bankers, commercial bankers, pension plans, asking them what it would take for us to be able to leverage our federal dollars more effectively. and what we're learning is the need for our projects to be bundled in a way that could potentially create interest in the investment community. we do -- we've done nearly 5,000 waste water and sewer projects since i've been secretary. one-off projects are not of much interest even though they're $2 million or $3 million projects. if you could combine five or six or ten or 50 or 100 of those projects you could actually unlock a lot of private sector resources. so one thing mayors ought to be thinking about doing is reaching out within their community into their investment community to find out how could -- how could we at the city level do the same thing that's being done at the federal level. >> secretary foxx last question and then you'll be caught up with everyone else. you know how important airport investments are in terms of driving local economies, and some mayors obviously have control, and some don't.

you know, to expand our airports, we are increasingly relying on passenger facility charges for the capital we need. how can we support the administration's proposal to raise that cap and how can we support your efforts and vice versa on that? >> well, this is a vitally important issue. right now, there's a -- it's a $4.50 cap on the pfc charges. we proposed lifting that cap to $8. which would provide these are moneys that airports can use flexibly to improve their facilities. it takes a little bit of the structure of the airport improvement program away and puts that money at the local level so that you can use that money more flexibly. we are big supporters of this. and again this is a place where i think conveying directly to members of congress how this impacts you, what plans do you have for your airport that could be enhanced if you had more

nimble dollars at the local level that could be used to enhance that vision? that's the area of disconnect that i think we have up here. and by the way, there's a very vocal lobby against increasing those passenger facilities charges, and i think the more counterstory there is, that's based on real tangible improvements at your air ports and you convey that to your members of congress, that's the most important thing you can do. >> so jerry, i ask this question to you and then everybody can kind of address it going down. what does the administration need from us mayors? you know we're going to come in, we always have our needs and what we want, but we really prided ourselves on how can we be helpful? so i'll ask that last question to each of you. what does the administration need from mayors? >> the bottom line is we need your energy. we need your commitment. and we don't need you to sit back at city hall and complain. we need you to get engaged with your congress person and your senators to ensure that they

understand the programs, the projects, the initiatives that the president has put forward. what it would mean for the middle class citizens within your community. i just -- i sit with folks for many years lately, who have constantly sat around the table and complained, and complained. and then you would say, well did you vote? no, i didn't vote. then you would say, if they voted, did you ever contact your congressman? did you ever talk with your senator? this is a -- the only way a democracy works is in an educated constituents, the citizens of this country respond and connect with their congress congresspersons and senators. or those individuals are left as independent contractors doing their own thing. so where we need you, because you're there where the rubber hits the road, is putting in to reality for your federal electeds what it means if community colleges were free. what it would mean if child care was tax credit was passed. what it means if investment in infrastructure would occur and

the continuation and expansion of the legislation that secretary foxx was talking about. you got to make it real. and that's -- that's where we look to you to check with us if you don't follow or understand the initiatives that are being put forward or the legislation that's being proposed. so that you have all the facts and then engage with your congresspersons and your senators. >> i think jerry said it very well. advocacy. we need good partners for the interests of urban communities in the united states. in some ways i think that america is falling in love again with cities. folks are choosing cities again. but that's not always reflected in the priorities in state legislatures, and in the congress. and you have a powerful voice to help make that happen for the benefit of the folks who serve. so i would say that that really hit the nail on the head in

terms of advocacy and being a good partner in that sense. >> i'd say a companion to advocating, which is extraordinarily important, is also educating. and that is, that educating people about the fact that there are many aspects of government that are working well. far too often we have a tendency to focus on things that aren't working in government. and we ignore the reality is that many services that you all are providing are, indeed, providing valuable services to people, and i think you need to connect the dots for folks from time to time that this is government working. and certainly we at federal government need to do this, as well. i mentioned some of the things we were doing at usda. for the 905,000 families who got a home loan from us who might not otherwise have gotten a home loan, that's government working. and i think there are probably a multitude of examples in this room from cities of projects and programs that are working really well. so educating the public about the important role that government is playing, i think will help also provide some emphasis, and some energy behind the advocacy that you all have to do.

>> i had some time to ponder this this week at the undisclosed location. so, i'm going to offer a perhaps counterintuitive idea which is i think that mayors are uniquely positioned to do something that i think is almost impossible for washington to do. that is to help us bring down the walls between this urban rural divide that's happened in this country. the reality is that there is urban poverty and rural poverty. there are access issues in urban america, and rural america. and if you look at how metropolitan areas are organizing, increasingly there core, a suburban ring and a rural ring around it.

and i think that if there's more visioning done that brings those elements together at the local level, and policy at the federal level that supports those visions, i think there's an enormous opportunity for us to solve problems, instead of having them created by washington. d.o.t. is trying to unearth the thinking that can happen at the local level to bring those elements together, because i think one of the most essential things we can do to fix washington is to really vision well at home and bring those visions to washington, and have folks working arm in arm together. >> so mayor -- >> awesome. [ applause ] >> so mayor we all want to just thank you because we know you guys are busy and you've never said no to an invite. and for us to have the real dream team here with us today is awesome. so i'm going to ask you guys one lightning round question. real light. have fun with it. and then we'll let you guys go. you up for it? >> i'm ready.

>> all right. secretary castro, chris rock kevin hart, choose? >> cross rock. >> secretary vilsack, best all-time movie? >> the graduate. >> whoa! all right. secretary foxx, what would you eat as your last meal on earth? >> oh, geez. oh, man. what i had at the undisclosed location. braised steak with french fries. absolutely. >> best retail politician you know? >> joe reilly. >> round of applause for all of our mayors. [ applause ] all right. thank you.

>> i please to bring our next speaker out. since he was elected mayor to the great city of new york one year ago, he has not missed a winter annual meeting. he is fully engaged in the conference. this past summer the mayor was kind enough to host us at gracie mansion or what we are calling a task force named the new cities of opportunity. transportation, income inequality broadband, income inequality -- broadband, he doesn't all. we want to offer our sip the for

-- sympathy for officers ramos an liu. give a round of applause for mayor deblasio. [applause] >> it is such a pleasure to be here with colleagues. every time i come here, to hear the extraordinary things each and every one of you are doing. i hope you feel what i feel when you come here. you get a sense of inspiration and inferring from your fellow mayors who in so many cases are making things happen against all the odds. i just want to thank everyone for being part of this meeting. now as to our leader, i always try my best with the president of this great conference, mayor kevin johnson, not to refer to his previous career. because if you would to refer to it you might say he is our point guard and he dishes the ball generously to his fellow mayors. but i won't do that. i won't do that. but mayor johnson has been a great friend and a great partner

in the work we're doing talking about the issues that really matter in this country today under his leadership the conference of mayors is more crucial to that debate than ever. i also want to thank you, mayor, together the leaders of the federal government who actually understand our lives and our work. i hope you've had the experience i have had when i call secretary castro, or secretary foxx, or secretary vilsack or director abramson, you don't need to translate to them the issues you're dealing with. you don't need to explain to them the challenges and the pressures of what's going on in your city. it is so refreshing to talk to federal government leaders who instantly understand what we are facing, and actually want to creatively help us get to a solution. and i have to say the president did us all a great service by choosing these leaders for the cabinet. it's made a huge difference. and speaking of the president, i think the state of the union

