network programming is so biased. with logic or fact and it gets to be unbearable. i don't know what i would do without c pan span. i love it. it's on my tv all day long. >> continue to let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. >> newsmakers is next. head of the u.s. agency for national development. edit :00, a conversation with calypso prize-winning reporter.

>> our guest is roger shaw. and has medical degree been at administration point person on ebola response. have two reporters doing the questioning. nicole gaouette is bloomberg foreign correspondent. ron nixon is from the new york times. ron, you have the first question. about the us ebola response. you have committed a tremendous amount of resources. can you give us a status report? >> thank you. usaid has the responsibility for coordinating a response in west africa.

if you look across the three leoneies, liberia, sierra , and ginny an. we know this is going to be a long time fight to keep ebola contained. it is going to continue many months into the future. we have taken a very dated approach and we have seen some result for that, 70% of transmission in liberia. it was from family members touching, consoling, kissing the bodies of deceased people who had died of ebola. we have burial teams that have six or seven persons per team. that was a huge message in campaign.

we have a hundred 20 ebola treatment unit that's and that has brought down the rate of transmission. we have 15-20 new cases a day. that is making a huge difference in transforming the state of that entire country. we will be focused but we know that when we stay data-driven we can see real results. transmissions around the country more or less? >> liberia is where you have seen the largest reduction of transmission rates. it is now 0.75, or in that range.

that is a very steep reduction in liberia. in sierra leone, we think there are just under 2000 cases. we still think there's a very high transmission rate. we are working hard to take the lessons we have learned in liberia to our british colleagues without the uk military on the ground and building treatment units. to take what we have learned in liberia and put it in sierra leone. in guinea we have fewer cases but they are concentrated in it difficult to reach area in the forest. we're just now seeing a major effort ramp up in the forest region, some of it supported by the united states and other supported by the french. >> you mentioned the international response, in

an october we saw the u.n. come with a report and secretary of state john kerry made passionate, urgent request for countries to step up and do their part, i am wondering if you have seen a response or if you are still struggling. >> we have seen a response, from late -- from early september, president obama has been very involved in getting other countries, saying this is a national security priority and we will continue to have problems unless we deal with that other source. the entire national security team have been very active in trying to get others to do more. we are seeing the results of that. seeing 500 million dollars of international partners. we know that the united kingdom

has resources on the ground, helping with things only they can do. the french are more active because of our engagements. some interesting things. the chinese have sent equipment and gear to liberia. u.s. service personnel have taken it off planes and put it into the pipeline could we have seen medical teams from around the african union, where the african union itself mobilised hundreds of workers. they are trickling in to help fight ebola on their own continent. we are seeing a much bigger international response, the challenge will be to sustain this effort when it is out of the news. i hope people see and understand that it may not be on the front page of the newspaper, it still

has to be dealt with. >> i am wondering now that the us cases are resolved, television news seems not to be focusing as much. looking back on the coverage, have you thought of the intense focus on the cases the united states by the television news media and what that different people's understanding of your of the disease? >> i probably should not comment on the news media when we have wonderful expertise here. weekt to west africa for a to oversee the elements of response. i visited all the countries where it is endemic, as well as an neighbor countries encasing a case. when i came back, that was the week when there was a lot of media coverage. there was an understandable palpable fear and communities

where my kids go to school in washington, d.c. parents wanted to know if i was go to soccer games. people now see that a science-based guidelines that the president has put forward, in terms of if you are at all at risky, you will get actively monitored. i was actively monitored by a wonderful local d.c. public health official who called me twice a day to get my temperature. i did not have a temperature for 21 days. i followed the protocol. i did not need to be quarantined. you have to follow the protocol. the protocols are science driven. they are intended to keep a sacred day are intended to make sure that if you get a fever after you've been to west africa, we know you are. we have contact with you. a public health official can trace you and your contacts. so these protocols are very

important to maintain the science as an evidence-based protocol that can help us be safe at home, common collected, to gon encourage others to africa and come back safely and securely and no risks to themselves of the community. >> let's talk about moving forward. -- this is theas first time that this is happen in this region. typically it has been in central africa. you learned have from dealing with this outbreak withyou can take to deal any additional outbreaks in other regions? >> there will be important lessons for the entire international community. one lesson is that global health security is national security. we need to understand that at a places wherere are shipping and commerce keep us

keepcted, the only way to ourselves safe is to have a strong international public health system that can protect communities all over the planet. in september, before the ebola outbreak, the out president launched an initiative that said we need to concentrate on the street at the end of september, we held a meeting at the white house with those countries and those partners to find a what we are learning from ebola and how we can reshape the international system to do a better job of containing it. the other thing that we have learned is that a data-driven response is the most effective. for example, the planet was designed in september was designed for 10,000 active cases of ebola in liberia. today, we are looking at far fewer than that. i encourage our teams to adapt the plans.

