Hillary Clinton's Town Hall at University of Delhi

Town Hall at Delhi University

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Delhi University

New Delhi, India

July 20, 2009

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DR. PENTAL: Colleagues, guests, students, ladies and gentlemen, we have a very distinguished personality – in fact, if I dare may say, a global citizen amongst us today, Ms. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States of America.
Madame, we at the University of Delhi are indeed honored and feel highly privileged that in spite of your very busy schedule, you have spared your valuable time to be with us at our university.
Universities are the most humane and progressive spaces of any society, a much admired and respected facet of the United States of America is the brilliant university that the country has nurtured. You have chosen the university to visit which has, in its own humble way, contributed immensely to the development of India. Our Prime Minister, Dr. Mahmohan Singh, taught at the Delhi School of Economics. Our Minister of Human Resource Development, Mr. Kapil Sibal studied history and law at this university. And our current Foreign Secretary, Mr. Shiv Shankar Menon, has also been a student of our university. The list can go on and on.
I also realize, Madame, that you started your career as a faculty member in law school at the University of Arkansas. Years back, in 1978, I received my doctoral degree in botany at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. I still remember very fondly the opportunities your country and the university provided me to know and understand your country. My interest in U.S. politics stems from those days. Although I have no voting right, I was an ardent supporter of Jimmy Carter during the primaries and felt very happy when he was elected President of the United States.
In 1947, when India became independent, our founding fathers chose the path of democracy and participation of all. They supported not only equal rights, but the very strong affirmative action to support those who had been suppressed for too long. As an old civilization but a new nation, we have had many struggles. But the Indian mind remains steadfast in seeking cultural and religious harmony, remains committed to a centrist thought of development, and seeks respect for all.
Most of India is young, and some of them are here, have great admiration for your country, and would like to work with your country to develop a more just and humane world and to face the global challenges of poverty, hunger, and climate change. Translating fundamental research into tangible products which will reduce environment degradation, improving agricultural productivity in the dry-land of the world, and protecting people from infectious diseases are some of the major challenges. We have every hope that the visionary leadership of the United States of America, as in the past and so many occasions and on so many issues, will show the way.
Most of the audience here are well aware of your very distinguished career in politics, including your stint as Senator from the New York State. Most of us are also aware of your empathy for women, children, and their legal rights. Most of us are also well aware of your deep interest in India, and your visits to this country a few times with President Clinton. It’s very heartening that President Obama invited you on to his team, and you accepted, so that brilliant minds can come together to solve some major global challenges.
All those who are sitting here in the hall represent a student body of about 140,000 students, and a very large faculty teaching diverse subjects. Many, many more would have liked to be here. Unfortunately, the hall could hold only a small section of the University community, and some guests. Ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure in inviting Ms. Hillary Clinton to address the (inaudible). Thank you. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Professor Pental, and also Professor Tandon, the Vice Chancellor and Provost[1] Chancellor of this great university. To the faculty and students, it is such an honor for me to be with you on this historic campus, and to share a few thoughts and then to have a dialogue where we can explore in greater depth the potential of the relationship not only between the United States and India, but what our two countries together can do on behalf of the goals that the professor outlined.
Now two years ago, some of you may remember, the Times of India launched a media campaign called “The Year of India.” And for six weeks, billboards and posters and TV commercials across the country blared the slogan, “India poised.” I understand from my friends that it got people talking as to how the sentence should end: poised to do what? To go where? To take a greater role in regional and global affairs? To expand economic opportunity and grow the middle class? To step up the fight against hunger, disease, and illiteracy? To become a more powerful force for global peace and understanding?
Well, probably these and many other questions are the ones that are on the minds not just of the leaders of this great country, but the people as well. These questions resonate, because it’s not just Indians who want answers; it is the world. How do we face these challenges together?
One thing is certain: India is emerging as a global leader for the 21^st century. The energy, dynamism and vitality of this nation are palpable across the entire scope, from the high-tech start-ups in Hyderabad and Bangalor to the financial hustle of Mumbai and the modern malls and green buildings of Gurgaon, the foreign students crisscrossing the campuses at Pune and the effervescence of the media industry, particularly Bollywood, with its new generation of movie stars. It’s also in the faces of those who get up every day and work hard for a better future, and in the hope that they carry inside their hearts for their children.
For someone like me, lucky enough to have visited India during the past 15 years, I believe this is one of the most exciting times for India and for our relationship. And I’m very grateful to be back here as our Secretary of State, representing our new president, President Obama, and our country.
As always, my visit is not only interesting, but provocative. A lot of food for thought: How do we communicate clearly together and understand what it is each of us are striving for, and how to help this relationship and the leadership we provide to be a win-win, not only for our two countries and our people, but, indeed, for the world.
Later today I will have a series of official meetings, and we will be discussing in specifics how we can meet these shared global challenges. We will be announcing a comprehensive, strategic approach that will cover the broad range of issues that are of concern to us.
But it is not only what we must do government-to-government. One of the reasons I’m honored to be here is because diplomacy must go beyond government in the age in which we live. We communicate literally at the speed of light, and it is time for us individually to think about how we can be engaged in meeting these challenges at the local level, the regional, the national, and the global.
President Obama and I are committed to engaging the private sector, the academic sector, NGOs, and particularly young people.
Last week, in a speech in Washington, I talked about the need for a new mindset among officials in world affairs, one that reflects the realities we see today. Now, that means not only that we want to broaden and deepen our strategic understanding, but its also that we want to use all the tools of diplomacy that are available, and we want to use the opportunity of development to actually produce concrete results for people, and to seek common ground for not only our two countries, but other nations as well, because there are so many threats – pandemic diseases that know no borders, the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the crisis of climate change, the illiteracy, hunger, grinding poverty that know no borders.
Not long ago, the measure of a nation’s greatness was the size of its military or its economic strength or its capacity to dominate friends and adversaries. But in this interconnected and interdependent world in which we live, greatness will be more and more defined by the power of a nation’s examples, the persuasive appeal of its values, and its ability to galvanize others to work in concert to find solutions to problems.
In this new century, there is a premium on the traditions and values that the United States and India share. Democracy and diversity, pluralism and public service; these remain great assets. However imperfect our nations may be, our core ideals guide us as we seek not only to broaden our partnership, but to set examples and bring others along with us.
So these times demand that we find new ways of working together. And when we talk about what we must do, it is important to particularly enlist the energy and the hope of the young people who, in our country and yours, have such an opportunity now to influence world events.
Look at what was happening during the aftermath of the elections in Iran -- young people were using technology to communicate to the outside world Or a recent example from Colombia, which has been fighting the narco-traffickers and the criminal cartel, where two young men used the internet to organize a massive demonstration on behalf of peace.
So the good news is that regardless of how daunting these global challenges are, there are answers to every single one of them already in operation somewhere in the world, and many right here in India.
I have seen some of the future just in the last several days. I visited fields where scientists and researchers are developing new seeds and irrigation techniques to help rural farmers grow their crops in harsh climates, which will help alleviate hunger and raise standards of living in India and across South Asia. I toured the ITC Green Center not far from here, which is truly what I called a monument to the future, a cutting-edge green building that uses energy conservation and recycling to reduce greenhouse gas emission, save water, and save costs. This building offers compelling evidence that addressing climate change and promoting economic growth can go hand-in-hand.
I discussed education with volunteers from Teach India and Teach for India, whose passion for service lit up their faces as they talked about the importance of giving every Indian child the chance for an excellent education. The underpinning of global progress is education across the entire spectrum, from early schooling to the advanced research and post-graduate work that occurs on this campus. And the United States and India enjoy a long tradition of educational exchanges, and we’re very eager to expand those. And I’d like to welcome the Fulbright-Nehru scholars, and all the members of the educational exchange programs who are here today.
At a roundtable discussion with some of India’s biggest business leaders in Mumbai, I heard about how these companies are using technology to make mobile banking and financial services more accessible in rural areas, working to develop micronutrients that can be put into foods to enhance nutrition for infants and pregnant women, and even digging into the ice in Antarctic to discover new microbes that might hold answers to some of the most intractable diseases.
I visited a small shop in Mumbai where rural women sell handmade crafts that are extremely sophisticated through the Self-Employed Women’s Association, with which I’ve worked now for many years. SEWA has defied the skeptics by proving that even societies most marginalized women, if given the opportunity to develop skills and work, can create livelihoods and generate local and sustainable economic growth.
