Administrator Power at a Press Availability at Adarsha Secondary School

ADMINISTRATOR POWER: Good afternoon, everybody. I want to start by offering my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the people of Türkiye and Syria for having suffered this devastating earthquake. 

The human toll of disasters like this is hard to put into words. The human toll of this earthquake is staggering. Homes and entire communities wiped out, communities still searching for loved ones who are trapped under the rubble, casualties in the thousands. My thoughts are with the victims and the families of those who have suffered an incomprehensible loss.

I also want to share my deepest gratitude to the first responders from Türkiye and Syria who are there, at great personal risk, trying to rescue those who can still be saved at this critical time. The world is rushing to support the people of Syria and the people of Türkiye as they grapple with this devastating event. More than 15 European countries have sent search and rescue teams. Japan and other countries have done the same.

The United States is committed to supporting the recovery effort from this earthquake in an urgent manner. In the hours after the quake hit, I authorized the deployment of a Disaster Assistance Response Team, a so-called DART team, to lead the United States government's humanitarian response to this earthquake. Urban search and rescue teams will soon deploy to help the recovery effort and to help retrieve people from under the rubble. 

Being here in Nepal of course, I also know that for the people of this country when they see the images out of Türkiye and Syria, it brings back horrific memories of the earthquake that affected the Nepali people in such a devastating way. You all know uniquely the pain that the people of Türkiye and Syria are going through, the agony of the suspense as families wait in hope to extract their loved ones alive from the rubble. You know uniquely what the recovery and rebuilding effort is like. You know the fears of aftershocks that will persist in the wake of this horrific calamity. 

Our experience from our work with the Nepali people in the wake of the earthquake here, though, also reminds us that thanks to the resilience of communities – the solidarity among people – after the immediate humanitarian needs are met, it is possible to rebuild. Indeed, this newly rebuilt Adarsha School is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the people of Nepal, of the strength of the U.S.-Nepali friendship and partnership, which has endured over many decades.

This project, this school, was one of the first initiatives that USAID undertook here in Nepal. Building this school back in 1966, completing it in 1967, is a source of tremendous pride at USAID, all the way back in the United States. And when the school was destroyed in the earthquake, it was a great privilege for us to contribute to building it back — and as President Biden likes to say, building it back better. This school is a very popular school in the community. Enrollment has doubled, in fact, in light of the state of the art facilities here, and the technology and resources available to students. And for USAID, again, it’s a wonderful privilege for us to be able to contribute to the education of Nepali young people, and to have contributed to the rebuilding of this essential foundation in the lives of young people in this area. 

USAID built nearly 1,300 temporary education facilities in the wake of the devastating earthquake. And we did everything in our power to try to help the people of Nepal minimize learning disruptions after the earthquake. And then, of course, after and during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. All told, the United States invested more than $190 million in earthquake recovery efforts, contributing to the reconstruction not only of schools, but also healthcare facilities. These schools and health care facilities now service around 240,000 Nepalis — 70 percent of whom belong to indigenous, disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities. 

At the school today, I had the chance to play basketball with young girls. They were a lot better than I was — that was very clear. And what stood out was how big their dreams are and how critical they believe education is to achieving those dreams. Equality between genders, between girls and boys, men and women, of course, is absolutely essential, and remains elusive here just as it does in my country. But that is something all of the students that I met with, spoke to — including after the basketball game — the young boys and girls that I spoke with, all speaking about the importance of equality for boys and girls alike.

Nepalis have been dealing with a lot of challenges these last years. The earthquake, of course, the pandemic, ever intensifying extreme weather events, including terrible flooding. This is not an easy time. There are tough economic headwinds that have grown tougher because of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and increases in food and fuel prices, not just here, but all around the world. But, the one thing I know about the people of this country is that they are very, very strong. And just like this school has endured, and now offers so many hopes and so many resources to Nepalis in this community, so too Nepalis will get through this. You will get through this difficult economic time, just as you have withstood all that has been thrown at you over the years. And the one thing you can count on is that the United States of America, and USAID, will be with you through thick and thin. We will support reform efforts at the local level, the municipal level, at the national level, we will support civil society organizations as they seek to expand enjoyment of human rights. And we will be with you in the critical areas of education, economic growth, health, agriculture, energy. There is so much we can do together. And we know that when Nepalis are unleashed and able to reach their potential, they make a tremendous contribution not only to their own communities, but to the entire world. And with that, I look forward to taking your questions. Thank you.