were still going to build a ebola treatment units. they will open with 10-20 bats beds.d' our team is hard at work to find a how you can transport through helicopter to the rural community so with hours you could get a diagnosis, as opposed to having to wait for days. that has a big impact on how you can control the epidemic. being flexible and adaptable, focusing on delivering the result of keeping us safe, those are the overall themes that we need to continue to do. >> what impact it is having on your work, in south sudan and others? >> it is dramatic. we have built the largest and most complex disaster reaction

response we have ever led in a multi-country manor in west africa to serve as a platform that works in liberia, guinea, sierra leone. to do that and have the resources to move his best we have, we have had to draw people and resources from many other settings around the world, including south sudan, where there is potential famine that could lead to a lot of young children dying through no fault of their own because her not getting enough food and medical support. to syria where there is 11 , million people in humanitarian need. it continues to be the world's major humanitarian active throughout that region. from afghanistan to haiti to all over the world, we are under more humanitarian pressure than we have ever been, certainly during my tenure. that is why this ebola funding request to congress is so

critical. it we are going to sustain the level of effort we have put in, the only way to do it is by having an emergency funding request be supported by members of congress. when it comes to projecting america's humanitarian efforts, if we do it well, there has been an a traditional bipartisan support. i value that a great deal. >> that request is for $6 million. they will attend to that after the thanksgiving break. >> i wanted to follow up and ask beyond ebola, with congress being controlled by republicans, do you have any concerns about funding or support at a time where you seem stretched? >> i am very hopeful.

we have implemented a new model of development that is really focused on public-private partnerships, measuring results, and as important members of congress of both parties have seen the new model in action, they have expressed a great deal of support. so, for example, are feed the future program is an agricultural initiative in 19 countries. we said we should not just feed people when they're starving with our food, we should give people the ability to use their own hard work and enterprise to move themselves out of poverty. we have the strongest agricultural system on the planet. let's of our scientists partner with african scientist and create new varieties that can double or triple yields and help people move out of poverty in that way, in a sustainable way. there is tremendous republican support for that program. just a few months ago, it was introduced in a bipartisan basin the house in the senate. it has been passed by the

foreign affairs committee on a bipartisan and unanimous basis. it just shows you that when we do our work with a businesslike focus on real results and when we can measure and demonstrate helpmpact, feed the future seven maine farmers a year, 12 million kids in households would otherwise be malnourished. they are no longer malnourished. we can show you that would recite if it survey data that has been independently validated. republicans and democrats are eager to hold hands and support a vision of american power around the world that is based on protecting our values. >> does the serious thing to go through a private and public model?

are you planning to save the refugee crisis? >> it is much difficult to go inside syria. inside of syria, the focus has been humanitarian support. i have met with the doctors who treat patients here and then use their vacation time to go with our humanitarian partners into syria and take shot a lot of little children. i think they are heroes. they deserve our constant support and protection. jordan, we have engaged in public-private partnerships in order to help the business communities in both of those places deeply understand the stability of their country is critical to their business interests. being involved in food security and building out water systems, and creating grants and loans to entrepreneurs who can create jobs, all those types of things are fundamentally public-private

partnerships. >> can we talk about power africa, an initiative where you are trying to help people help themselves, engaging the public-private sector. >> president obama launched power africa 16 months ago on history of africa. he said at the time that every africa leader we spoke to, connsider the number one constraint to growth is energy resources. there are more 500 million africain sub-saharan ca who do not have an access to energy power. diesel generation imposes a massive costs and tax on the ability to be a business leader, where it could be $.10 an hour if they have proper power systems.

american companies went to an energy renaissance. there are companies that can be deployed all across sub-saharan africa. we put the new model of development to work on power and we work with countries to improve their policy reforms by corruption in the utilities and power sectors. crisis ofropriate private investors can actually invest in power generation. in the last 14 months, we have on 70 a financial close hundred megawatts of new energy generation, more than 30 energy projects. they sandisk corporation will bring power to more than 15 million households and small businesses. president obama tripled the ambition this summer and made our goal 30,000 energy. we also work with sweden, the uk, the world bank, they have announced $26 billion of power investment.

this is important, not just because it is a new model of development, but because it sets standards in the economy for transparency, for disclosures that are consistent with american law and the u.k. anti-bribery act. rules, andards, regulations over the long-term health built economies be closer to us than other emerging markets that are doing business in africa or elsewhere, for without that rule structure. --i wanted to ask you about it's a complicated question. this marks the fifth year in jail of the communications

contractor. investigationp into a program that usaid has sponsored to start a twitter like social media service designed to trigger a cuban spring. narrative ofto the usaid working hand-in-hand or as covert activities. you're no longer able to work in russia or bolivia. they have asked questions about your activities. the man's family is paying a personal price. could you update us on any efforts to get him out? is it worth it for you to be doing this? it seems to undermine your core mission. >> let me address three questions per the first is about allen.