Investing in opportunities for women is not only the smart thing to do; it’s the right thing to do. And I applaud your government’s commitment to increasing literacy among India’s women and providing more training and opportunities for them, because it’s not just my observation. It is a very well researched fact that women are key to economic progress and social stability. It’s even truer today as women disproportionally are affected by the global economic turmoil.
With us today are members of the Vital Voices Global Partnership. It’s an organization that I helped to start in the Clinton Administration, and it does exactly what its name suggests. It makes sure that the vital voices of women are heard across societies. And I’m very happy to announce that Vital Voices, in partnership with the United States Government and leading companies, will hold a regional summit in New Delhi next year, bringing together women from across Asia to learn from each other and devise strategies for enhancing women’s empowerment and rights.
Here in India, countless men and women every day are shaping the new future that awaits. And its important that we look for better understanding and opportunity for cooperation. And I know all well that we have difference of history and tradition, of perspective and experience. But what has occurred in the last 15 years between our two countries in a bipartisan way, starting with my husband, continuing with President Bush and now with President Obama, is a very exciting new approach to our relationship and to the futures we wish to build.
When I was here on my first trip in 1995, I met a young student Anasuya Sengupta, who wrote a poem and had it delivered to me. I still have the original copy that she gave to me. One line memorable read, “Too many women in too many countries speak the same language of silence.” And she worried that that would hold true for her generation, as well. I was so inspired by her poem that I read it the next day at the Rajiv Ghandi Center, and I’ve continued to refer to it across the years.
Today, this young woman is an activist, a scholar, and the Asia director for the Global Fund for Women, and she’s here with us this morning. So she wasn’t silenced. And she sought ways to not only express herself, but then to reach out to help others do the same.
I find inspiration in her example, as I do with many of you. I know that there are Indian and Pakistani members of Seeds of Peace in the audience today, who are working to transcend historic divides and begin to plant the seeds, however small, of understanding.
In the examples of the women of SEWA and other NGOs working to empower women and business leaders who are committed to corporate social responsibility, to the researchers and scientists and professors and others who are with us who are trying to solve problems that will unlock greater potential, to the volunteers teaching poor children how to read and write -- there are millions and millions of such examples.
In today’s world, we need not only the professional diplomats who serve in our foreign services and represent our country to one another. We need the citizen diplomats who realize that there is no escape. We are in this together. We may have profound differences, but I am often reminded that as we learn more from science about the human genome, we recognize that we are 99.9 percent the same. As you look at our DNA, you don’t see religion or race; you see humanity. And no place represents that future more profoundly than this great country.
I have long been an admirer of India. I feel very much at home here. I eat way too much of the food at every chance I get. And I have to go on a diet when I get back home, back to carrots and celery. But what I see today is thrilling to me, and what I hope is that the partnership that we are developing together will truly change the future for all of the children in both of our countries. My abiding condition is that those of us in politics or diplomacy or truly any other walk of life should be doing all we can to ensure that every child has the potential and the opportunity to live up to what God gave him or her, to realize the full extent and to have the positive result of effort and opportunity come together.
So let us work to see that every one of our children does have the opportunity to fulfill that God-given potential. Thank you all, very much. (Applause.)
QUESTION: Very good morning, Madame Secretary, and a very warm welcome to you on behalf of the student community of Delhi University. And it’s an honor to get an opportunity to speak to you. I am Ragini Nayak, the former President of Delhi University Student’s Union. I’m currently a National Secretary General of NSUI which is the student wing of the Congress, and I’m also the (inaudible) of International Visitor Leadership Program of the United States.
Madame, today, and even the day before yesterday, in one of your speeches you hinted that the progress of women and the growth of women is directly linked with the progress and growth of any and every country. But in light of that statement, Madame, I would like to know, how would you equate movements of women’s emancipation in the oldest and the largest democracy, and also societal acceptances towards those movements, because I believe that these societal acceptances are also reflected in the political mandate of the country. And please, Madame, if you could – in hindsight, remember that India has had a woman prime minister as early as the third decade of its post-independence era, while America has been deprived of – if I can say so– (laughter) – of the same privilege.
SECRETARY CLINTON: You can say so to me! (laughter)
QUESTION: And on a slightly personal note, Madame, I would also like to know that – did you ever, ever feel that because you’re a women, you’ve been denied the highest and the most prestigious post in the United States? Thank you very much. (Laughter.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, let me take the non-personal first. (Laughter.)
What you say is the truth. Countries will never realize their full potential if half their population is not given the opportunity for education, health care, access to employment, credit; the full range of rights that are available to men. And I’ve seen an enormous amount of progress. Of course, India has a huge well educated middle class, the population of which is larger than our whole country. But you also, as you know well, have a very large population that lives on one or two dollars a day, and has a great many challenges to overcome.
So what India is trying to do I think is exactly right, focus on the disenfranchised and the marginalized and provide greater access to literacy and health care, go after the diseases that cut short lives, focus on maternal and child health, and really give everyone a chance to live to their fullest. It is an enormous undertaking, and I applaud the Indian Government and the Indian people for recognizing that the eradication of poverty must be a primary goal. And by doing so, you have to focus on poor women and their children, because it is that generational change that will make all the difference.
I think globally, women’s empowerment and rights remains a mixed picture. We certainly have many countries where women’s roles are very advanced, where women are in positions of responsibility and influence throughout the society. There are still, even in those countries, like my own, some lingering issues that are not yet resolved, but by and large, individuals are empowered to chart their own future.
And so I hope that as we look at the world of the 21^st century, we recognize that women’s roles and rights is an important an issue as any other that we can list if we expect to resolve the many difficulties that we will have to face. And I believe that groups like some of those I mentioned which are bringing women together and giving women a chance to stand up for themselves are very important.
When I first went to meet the women of SEWA back in 1995 up in Bugirock[2], there were so many women that had walked 24 hours to come. They were part of this organization which didn’t just help them earn money, it gave them confidence. It gave them the belief that they were worth something, that they could stand up and speak and be heard. And it was so moving to me. And then just in Mumbai a few days ago, I met the women who had been elected president of this organization --1.2 million members and 1.1 million voted. And so I said to her, “Well, you got to become a president; I didn’t, so I’m congratulating you for your accomplishment!” (Laughter.)
So, I feel very committed to this. It’s been part of my life’s work, and I really appreciate what you said, because you understand completely the connection. And therefore, we have to educate women so they educate their children so we break the link of poverty and we create greater opportunities for everyone which will then ripple through the society.
As for myself, well, I feel very grateful that I had the experiences I had. When I was your age and I was the president of my college government, I could have never predicted that I would be standing on this stage as the Secretary of State for the United States, or that I would have run for president, or anything else that has happened in my rather unpredictable life. So I don’t look back. I am always somebody who gets up and looks forward. But I am fueled by my commitment to making sure that we eradicate all the remaining vestiges of discrimination toward women. I – and we have new forms of discrimination – some of the problems that women face when they enter the workforce or when they try to balance the most important responsibility of being a mother and trying to make a living.
So we have new challenges that we have to work on, but we’ve made a lot of progress. Now, we have to just stay committed and try to move at an accelerated rate. And that’s what I’m going to try to do not only as Secretary of State, but whatever role that I find myself in.
Thank you. (Applause.)
QUESTION: Good morning, ma’am.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning.
QUESTION: I’m (Inaudible) from (inaudible) University, and I’ve been an alumni South Asian Undergraduate Leaders Program.
What I would like to ask you is right now, you’ve underlined a number of issues you’d like to take up, and especially women’s emancipation. But during your campaign for the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination, your agenda and President Obama’s agendas were very different. So now that you are the Secretary of State, how do you plan to reconcile those and work with him?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. I think that the campaign magnified the differences more than they actually are. That’s what happens in campaigns – I’m sure you’ve noticed that. (Laughter.) You do draw differences and try to make them seem extremely large in order to convince people to vote for you and against the other person.
But I have to say that when – well, first of all, I was incredibly surprised when President Obama asked me to be in his cabinet and to serve as Secretary of State. And we talked a lot about what we would want to do and how we would set the goals and achieve our objectives. And maybe some differences of degree, but not necessarily differences of kind.
And we have worked very closely together. I see the President at least once a week in a personal meeting, but often – usually – more than that in small meetings on difficult issues. And I’m very proud to be part of this Administration, which I think has sent a message of positive change to the rest of the world.
As I said in a speech that I gave last week, we’ve laid out a very ambitious agenda. We have no illusions about how difficult it is to deliver on that agenda. But we are very committed to doing everything we can literally every day to try to further that agenda and to make space available for others to join with us.
I think both the President and I see the world in the same terms, as interconnected, interdependent, where we want more partners, where we want more allies, where we want people taking responsibility and shouldering the burden, whether it is for eradicating poverty or climate change. We are very open to other’s perspectives.