speech was one of the clearest road maps we have heard in this country in recent years. as to how we address the underlying challenges we face, particularly when it comes to the crucial issue of income inequality. which i believe is the issue of our times and which we as mayors experience and understand so directly, so personally, every time i have gathered with you, my colleagues, i have heard such powerful stories of what you see in your cities in terms of an economy that unfortunately is still not serving so many of our people. and what the decline of the middle class has meant, what it has meant for so many families that they don't have the assurance that the next generation will do better than the current one. what income inequality has meant in terms of our ability to move our cities forward. we understand from the grass roots that if we don't address income inequality head on we can't progress as cities, we

can't progress as a nation. president obama laid out, i thought, extraordinarily comprehensive vision of the things that would turn this crisis around. that would re-energize our economy, that would create opportunity and fairness again that would really underline a positive future for this country. and it's up to us now, i believe, to take the momentum created by the president's vision, and deepen it in the dialogue all over this country. deepen it, of course, by action which is what we do by nature. to the credit of mayors, we are first and foremost interested in action that has tangible results at the local level. but we also have voices that matter deeply in the national discussion. and certainly the discussions in our states and in our metropolitan areas, and i think we have to use those voices even more incessantly, and intensely, in the years 2015 and 2016.

because this time, there will be a fundamental debate on the question of income inequality. you can see the tea leaves all over now. the president's speech i think will be the frame that will constantly be referenced, not only in the presidential election to come, but in the elections for senate and congress and at all levels. you see candidates in both parties talking more and more about the challenge of income inequality and the lack of opportunity, and the concern that people have in the middle class that they're slipping out of the middle class. and certainly the concern that so many have who have not yet reached the middle class that it may be out of reach. these issues have now found their moment. and this conversation, done right, is going to lead us somewhere better. this conversation, if it's prosecuted properly, will lead

to actual substantive changes of the types that the secretaries were talking about, that will affect our work day-to-day. but i think, for us, the price of admission is, we have to demand that this be the core of the debate going forward. and i think we have extraordinary legitimacy in this discussion as mayors. i think that the -- those who seek higher office, federal office, all over this country need to be asked at the beginning of each election and throughout how they will address income inequality. how they will address the opportunity gap. how they respond to the blueprint put forward by the president. i think with that simple frame we have the opportunity to go a lot farther in the next few years than we have in the past. now i won't go in to an exhaustive explanation of the reality. i think we all know it from our day-to-day work. it takes a lot of forms. some of the statistics we've seen recently, both in terms of the united states and globally are more striking than ever. one recent study by the

university of california in the tund today, the top 0.1% of the population hold 22% of the nation's wealth. this is an example of a change. it was not this way when most of us were born. it was not this way when this nation was thriving for decades of growth and strength and inclusion. it's something we have to actively address with a series of policies, again so powerfully displayed in the president's remarks. now, what we have in the way of legitimacy is not only the respect that people all over this country have for the leadership role that mayors play. not only the fact that we are closest to the ground and can speak to people's lives as chief executives who actually deal each and every day with the constituents they serve and address the problems, because they are immediate and real to us. we also, in so many parts of this country, have been leading the way on these kind of changes at the local level.

even when there wasn't federal or state support, so many cities around this country are actually grappling with these issues head-on. i was talking to my colleague and friend from oklahoma city about what oklahoma has done on early childhood education. it's been true in other parts of the country, as well. even if federal and state governments haven't recognized the transcendent impact of early child education, city, governments in many cases found a way to move forward. what cities have done on paid sick leave and other benefits that help keep families whole. that help avoid economic disruption. what cities are doing on broadband access to ensure, in a new economy, that there's actually economic opportunity for all. we have the legitimacy of action. we have the legitimacy certainly on an issue so central to people all over the country, what will our minimum wage be, we have the legitimacy of so many cities around this country having

pushed farther, certainly, well beyond what the federal government has done, well beyond what many state governments have done, recognizing the actual wages necessary to feed a family today. this is why we have a special voice that needs to be heard in 2015 and 2016. this is why our cities of opportunity task force is working intensely to come out with some of the ideas and some of the examples of what cities can achieve that we hope will have a big impact on the debate to come. by the way, if ever in attempting to make this case the argument is thrown back that somehow we're out of touch with the mood of the nation, because i think there's a lot of prognostication and punditry that suggests somehow the people aren't interested in this issue. the fact is whenever you look at a chance for the people to speak through the most obvious tool that people have when there's a referendum on the ballot, the

evidence is overwhelming that people all over the country, red states, blue states, every region, want to address the issues of income inequality. there were four states and cities that had paid sick leave on the ballot in november. it passed overwhelmingly in all four. there were five states that had increases in the minimum wage on their ballots, including, and mainly, republican-led states. and those ballot measures passed. when the people are asked, do they want new policies to address our obvious economic reality, they say yes overwhelmingly. and we need to press the advantage because of that. now, just a couple other quick points, because at the same time as we're addressing these core economic realities, we know from our own work the kinds of policies that would be transcendent for us. another great example is what the president has put forward on immigration reform. i think there's a broad sense among mayors all over this

country, again, all regions, all parties, because in our cities we see the emerging america, we see the impact of immigration, both from those who are documented and those who are undocumented, and we understand the need for comprehensive immigration reform. we live it. we know what it would mean for people who we see every day in our cities. the president, in the absence of congressional action, i think, has done exactly the right thing with a forceful executive action. and it's important that we support it. this is one of those moments to be -- to stand and be counted because i believe that as the executive action moves forward it will not only serve so many people in need in our cities, it will continue to make the obvious case why we need a bigger comprehensive action by the congress. now, we gathered a number of mayors in new york city in december to start consistent organizing work among cities to support the executive action. we came up with a war room

concept. we're going to work with mayors all over the country to help each other implement the executive action on the ground and to press members of the house and senate in our areas to support comprehensive reform. we have the power to do that and we have the power, also, to support our president who, as we all know, is under attack on this issue. just after this session right outside the door, i'd like to welcome all my colleague mayors to join, if you can. we're going to have a press conference announcing that over 30 of us have joined together in defense of the president, put together a joint amicus brief which we'll file shortly to answer a court challenge that has been put forward to the executive action. we think it is crucial that when the administration is trying to help us address these core issues, and they come under attack, that mayors stand up and say no.

in fact the executive action will help our people and we think it's crucial to move forward. if you're able join us a few minutes right after this session for that press conference, and we intend to help organize together a series of actions around the country to support the president on this. one more point, and it's something so near and dear to all of us, what director abramson referenced before transportation bill. in may, a crucial moment for all of us, when the previous transportation authorization ends. and the fate of so much of what matters to our people hangs in the balance. one of the things we talk about as mayor johnson mentioned, that our cities of opportunities task force is how to band together to press the congress for fairness in transportation and funding for our cities. fairness for focus on mass transit that we all know is crucial for our economies.