i think about him every day. this administration has fought hard to secure his release. he is being held unlawfully and inappropriately. secretary clinton and kerry and president obama have all said that. the state department leads the effort, which is use a broad range of diplomatic engagements to try and secure his release. they continue that aggressively. i cannot go into details of the diplomatic process and conversations, but i know it is extraordinarily active. he should be released. it is inappropriate for him to be unlawfully held. we say that and know that clearly. second, you ask the question embedded in that about usaid's role around the world to support democracy. our agency has had a long history of having a strong set

of programs to support democracy, human rights and improved governance. it ranges from power africa advisers toed fight corruption to a long history of supporting like goalless in golas in russia to advocate for democratic process, elections, and transparency. president obama said earlier this fall at a speech on civil society that a partnership, we will always in our foreign affairs and diplomatic process and development work advocate for transparency, rule of law, for democratic principles, for free and fair elections. that's what our work is about. our mission is to both address

extreme poverty and its consequences and promote resilient and democratic societies. i believe that is an essential part of our mission. the third question i will answer is about cuba specifically. programs.viewed those we are confident that going forward that we should have a set of programs that are consistent with the law, that move forward democratic principles, that are transparent and say to execute. we think we get that balance right there and in other settings. it is critical to our mission to be consistent across the board. we are going to advocate for a democratic process and principles interest currency and civil society. sometimes we are critiqued for it. it is who we are. i was in ukraine. i met with a group of reformers who have been

fighting for anticorruption and transparency for years. they were treated like criminals. now they are treated like heroes. they have been fighting this fight for a long time. partnerslot of other help support the international in geo effort to support these groups. we think that is very important. >> we have two minutes. questions to follow on that. with the issue of transparency, have you set up the programs and running programs that are not democratic and still be transparent? >> we are transparent about it. that is what people know we are doing it. aat sometimes leads to dictator or someone else saying we wish you would not be supporting a civil society group that is advocating for the ,ights of the vulnerable

advocating for press freedom, advocating for democratic election. that is part of our foreign assistance. that is investing in health, ebola,tural, fighting and keeping our country safe. a safer ande are stronger nation if we can address the fact that one billion people still live on a one dollar 25 since a day. we are a safer nation if we can have a strong, independent civil society that stands up for the rights of governance entrance transit around the world. we are a safer nation if we can tackle diseases for malaria to ebola at their source. as opposed to dealing with the consequences. whether those consequences is that a person with the disease plane and comes here or we lose lose 1 million

young children who die of simple, easy to prevent causes that we know how to resolve. >> final question. you mentioned ukraine. do you have a summer program ukraine? >> we have supported anticorruption efforts in ukraine. civil society groups in ukraine gathered when i visited recently. we had a chance to speak with them. they said your efforts to provide us with support have brought us together. they allowed us to advocate for these anticorruption efforts. those of the groups that found all those papers which have been dumped in the lake behind the presidential mansion. papers.wdried the they scan the man and put them on a website that has gotten nearly 3 million hits. let us how we know money was stolen and how we know how to recover some of those assets. the folks in ukraine see and believe that they can have a brighter, safer, more transparent and just future.

it is a little-known fact that part of the reason they were able to do that is that we have been a partner with them for a long time. spots, all these trouble isis, the beheadings of , are your workers sufficiently safeguarded. ? >> our workers take extremely risky all the time. sometimes they are not employees of usaid. they are local partners of our humanitarian partner organizations in different settings around the world. we have very strict lengths, especially in syria to make sure folks are say and that resources and mandatory support is protected. the toughest days i have had in this job are calling family members to tell them that their daughter who was doing heroes work saving lives in helping children school died in

ir servicet of the ser in afghanistan and haiti. it reminds me that all of the folks who do this work are heroes. they take the risks willingly because they know it helps to keep our country safe and secure over time. >> thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> newsmakers is back with nicole gaouette and ron nixon. we just talked to doctor razi shah. he is the usaid administrator. >> a number of members of both parties have made the case that the request is reasonable.

it is unclear if they would actually get the entire 6 billion. i think there would be essential for the ebola effort but right now it is unclear if the request will be granted. >> you asked a question about attitude and congress, what does your reporting tell you about the temperament about the work that usa does? >> he spoke about the public and private relationships and he is taking a entrepreneurial approach to deal with issues like funding for hospitals in africa, or finding new energy supplies for the indian community.

it also creates great business opportunities for american companies. a lot of republicans on the hill who might have questioned why we're giving money to these countries when there is so much need here have been impressed and pleased by that. i think it has become less of an issue than has been in the past. >> money has been leveraged in different ways. >> very creatively. was some concern from the inspector general's office about accounting for these dollars and whether or not the metrics were sound. can you bring us up-to-date on how the agency responded? that is particularly the case and afghanistan. the inspector general there has come out with a number of and noton overspending being able to account for spending in other cases. it is something that the agency has dealt with for