I just saw in the paper yesterday – I had an incredibly fruitful and vigorous exchange with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, but I found it very helpful, because if people are not honest with one another, if we don’t say, well, here are our problems, what are your problems, are you really listening to me instead of trying to dictate to me? We can’t make progress unless we have that very open dialogue. So I thought it was an incredibly important exchange. We understand the difficulties that each of our countries face in trying to deal with climate change. So now, let’s see if we can’t together find some create solutions?
So on issue after issue, I think both the President and I are committed to truly respecting the views of others. That doesn’t mean we will agree, but to a constant, productive dialogue. And when we announce later today the extensive comprehensive partnership that we’re going to be engaged in, we’re going to work on health and education and agriculture. Those are not always the issues in the headlines. They don’t make for good press: What is the conflict on agriculture? Well, there isn’t one, so I guess we won’t talk about it, even though people are starving.
So somehow, we have to get to the real meat of the matter, and our cooperation, I think, will do that for us. So I’m excited to be here as the Secretary of State and especially to have the responsibility for this important dialogue between our two countries.
MODERATOR: (Off mic.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Maybe we should go to that side, because they haven’t had any yet.
QUESTION: Good Morning. Thank you (inaudible) again (inaudible) –
SECRETARY CLINTON: Hold it up closer to you. Right up to your mouth, yes.
QUESTION: My question to you (inaudible). Oh, sorry.
SECRETARY CLINTON: That’s it.
QUESTION: My question to you would be with regards – how do you view the role and how your administration will encourage youth and nongovernmental organization in promoting peace and democracy, as well on the other hand as combating extremism in the region.
SECRETARY CLINTON: It’s a wonderful question, and thank you for participating in Seeds of Peace. I think it’s very courageous for Indian and Pakistani young people to sort of take that step to listen to each other, to talk to each other.
I’m a big believer in talking. All during the Cold War when it’s pressed for young people to understand – when I was growing up, the Soviet Union and communism was as scary to us as terrorism and extremism is today. I mean, we used to do drills when I was in elementary school. I mean, when I describe it to you, you’ll wonder what our teachers were thinking. But in case of a nuclear attack, we were told to get under our desks. (Laughter.)
So as a very young child, that was our mentality. So we had this sense of the “them.” We had nothing to do with them; they had nothing to do with us. But our leaders never stopped talking. They went to summits. Our diplomats engaged in looking for ways to avoid nuclear war or other kinds of terrible incidents.
So I’m a big believer in talking. It doesn’t mean you give up your principles, your values, your interests, your safety and security. But through talking, perhaps progress can be made on both the governmental level, and what you’re doing through Seeds of Peace.
One of the interesting things I learned talking with the SEWA women is they’re now working with women in Pakistan who are coming for training and learning how to organize themselves to be able to help make a better life in their own country.
Combating terrorism and extremism is our number one challenge. It is something that I take very personally. As you heard, I was a senator from New York for eight years, starting in 2001. So I was there when we were attacked on 9/11. And much of what I’ve done in public life over the last many years has been to work to try to avoid another attack on us or anyone else, and to defeat and deter the extremists who put a different vision out there, that gives people a chance to compete peacefully. You think you have a better idea? Go into the marketplace of ideas and put it forth. If you think you can make an argument that will win people’s allegiance, go into the democratic process and make the argument. Be builders, not destroyers. It’s so easy to destroy and it’s so hard to build.
And therefore, we have to look for many ways to support those who are standing against extremism. And I’ve said several times on my opportunities to talk to the press in the last several days that over the six months that we’ve been in office, I’ve seen a real commitment on the part of the Pakistani Government and the Pakistani people to taking on the extremists that threaten them. It’s no longer about somebody else. It’s their hotels that are being blown up and their police that are being killed and their people who are being beheaded and mistreated for simple things that no one would think are in any way in offense.
So anything we can do to try to convey support for those who are standing up against extremism anywhere is part of my mission and our country’s mission. And we enlist the help of everyone in countries like India who have such a stake in the end of terrorism and extremism because of the personal costs that have been paid by generations of Indians.
So I hope that we’ll find new and creative ways to enhance people-to-people connections in this region, in particular. Some of it can be through organizations, some of it can be through businesses, academics, person-to-person, but I believe it in very strongly, and I think it holds great promise.
(Applause.)
QUESTION: Good morning, ma’am. I’m (inaudible) and I went to U.S. last year as an exchange student through YES Program and I have a question. As we all know that the American culture is very true different from Indian culture, so what do you have to say about the differences between both the cultures, and what do you have in plan for us to bring both the cultures and people from both the cultures together?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, one way is what you did, by going on exchange program to the United States, or as the professor did. I want to see more exchanges. We were talking with the chancellors before we came in about how we can enhance more faculty exchanges and student exchanges. One of the trends which I think is very interesting is that in the past, many students who went to the United States to study stayed there. Now, they’re coming home to make a commitment to the future right here in India, and to make a living, and to be with their families and in their communities.
So the exchange programs should be accelerated, in my view, to include many more opportunities, and we’re going to do that.
I think there are so many links between India and the United States. We obviously have a big Indian-American community. We have a lot of people who have traveled back and forth, worked in both places. But I also believe that we have to do more to convey what is true about American culture, and not just what you see in our media.
If Hollywood and Bollywood were how we all lived our lives, that would surprise me. (Laughter.) And yet it’s often the way our cultures are conveyed, isn’t it? People watching a Bollywood movie in some other part of Asia think everybody in India is beautiful and they have dramatic lives and happy endings. (Laughter.) And if you were to watch American TV and our movies, you’d think that we don’t wear clothes and we spend a lot of time fighting with each other. (Applause.)
So it’s difficult for us sometimes to break through these stereotypes that are out there. We are different. We have different cultures, but I think what unites us is so profoundly important – the oldest democracy − largest democracy, the pluralism and diversity of both our countries, the many different voices that are heard, ruckus, and somehow sometimes incomprehensible political systems on both of our sides.
So part of what I hope by my visit, certainly, by other exchanges that we’ll be doing is that we can cut through the clutter so that each of our people has a clearer idea that our values, our interests, our hopes for the future are really very similar, and that we are working together to realize better results and to help people have that chance to live up to their God-given potential.
So we can do this in many different ways, and I am committed to exploring and finding ways that will enable us to understand each other better and look for areas of cooperation.
Okay, one more question.
MODERATOR: One more question. Now, who has the microphone? Okay.
QUESTION: Morning.
SECREATRY CLINTON: Hello.
QUESTION: So ma’am, I’m Sina Dodi from (inaudible) University, and I’ve been exchange student last year and from 2007 to 2008. So as we all know, you’re one of the most active women in U.S. politics. So -- with many new challenges and all. So how you find time for your family and yourself? (Laughter.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I supported my husband’s rather successful career in politics – (applause) – when he was active in elections. I did not go into politics until I was somewhat older, and my daughter was grown. Again, this is up for every women to make a decision, but I would have found it very difficult to have been in politics and raising my daughter, especially with such demanding schedules that are required.
So I’m very pleased that I’ve had this chance to pursue what have always been my public service interests. I just didn’t think that I would go in to electoral politics, especially after I met Bill in law school and really believed in what he was working toward.
But to me, it’s always most important that you take care of your family responsibilities. There’s a wonderful line from a book by a famous rabbi in the United States, Harold Krishner, and it begins one of his books. It says, “On your deathbed, no one ever says I wish I had spent more time in the office.” (Laughter.) Tending your relationship is, for me, critical as to who you are -- your family, your friends, the people who look to you, rely on you.
But I think that you can very well have an active – and certainly I have all my life, as a lawyer and professor and in public life – you can have a very active professional career. But it’s up – it’s balance. That’s sort of the word for life: how do you strike the right balance and have that sense that you're not dropping responsibilities, that you are adequately fulfilling them? And it’s hard, there’s no doubt about it, when you talk about making those decisions in your personal life.
So it is, to me, part of the continuing balancing act that we do in the modern world. I mean, we are exposed to so much more; we are so much more mobile. I mean, these two young women have been to the United States. It just speaks volumes about the different life choices that people are making.
Now, My mother never graduated from college. She was even born before women could vote in my country. So within my lifetime, there have been so many changes. And there will be many, many more at an accelerated rate. So to keep people grounded and anchored in what's real and what's valuable and what's lasting is part of what education is about if we do our job, to help people make these choices. And we’re going to live longer, so the choices you make at 20 may be revisited at 40 and 60 and 80.
But it’s exciting. And there isn’t any better time in human history to be a woman than right now in the modern world. And so for me, this is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility that I willingly accept. But of course, choices that are made every single day -- billions of them around our planet -- determine the kind of futures we will have. And I look forward to making sure that our two countries are leading globally to provide that sense of possibility to so many millions more people, and that together, we’re going to chart a new and better course for women and men, and create the kind of future that our children so richly deserve.
Thank you all very much.
(Applause.)