for any possibility of an inclusive economy, and for the future of our environment and our earth. we have a chance in these next few months to turn the tide, and create the kind of momentum that will get us a transportation bill that is more fair to all of us. we're going to be working to the -- together on this when the conference of mayors meets in new york city next month. in march. we'll be in boston for the next meeting of the city of opportunities task force. we need, together, to create a momentum around this issue. and i think as this crucial point that jerry abramson made it's not just our ability to turn to the congress members who represent our cities, per se. it is our ability to turn to the congress members who represent our entire metropolitan area who represent our states as a whole, the senators from our states, and say with one voice that things like the transportation bill should transcend politics. they're about our economic stability and our economic future.

i believe working together with our business communities working to the with our labor communities, with civic organizations, we can create a critical mass. and again, i think at this moment, the people are more receptive than ever to the kind of investments that will move the country forward. we, as mayors, have the ability, i think, to spark a different discussion locally, and that we all know there will be some members of the house and senate who may be a bit hesitant or may have ideological reasons for standing apart. i think when they feel the full weight of our ability to crystallize support in our metropolitan areas, and point out that our metropolitan areas can't possibly thrive and compete going forward without proper transportation funding, i think we can make a world of difference. and i'll conclude by saying this, you know, we, all over our cities in the last week or two celebrated the birthday of dr. martin luther king jr. we celebrated what he meant to

this nation, we thought obviously about his achievements and the movements he helped to build in terms of civil rights. but we all know that dr. king was a passionate voice for economic fairness, as well. and i often think, if dr. king were here today, he would be undoubtedly struck, favorably, by some of the progress that's been made in this society in terms of inclusion, by some of the leadership that has developed around the country, and at the same time, i am certain dr. king would look with some shock and some pain at how deep income inequality is in this country, and how, in fact, we have not progressed on that front. it's the issue of our times. and we, as leaders, have a particular ability to break through on this issue in the here and now. we have an opportunity to take the concept of fairness and equality and freedom and turn it in to the kind of actual tools actual policies that will uplift

our people. this is the moment to break through. and i think the mayors of this country will be the leading edge in that effort toward greater fairness. i want to thank you all for what you do every day. it is an honor to be your colleague. i especially want to thank you for what you can do raising your voices to make some of these changes for a better america. thank you and god bless you. [applause] >> one more round of applause for mayor de blasio.

[applause]

>> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. before having the great honor to introduce the president of the french republic, i would like on behalf of all of us, to express our condolences to the saudi family and to the savvy people. -- saudi people. >> translator: it is a huge honor for me to welcome you to davos today. i would like, mr. president, to

tell you just how deeply affected all parties had been here and the great solidarity they feel towards fred and this exceptionally difficult time following the tragedy in january in paris. like many, i was incredibly impressed by the exemplary response of the french people and the dignity. and further, by the accounts of solidarity and support that came from the entire world to france. france, mr. president, is a unique country that is recognized throughout the world and creating the force as the

number of your strategic counsel for attracting investment. i have been struck to the approach of combining the traditions with innovation and openness to the world. at a time where france is having to face many different economic challenges, europe needs a strong confidence in order to be able to find the power to grow. growth which needs to be open to opportunities for all. one of the lessons of the judge today is that we can not forget the weakest and youngest. they can easily fall prey to those who seek to spread a

discourse of hatred. finally, the world needs a france that will continue to defend a message of freedom and peace throughout the world as it has always done. and it is in this spirit that i am welcome to see france's active role in the international negotiations on climate with a major summit due in paris at the end of this year. we are proud to be able to contribute the best answer to the extremists is to build a better world and not to sink into distress. ladies and gentlemen, it's a great honor for me to give the floor to the president of the french republic, mr. francois hollande. [applause]

>> translator: ladies and gentlemen, allow me to thank professor schwab for inviting me to this forum. i would like to echo his words of condolence and the tribute he paid to the saudi people. i am grateful to professor schwab for having reminded us all of the circumstances under which it is speaking today on behalf of my country. france has been struck by a terrorist attack. for three days, we've had to face with dignity, with unity,

with effectiveness, the extreme challenges that was facing. it benefited from exceptional international solidarity with their heads in state government coming from around the world. particularly from europe, which fully understood what was at stake. because it is not just france which is affected, it is freedom, it is democracy, it is the ability to live together the very foundation of our societies, which have found themselves under attack. and i need to say, in frankness and sincerity today, with all countries wherever they are in the world are vulnerable to terrorism.

many have been gravely affected. many fear being heard. every country needs to prepare because our main duty is that of clarity, clear mindedness. we need to recognize the sources of terrorism. it has sources such as radical islam, murderous ideology of al qaeda, but around and all those who act in their name. terrorism has battlegrounds that has means of operating which takes strength from iraq, syria, crisis in yemen. terrorism also has powerful means of action. it feels -- fuels itself from

all kinds of illicit trafficking, drugs, human it draws from finance, money laundering, international crime. it uses all the technologies available, including those, if used properly, can promote prosperity to the exchange of information and ideas -- i'm talking about the internet -- which terrorism is using as a west end of manipulation, a weapon of confusion. terrorism has links within their own societies. it recruits in our country is what we've come to call the foreign fighters. of the 40,000 terrorists that

have been mobilized by isis, one quarter come from outside the middle east. so we need to find an answer. and when a country is headed as we found at the national level france has reacted and has taken appropriate measures. but there also needs to be a global, international response. it needs to be international and it needs to be shared. shared between the state to have to bear responsibility on the front lines, but also by business, particularly the largest corporations who can also act. and then first of all the responsibility in particular france. we have to find solutions that conflict that has been going on for too long. syria, political transition has to be found. it is something we waited too

long for. i'm thinking of iraq, where france is participating in a broad coalition to support those who are in the front line against the side of the terrorism of isis. africa on the ground will continue to be so more than ever. they will be present to help those countries who are having to deal with terrorism. there are situations in nigeria cameron, chad, who are attacked. france cannot do everything. france cannot act alone. but whenever i can, it will. to lead by example. but the international community needs to provide answers as well.

each time we let a conflict last, terrorism benefits. if you look at what is happening in libya, following an intervention that wasn't followed up, this country, the country's unity fell apart and terrorist groups became attacked. france will be present, always present. france has an international position. but it's made up of principles, values, the idea of freedom, which we don't want to keep for ourselves and we want to share with the entire world. france will be on the front line when it has to be. we have been in africa. so france has once again called on the international community to rise to the challenges to face the threat that we face.

