Special Representative Sarah Morgenthau

Ensuring women have access to opportunities and the tools they need to lead in the private sector is critical to our global economic security. ? Earlier this week, I led a roundtable with Women of the World and the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) on women’s economic empowerment and digital inclusion. We discussed the increased focus across the U.S. government on supporting gender equity and generating economic opportunities for women in the United States and around the world.?? ? Particularly in developing countries, women’s low participation in the workforce impedes economic growth and poverty reduction.?Through public-private cooperation, we can increase access to skills training, STEM education, and technology for women and girls, enabling innovation and economic advancement. ? Grateful to BCIU for organizing this event, and to Beacon Global Strategies for hosting us!

The U.S.-Polish economic and trade partnership is strong, resilient, and expanding.? I just returned from a productive trip to Warsaw, where I participated in several impactful events and meetings: - I spoke at the U.S.-Poland-Ukraine Veterans Reintegration Forum, which was funded through our Ukraine Business Facilitation Program. The conference focused on sharing tools and best practices to support Ukraine’s veterans re-entering the workforce, which in turn will aid Ukraine’s economic recovery post-war. - At the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland Manufacturers’ Forum, I delivered keynote remarks highlighting the importance of the U.S.-Poland bilateral economic relationship and Poland’s remarkable economic success. Poland was second in the world in total GDP change in a 30-year period (1990-2020), behind China and ahead of India. - While visiting Google Polska (2023 Secretary’s Award for Corporate Excellence winner), I engaged in a roundtable discussion with Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. We discussed the opportunities in Poland’s growing tech sector and resources the State Department offers to U.S. companies overseas. Over 1,500 companies with American capital are operating in Poland. - I joined Ambassador Mark Brzezinski for coffee with women business leaders in Warsaw who are helping to drive the Polish economy forward.?We know that when women are empowered, we all benefit. - To close out the trip, I met with the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology to discuss our growing energy cooperation, including the construction of Poland’s first nuclear powerplant by U.S. companies Bechtel & Westinghouse. Many thanks to U.S. Embassy Warsaw & Ambassador Brzezinski for the warm welcome, and for making this visit a success.

I am proud to have honored these six outstanding U.S. companies at the State Department earlier this week. Congratulations again to the 2024 Secretary’s Award for Corporate Excellence winners: PARKER CLAY, Bank of America, Koster Keunen, Microsoft, Newmont Corporation, and RIZOME BAMBOO.

I am proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Secretary's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE)!? Established in 1999 by Secretary of State Madeline Albright, ACE recognizes the crucial role U.S. companies are playing in elevating global standards of business conduct and creating jobs. This year’s ACE categories are Women’s Economic Security, Innovation to Strengthen Communities, and Climate Resilience.? For Women’s Economic Security, the 2024 ACE winners are: ·? PARKER CLAY, an American leather goods brand that employs over 200 workers at its factory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ?Over 80% of these employees are women, many of whom are survivors of human trafficking and are earning a paycheck for the first time.? ·? Bank of America India, whose social impact initiatives have transformed the lives of over 300,000 women and girls across India, focusing on education, skill development, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, and employment opportunities. For Innovation to Strengthen Communities, the 2024 ACE winners are:? ·? Koster Keunen, who created a market for beeswax in seven West African countries.?By introducing modern, sustainable techniques, Koster Keunen transformed a previously overlooked by-product of honey production into a new industry.?? ·?Branch of Microsoft Colombia Inc., which, over the course of its 32 years in Colombia, has partnered with NGOs, universities, companies, and national and local governments, to expand internet connectivity, build digital skills, and foster economic inclusion for Colombia’s vulnerable and underserved communities.? For Climate Resilience, the 2024 ACE winners are: ·?RIZOME BAMBOO, a small company pioneering the use of engineered bamboo in the construction industry from its flagship project in the Philippines. ·? Newmont Corporation, a global mining company operating in Suriname who has invested in environmental conservation, education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, creating lasting positive impacts - particularly in indigenous communities.? I look forward to joining Secretary Blinken, our winners, and representatives from our Embassies around the world at the State Department October 22 for this year’s ceremony. Congratulations to the winners and to all this year's nominees for their leadership in addressing some of our greatest global challenges.