Hillary Clinton on Tour of ITC Green Building in New Delhi

Remarks Following ITC Green Building Tour and Discussion

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

New Delhi, India

July 19, 2009

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MODERATOR: Madam Secretary, Honorable Minister Mr. Ramesh, Special Envoy Mr. Stern, Ambassador, Mr. Shankar, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, this is indeed a very special day of the ITC Green Center. May we say how honored we are by your gracious presence at the ITC Green Center? This building is a symbol of green partnership between the United States and India. We are indeed indebted to you for choosing this unique center to deliver your first address during this visit to the historic capital of India.

I also deem it an honor to welcome Mr. Jairam Ramesh, the honorable minister of environment and forests in the government of India. Your vision of sustainable and inclusive growth provides deep inspiration to all of us at ITC.

A very warm welcome to Special Envoy Mr. Stern and the distinguished visitors from the United States.

The ITC Green Center, one of the world's first largest green buildings to get a platinum green rating, is a manifestation ITC's larger commitment to sustainable development, a commitment that has made ITC the only company in the world to be carbon positive, water positive, and solid waste recycling positive: the three major global environmental distinctions.

ITC's business strategy to (inaudible) practices have also created livelihood opportunities for five million people in India, most of whom represent the lesser privileged in society.

Madam Secretary, your visit today gives us enormous encouragement to stay the course on a path that we have consciously chosen, a path that we believe will make the future more secure and sustainable for generations to come.

May I take this opportunity to thank all of you who made the green aspiration a reality, especially our partners, the USA and CII, India's Green Building Council? A special word of thanks to the U.S. embassy in India for their continued support. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for being with us on this special day.

May I now request Secretary Clinton and Special Envoy Stern to please come on stage?

(Applause.)

MODERATOR: It is now my privilege to request the honorable minister to come on stage and share his views.

(Applause.)

MR. RAMESH: Madam Secretary of State, Special Envoy Todd Stern, ladies and gentlemen, we have just heard about (inaudible) of a very fruitful and animated discussion between an Indian -- cross-section of Indian professionals in the climate change and energy efficiency area and the visiting delegation led by Madam Secretary of State.

We spoke about cooperation in the field of environmental management, planning and regulation. We spoke about cooperation in the field of energy efficiency. And we also touched upon the ongoing negotiations on climate change, where there is much in common between the U.S. and India.

Both of us are painfully aware of the global effects of climate change. Both of us want a meaningful agreement to be reached at Copenhagen in December of this year, an agreement underpinned by greater flows of national capital and technology cooperation. We have our own perspectives. Negotiations will resume on the negotiating (inaudible) in Bonn early next month. And I am sure the negotiation process will be taken forward.

But both of us reiterated our commitment to arriving at an agreement in Copenhagen that takes note of the (inaudible) of doing something quickly, but also takes note of the special concerns of countries like India, for continuing with their part of economic growth and the objective of poverty eradication.

I think this has been a good beginning. We will continue our discussions, both in multilateral forums and in bilateral forums. Both Madam Secretary of State and I have discussed the desirability of having an engagement between the United States and India, not only in the field of climate change, but in the larger area of environmental management and forestry, I might add, because India is perhaps the only country in the world today to be launching a $3 billion program for regenerating and restoring her forests.

