This morning, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released the much anticipated Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).  She called for a new approach to U.S. foreign policy with a clear focus on results and transparency, marking a bold step towards implementing a smart power foreign policy by elevating our civilian resources and ensuring effective, results-driven programs. 

You can read the State Department’s Fact Sheet, Executive Summary and Full Report and USGLC’s Cliff Notes and Press Release.

After a moment of silence for the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who died this week and to whom the QDDR is dedicated,  Secretary Clinton began her remarks, making clear the broad scope and broad vision of the QDDR. She said the reforms contained in the QDDR would impact every single employee at State and USAID every single day, and that it means “changing the way we do business from top to bottom.”

Secretary Clinton called development a strategic, economic and moral imperative, and made clear that we must elevate it to an equal pillar of defense and diplomacy if we hope to respond to a rapidly changing global landscape.

The QDDR will rely on forward-looking, innovative technology to help the agencies practice “21^st Century Statecraft.” Secretary Clinton put a strong focus on transparency, accountability, and the need for effective, efficient programs that are results-driven. She said bolstering U.S. civilian power is a “wise investment” for American taxpayers.

In addition, Secretary Clinton said the reforms of the QDDR will empower USAID, and that she is determined to make it the world’s premier development agency. From Feed the Future to global health (by 2012), USAID will take on a new leadership role within the U.S. Government and around the world.

Want more QDDR? Secretary Clinton details how she plans to redefine American diplomacy and development following the QDDR in Foreign Affairs magazine. She says the QDDR is a blueprint for future reforms. Read the complete essay.