
28:01 International Development Assistance
28:03 to help developing countries access more financing
28:06 to alleviate debt distress and to tackle climate change.
28:09 What is your commitment on this?
28:11 Thank you.
28:12 - I'm sorry, I didn't catch all your question.
28:15 - Sorry, I'm saying Africa is asking America
28:19 to lead the way and double its contribution
28:22 to the World Bank's International Development Assistance
28:24 to help developing countries to access financing
28:29 to alleviate debt distress and to tackle climate change.
28:34 What is your commitment on this?
28:36 - We made a major commitment to this.
28:37 Number one, as I said, the United States
28:41 has long championed international financial institutions
28:43 that provide low-cost concessional resources
28:47 to the poorest developing countries, including from the IMF.
28:51 To that end, my administration helped design
28:53 and establish the IMF's new initiative
28:56 that provides low-cost funding for countries
28:58 that are taking steps to enhance their resilience.
29:01 Important partners in Africa have the capital they need
29:05 to ensure they have the capital they need
29:07 to invest in their futures.
29:09 We heard them and we stand with them.
29:11 Now, that's why we've worked with Congress
29:14 to enable the United States to make available
29:17 in the coming weeks up to $21 billion
29:20 new lending resources to the IMF trust fund
29:23 that provides concessional lending
29:25 to the poorest countries.
29:27 It's a little like, you know, having to go --
29:29 when you're in debt, having to go and find someone
29:31 to help you out. That's what this is about.
29:34 We believe supporting friends in this partnership is happy --
29:37 that we're happy to do our part.
29:40 And, look, we've also doubled our commitment to the IDA.
29:45 And I'm proud the United States is the biggest donor
29:48 of the IDA in this cycle.
29:49 I'm proud to be working with -- alongside Kenya
29:53 to support robust financing and policy
29:55 that's going to help the most vulnerable countries
29:58 address their investment needs.
30:00 There's debt and there's growth.
30:02 And you can't -- you got to deal with the debt
30:05 before you deal with the growth.
30:06 And so we're trying to use international lending
30:10 organizations to be able to provide that capability
30:13 so people can grow. That's what it's about.
30:16 (The executive order is signed.)
30:27 >> This concludes the press conference.
30:29 Thanks, everybody.
30:31 Thank you, everybody. This concludes the press conference.
30:43 Thank you. Thanks, everybody.
30:47 (Applause.)