And as I mentioned to Madam Secretary, today forest area in India is roughly the size of Texas, and we know how large Texas is. And in the next six years we will be bringing another 15 million acres of land under forests. So, for us, forestry, which is a very large, common (inaudible), and this is a view shared by Madam Secretary of State and her colleagues, as well.
So, we have made a good beginning, given a small step today. We will continue our engagement in multilateral forums, at (inaudible). But we will also have bilateral engagement. We will discuss our common concerns. And, most importantly, we will launch a number of partnerships between the U.S. and India in various fields. I have made some specific proposals to Madam Secretary of State.

I have a prepared text which my media friends can have access to after the press conference. I don't want to get into that, but all I want to say is I think both sides have agreed on the need for partnerships, concrete partnerships, project-oriented partnerships in various fields like energy efficiency, clean coal, solar energy, (inaudible), biomass, energy efficient buildings of the kind which you are seeing here today.

So, once again, I want to thank Madam Secretary of State for her invitation, for having this interaction this afternoon. And I am sure that this goes well for not only the larger relationship with India and the U.S., but also in the fields of sustainable development, environmental management, and forestry, as well. Thank you.

(Applause.)

MR. STERN: Thank you very much. First of all, thanks to ITC and everybody who is hosting us here. It's really a magnificent building. I want to thank Dipak Haksar, of course, Minister Ramesh, everybody who participated in the conversation we just had. I entirely agree with the characterization the minister just gave. It was a very constructive, open conversation, and I think (inaudible), as well.

And I think it's also fitting, by the way, that we have government and private sector collaborating together today, because it's going to be absolutely crucial, as we go forward, to try to address this challenge.

Let me just make a few very brief points. First, we really do face both a great challenge and a great opportunity here, a challenge because the threat of climate change becomes more stark with every passing year, and scientists -- including, very notably, India's own Nobel Prize winner, Rajendra Pachauri -- increasingly warned of the risk not just of worse and worse conditions, but of even catastrophic conditions.

We also have an enormous opportunity, because of transformation to a low-carbon economy, to be a driver for 21st century growth. India, with its knowledge base and its entrepreneurial talents and elan is well positioned to be a winner. I spent a terrific afternoon yesterday in Mumbai, meeting with some Indian entrepreneurs, and I came away just extremely impressed by the dynamism, vision, and pragmatism with which they approached this issue.

The second point is that we in the United States absolutely know that we have a special responsibility, as the largest historic emitter of greenhouse gases, and we are taking strong action, in light of that responsibility.

Third, no one can doubt India's profound challenge with respect to eradicating poverty and developing, and no one has a right to ask that India sacrifice that imperative. And that's absolutely not what we are doing.
It is still true that over 80 percent of the growth in emissions as we go forward is going to come from developing nations like India and others. And so, we must find a way to grow on a low-carbon path. The truth is that the only way for development to be truly sustainable, going forward from where we are right now, is for that development to be low-carbon development. There is no other way.

So, the message -- and I think the minister articulated it very well -- is that we must work together. We in the United States are extremely interested in doing that.

One of the things that gives me the most optimism in working on this very difficult problem is the extraordinary leadership of President Obama and his administration. And nowhere is this more evident than at the Department of State, where Secretary Clinton is demonstrating her own brand of smart power all around the world, and is bringing her own singular intelligence and commitment to bear on this issue. So it gives me great pleasure, indeed, now to introduce the Secretary of State of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

(Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much, Todd, and thanks to all of you for making us feel so welcome, once again, here in this historic capital, and particularly in this remarkable building. As you notice, other than the lights that are up there for the television cameras, there are no lights on. And there are so many features of this building that really demonstrate the viability of the kind of low-carbon but very attractive and efficient approach to saving energy and doing it in a way that, as we heard, saves water and solid waste, and certainly lowers the carbon footprint.

I want to join in thanking the minister and all who participated in our discussion. I thought it was extremely helpful, and I am particularly grateful to the minister for his presentation and recommendation of the three specific ways that the United States and India can work together. And I told him that we will immediately be following up on that.

I want to thank Mr. Haksar from ITC, and all who are associated with ITC, and Chairman Jain of the Indian Green Building Council, along with all of you who care deeply about this issue.

I am also pleased to be accompanied by our new ambassador from the United States to India, Ambassador Tim Roemer.

The tour that we have, the information that we were given, certainly underscores the importance of the ITC commitment and the partners who work with ITC. And then, the conversation that we had with representatives of the Indian government reinforces the commitment that India is making.

We know that there are wonderful monuments throughout India, from the India gates to the Taj Mahal, and so many others. But today we are at another Indian monument. The ITC Green Center may not be a regular stop on the tourist map, and no one would confuse it with the Taj Mahal. But it is a monument in its own right. It is a monument to the future. And that is the most important monument.

(Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: This Green Center not only represents the promise of a green economy, it demonstrates the importance of partnership between India and the United States in the 21st century.

We often talk about our democracy, the oldest continuing democracy and the world's largest democracy. We want to show that democracies deliver. And that is what both the United States and India are committed to doing.

As we were taking the tour, I saw many posters that illustrated the steps that ITC is taking to do so much in reforesting, and in putting people to work in sustainable ways. And I also saw a picture of two people I know very well, my husband and my daughter, because when Bill and Chelsea were here on that memorable State visit in 2000, he witnessed the signing of the U.S.-India framework agreement on clean energy. And that agreement led the establishment of the Indian Green Building Council, which contributed to the flourishing green building movement across India. In collaboration with India, the United States government and the United States Green Building Council were instrumental in helping to bring this building to fruition. And today the Green Center is one of 11 buildings in India that has earned the elite platinum designation, the highest you can get.

(Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: How India and the United States can amplify this partnership and work together to devise a comprehensive, strategic approach to climate change and a clean energy future is an important topic of my trip. We discussed it yesterday with business leaders in Mumbai. We discussed it today with leaders from both the Indian government and Indian businesses. And it will, of course, be on my agenda for the meetings that I will have, starting tomorrow.

The times we live in demand nothing less than a total commitment. The statistics are there for everyone to see. And as both of our nations reaffirmed at the Major Economies Forum just recently held in Italy, and moderated by President Obama, we need a successful outcome in Copenhagen later this year.

Now, President Obama, Special Envoy Stern, and I are under no illusion that this will be easy, because the challenge is to create a global framework that recognizes the different needs and responsibilities of developed and developing countries alike. And I not only understand, but I agree with the concern of countries like India. The United States and other countries that have been the biggest historic emitters of greenhouse gases should shoulder the biggest burden for cleaning up the environment and reducing our carbon footprint. And certainly President Obama has put our country on the path to doing that.

And no one wants to in any way stall or undermine the economic growth that is necessary to lift millions of more people out of poverty. So, I want to make two points as clearly as I can.

First, the United States does not and will not do anything that would limit India's economic progress. We believe that economic progress in India is in everyone's interest, not just India's. To lift people out of poverty and to give every child born in India a chance to live up to his or her God-given potential is a goal that we share with you. But we also believe that there is a way to eradicate poverty and develop sustainably that will lower significantly the carbon footprint of the energy that is produced and consumed to fuel that growth.

And secondly, we in the United States, under the Obama administration, are recognizing our responsibility and taking action. So, therefore, addressing climate change and achieving economic growth, in our view, are compatible goals. And we know, as we look at the forecast of rising sea levels and changing rainfall and melting glaciers that India is a country very vulnerable to climate change. But it is also a country most likely to benefit from clean energy policies that are key to economic sustainability in the 21st century.