now if we succeed, we need to fight all kind of traffic circulation weapons, financial firms. again, we need to do more. europe has to take important decisions to strengthen border controls, identify terrorists, to follow their movements and identified the presence of danger that they can represent. we need to establish a major program that needs to be put into place. with a view to protecting our freedoms. at the european level and at the national level we need to ensure the internet is not used for hatred and violence. we need to improve our intelligence, invest

everything that france will do it is doing for itself, for its own security but it will be acting for europe and the world. it is an investment. yes, it is expensive at a time when my country, like others is having to reduce its deficits, manage its expenditure, carry out reforms, but i believe that this investment is an investment that france has to make for itself, for europe, and the world. we cannot claim to be a great nation if we are not capable of giving the world what it expects from us. and then their efforts we have

to make in our own countries against those who promote terrorism, fundamentals -- fundamentalist, sectarian phenomena and the issue of urban segregation. here again we can carry out measures that are important for solidarity. we will put measures into place and that is why it is important to have a policy to create jobs to promote training and education so that young people have confidence in their future. the economy will answer against despair and poverty. one answer in the face of insecurity and instability. when we talk about the economy

in dallas -- davos, we talk about growth and innovation. we speak up out our confidence in the economy but we also need to share and contribute to solidarity security. so the lifeblood of the economic world, the heads of major corporations, i would ask you to be watchful. i would ask you to be involved. i turned toward the major digital corporations so they can identify their role, make it inaccessible, and establish clear rules because you're also stakeholders in the process of regulation. i call on the financial system

to ensure that the terrorists sources of finance are dried up that we fight money-laundering. all these measures are within, or are in our common interest. do not leave it too late. i will call more broadly on [inaudible] to make a contribution to the most fragile states. but also in the name of security. i call on you also to counter another threat which is one that looms over the future of our world. we need to fight global warming.

professor, you remind us that france will be hosting a conference on climate change the end of this year. it is not just to welcome heads of state or government to paris. we are doing this not just to state our principles and to deliver a forum on the state of the world. we are not just coming for a meeting. it needs to result in a binding global agreement that will map out an effective fight against climate change. that is the major challenge of the 21st century. time is past where humankind thought it could selfishly draw on inexhaustible resources. we know now the world is not a commodity, it is not a source of revenue.

it is a common good, it is our heritage. the consequences of climate change are fully known now. we're not talking about theories anymore. we're talking about certainties. if nothing is done, then we are talking about increasing temperatures four degrees by the end of the century. a need to stay below the threshold of two degrees. we are also fully aware of the consequences. it would mean we would certainly see the disappearance of many island states in the indian ocean and the pacific, and huge damage to the coastlines of all continents. the 25 cities that in 2015 had more than 10 million inhabitants

, 19 are located on the coastline. a huge number of individuals are directly threatened by the consequences of global warming. you can imagine the huge consequences that that could have on the world. we are already familiar with refugees in crisis. i mentioned syria only a moment ago. more than 20 million. so here again we are faced with a moral responsibility political responsibility. because a botched a solution to a crisis might result in exacerbating the consequences of climate change. but allow me to present a more

confident aspect of our future. energy transition the sense opportunities filled with hope of growth. we are in a rapidly changing world. a model that is on its way out that which is powered by. you will -- that which is powered by fossil fuels. we are moving to a post-carbon world. we are a huge effect caused by technological changes which is happening in many areas -- transport, construction, energy, health, food, technology. our whole economy will be transformed if only we show the will to step up the pace of change, step up the pace of our decision-making.

the fight against climate change is also a matter of solidarity. the countries who are most affected are those who are already the most vulnerable. it is ironic that those places are already burdened by a shortage of revenue while those having to face the hardest effects of climate change. if we do not respond with an approach that encompasses solidarity, there will not be an effective answer to paris. there can only be a true solution if those countries have not exhausted the resources of the world so far can be reassured that their economic development -- that is why i will make a personal commitment along with the heads of state and government who wish to join me, and i am sure there will be many of them.

achieving an outcome for the financing of the paris agreement , i'm talking about the green fund, which would gather capital to ensure the transition of developing countries, 10 billion euros already collected, and more than 100 are necessary for us to be able to realistically believe an agreement is possible . we need to be able to find multimillion euros by june. where are they going to come from? of course, from individual states. that is part of their responsibility. financial institutions, yes. they can participate. but also, major corporations. major financial companies. in any governing that understands that by contributing

-- and any government that understands that by educating to this fun -- contributing to this fun, they are creating better investment opportunities for the future. again here, everybody has to recognize their own response ability. the states have a responsibility to come to an agreement. the countries then have to sign a very specific agreement to limit the emission of greenhouse gases, but also, society as a whole has a responsibility. i'm talking about what you could call the agenda of solutions alongside the green fund that needs to be created. the responsibility of states enshrined in an agreement.

there is a broad social commitment to the necessary changes, and france, in the run-up to the conference, wants to ensure that france can play a major role. there will be many events organized. we want to see businesses innovate, research, and prepared with us and with organizations and civil society, prepare label groundwork -- labor groundwork for tomorrow's society, tomorrow's economy. it is absolutely essential that the lifeblood of the world's economy is fully involved in developing a response to climate change. it is what i call the paris alliance for the climate. i have come here to urge you to participate in this alliance. we need huge investments of capital in the green economy. today, if you look at the traditional investment

portfolios, less than 1% is invested in the green economy. we need to create a new market a market of financial products a market of green bonds that would operate at the global level. on the one hand, you need to create demand, capital ready to be invested. on the other hand, the opportunities, which would be part of this new green economy. we also recognize the right to send the right message to the market, and carbon prices are essential if businesses are going to be able to plan their investments ahead. if this theory -- in this period, one of our greatest challenges is uncertainty. we see it everywhere -- in the

exchange rates, in the private commodities, in the world geopolitical situation. and when there is instability, uncertainty, volatility, there isn't any investment. so i have come here to advocate a clear vision of how the world will be in a few years. to foster a determination to fight against risk and the understanding of how we will get there. carbon pricing is one element of that clear vision. now, you might see the drop in the oil price might be an

impediment to the understanding of the gradual phasing out of fossil fuels from the energy next. but if you ask me, i think the opposite is the case. the drop in the oil price -- we don't know how far it will drop. we understand we will have to have some kind of limits. but the drop in the oil price creates an opportunity for investment because when we can do now with this margin that has been created is make the investments that are absolutely essential in the energy transition. we have the capacity. you as key players in the economy have the capacity to invest in this change. i come here on behalf of france to say that we are ready.

we are looking as the conditions will enable france to keep its position in the international context and in the context of technology and industry. we recognize today that growth has been too weak. it is not the same level throughout the world. particularly in the euro zone. we know that what underlines the potential for growth today is doubt relating to geopolitical tensions. i raise the issue of the middle east, but also, ukraine. this creates worries not only at the humanitarian level, where we are seeing people dying every

day on europe's very frontiers but also the major risks of instability. sanctions, embargos, which in turn create difficulty beyond ukraine itself, and also financial instability. the world needs to respond. the g 20 has taken good steps in advocating stronger growth better coordination of economic policies, better regulation of financial -- an effective combat against tax evasion, tax havens. and i welcome these efforts, and indeed, the results from them, because it shows that the world is capable of improving its

regulation. now, there are still problems. there is capital movements that are not well-regulated enough. there is shadow economy, there are countries which seek to attract people who are looking for a way out of taxation. but there is progress as well. i think the biggest risk of -- at the global level is that of inequality. inequality between countries and the incredible frustrations that that can create, and inequality within our countries. and the tension that that can also create. the world needs to recognize that it has a responsibility in this regard, and the fight against inequality can also a growth factor. how can we achieve positive results from education, through improving skills, through training? that is why i would call for major investments. digital technology can help us here and it needs to help us everywhere and all our countries , especially the most vulnerable. europe has come a long way as well. it has come through the sovereign debt crisis, it has established a banking union,

each means in the case of a banking failure it is no longer the taxpayer that has to suffer. that is why i would call for major investment, digital technology can help us here and it needs to happen everywhere in all of our countries especially in those that are most vulnerable. europe has come along way as well. it has come through the sovereign debt crisis, it has established a banking union, each means in the case of a banking failure it is no longer the taxpayer that has to suffer. but our priority has to be growth and the structural reforms need to be carried out in the name of competitiveness productivity, innovation, and here again, francis taking important decisions -- france is taking important decisions to move along this path, and europe has to come along as well.

