Dr. Rajiv Shah, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the U.S. government’s efforts to end extreme poverty. He chose to participate in the impact investing conference at the Vatican and met with Pope Francis directly to address world poverty, the future of impact investing, and promotion of resilient, vibrant democratic societies worldwide.
According to Dr. Rajiv Shah, “Social impact investing as a model is working, but the world’s poorest people still pay the most for things like clean water and basic health services.” To counter this problem, USAID joins forces with American corporations, foundations, and faith-based communities to help nations build market-based economies and democratic societies connected to the agency’s own mission.