So, that is why I am very confident -- and even more so after the discussion we just had, led by the minister -- that the United States and India can devise a plan that will dramatically change the way we produce, consume, and conserve energy. And, in the process, start an explosion of new investments and millions of jobs. India already has the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, the knowledge base to be a big winner if we feed these opportunities of energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Now, certainly the business leaders with whom I have spoken are talking about how the private sector can play a role, along with government. Just consider the potential here. If all new buildings were designed to the same standards as the ITC Green Center is, we could eventually cut global energy use and greenhouse pollution by more than 20 percent, and save money at the same time.

(Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: We need to scale up our efforts. We need to move from the smart design of individual green buildings to the smart design of whole communities to the retrofitting of buildings and communities, which will then lead to cities and countries.
While improving energy efficiency is critical, it is only half the battle. We also need to accelerate efforts to bring clean power to the people of India by expanding the use of renewable energy, particularly for rural electrification, so that hundreds of millions of men, women, and children will have real energy options.

India is already demonstrating a commitment to renewable energy in wind energy and in plans for scaling up solar manufacturing and power production and solar lantern programs to bring light to rural villages. And the economy is benefitting, as Indian solar companies such as Tata BP, Titan Energy, and others respond.

There is no question that developed countries like mine must lead on this issue. And for our part, under President Obama, we are not only acknowledging our contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, we are taking steps to reverse its ill effects. We passed a stimulus bill through our congress where we are investing now $80 billion in clean energy technology. And we have set ambitious new vehicle fuel economy standards.

At the State Department we have just established a new program that will link some of our West Coast cities with Indian and Chinese cities to help transfer clean energy technology. And we have taken up our own green diplomacy initiative, which means our embassies, the ones we build, all of those that we currently have in operation, are going to have to become greener.

And, above all, the President has committed to passing a law that has already passed through one house of our congress that will deal with significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But it is essential for major developing countries like India to also lead. Because over 80 percent of the growth in future emissions will be from developing countries.

Now, China is, by far, the largest emitter in the world right now, and certainly the largest among developing countries. But India's own greenhouse gas pollution is projected to grow by about 50 percent between now and 2030. So, climate change would not be solved even if developed countries stopped emitting greenhouse gas emissions today, unless action is taken across the world. So we have to work together. And I was very heartened, and I agree with the minister's comment that we must achieve an agreement in Copenhagen that is equal to the task.

I will find inspiration from the ITC Green Center, this monument for the future. It uses half as much energy as conventional buildings, and energy savings means that it will pay back its additional up-front costs in only six years.

So, this building is a model of environmental stewardship and economic development, all wrapped up in one. And it is an inspiration. And it will keep us going through the long days and nights of actually hammering out an agreement, one that is fair and understanding, and doesn't sacrifice economic progress, one that we will be proud of, and one that we will then be able to tell our children in generations to come, "When the crisis was upon us, we took action, and we took it together."

Thank you all very much.

(Applause.)

MODERATOR: Questions?

MR. KULKARNI: Madam Secretary, my question (inaudible) ask you a question.

Is the U.S. satisfied with steps taken by Pakistan in (inaudible) Mumbai attacks?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, you know, I answered that question several times yesterday in Mumbai, and I will say again today that we are certainly watching and expecting that there will be justice, and that those who launched the horrific attacks in Mumbai will meet their day of reckoning.

As you know, I stayed at the Taj Hotel, and sent a message that we will not be intimidated by or in any way deterred by terrorists. And I met with a number of the employees who had been directly affected, some injured, some actually losing colleagues and family members in the attack. And I would only reiterate what I said, and that is we expect every nation to take action against terrorism. And we are watching and expecting that that will occur.

MR. LANDER: Madam Secretary, Mr. Ramesh, a question for both of you, actually.

The Indian government has made it clear that they have deep reservations about accepting mandatory caps or cuts in emissions as part of the negotiations now underway. My question is, can you envision a framework in which India could sign on to a global deal that would not include compulsory caps or cuts, and therefore would not, in the Indian argument, impede their economic growth and rising prosperity?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I certainly can. And I think we had a very fruitful discussion today. We are not sitting down and writing the framework, but we have many more areas of agreement than perhaps has been appreciated. And what we're looking for is a way to have a framework that includes everyone, and which demands certain steps. But there will be a lot of discussion about how we devise that framework.

As I said in reference to the minister's remarks at our roundtable discussion, there are some specific recommendations which he has made today that are very promising. And the broad-based discussion we had was very enlightening, at least for me. I will just give you one example.

One of the participants pointed out that it's rather odd to talk about climate change and what we must do to stop and prevent the ill effects without talking about population and family planning. That was an incredibly important point. And yet, we talk about these things in very separate and often unconnected ways.

So, I think that the insight that India brings to the table about the challenge our planet faces are extremely important, and we're going to work through a lot of the issues. Todd Stern will be having a meeting with the minister on Tuesday. They will get down into the weeds on a lot of this. But I am very heartened by our capacity to work together and come up with a framework.

MR. RAMESH: All I can say is that India already has a national action plan of climate change which was unveiled last year. And that action plan is overwhelmingly oriented towards programs and projects that will enable India to adapt to the effects of climate change. But it also has very specific and very pointed policies oriented towards mitigating emissions.

So, it is not fair to say -- as we said in the newspaper today, this morning, it is not fair to say that India is running away from the issue. India is not running away from it. India has been saying that its primary focus will be adaptation. But there are specific areas where we are already in a policy framework (inaudible) mitigation, which means actual reduction of emissions.

So, whether that will convert into legally binding emission (inaudible) is the real question. And India's position is -- I would like to make it clear that India's position is that we are simply not in a position to take on legally binding emission reduction (inaudible). Now, that does not mean that we are oblivious of our responsibilities for ensuring that (inaudible) emission of greenhouse gases that both Ambassador Stern, (inaudible), and Madam Secretary Clinton spoke about. We are fully conscious of that. Energy efficiency is a very fundamental driver of our economic strategy.

India is not (inaudible), but the enormous work it is doing on forestry. We have made specific proposals in the paper which I have been discussing with Special Envoy Todd Stern on giving credit for countries that India could actually -- in the business of expanding forest cover, and not just arresting deforestation.

So, I think I agree with Madam Secretary of State that this (inaudible) responsible, to have an international agreement that recognizes common but different shaped responsibilities, which is the language of the (inaudible) convention, and that also involves credible action by countries like India and China to mitigate greenhouse gas emission for the future. I think it is possible.

(Inaudible) between now and December in multilateral forums and in bilateral forums. This defines the (inaudible) of engagement that India's 80 percent growth and 90 percent growth is not going to create havoc, as far as global warming is concerned. We are committed to clean energy. We are committed to following a consumption factor that is sensitive to climate change (inaudible).

And I (inaudible) somewhat colorfully that I meant every word that I said, that for us GDP is not gross domestic product, but green domestic product. The days of looking at GDP as gross domestic product are over. We have to look at it as green domestic product.

(Applause.)

MR. STERN: I just want to add -- I very much appreciate the comments the minister just made, but I just want to add a word. Caps can mean different things to different people, and I don't want to have any misunderstanding.

In the Major Economies Forum in Italy a week ago there was the -- a countries agreed to a declaration which basically lays out a framework in which developed countries would agree to actions that would result in absolute reductions of their emissions, a given baseline. And developing countries agreed to take actions that would result in a meaningful deviation of their emissions from the so-called business-as-usual. So, in other words, a reduction, a reduction of what they would otherwise do.