i welcome the decision of the european commission to lunch -- to launch a major program of more than 350 million euros which states as well would be able to contribute to. i would also like to underscore, while recognizing the phenomenal principle of independence, the actions of the european central bank, because it is very important step that as been taken to inject liquidity. the ecb has been able to take this step because it has achieved its objective in terms of limiting inflation. with inflation close to zero, it certainly can make more liquidity available to the economy without worrying about deregulation and at the same time promoting growth. and the effect of this decision -- i'm not talking about the market's reaction here, i'm talking about the effect on the real economy -- is that of

making investment in the economy more attractive, drawing savings away from government funds towards the financing of business. -- away from government bonds towards the financing of business. this is an important decision because it has been made by europe, a determination to look towards the future. we have restructured our banking system, even if there is still work to do. we are looking towards the future, and this decision of the european central-bank shall be welcomed. but it should not stop us from the continuing along the path of

reform, especially in france. quite the opposite, i think the decision taken by the ecb compels us to be more daring on growth and job creation. france will take a three-pronged approach. firstly, promoting competitiveness. the agreement which i presented one year ago for business represents a drop of 40 billion euros in the financial burden of business and makes very important civilizations to the regulations at work in the economy. it is an important statement being sent to the stakeholders and investors. thirdly, we have seen other reforms in france to ensure more funds could be directed towards the unemployed.

we seeing all of the labor market advance, which should serve to bring our economy into line with reality, while at the same time protecting workers. we are promoting apprenticeships and we have undertaken a new form which is currently under discussion in parliament, which will provide greater flexibly at work, reducing the time period within the labor market, and giving incentives to competition. cooking how men france knows what its advantages are. i'm not going to go through them all with you because i'm sure you are aware of them. but we are also aware of our

limitations and we have to act to improve our position if we're going to stay in this position. france as undertaken efforts to attract talent from all over the world in the same process of promoting innovation. we have is alleged -- we have established innovation tax credits in france to ensure greater levels of r&d. favoring three-minute -- three major areas of industry, energy transition and the digital economy -- and we also promoted efforts to increase our investments in these areas. france has seen these efforts bear fruit.

the other high-strength countries for -- we are the high-strength countries for startups. but we are also aware that we need to increase our attractiveness, alongside promoting exports. we need to increase our exports. what that means is we need to be more productive. 2 million french people work in those companies. we wanted to make efforts -- want to guarantee the security of investments and we welcome all of those who have decided to show interest in france by investing there.

it france is very clear about the decisions it needs to make and how committed it is to those choices. we do not want to allow any retroactive taxation. we have introduced rules which guarantee that all investors will have predictable taxation. we have created business to attract more business. this is all entrepreneurs who wish to locate in france. so we are investing in bringing investments to france but we also want to continue investing abroad. we want to return to being a major exporting nation. we need to direct our business

attention to the global market. you expect a great deal from france and you are right. it needs to make the right choices in the area of security, it needs to participate and risk prevention countering [indiscernible] you have seen the french people come together and i'm sure that you were deeply struck by the dignity of all those who protested, who came to say that they were not afraid, that they believed in their country and they were prouder of who they are. in france, every religion has its place. we cannot accept anti-semitic

acts, we cannot accept that jews are killed because it -- they are jews. we cannot expect anti-muslim acts and we have made all possible efforts to ensure full protection of our compatriots. you have seen in france the mobilization -- the mobilization because that represents to us a sacred place, knowledge and rules to be part. you have expressed your solidarity with france and i am touched by that. there is no greater pride than to see the world turn towards france. i was greatly touched to say so many heads of state and

government in france who came to the demonstration. surely it is only in france were we would see some many people come out to the streets and cheer, 4 million people who came to see and not protest against but demonstrate in favor of france remaining as it is. by being capable of participating fully in the pursuit of peace and security in the world. at the same time france needs to be a major economic power. they can be no political power without economic power. it is economic strength that enables that independence, the

recognition of these values. i would strongly advocate recognizing the economy being a key factor in security so please think hard about this. there cannot be prosperity without security. and so we share our interests we have shared interests everybody needs to recognize that and through that, take responsibility. it is not just for the creation of wealth but the distribution of wealth as well. it needs to bring growth and hope. >> that is what you have to do. we have to facilitate trade. at the same time, we have to

ensure that we can move ahead take a long-term view with investments that might not be profitable today. we will find the foundation for profitability tomorrow. i am thinking about the energy transition. that is the message i would never to doug ose. -- davos. there are times in history where we are faced with a choice between best and worst, between good and bad. you are faced with a moment where things can all thing or another. we will fight against terrorism, global warming, and reduction of inequality. a huge amount will depend on individual states. also upon you.

the major players in the economy. what is needed from you, and what you require of yourself and from your governments is a daring approach, and vicious approach, a long-term approach with the clarity of vision. the time is come, ladies and gentlemen, we share in solidarity, and our responsibilities. we need to recognize our responsibility and choose to innovate, and best, and at the same time, be capable of resolving the major global issues. with the goal of security, development, and solidarity. we have a single mission, to protect and hand on the planet to the next generation. thank you very much. [applause]

this this sglufrnling. secretary of state john kerry told leaders they world economic form thisere has to be a long you term effort. he outlined ways nations can contribute to the global fight. he also paid tribute to saudi arabia's king adullah who died on thursday. this is about 45 minutes.

