Roaming Roemer

Planting a mangrove sapling and learning more about afforestation efforts in the region.

Today I visited the beautiful Sunderbans, approximately three hours in the car traveling southeast from Kolkata, and then another two hour boat journey.  I went with the intention of learning more about how India, Bangladesh, and the United States could work together on tiger conservation issues.  I also wanted to see how climate change and energy technology can help address some of the major challenges facing this region. 

A traditional welcome at Mathurakhand village, Sunderbans.

And maintaining the audacity of hope, and overcoming all the odds, I held out the slight chance of spotting the Bengal tiger living in this extraordinary swamp environment.  We were exceedingly lucky, and glimpsing the orange colors shining in the sun in a tiny opening under the low covered canopy from our boat, we experienced that “piercing of the heart”…a tiger in the wild.  This is a highly unique and ecologically rich place in the world which has no equal.  Maybe this experience will be a precursor to partnership and progress on tiger conservation efforts in the future.

Participants of Vital Voices conference during reception at Roosevelt House, September 16, 2010

This past week we hosted a reception for “Vital Voices” at Roosevelt House, with close to 400 women from all over Asia, to highlight empowerment, human rights, and economic opportunity for women. 

I met with women from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Nepal.  People spoke eloquently about their personal stories in their home countries and how important it is to share best practices.  When women succeed, their children succeed, their communities do better, and the world does better.  As we continue to practice a US policy that takes a regional and strategic approach to challenges in Asia, this evening’s inspiration will last a long time. Tell me what issues you believe are the most important for India’s long term development.

My visit to Dhaka's world famous Grameen Bank

“The financial system needs to be an inclusive system”, said the Nobel Prize winning inventor of the Grameen Bank, Dr. Muhammad Yunas. I had the opportunity to tour the bank in Dhaka and learn more about the significant lending they are making with microenterprise loans to the very poorest people. They have expanded their portfolio of loans for starting businesses, furthering their educational schooling, and even a fairly new program to help with a pension system for retirement for the poor. These innovative programs are being spread throughout rural communities here and around the world. Empowering the poor and giving people the chance to help themselves thus “teaching them how to fish” will also transform future generations of children. I also met with the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, and expressed America’s gratitude for her country’s courage and cooperation on counterterrorism, climate change, and food security issues. Bangladesh can work with India to create a more peaceful, prosperous, and democratic neighborhood and both grow benefits for their respective economies. The agreement announced in January between these two countries, when properly executed and fully implemented, can change the paradigm and prove that a win-win situation is possible.

More photos

Looking at a map of Bangladesh you are immediately struck with its location and borders, its dependence on and vulnerability to water, and the strategic importance of its neighborhood. The terrain is mainly flat on an alluvial plain with hills in the northeast and southeast. Approximately 150 million people live in an area the size of Wisconsin and practice parliamentary democracy. I am visiting Dhaka to try and gain a better understanding of three key issues: 1) counterterrorism cooperation and Bangladesh’s efforts to deny space to extremist groups and control their borders, 2) water security issues and challenges for the people here to better access and manage their resources, and 3) efforts to expand their world famous micro enterprise lending programs for the poor. I have met today with government, NGO, media and civilian leaders to listen and learn from their various experiences. Bangladesh conducted its fairest and freest elections ever in 2009 and in the past year, they saw marked improvements in their bilateral relations with America and India. The U.S. Government is looking to how we can help the government reduce poverty, increase energy supplies, and promote good governance and transparency.