So, that is basically the framework in which we're operating. And I have run into confusion before with uses of the word "cap," and I don't want there to be any. The notion is for developed countries to reduce their emissions against absolute baselines, and for developing countries to reduce against a business-as-usual (inaudible).

(Applause.)

MR. ROSEN: Thank you both. As it happens, my question was also answered in your remarks, Madam Secretary, so (inaudible) question, if you would.

You have spoken many times, both before and during this trip, about the -- about how positively impressed the Obama administration has been by the "new attitude of the Pakistani leadership" toward combating the (inaudible) al-Qaeda in their own country and along their borders. I wonder, however, with that said, how serious your concerns are about the Pakistani intelligence service's ongoing collusion with the terrorist elements inside Pakistan.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as I have said, we have seen an evolving commitment, not only by the Pakistani government, but also by the Pakistani people, and a recognition that terrorism within any country is a threat to that country.

And so, over the last six months, in the course of working with the government of Pakistan, we believe that there is a commitment to fighting terrorism that permeates the entire government. And that is what our expectation is, as well. We expect it, we talk about it at all levels of our government: military, civilian, intelligence. And I also have sent messages very directly to the Pakistani people that this is in the interest of Pakistan, the future stability and security of Pakistan.

So, we are watching it, and we obviously hope that they will make progress against what is a syndicate of terrorism. Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and many other terrorist organizations are connected in a way that is equally troubling to us, and I know to India, but it also now is troubling to Pakistan.

MR. ROSEN: But specifically on the --

SECRETARY CLINTON: I have said all I am going to say on this issue.

MR. MUKHERJEE: (Inaudible) strategic conferences with India. Again, my question goes back to the issue of (inaudible). Now (inaudible) administration (inaudible). So is the Obama administration willing to take a re-look at the (inaudible) in a proper way?

SECRETARY CLINTON: There is no country in the world that is more committed to ending the scourge of terrorism than the United States. We have suffered from the effects of 9/11. We have sent young men and women in our military to die in our struggle against the terrorists who attacked us. And we expect every country to stand against the scourge of terrorism.

This is not limited to any one country, it is an expectation that we have for every country, because we think the networking of terrorists across our globe, as we saw just recently in Jakarta, is a threat to all peace loving people, particularly in democracies like India, the United States, Indonesia, and others, who are targeted by the terrorists for the very fact that we are living free and independent lives in sovereign, stable nations.

So, our view is very broad. And we expect every country -- and we have made that very clear to every country, that the fight against terrorism is not just the United States, it's not just India, it's not just Europe. It's everyone's responsibility. So I can't be any clearer than that.

Are we always satisfied with the response we get? Of course not. But that doesn't mean we are going to say we are not going to keep trying. The threat of terrorism is one that we think about and that I work on every single day. It is one that we increasingly coordinate with our counterparts in India about, sharing information, looking for ways that we can each be more effective, both in protecting our people -- because, you know being a terrorist is very easy. Think about it. It doesn't take very much to put together an explosion. It is certainly, unfortunately, too easy to find people who are misguided enough to be willing to participate in that. It doesn't even come close to the kind of effort that it took to build a building.

And so, therefore, we have to join together. And we are working to make sure that every government sees it as we do, because we happen to believe that terrorism anywhere is a threat to all of us everywhere, and that there is no way to give safe haven to terrorists without putting yourself at risk.

So, that is our view of it, and we are going to keep working very hard. And the threat of terrorism -- and we hope that we will live long enough to see that happy day come in India and the United States. Thank you.

(Applause.)

MR. RAMESH: (Inaudible) the New York Times. I just wanted to reiterate that we are -- India is firmly anchored (inaudible) negotiations on climate change. We are firmly anchored (inaudible) climate change. We are firmly anchored in (inaudible). Let not there be any doubt on this. India views (inaudible).

And whatever is contained, as far as commitments in the (inaudible) and the (inaudible) action plan, India is duty-bound. Once India takes on an international obligation, it (inaudible). If you look at the track record of India in the last 50, 55 years, once we have adopted an international obligation we have never reneged on an international obligation.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.

Hillary Clinton at the Agricultural Research Institute Research Field in New Delhi

Remarks Following Tour of Indian Agricultural Research Institute Research Field

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

New Delhi, India

July 19, 2009

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SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Mr. Minister. Minister Pawar, it's a pleasure to be here with you. I remember very well your kind hospitality five -- well, four-and-a-half years ago. And I am delighted to be with you again at this premier institute which, as you explained, has contributed so much, not only to agriculture in India, but to agriculture in the world.

Here at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, some of India's top scientists are working to solve one of the most difficult challenges we face as a global community: the problem of chronic hunger and malnutrition, which affect nearly a billion people in the world.

You know, hunger affects the entire human condition. It weakens immune systems, it facilitates the spread of disease, it saps energy levels, it makes it harder for both children and adults to learn and work. It undermines peace, as we saw with food riots last year. When food is either scarce or prohibitively expensive, instability can follow. And hunger challenges our ingenuity and our common resolve.

I believe that the world has the resources to give all people the tools they need to feed themselves and their families. Nonetheless, hunger persists. That is why the G-8 and other countries committed $20 billion to end global hunger, in part by adding value to agriculture and extending the reach of valuable agricultural techniques. And the United States has committed $3.5 billion to this effort.

I was very pleased when President Obama and I agreed that it would be a signature issue of the Obama administration to do what we can to fight hunger and extend food security. And India is well positioned to help us lead this fight. The work has already begun.

Clearly here, where I just saw, the scientists are developing seeds that produce higher yield crops that require less water, farm equipment that conserves energy. All of this is part of meeting the challenge that we face with global hunger.

Now, research is a critical component of what must be a comprehensive approach to improving agriculture. We have to connect the labs where new technologies are developed and the research is done to the fields where the farmers labor to plant and harvest crops to feed their families, to the markets where crops are bought and sold, and finally, to the homes and schools of all of us who are not farmers, but who rely on the labors of those who are.

And for decades, as the minister said, the United States and India have been partners in agriculture. We have collaborated over more than 50 years. And today we are called to collaborate once again. We have to work together, because it's imperative that we invest in the science that will increase crop yields, that we do more to link farms and markets so that farmers can sell their products, that we expand the export of technology and training to bring more assistance to farmers in vulnerable communities, worldwide, and we strengthen our response to climate change, which threatens the waterways that sustain agriculture in many parts of the world, including South Asia.

This is not a job just for government alone. The private sector has an essential role to play. So do universities and research laboratories and institutions and NGOs of all sorts. Indeed, some of our most effective agricultural partnerships bring together people across this spectrum.

One such collaboration is based at this institute. It's called the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia. It is a partnership that involves: the government of India; USAID, our agency for international development; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Centers; NGOs and private companies. This initiative aims to help six million farmers across South Asia boost grain production to feed more people and strengthen the income of rural families.

In many respects, India's experience with agriculture is unsurpassed. Indians have practiced farming for thousands of years. The green revolution here in India saved countless lives and transformed how the world grows its food. Today, with only 3 percent of the world's crop land, India feeds 17 percent of the world's people.

So, as we look to strengthen agriculture and fight hunger -- particularly in South Asia, but also in Africa and elsewhere -- India's leadership is absolutely crucial. And the United States is today just as proud to work with and support India's efforts as we were 50 years ago, Minister.