>> ladies and gentlemen, friends, i have now >> larger i have the privilege and pleasure to welcome an old friend and supporter, secretary of state john kerry. and, actually, when the secretary came the first time, it was in the '90s. and at that time, we spoke about the peace dividend. there was a lot of optimism. the world was at the dawn of a new era, the breakdown of the sold war of the wall and the end of the cold war. now, we meet again.

and it looks like we are at the start after world with many geopolitical issues, with many crises. the last session has shown us one of the foremost issues we have to confront. so of course mr. secretary, you were here last year. if i just take one year, when you came last time ukraine was just at the beginning of the eruption and is now in a war-like situation. so of course the united states plays a very crucial -- the crucial role as the world's foremost power.

so ladies and gentlemen, we are particularly pleased to have the secretary of state john kerry, this evening with us to enlighten us how he sees the world situation. mr. secretary. [applause.] >> good afternoon, everybody. klaus, thank you very, very much >> good. afternoon, everybody. klaus, for your introduction. for so many years, i have enjoyed taking part and coming here for a great one-stop shop, and i thank you for in

institution. before i begin i want to take a moment to say how i think all of us are saddened to hear the news that king abdullah of saudi arabia had died. i am here today to talk about county countiering extremism. he had a long history of being a brave partner with us and with the world with his work not just in counter terrorism but in his work on inter faith understanding. i remember as a young senator meeting with him listening to him, and being encouraged by his commitment to putting together an inter-faith conference and efforts to bring people together to create better understanding on he saw that a tool against extremism and in the anti-dash in jetta, it has been a key to

building the broad coalition today. he made a special contribution. i was privileged to spend many hours with the king as a senator particularly over the at last few years. i saw him a few months ago, he was obviously not well but he was courageous a great sense of humor even in the midst of all of the crises, and the people of the kingdom of saudi arabia and we will miss his wisdom, his partnership, and his front end. i learned closely to the introduction by klaus. there is obviously much on all of your minds. it is a moment of turmoil and a moment of upheaval. the world in transition. i nevertheless, remain very

optimistic about the possibilities. i will share a few thoughts about that today. but we have to understand what we are facing. six weeks ago, a 14-year-old nigerian girl was discovered in a crowded marketplace in cano. she had explosives strapped to her body but unlike a pair of companions, she had refused to pull the tab, saving herself and others. two weeks later, a routine age boy approached a shiite mosque in baghdad and, unbuttoning his jacked he told the guards i am wearing a suicide vest, but i don't want to blow myself up. last november, a young man defected from al shabaab because he was no longer wanting any part of it. as he put it a bunch of heavily armed sociopacketic militants.

he said they promised him money, a bungalow and paradise. instead, he said, i had no life no family no future. ladies and gentlemen, those three examples represent just about the basic, most basic choice there is. between death and life. between destroying and building and it ought to be an easy choice. yet in nigeria last month t ita video showed thugs shooting defenseless people saying from now on, killing, destruction, bombings will be our religious duty. on december 16th, in peshwar pakistan authorities enter sainted radio message between a

gunman and his boss. quote: we have killed all of the children in the auditorium. what do we do next? the answer? wait for the army to arrive. kill them. then blow yourself up. a few weeks earlier before pulling out after town in somalia, al shabaab buried a young woman up to her neck, and then they smashed her head with rocks. in syria and iraq dash sells little girls into slavery. it seems like every day, i am asked by people: what makes someone decide to do some of these things? why does someone decide to join a group like dash? why would anyone leave their home and loved ones to fight such a collection of monsters? the fact is there are a lot of

explanations. some say it's because a person's creed or clan has been attacked or treated unjustly. many point to the inclination to see the world in black and white terms and believe that they alone, possess the truth. others allured by basic material considerations: a promise of regular immediatelies, a paycheck, the chance to plunder and loot. and then there are the mundane and personal choices, to escape board boredom, go where the action is, be ludics by a false sense of success. perhaps trade and, an animity for not right tee for a few hours on the internet. in some cases, it's almost certain a combination of these input did. but one thing is clear: if we

are going to successful combat violent extremism, we better understand all of the factors because we can't change minds without knowing what's in them. we have to do so mindful of the fact that understanding and acceptance are not the same. when i was in pakistan last week and i had intended to pay tribute to those kids and their families but were unant fly. pakistani officials instead showed me time stamped photos of the sequence of the military schools assembly hall before and after the december16 account assault. at first, i looked and saw this picture of an auditorium of school kids all dressed in their smart uniforms sitting there

attentive dpasz filled with the joy of listening and watching. plaintser it turned from a learning center into a killing chamber. there was blood everywhere broken eyeglasses scat erbed text books, small liveless bodies sprawled across a chair on the floor. on that day the school's principal action having already been escorted to safety returned to try and save her students. when she was challenged by the assasins, she pointed to the children saying, i am their mother. her last words. let me be clear, there is no grievance, psychology politics economic disadvantage or personal ambitions that will ever justify the murder of

children rape of teenage girls, slaughter of unarmed citizens whether for ideology or for some false re lunchous assertion. none [applause.] >> no matter the input -- i will be lessen erggized here no matter the input these kind of atrocities can never be rationalized or excused. they have to be opposed with every fiber of our being, they have to be stopped.

i never imagined the number of simultaneousous crises we might be is able to face which we are, i believe, managing far more effectively, than people are automatically to see. but we can't shy away from this reality that terror is working with impunity and a potential threat everywhere. a few of these networks, such as d.a.s.h. and boko haram are attempting to govern land. that's a first time event forb these tear groups and they are looking to expand. and greatly adding to the risk of the so-called -- are the so-called lone wolves and copy cats. it seems terrorists are competing with each other for

recruits and perpetrating ever more macabre crimes. needy remind you the 20th century was defined by the civilized world struggle to develop the ruth of law as an alternative to chaos, disorder, and dictatorship. remember witnessing anarchy, anhilism. against this enemy we are increasingly organizing and fighting back. we have to keep our heads. obviously, the biggest error we could make would be to blame muslims collectively for crimes not committed by muslims alone. crimes that their faith utterly rejects and that the muslim

leaders, themselves, have the greatest ability to address. religions don't require adherence to raize villages and blow up people. it's individuals well a distorted and ignorant interpretation of religion who do that abetted by individuals who have a different agenda and who incite and finance those actions. we will certainly not defeat our foes byvillefying potential partners unless we direct our energy in the right direction, we may very well fuel the very fires that we want to put out. the first step is to make sure the civilized world will not cower in the face of this

violence. violence has claimed lives in every corner of the globe and muslim lives most of all. we are each friends, regardless of faith, ethnicity, homeland or tribe. some of the narratives that we each, all of us respond. there is no room for sectarian division. there is no room for anti-semitism and it's lama phobia. we have to demonstration every time they try to divide united states, they strengthen our resolve like the million souls that last week spoke with a sing voice in the streets of paris: we must as act one. the plates to begin is quite simply by defeating d.a.s.h. they are better trained, boater funded and have been more is able to hold on to territory because they threaten the peace and stability, not of one group in iraq but of every single

country in the region a because they have overtly threatened to take their threat around the globe and are working to do so. this is a threat for the entire structure that we have worked so hard to put in place since the end of world war ii a threat to the nation states a threat to the rule of law. and freeing frac its ruthless occupiers is the critical crucial first turning point. just four months ago d.a.s.h. was trumpeting plans for seizing baghdad. to many, they seemed unstoppable. remember those days only a few days ago? some media reports fraptcally predicting that iraq might fall and d.a.s.h. was about to drag the entire middle east back into the dark ages. but then two things happened: and not by accident. in iraq the new government was

assembled that is intent on reform. iraqis, themselves came together determined to move to a different future determined to earn the confidence of all of their citizenship, and you just heard from prime minister abadi who we met with yesterday in london. and second, we forged together, all of us at international -- an international coalition, 60-plus members strong now with a mandate to disrupt theegrade and ultimately defeat d.a.s.h. president obama and the united states are proud to say we are deeply involved in leading both of those developments. but we acted in partnership every step of the way with our arab friends, european allies and others from across the globe. and since september, our coalition has pursued a carefully-crafted, comprehensive strategy to weaken d.a.s.h. on multiple fronts. we have launched some 2,000 air

