Senior U.S. State Department Official Judith A. McHale Visits Dhaka, February 6-8

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale meets with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale

Judith A. McHale, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, arrives on Saturday, February 6 on a three-day visit to Bangladesh.  Ms. McHale is the highest ranking Obama Administration official to visit Bangladesh.



Under Secretary McHale’s portfolio includes all State Department-funded educational and cultural exchanges programs, including the Fulbright program.  During her visit, she will meet with Bangladesh government officials, academics, and business and civil society leaders.  



Prior to joining the State Department, Ms. McHale was the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Communications.  While at Discovery, Ms. McHale launched innovative education and development initiatives in the United States and around the world, including the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, which provides free educational programming and technological support to more than a half million students at 200 schools and community centers throughout rural Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

• Press Release: Senior U.S. State Department Official Judith A. McHale Visits Dhaka, February 6-8 (PDF 207kb)| In Bangla (PDF 137kb)
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Remarks by Judith A. McHale
Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy 
In Bangla (PDF 139kb)

Dhaka University

February 7, 2010

Good afternoon.  I am honored to visit Dhaka University and have this opportunity to speak to you, the future leaders of Bangladesh.  I would like to thank the Vice Chancellor for inviting me here.

I cannot think of a better venue to talk about building bonds between our two countries than this distinguished university.  For almost 90 years, Dhaka University has been educating Bangladesh’s leaders.

It is not just the many famous alumni that make this University great.  It is also the energy of all the students and faculty who through the years have worked tirelessly for Bangladesh.  Your predecessors on this campus raised their voices during the Language Movement in 1952 and led this country towards independence in 1971.  Many of them made the ultimate sacrifice to help create this country.  Now, you lead Bangladesh’s march toward the future.

While you can be justly proud of the role of Dhaka University in Bangladesh’s achievements, it is clear that a nation's success—whether in reducing poverty, improving health care, or responding to natural disasters—no longer depends solely on what happens within its borders.  We live in an interdependent world – a global village.  Fewer and fewer issues are purely local, national, or even regional.

The recent global economic crisis demonstrated that we are all connected as never before.  Problems can no longer be confined to – or solved by – one country alone.

That means that now, more than ever, we require open-mindedness and mutual understanding to work together toward solutions.

The process of opening minds and engendering mutual understanding does not and cannot be sparked only through high-level diplomatic meetings or negotiations between great corporations.  The foundations for mutual understanding begin at the people-to-people level, and require years, even decades, to be built.  And the work is never done.  We must engage in a long-term effort, across generations, to expand and strengthen relationships between the citizens of our two countries in all sectors and at all levels of society.

The U.S. and Bangladesh, I am proud to report, have a long history of working together in a spirit of cooperation.  Thousands of Bangladeshis are alumni of U.S. Government exchange programs.  Some of you in this room may also be alumni of our programs.  I am sure that some of you will be in the future.

The enduring ties of understanding forged by these and other exchanges underlie the increasingly close and fruitful cooperation between our governments on important bilateral and multilateral issues.  We need and benefit from closer cooperation between governments.  But governments come and go and policies can change.  it is cooperation between people that is our true hope for building  a better world for future generations.
This is especially true in the case of countries as large, diverse, and energetic as the United States and Bangladesh.

I salute Dhaka University’s commitment to international exchange and collaboration.  This university has done much to increase the level of communication between the students and scholars of our two nations.  Dhaka University has strong partnerships with many U.S. universities and participates in numerous academic exchange programs.

The United States welcomes Bangladeshi students from this campus and dozens of other academic institutions across the country. There are now more than 2,700 Bangladeshi students studying in the U.S.  And Ambassador Moriarty , and others at our Embassy tell me that there is more interest than ever in studying in the United States.

Still, we must do better.  Ambassador Moriarty wants 20,000 students from Bangladesh to study in the U.S. each year.  I completely agree.  U.S. universities are among the best in the world. But the quality of our educational system is only enhanced by its diversity.  

Last year, in the speech that he gave at Cairo University, President Obama pledged to, “expand exchange programs, and increase scholarships, like the one that brought (his) father to America, while encouraging more Americans to study in Muslim communities.”

We are doing all we can to fulfill the commitments President Obama made in Cairo.  We hope that more Bangladeshis will participate in U.S. exchange programs in the coming months and years as our programs expand and we hope that all of you will help lead the way.  At the same time, we are also encouraging more American students and scholars to study in Bangladesh. 

Together we will strengthen and expand the bonds of friendship and mutual understanding between the people of our two countries.
There is no question in my mind that, given the talent, energy, and ingenuity of Bangladeshi and American young people, and the tools technology has made available to them, our people can seize the opportunity to take our engagement and communication to new levels in the years ahead.