I personally am very committed to this effort. I am looking for ways we can be effective in accelerating developments in a short period of time. I think that the bioenergy, biosecurity, biodiversity challenge that we confront is one that we can meet. So, as the minister said, we will be announcing the five pillars of our cooperation. And one of the strongest and most important will be agriculture.

So, thank you, Minister, for your commitment to working together to make sure that we do better to end hunger wherever it exists.

(Applause.)

MODERATOR: We will take a few questions. First question, (inaudible).

QUESTION: My question to you would be (inaudible). What can India expect from (inaudible)?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we are going to explore our partnership, so that we can be very helpful to India. As I said, there are a number of partnerships that the United States participates in right here, at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Those partnerships are working to produce better seeds, better grains, hybrids that can grow with less water, new farming techniques, new technology. We have no limits on what we are going to be exploring together.

But our goal is the same. We want to improve agricultural productivity. We want to get more of the agricultural dollar into the hands of the farmer. We want India to do more food processing and value-added agriculture. And we are going to be working with India very closely. And I am excited about the potential that that holds.

MODERATOR: Next question, Lachlan Carmichael, AFP.

MR. CARMICHAEL: Yes, Madam Secretary. I have to go with developments from the Middle East (inaudible).

We hear that the Israelis are rejecting a U.S. demand to stop a building project in East Jerusalem. Now, I know the Obama administration has a very firm position on settlement. So your reaction to that, and is that the reason that Envoy Mitchell has postponed his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Lachlan, I am not going to comment on any specific point within the negotiations. The negotiations are intense, they are ongoing, they are extremely focused. And when we have something to announce, we will do so.

But as you know, this is a very high priority for the Obama administration. We are working on it every single day. And we look forward to making progress.

QUESTION: If you could just clarify, do you mean that the building project is part of the negotiations, or --

SECRETARY CLINTON: I have nothing to add to what I just said.

QUESTION: Secretary Clinton, three quick things, if I may.

One, is there any new money associated with your coming here, or do you have plans for the U.S. government to provide additional funds to try to support these kinds of -- this kind of collaboration?
Second, can you elaborate on what you said? Earlier, you sounded quite upbeat about the possibility of resolving some of your differences with the Indian government on the issue of carbon emissions and climate change. But at least in public, what the minister said seemed to me to stick very closely to their position of not wishing to accept legally binding targets.

Where does the optimism come from? I will leave it at that.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Okay. With respect to the first question, yes, there is new money. The United States led the effort. It was announced in Italy during the G-8 to make a very significant commitment to ending hunger. And a lot of that will go into agricultural research, new techniques, adapting farmers to different ways to irrigate crops using less water, and so much else.

The $3.5 billion that the United States has committed is partly new money, and partly a reorganizing of money we've spent that we, frankly, don't think is delivering the result we want. If you look at what the United States did 25 years ago, and certainly 50 years ago, our aid money focused on helping farmers in countries like India produce a better result. Our money now predominantly goes to feeding programs.

So, we want to start looking at how we solve the problem. I mean, obviously, when people are starving it's a tragedy, and the world wants to help. But let's begin to use some of that money on the front end to produce locally grown crops, and create markets so that people will have a better chance to escape hunger. So we are working very hard. We have a big initiative. We will be talking more about it in the weeks to come.

I will just add this, especially for my American friends. When we started this initiative, I asked me chief of staff and counselor, Cheryl Mills, to head it up, because I feel so personally committed to it. She held the first meeting ever in the United States government where all the parties who are working on hunger and agriculture came together in one room: our aid programs, our agriculture department, other -- our trade and other agencies who have a role to play. And so, we are determined to focus our efforts and get results.

With respect to climate change and clean energy, I am upbeat, because I believe, based on my discussions not only today but previously, with representatives of the Indian government, that there are paths forward that can get us on a sustainable approach, globally, to mitigate and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and can begin to transform the way all of us produce, consume, and conserve energy. And I think that the Indian government today and previously have come up with some very innovative suggestions.

Again, this is part of a negotiation. It is part of a give-and-take. And it is multi-lateral, which makes it even more complex. But until proven otherwise, I am going to continue to speak out in favor of every country doing its part to deal with the challenge of global climate change. But what each country does in order for us to achieve our global goals will very likely differ. And that's what we are going to be working out in the months leading up to Copenhagen.

MODERATOR: Okay, last question to (inaudible).

QUESTION: Two things. First, several American firms are very keen that the (inaudible) is taken forward. And (inaudible) laws in India have changed so that (inaudible) on genes and other things can be done. How does the American government look at that?

Also, the fact that two Indian states -- three, rather -- have kept aside land for nuclear reactors that are American, are of American origin. What is going to happen after your meetings tomorrow? Can you tell us a little?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, as to the second question, we will report on our meetings after they happen. So I don't want to prejudge what our meetings are going to produce. But stay tuned, come tomorrow. We will have a full read-out of them.

As to your earlier question, I think that an international patent regime is in everyone's interest, especially India becomes a leader in innovation and new technologies in agriculture, like you are in so many other areas: pharmaceuticals and software and the like.

So, what we're looking for is a way to protect the intellectual property that comes from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, just as we want it to be protected when it comes from the United States. So we are looking for ways that we can expand and create such an international regimen. And I think it is, as I said, in everyone's interest that we do so.

Thank you all.

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Sure. Yes, no woman got to ask a question. Go ahead.

(Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: I am a little partial.

QUESTION: The thing I wanted to ask is that in our country, for instance, farmers who grow the food that we eat are often the ones who fight hunger. And we have 230 million (inaudible) but (inaudible) persons are malnourished.

So, when you -- I feel that when you push very expensive seeds and put into our market, that the cost for our farmers will rise, and it will not be matched by the amount of (inaudible) produced for. Is that a good idea?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, let me say that this is, as you rightly suggest, a complicated problem.

But what is happening at this institute, just as 50 years ago with the green revolution, has the potential for transforming the opportunities for farmers to enhance their incomes. We just, for example, saw a form of rice that uses 30 percent less water. That will be a benefit for farmers in India, as well as elsewhere.
So, I don't think you can look at where we are today and extrapolate where we will be tomorrow. I think what we have to say is, "What are the problems farmers face today?" There are other problems. Lots of farmers can't get their goods to market. You know? They are subsistence farmers, because there is no market. So, farmers need to be organized. They need better farm-to-market roads. They need transportation. They need storage facilities, refrigeration. There is a lot that can be done right now that will enhance the incomes of farmers today.

And then, when you add new technology and new ways of farming, I think it's got tremendous potential. And given the very large numbers of people in India who are farmers, and who feed themselves, their families, and maybe beyond, in their villages and perhaps in larger markets, anything we can do to get more of the food dollar that you spend when you buy the food for yourself back to the farmer who produces it will be a big benefit.

So, I think we are looking at this in a very holistic way. Again, I don't want to undermine the complexity of it. And sometimes there are unintended consequences. But we're going to try to be very vigilant and very careful about how we do this.

And the other final thing I would say, you know, I met with a group of leading Indian business executives yesterday morning, and I was very impressed with how many of them are concerned about agriculture and productivity and nutrition. And we talked about a range of issues, including micronutrients, which a lot of the scientists here are trying to figure out how do we get into the food supply so that we can fight malnutrition from, literally, birth.

So, I think people are looking at this in a very creative way, and I am going to do everything I can on behalf of the United States government to be a good partner with India. Thank you.

(Applause.)