Today the President met with members of the Global Development Council at the White House. President Obama welcomed the opportunity to hear the Councils views and reiterated his Administration's strong commitment to promoting development as a key component of our comprehensive approach to national security. He urged members of the Council to develop additional actionable recommendations on how to catalyze private sector investment in development, leverage American innovation to help reduce poverty and boost economic growth, and increase agricultural production and food security without further accelerating climate change.

In addition to the President, meeting participants included:

U.S. Government Council Members

• John Kerry, Secretary of State
• Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense
• Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development
• Sarah Raskin, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
• Wendy Cutler, Acting Deputy United States Trade Representative
• Daniel Yohannes, Chief Executive Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation
• Elizabeth Littlefield, President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation

Council Members

• Richard C. Blum (Richard C. Blum and Associates, Inc.)
• Esther Duflo (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Mohamed El-Erian, GDC Chair (formerly CEO Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC)
• Gargee Ghosh (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
• Sarah Kambou (President, International Center for Research on Women)
• James Manyika, GDC Vice-Chair (McKinsey and Company)
• Alan Patricof (Greycroft, LLC)
• Bill Reilly (TPG Capital, LP, former head of EPA)
• Steve Schwager (formerly of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc.)
• Smita Singh (formerly of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation)

White House Participants

• Susan Rice, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
• John Podesta, Counselor to the President
• Caroline Atkinson, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics
• Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director, National Security Council

The Global Development Council is the first Presidential-level council devoted to global development policy. It was established in February 2012 by Executive Order 13600, consistent with the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development. The mission of the Council is to inform and provide advice to the President and other senior U.S. officials on U.S. global development policy and practice.