Let me offer just one example of the tools that I am talking about.  Today, connective technologies such as mobile phones and the Internet allow us to harness the democratic values and energies of our societies for good, in new and exciting ways.

More than 45 million Bangladeshis now have mobile phones, and one out of every three households will have Internet access by the end of this decade.   As more and more Bangladeshis adopt these tools, they will provide a powerful force for creativity and change.  Each of you here in this room has the ability - and, I would say, the responsibility - to ensure that these changes are for the better and not for the worse.   You have the education and promise to actively lead this process, not passively watch it happen.

Thanks to the spread of connective technology, the experience of directly engaging with people in other countries that was once the preserve of a small number of elite scholarship-winners is now available – in virtual form --to anyone who has an Internet connection – or who walks into an Internet café.

Thus, what was once available to only a tiny minority of Americans or Bangladeshis is now potentially available to all.  What a remarkable development this is!   What an opportunity this opens to each and every one of us to use these tools to ask one another, “How can we think together about solving our common problems?”  And what potential these technologies offer us to find answers and join hands to bring about positive change.

Old hierarchies and barriers to communication are melting away.  No one holds a monopoly on information.  Those who try to control it can never be successful in the long run, as young people in country after country have so powerfully demonstrated.

People across the world in all cultures—particularly students—are no longer willing to be passive consumers of information. They are seeking out the information they want, when and how they want it, and they expect to participate actively in shaping their information environment.

What does this mean for you?   I believe that Bangladesh and Bangladeshis are extremely well positioned to flourish in this new global communications environment.  You know from your own history and struggle for independence the power of an engaged citizenry to transform the lives of individuals, and of nations.   And as an imaginative people with a fast-growing rate of connectivity, you are placed to help lead the globe toward solutions to our most vexing problems.

The biggest challenges we face today will be solved by the 60 percent of the world's population under the age of 30.

That is why I wanted to come here today.  I see before me a group of people who will define the fate of their country, the fate of Asia, and the fate of the world in the century to come.  But ultimately it will be up to you to interpret, influence, and experience this rapidly changing world.  I am confident that you are up to the challenge.

As you pursue your education and rise to leadership roles in your society, I hope that many of you will seek to study in the U.S. and encourage your friends and family members to do the same.

When understanding grows between cultures and nations, so too do the possibilities for common action to solve common problems.  Increasing mutual understanding is the ultimate win-win proposition.

Thank you again for welcoming me to Dhaka University.  Thank you all very much for listening.

Remarks by Judith A. McHale 
Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy In Bangla (PDF 192kb)

Dhaka University 

February 7, 2010


Good afternoon. It is a pleasure for me to be here today. This is my first visit to Bangladesh, and I appreciate very much the warm welcome that I have received.

I came here to see first-hand how the United States and Bangladesh are working together to further mutual understanding, and ultimately, prosperity for the people of both of our great countries, the region and the world.

During my visit, I have been meeting with people in government, politics, academia and civil society, and I have already learned a great deal about Bangladesh.

I cannot think of a better place to talk about the deep roots between the United States and Bangladesh than here at Dhaka University.
The late Senator Edward Kennedy planted a banyan tree not far from here when he came to Bangladesh 38 years ago. He stood behind the people of Bangladesh as you fought for nationhood.

Just like that banyan tree, the ties between the U.S. and Bangladesh have continued to grow. Today, millions of Americans stand behind Bangladesh as you build democratic institutions, develop your economy, and foster peace and security here and in the region.

Such people-to-people connections are crucial to promoting mutual understanding and trust.

Over the past few decades, thousands of Bangladeshis have experienced firsthand American hospitality.  Sheikh Mujibur Rahman went to the U.S. under our International Visitor program.  Dr. Mohammad Yunus studied in the U.S. on a Fulbright scholarship.  Countless others across many disciplines are now using their experiences in the U.S. to lead Bangladesh into the future.

Hundreds of children and teachers from madrassas have improved their English through our Access English Microscholarship program and English teacher initiatives.

Thousands of schoolchildren in Bangladesh now have Internet access and computer literacy through U.S. Government-funded computer labs.
We are also enabling Americans to study Bangla and conduct research in Bangladesh.

Looking ahead I believe that these key exchange programs will continue to expand, and new and exciting exchange prospects will emerge.

I am confident that Bangladesh’s future leaders will have more opportunities than ever before to experience firsthand the friendship of the American people.  As Senator Kennedy’s tree continues to grow, so will the bonds between our two countries.

Once again, I am very happy to be here today.  I look forward to taking your questions.  Thank you.

