Thank
you Kris and greetings to all of the National Champion SIFE teams that
have convened in Kuala Lumpur this year. The SIFE World Cup is an
exceptional showcase for the impact your efforts are having around the
world.I’d also like to recognize the corporations, organizations, and
individuals that play an essential role in advancing the work of SIFE.
Your partnership is helping to improve lives, strengthen communities,
and develop socially responsible young business leaders like the ones
here today.
More than 60 percent of the world’s population is
under the age of 30. Those of you in this room and the 50,000 SIFE
members around the globe are fine examples of your generation’s spirit
of innovation, your sense of civic responsibility. You’re reaching not
only into your own communities, but across borders as well to help those
who need it most.
The State Department is honored to work with
SIFE, and to support your efforts I’m pleased to announce that we are
partnering with SIFE to host the 2012 SIFE World Cup in Washington, D.C.
So
thank you all for your hard work and your creative approaches to
problem solving. Please keep it up, and we look forward to seeing you
next fall, right here in Washington.