What Government Did Today

At the Camp David Summit, G-8 and African leaders will commit to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition , the next phase of our shared commitment to achieving global food security.  In partnership with Africa’s people and leaders, our goals are to increase responsible domestic and foreign private investments in African agriculture, take innovations that can enhance agricultural productivity to scale, and reduce the risk borne by vulnerable economies and communities.  We recognize and will act upon the critical role played by smallholder farmers, especially women, in transforming agriculture and building thriving economies. The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is a shared commitment to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth and raise 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years by aligning the commitments of Africa’s leadership to drive effective country plans and policies for food security; the commitments of private sector partners to increase investments where the conditions are right; and the commitments of the G-8 to expand Africa’s potential for rapid and sustainable agricultural growth.  We welcome the support of the World Bank and African Development Bank, and of the United Nations’ World Food Program, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and Food and Agriculture Organization for the New Alliance .  We also welcome the successful conclusion of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of National Food Security and support the broad-based consultation process and pilot use of the Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investment.  The New Alliance Will Build on and Help Realize the Promise of L’Aquila Since the L’Aquila Summit, where we committed to “act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security,” we have increased our bilateral and multilateral investments in food security and changed the way we do business, consistent with core principles of aid effectiveness.  Based on the findings of the 2012 G-8 Accountability Report and consistent with the Rome Principles on Sustainable Global Food Security, the G-8 will agree to:  Promptly fulfill outstanding L’Aquila financial pledges and seek to maintain strong support to address current and future global food security challenges, including through bilateral and multilateral assistance; Ensure that our assistance is directly aligned behind country plans;  Strengthen the coordination of G-8 strategies, assistance and programs in-country and with partner countries to increase efficiencies, reduce transaction burdens, and eliminate redundancies and gaps

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Fact Sheet: G-8 Action on Food Security and Nutrition

Via Conference Call 3:24 P.M. EDT MS. HAYDEN:  Thank you very much.  Thanks, everyone, for joining us on this call.  The call today is on the record and embargoed until 6:00 a.m.

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Press Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on Food Security

NATIONAL DEFENSE TRANSPORTATION DAY AND NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION WEEK, 2012 – - – - – - – BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION From the railroads that connected our continent in the 19th century to the highways that drove progress during the 20th, American infrastructure has fueled our Nation's growth for generations.

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Presidential Proclamation — National Defense Transportation Day and National Transportation Week, 2012

I welcome President Karzai’s announcement today of the third tranche of areas to transition to Afghan security lead, which is an important step forward in our effort to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan.

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Statement by the President on Afghan Transition

Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, North Carolina 10:44 A.M.

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Remarks by the First Lady at North Carolina A&T University Commencement

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama spoke about his recent trip to Afghanistan, where he met with our brave troops and signed an historic agreement that will help put an end to the war.  The goal of defeating al Qaeda is within sight, we have killed Osama Bin Laden, and the President has now signed an agreement with Afghanistan that details a new relationship in which the Afghans will soon be responsible for the security of their nation. As we look towards that future, we must also focus on the type of nation our troops return to.  This is why the President called on Congress to take the money we are no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the other half to rebuild America.

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WEEKLY ADDRESS: A New Chapter in Afghanistan

During his May 3-4 visit to Moscow, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon discussed next steps in U.S. – Russia relations, including cooperation on security and economic issues.  National Security Advisor Donilon's constructive and wide ranging meetings with President-elect Putin, Security Council Secretary Patrushev, and Deputy Head of the Government Apparatus Ushakov are part of an ongoing series of high-level consultations on issues of mutual strategic interest.

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Statement from NSC Spokesman Tommy Vietor on the National Security Advisor’s Visit to Russia

Washington-Lee High School Arlington, Virginia 11:53 A.M.

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Remarks by the President on College Affordability

8:15 P.M. AFT SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So I'll just make a few comments and then turn it over to my colleague here.  President Obama is traveling to Afghanistan today to sign an historic S trategic Partnership Agreement between the United States and Afghanistan. And my colleague will describe that in a few moments

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Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on President Obama’s Trip to Afghanistan

May 2, 2012 AFT 12:00 A.M.

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Remarks by President Obama and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan at Signing of Strategic Partnership Agreement