strooiningdz, disrupted d.a.s.h.'s sxhand troubling sxhand /* command structure, sxeezed financing it, damaged its supplies networks dispersed personnel, forced them to change tactics. today in much of iraq d.a.s.h.'s momentum has did dissipated. with coalition support, iraqi forces have retaken mosul and hadifa dams. in syria, d.a.s.h. has seen its command facilities attacked it's oil infrastructure damaged and it's siege of kobane blocked. no large d.a.s.h. unit can move forward aggressively without worrying what will come down from the skies now. progress also continues in the political arena. yesterday, at this coalition meeting we held in paris, iraqi prime minister abadi described the steps that his team is

taking. i know he described some of them to you today to bring the country together reform efforts have been launched in the judicial and other sectors after years of delay, baghdad and the kurdish region have reached an accord on oil. the iraqi army is becoming more inclusive and professional. iraq is strengthening ties to its neighbors who are reciprocating with open arms and helping hands. yet another warning sign for d.a.s.h. but yes we need to be cautious and we are even while the changes are taking place in iraq and those changes are unmistakable, they are not yet irreversible. there is much yet to be done. even though we have slowed d.a.s.h.'s momentum and pushed it back, we are not satisfied yet with thepates of our progress, and general john allen and his team are visiting regularly. we are starting training. in a matter of days, at three additional sites and we are already training in iraq, itself, and it is making a

difference. but to succeed, the iraqi government medical reach out to sunni communities. the world must see d.a.s.h. for the what it is not for what it claims to be. d.a.s.h. pretends to be he presiding over a paradise for muslims, the self-declared new caliphate but the areas under its control are languishing. in many places there are shortages of clean water, insufficient supplies of medicine. in mosul, militants have seen their pay slashed by 75%. fighters have been executed. children are forced to witness and even participate in the torture of prisoners. teenagers have been crucified. all of which emphasizes the degree to which dash is guilty of shamelessly deceptive

advertising. the advertising about its path to paradise like that promised by kuwait boko haram, al shabaab and similar groups is in fact, a road to no where but our challenge, the one i want to talk about today is in fact bigger than just d.a.s.h. i want to talk about it with this audience because all of you are opinion leaders and all of you need to help make choices in order to do what we need to do to turn the corner. in the week's to come, we have to not om continue moving ahead with urgency to eliminate d.a.s.h. as a threat to international security but we also have to strengthen somal i can't, intisfy our effort to defeat violence in nigeria, which i will go to in a couple of days and strike at the tent cals and wherever else they appear. there is no where you can leave

as an ungoverned space with this crowd. and believe me there is nothing to negotiate. these are the front-line battles i just listed. and they require that we not waiver in our solidarity and our courage, eliminating the terrorists who con front us told actually only solves part of the problem. we have to do more to combat endless extremism, a resupplying. we have to transform the very environment from which these movements emerge and we are committed to enlarging our strategy. in ways that respond effectively to the underlying causes as well as the individualsible symptoms of violent extremism the that's why we are developing an approach that extends far beyond the short term and which cannot be limited to the middle east or to any other region. we need all of us to take these steps so that a decade or two in

the future when the economic forum meets and you hear from leaders, they are not standing up here responding to a new list of acronyms to the same concept but different players. we cannot have our successors come back here to face the same questions and the same challenge. the tear groups may have those different akronims in the future and they may be targ-targetth different countries. if we don't do what is required now, i guarantee you the fundamental conflict will either stay the same or get worse. as my counterparts in the gulf states in north africa have told me over and over again in graphic anectdoteses and by the way, in south central asia and in east asia and elsewhere, they tell me that the terrorist leaders are planning for the long-term. they tell me about how they grab these young kids, pay them a

little bit, get in to their heads. then they don't have to pay them. then they become the accolytes and they go out because they are brainwashing the very young. they are creating networks flexible enough to survive even after commanders are eliminated and operational centers are crushed and they see themselves as ready to fight to the death. so let me tell you in response we need at that commitment for the long-term. we have to take more risks. we have to invest more resources resources. >> that's why president obama is hosting a summit on the 18th of february in order to exchange ideas and galvan eyes support for what is needed on the road ahead. there will, yes, a military component to the strategy.

you have to take at a time to wanton killers of innocent people who give no quarter. aspom emphasized last may at his speech at west point, we must and will work to improve the counter terrorism capabilities of our pez but this fight is not going to be decided on the battlefield. the outcome is going to be determined in classrooms urban street corners in the perceptions and thoughts of individuals and the ways arrestn which those perceptions are created in creating prosperity that is widely sherrod. mezcologists of growing gdp will only matter if they translate

into a fair chance. look at the story of the tun ease tunisian fruit vendor when he rebelled against corruption and felt he had nowhere else to go but self emolation. this will be determined by accessible justice systems so that people everywhere feel they can be protected and have voices heard n short, we have to do a better job of creating alternatives to violent extremism, alternatives that are as cred ible visible as empowering and broadly available as we can make them start with governance. obviously not the most exciting topic if no one is going to make millions of dollars about the delivery of social services or judicial reform and the effect effectiveness of parliament.

but exciting or not ungoverned spaces on the world map are an open door to chaos and to disorder that breeds terrorism, energy created a vacuum. boko haram is taking advanceage of the government'sibility inability to provide for its people. in syria, d.a.s.h. wouldn't exist if the so-called president wasn't reviled, if he wasn't attracting terrorists for the purpose of his removal. in south africa the government was too weak to prevent violence

between christians and muslim gangs. in the yemen, governance has been challenged by an al-qaeda-affiliated terrorist organization that has launched attacks inside and outside of the country by a sescessionist movement in the south and most recently by a rebel group in the north that has is now spread across the country and challenged the sovereignty of the entire state. to the understand it how many it is illustrated, i offer an illustration. one of my secretaries shared with me a minority group that has been hard hit by terror. the diplomat asked their opinion of the extremists. they all expressed disgust. they all wanted them gone. but when asked whether they would report a terrorist recruiter to the police every single one of them said, no.

