Today kicks off a three-day conference, hosted by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), bringing world leaders and government officials together to discuss the challenges facing development in a politically insecure world.
In the first panel, world leaders including Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, discuss strategies for building inclusive governments in newly emerging democracies. Other participants include: Joyce Banda, President of Malawi; Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo; and Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and current UNDP Administrator.
In the second, a panel of international officials and political leaders take on the issue of "complex development" -- nation building in countries confronting years of armed conflict. Panelists include: ADM James G. Stavridis, USN, who serves as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe; Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the National Security Council; Nadwa Al-Dawsari of Partners for Democratic Change, Yemen; and Johanna Mendelson Forman of CSIS.
Moderators of the two panels include: Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent, PBS NewsHour, and Ray Suarez, PBS NewsHour.