Global Washington‘s first annual “Blueprint for Action” conference convened at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond Monday.
Business, government, education and non-profit representatives from across the State of Washington gathered for speeches and panel discussions about ways to leverage resources, increase visibility, share best practices and advocate for global engagement and foreign policy which will, in turn, highlight Washington’s strength in a global economy.
Among influential guests, Mark Emmert, president of the University of Washington, told attendees at a pre-lunch meeting, that since his own collegiate experiences, he has seen a dramatic change in the ways that students and universities regard “global awareness.”
In his day, said Emmert, “going abroad was ‘novel'” — and usually confined to visiting European nations.
“It was more about adventure and travel and cultural rootedness,” he said. “Now students want to have an impact … no longer just explore, but be a part of something.”
Baby Boomers noticed people in places that lacked basic health care and basic securities, said Emmert, “but the next generation are seeing almost the same thing, but on a global scale. … Three years running now, (University of Washington) has led the nation in the number of Peace Corps volunteers.”
And universities are creating new levels of administrative support “so that faculty and students can do the work they do so well,” instead of being bogged down by red tape, he explained.
Emmert introduced Global Washington’s afternoon keynote speaker, Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, who was sworn in as Special Representative for Global Partnerships in the Office of the Secretary of State on June 18, 2009.
Bagley told conference attendees in Redmond, “You have the opportunity to be the Western arm of the global developmental world, through Microsoft, Boeing, Gates and so many other foundations.”
She emphasized “a need for partnerships … how networks like yours can play a role … (and) how to turn public-private partnerships into reality.”
Said Bagley, “The scope of the world’s challenges requires us to act now,” citing widespread food, health and energy crises.
The majority of intervention used to come from government, but current demands have “expanded the influence of new players — it’s not always the traditional actors such as the government,” she noted.
“Since all global issues are interconnected, so must be the response from institutions and individuals. If we try to go it alone, we will fail by design.”
Bagley further noted that global affairs are critical to the U.S. Department of State Global Partnership’s missions of “development, diplomacy and defense.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has referred to these as “the three Ds of smart power,” said Bagley.
Among the most pressing global needs, according to Bagley, are building partnerships for clean energy and food and water security; nuclear non-proliferation; and insuring democracy for women and minorities endangered by such practices as human trafficking, as well as health concerns such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.
She urged Global Washington Conference participants to “combine our core competencies and expertise to build a better world.”
Other guests at the Global Washington Conference in Redmond included New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, Washington State University president Elson Floyd and representatives of Microsoft, Costco and World Vision.
For more information about Global Washington, visit http://globalwa.org.