because they were because they were afraid the terrorist would bribe his way out and come back and forced to pay bribes. for them silence seemed the only choice that circle is destrustive and dangerous. too many people in too many places sigh see themselves as trapped from a world where they say the police rob us the government ignores us and the west doesn't see us or wants to kill us. whether or not these perceptions are accurate they exist and

that we need to do more to prevent the lus from growing. we should identify the zones of greatest vulnerapparently, places that have not gone into chaos and the chance for terrorist infiltration is high. these may be in segments of the swahili cost the area around lake chad and certain parts of the greater middle east. they are plenty of places to identify teach minority groups in their own language. train young people skwilz. enl courage police and judicial systems to actually treat people

fairly given the scope of a chal en a few modest programs here and there are not going to get the job done by themselves. quite frankly, government resources alone will not be enough. we all know that massive private funding goes to the extremist groups. one of our significant lines of effort -- we have about nine, five to nine major lines of effort in a we are working on our coalition strategy one is stopping the financing. one is stopping the foreign fighters. one is obviously the military effort. the other is humanitarian. one of them, significantly, is to do the work of countering these effects tremist groups enlisting mullahs. grand muftis, people all around the world dom together and speak

out as the grand muftie did when he said that d.a.s.h. is an order of satan. thoosz that's what the street needs to hear. we need to put resources to build the enterprises that can counter these extreme ismsists. using many of the same mechanisms that we use to deal now with global challenges like disease and famine ebola, aids poverty, we need to start fulling more into the fight against violent extremism and the organizations that are read leading this effort. we need everyone involved, governments, foundations, faith leaders, private sector that's what we are going to talk about at the whitehouse on february 18th. our collective security and

through it. it is not divorced from every thing that every single one of you is trying to do because the collective security brings you the stability that allows our economies to grow and to flourish, that allows innovation to take place and education to take place. and what we have to do is recognize that we have to bring this together in to a holistic strategy and it depends upon all of us stepping up to deal with it no one is divorced from this. let me tell you historically when believed we needed to do something, we found the money. we did it we made things happen. 75 years ago, we will set braille the end of world war ii when the united states and our allies made stopping fascism a priority. we find the $3.6 trillion to pay

for it in the decade plus since we went to war in iraq we found the several trillion. imagine the difference instead of spending 'twillions on a war we didn't have to fight, we invested that money in one that we do have to and so they found the money. leader after ledader in country after country said fighting the scourge of violent extremism is a global priority. let's prove t we have to get serious about investing in the things that really make a difference. [we don't make those investments today, we will pay far more down the road as extremists assert

their rain of terror broader more violently. remember the stakes. in recent years the talibantable attacked morning 1,000 schools. is that the future in the are we allow content to let that happen? boko haram's principle tack text are to butcher teachers kill boys and kidnap girls d.a.s.h. has shut down classrooms. countsless opportunities lost for young men and women who deserved a chance to pursue their dreams. just imagine what the threat level if we do not do what we should do now t pakistan's

moulala moulala her wish, for the children of thestangers, boys and girls, to get a real education. one of the major sources of hope in afghanistan is that millions of girls who once were denied schooling, in 2001 when we went in, there were less that a million kids in school in afghanistan almost none girls. now there are 7 million and 45% are girls. but still, there exists a large and growing gap between the multiple of people entering the workforce and the global youth unemployment level is at a record level, above 12% on average. much higher in developing lands and in near failing states. in some countries -- and i hate to say this but including in europe, as many as 60% of young people are both out of school without regular jobs each story

will end in frustration or opportunity. the outcome of the rates between hope denied and hopeful filled when he need to do more in training modern technology insuring participation of women and minorities. no one can tell me when you look around the world, much living on $1 a day, there aren't schools to be built, hospitals to be built and children to be educated and there is an amaidsing amount of money to be made and work to be done in the doing of that enterprise. economists tell us that at 50% cut in youth unemployment would increase global economic output by $3 trillion. it would also sharply reduce the pressure on young people to

pursue socially destructive options including terrorism in some cases and crime is it has been 20 years since the world trade center bombing and 13 and we have seen acts of terrorism from madrid bali to boston dlon to mumbai algeria to jerusalem and many many many points in between. we have responded with determination, thousands of military police have paid the ultimate sacrifice already in this confrontation. security firms work around the clock to keep us safe. in the battle of ideas, president obama the late king abdullah, king abdullah of jordan, pope francis, bank e moon. many others have tried to point

the way we have taken some important steps, yes. we have calculated a global counterterrorism forum and established a fund on community en gaugement to develop local solutions. in abu dhabi, there is a center for excellence encountering violent extremism. there are many other initiatives. but we have yet to i am mroement all of the tools to win this battle. at the beginning of my remarks, i mentioned two 14-year-olds, a syrian boy and a nigerian girl, two children who, when faced with the starkest choice imaginable bravely and thankfully chose life. it's pretty simple. we face choices of our own every day. we can continue along the road

or gift gears to a path that will demand for from us economically and socially. we can assure ourselves somehow it may not touch us that the threat is the somehow containable. you can think that if you want orb we can have a long term strategy to destroy its very roots and make life far better for far more people in far more places than we are prepared to today we might reflect on the claim some have made in recent years especially due to events in the middle east that the entire international system is somehow unravelling my own view my friends, is very different. in the course of my travels, i

don't see inraffling. i see nations working together to negotiate new and far-reaching trade packets to bring an end to the ebola epidemic, to seek the peacefully resolution posed by irantsnewable program, to restore peace based upon law in ukraine and having come together around sanctions and hild together and made a difference to reach an ambitious global agreement with a recent agreement between china and the u.s. that sets targets to try to make the paris negotiations this year a success, with efforts to curb the strife that plagues the central african republic the democratic republic of congo and other places. i i see countries sharing ideas about the post-2015 mel ilium government gomes determined to move beyond the impressive gains

we have made already. we are making progress. we have learned tools that don't work, we are increasing life expectingancy, fighting back against hiv and aids improving matternal healthcare aiding childhood nutrition and outgrowing the middle class in countries through history never enjoyed afternoon glimmer of prosperity. i have focused and the truth of the matter is we have faced more significant threats in the past statistics show with these increased acts of terror a smaller percentage of people today are dying violent deaths than at any point in modern history. one of the reasons we are achieving this progress is

because we have never been content to settle for the status yeah. we are where we are because this group here are builders. we are the descendants of innovators and doers who survived slavery plays, global conflicts, depressions, fascism, totalitarianism and the hom cost. we are the inhairiters of an active striftvisit tradition unafraid of challenges and is most effective when we are put to the test. it's our term a challenge to the nation stayed and the global rule of law and the forces that contribute to it and the dangers that flow from it compel us to prepare, plan, unite and insist that our collective future will be uncompromised by the primitive and paranoid ideas of terrorists, but instead, it will be built by the universal values

of decency and civility and knowledge and reason and law. that you is what we stand for. >> that's where we are stand with images of paris and peshwarara no one should down we will stand together. thank you all very, very much [applause.]

today, live coverage of the iowa freedom summit from des moines begins at 10:00 a.m. eastern. speakers include potential 2016 presidential candidates, governors rick perry, scott walker and chris christie former governor mike huckabee businessman donald trump and dr. ben carson as well as 2008 vice president nominee sarah palin, the iowa freedom summit on c-span c-span radio and cspan.org. former florida governor and possible republican candidate jeb bush spoke at the national automobile dealers association in san francisco. he offered a crittik. obama administration and out outlined some policyie for the

economy, energy exploration, healthcare immigration and the nation's infrastructure. he says that he is considering a run for president in 2016. this is about an hour. thank you. thank you for the great introduction. i have been asked about my family. my mom and dad are doing well. my dad, as you know is 90. mom is 89. they just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary [applause.] >> which i told my mom -- this isn't true but i told her that i have a bet with someone a $10