Washington, D.C. – Today, President-elect Obama nominated former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk to the position of United States Trade Representative. As the nation’s chief trade negotiator and advisor to the president, Mayor Kirk can use this platform to help shape trade policy that provides opportunities for the world’s poorest people, ONE said today.

Following the President-elect’s announcement, David Lane, President and CEO of ONE, said:

“As the world adjusts to a global economic slowdown, Mayor Kirk should utilize trade as an effective tool to alleviate crushing poverty around the world. Development and trade go hand-in-hand, and, by integrating the two, the United States can provide smart aid that helps small businesses and farmers in poor countries trade their way out of poverty. Already, the U.S. has implemented solid programs such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) that are making a difference, but we need to do more.”

As the United States Trade Representative, Ron Kirk will have the opportunity to help shape a trade policy that promotes development in nations struggling to deal with conditions of extreme poverty.

Trade is an essential tool in a comprehensive approach to development because it provides countries the opportunity to grow their economies and fight poverty. Many nations lack necessary infrastructure such as roads and ports that bring African products to market as well as resources for finding buyers. The United States can lead this effort by further opening our market to products from African countries and by providing aid for trade that helps these countries to be more integrated in the global trading system.

ONE is a global organization uniting millions of people to press government leaders to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease around the world. For more information, visit www.ONE.org.