美国商务部长在创业峰会上的讲话

We’ve got a full slate of events, and I’m confident that we’ll conclude this summit with concrete commitments to act. But I want everyone here to know that President Obama and his administration do not see this summit as a one-time event, but rather part of the process of creating a sustainable focus on entrepreneurship.

U.S. Embassies around the world are holding roundtables with entrepreneurs and other key stakeholders. USAID has already held several listening sessions on entrepreneurship, including in Cairo, and a virtual effort that included thousands of participants from over 150 countries.

And several foreign governments and NGOs have offered to host follow-on regional conferences…from Algeria to Kyrgyzstan, Bahrain to Indonesia. And I’m proud to say that the Commerce Department is deeply engaged in this challenge.

This year, the Commerce Department will be leading at least five trade missions to Muslim majority countries. And we will be hosting as many as 27 reverse trade missions from Muslim majority countries. This December, I’ll be hosting a conference in Washington, D.C. to highlight opportunities for commercial engagement for American companies in the Middle East and North Africa.

And, together with the State Department, the Commerce Department’s Commercial Law Development Program is advancing policy and legal frameworks in Muslim majority countries with the goal of advancing entrepreneurship.

This is a government-wide effort for the U.S. And you will hear from many of my colleagues about the many ways we are working to advance mutually beneficial ties between our peoples.

This summit is a beginning, not an end.

And even as President Obama and his administration continue our vigorous efforts to promote entrepreneurship, we know there are limits to what we can do.

Governments have an important role to play in convening, mobilizing and facilitating. We can develop policies and incentives to spur entrepreneurship.

But ultimately, it is leaders like you who will build the businesses and the networks, and create the innovations that your economies and communities need in order to grow.

You have so much to offer. And when you leave the summit tomorrow, I hope you will return to your communities with a renewed sense of purpose that you will mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs and will advocate for changes in your societies that will allow your neighbors to realize their full potential.

Because promoting entrepreneurship is, in fact, very much about promoting our common humanity.

Every time a person’s potential is deferred or squandered, whether here or abroad, it is a tragedy.

In this world, people are largely defined by their calling, by their profession. This is fundamental to the human condition – seeking a purpose, seeking meaning through work or service. When people cannot find work, when they cannot apply themselves to better their own lives or the lives of their families and community, they ache for meaning.

That ache is powerful… It is compelling. And in some way, your presence here is a response to that ache, to the knowledge that ambition can transform lives and transform societies, but only if it is met with opportunity.

I hope this summit can help soothe that ache in all our societies, and that our countries can find common ground in providing our people purpose and opportunities for a better life. Thank you.