Last week, I was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level meetings. While at UNGA, I participated in a event with President of Poland Andrzej Duda and U.S. private sector leaders hosted by BCIU, spoke at the U.S.-Nigeria Council’s creative industries breakfast, met with Peru’s Director General for Multilateral Affairs Jorge Félix Rubio Correa, and joined Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay. I also delivered remarks at Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU)'s U.S.-Asia-Pacific Economic Partnerships reception, where I was joined by senior government officials from Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, and Papua New Guinea. In each of these engagements, I highlighted the positive impact U.S. companies are making around the world and reaffirmed the United States’ position as the global partner of choice.

Proud to have co-led the U.S. delegation for the U.S.-Israel Joint Economic Development Group (JEDG) in Jerusalem. The JEDG is an annual bilateral economic policy dialogue between the United States and Israel, first held in 1985. This year’s meeting took place amidst the ongoing conflict triggered by the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. The dialogue underscored our strong bilateral economic relations and laid the groundwork to further strengthen these ties. We discussed actions that would support sustainable economic growth in the region including actions to stabilize the West Bank economy, its adherence to global best practices of accountability and transparency, and efforts to address security challenges in the region. Thank you to Ambassador Jacob Lew, my colleagues from Washington, and the team at U.S. Embassy Jerusalem for supporting this important trip. Read the Joint Statement on the JEDG here: https://lnkd.in/efwFnR3N

The United States’ economic relationships with our Pacific neighbors are vital to our shared security and prosperity. Last week, I traveled to the Kingdom of Tonga as part of the U.S. delegation to the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting, led by Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.? During the trip, I joined the Deputy Secretary of State for bilateral meetings with senior government officials from Papua New Guinea, Palau, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.?? ? I also met with ministers from Tonga and Papua New Guinea, as well as U.S. investors in Tonga, to discuss growing economic and commercial ties in the region. I also witnessed the signing of the Open Skies Air Transportation Agreement between the United States and Fiji by Deputy Secretary of State Campbell and Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka. Throughout this trip, I spoke to the growing strength of the U.S. relationship with our Pacific neighbors, exemplified by the opening of new U.S. embassies in the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu during the past year.? The mutually beneficial deals U.S. companies deliver make the United States the clear partner of choice for many of our partners in the Pacific region.

The U.S. business community is the key to our competitiveness abroad. ? This week, I participated in several events engaging directly with the leaders of major U.S. companies: ? To kick off the week, we welcomed the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) Board of Directors to the State Department for their mid-year meeting. BCIU has been a champion for U.S. companies operating overseas since the Eisenhower administration. ? On Wednesday evening, I delivered remarks at Meridian International Center’s 6th Annual Economic & Trade Counselors Reception. Our counterparts in the diplomatic corps are key to expanding commercial ties with our partners abroad, building bridges between the U.S. private sector and their home countries. ? Just last night, I had a wonderful dinner with Business Executives for National Security (BENS). We discussed the pivotal role of U.S. companies in enhancing our national security, and that of our partners and allies around the world. Thank you to General Timothy Ray for your leadership.

Growing the United States’ commercial ties with our partners in the Middle East is key to advancing our foreign policy priorities across the region. ? For the past 50 years, the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) has been deepening connections between the U.S. business community and the Arab world. In May, the U.S. Department of Commerce recognized this work by presenting NUSACC with the President’s “E Star” Award for increasing U.S. exports. ? Today, we met at the U.S. Department of State to discuss fostering greater U.S.-Arab economic cooperation.

Since its inception in 2010, SelectUSA has facilitated more than $200 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), supporting over 200,000 U.S. jobs. Over 65% of that investment has come since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, accounting for more than 100,000 U.S. jobs. ? ? I was glad to participate in this year’s summit, where over $1.3 billion more in FDI was announced, with more coming soon. ? As Secretary Blinken highlighted earlier this week: businesses from around the world have invested more than $1 trillion in the United States in the last 3 years, supporting millions of jobs across this country.?The United States addition is the leading provider of outbound foreign direct investment around the world – and remains the world’s top destination for inbound foreign investment.