QUESTION: [inaudible]

ADMINISTRATOR POWER:  Why did I visit Nepal? Well, first, I should say this is my first visit to Nepal. And I couldn't be more pleased to be here. 

This is a country that is embarking on a very difficult journey, it has come out of a terrible conflict that cost the lives of so many. It has endured a horrific earthquake, and all of the ripple effects of that earthquake. And it has put in place a constitution that many people around the world are talking about, because of the rights that it embeds and the equality that it envisages. 

And so, President Biden really wants me and other U.S. senior officials to come to Nepal, and to learn what more we can do to accelerate Nepal's incredible economic progress, to support changemakers and reformists who are trying to ensure that the words written into the constitution become real in the lives of Nepalis — that the gaps that exist between the letter of the law and the implementation of the law, that those gaps are closed. And my own experience is that the best way to get to know a people and its potential — a country's potential — is to come and hear from those people directly. Particularly in this country, where there is a new generation coming up, I really wanted to come to Nepal and hear from young people where they see themselves going. 

And one of the things I did with a group of about 10 students is I asked what they dreamed of being when they grow up. And I asked how many of them wanted to be in the IT sector. And of the roughly 10 students that I spoke with 10 hands went up in the air. All of the students I met with plan to go into information technology and computer science. And all of them express such a passion for learning and such a dedication to doing everything in their power to put themselves in a position to contribute to their society. 

The other reason I wanted to come to Nepal is because it's a relatively young democracy, the institutions are fragile, or they're at least a work in progress. And USAID, over the decades that we have worked here, has always focused less on particular personalities or particular leaders, and more on anything we can do to strengthen the institutions that are critical for the rule of law for the end of corruption, and again, for the implementation of the rights that had been enshrined in the constitution. So that is why I'm in Nepal. And I couldn't be more pleased to be here and to finally get to see in person the warmth and the hospitality of Nepalis who are so famous for that all around the world.

QUESTION: [inaudible]

ADMINISTRATOR POWER:  Yes, I do. I think I will have the privilege of sitting down with the Prime Minister, with the Finance Minister, with the Foreign Minister. Obviously, there is a lot of dynamic change, you know, in the political picture here. And I'm aware of those issues which are unfolding, including as recently as – I think – when I was flying to come here yesterday. But, again, what is really important is, whatever officials that USAID meets with — or that we engage with — our emphasis is always on the institutions that those individuals represent. 

I myself was someone who had the chance to serve in the Obama administration. I was President Obama's human rights adviser in his first term, and then I was his UN Ambassador and a member of his cabinet in his second term. But then I had the experience of there being an election, and I had the experience of not being in government for four years. And now I have the great opportunity to come back and to serve at USAID. 

For me, that just reinforced the importance of institutionalizing reform. Because officials come into office, they leave office, there are shuffles and reshuffles. But what endures are the institutions that citizens interact with every day. You know, what endures are the health systems, what endures are schools like this one that provide Nepali young people the opportunity to get those IT skills that put them in a position to get jobs after they graduate. And so while I'm meeting, again, with leaders that I hope, we will, and I'm confident will continue the great partnership with USAID and with the U.S. government. 

The emphasis, of course, from the United States will be on a vision for economic development that recognizes the centrality of governance and human rights and inclusion — inclusion of people of all genders, from rural areas of all castes, marginalized communities, those who've been left out of Nepal's growth and development over the years. And so that message of inclusion, which is one that we have a lot of work to do in the United States, and it's something that undergirds all of USAID's programming in every country we work, but just making sure that Nepal pursues a partnership with the United States that is born of mutual respect.

I come to listen — and not to preach. I have an awful lot to learn about Nepal, and what its needs are at this moment in time. But I also know how important not only economic development is for a country's growth, but inclusive economic development, a kind of economic development that brings all citizens along and that provides equal opportunity to all. So I look forward to that discussion and hearing more – what more the United States can do in support of the aspirations of Nepal's people. Thank you so much.