Biography of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale

Judith A. McHale is Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, helping lead America’s engagement with the people of the world. Appointed by President Obama, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 21, 2009 and sworn in on May 26.

Ms. McHale is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Communications. For two decades, Ms. McHale was a leader in building Discovery Communications, the parent company of the Discovery Channel, into a far-reaching and renowned global media enterprise with 1.4 billion subscribers in 170 countries. She forged partnerships around the world and created innovative strategies that focused on understanding and respecting different cultural contexts and tapping local voices to succeed in diverse markets.

The daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, Ms. McHale was born in New York City and grew up in Britain and apartheid-era South Africa. Her upbringing inspired a life-long commitment to social justice and engagement with development issues, especially in Africa. During these formative years, Ms. McHale’s family home was constantly under police surveillance and was wire-tapped; family friends were detained and mistreated; and she became close with key anti-apartheid activists, including Felicia Kentridge, who founded South Africa’s Legal Resource Centre, and her husband Sidney Kentridge, the noted civil rights lawyer who went on to represent slain anti-apartheid activist Steven Biko.

Ms. McHale graduated from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom and Fordham University School of Law in New York.

In the 1980s, Ms. McHale served as General Counsel for MTV Networks, overseeing legal affairs for MTV, Nickelodeon and VH-1. Drawing on the experience developed over many years living abroad, Ms. McHale became a principal architect of the company’s rapid international expansion.

In 1987, Ms. McHale became General Counsel at Discovery Communications, then a small company with a single U.S. cable channel. She went on to serve as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Executive Officer, and President, helping to grow Discovery into one of the most successful media companies in the world, with more than 100 channels available in 35 languages and distributed to more 1 billion subscribers in over 170 countries. During her tenure as President, Discovery’s revenues increased tenfold, with annual revenues topping $3 billion.

Ms. McHale and others at Discovery understood something important about communicating with people around the world: It makes more sense to engage people internationally on their own terms, in ways that respect their languages and customs, than it does just to bring them warmed-over versions of American programming. Discovery, nearly alone among American media companies that expanded internationally, put respect for cultural context and local voices at the heart of its business and creative strategies. It modified programming to respect viewers’ regional customs and translated – rather than simply subtitled -- into 35 different languages.

Ms. McHale also looked for ways to bring people across the globe together around shared viewing experiences. She led Discovery to launch the highly successful “Watch With The World” specials that provided a primetime television opportunity that could be shared by people everywhere.

Ms. McHale helped forge powerful strategic partnerships, including a landmark alliance in 1998 with the BBC that enabled an innovative marriage of high-quality content and global distribution strength. She also spearheaded numerous acquisitions, including The Learning Channel in 1991 and the Travel Channel in 1997.

As a manager of a rapidly-growing company with thousands of employees and offices in 22 countries, Ms. McHale made it a priority to create a workplace in which employees thrived professionally and personally. Discovery was consistently named one of the best places to work in various rankings, and, in 2004, McHale was honored by Working Mother magazine as a “National Family Champion” for her leadership.

At Discovery, Ms. McHale launched innovative education and development initiatives in the United States and around the world, including the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, which provides free educational programming and technological support to more than a half million students at 200 schools and community centers throughout rural Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Under Ms. McHale’s guidance, Discovery applied to its educational initiatives the same rigorous cultural sensitivity and locally-driven process that made its international business so successful. Before setting up the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, Ms. McHale led a “listening tour” into villages in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Uganda, meeting with teachers and local leaders, building trust, and better understanding the particular educational content and technological resources that would best serve those communities.

In 1998, Ms. McHale was appointed by Governor Parris Glendening to a four-year term as a member of the Maryland State Board of Education.

In 2006, after nearly 20 years at Discovery, Ms. McHale started a new phase of her career in partnership with the Global Environment Fund, a private equity firm based in Chevy Chase, MD. Ms. McHale worked to launch the GEF/Africa Growth Fund, an investment vehicle intending to focus on supplying expansion capital to small and medium-sized enterprises that provide consumer goods and services in emerging African markets. Ms. McHale spent considerable amounts of her time visiting key African markets, meeting with entrepreneurs from Lusaka to Dar es Salaam, as she assessed investment opportunities. The work of forming the Fund brought together Ms. McHale’s passion for building businesses with her long engagement with Africa and her own philosophy of “doing well by doing good.”

Ms. McHale has also provided leadership to a range of organizations engaged in global affairs and development. She served on the boards of the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa, Africare, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the National Democratic Institute, and Vital Voices. In 2008, she was the co-chair of the Platform Committee of the Democratic National Convention.