David Jacobstein, USAID (United States)

All too often, our imaginations are the limiting factor to our achievements. We all strive desperately to support good work, yet too often only along pathways we can envision in advance and measure incrementally. Working at USAID, I see the tremendous good accomplished by our programming, and also see the numerous ways that we could do even more. 

In my own sector (democracy, rights and governance), where we’ve worked for years to support democratic progress, I’ve seen changes. Work to advance technical “best practice” has given way to context-driven approaches that fit best into the power dynamics of each sector of a society. During the same period the U.S. has confronted huge challenges in its own democracy, reminding us that we must constantly renew democracy, everywhere, for it to be resilient to emerging challenges. #ShiftThePower isn’t just the right thing to do. It is a necessary part of transforming ourselves so that we stay relevant to the key issues of the moment in societies worldwide. 

 The Summit gives us an opportunity to jointly make sense of this moment. Those interested in development must refashion our understandings of how change happens, and how USAID or anyone can contribute to it. I’m excited to articulate meaningful next steps along this journey.