Tim Wirth, President, United Nations Foundation

Initiative Session Date: June 11, 2003

Summary:
Wirth acknowledged the complexity of the Seattle Initiative’s effort and made suggestions for the group to consider working toward increasing overall funding for international development by creating a "bigger pie" with a narrow political, but nonpartisan, effort, rather than a huge expensive, grassroots marketing effort to increase public awareness. He encouraged the group to develop a common agenda, to go after the “grass tops” elected officials and opinion leaders and tell them that we need to be more engaged internationally and what they can do to get us there. He also reminded Initiative participants that the power of the Initiative is the people behind it.

“You [IGD] have, obviously, a tremendous amount leverage. You know all of us come out here and come to Seattle because of what you are, and who you are and what’s going on here and the extraordinary energy and the extraordinary leadership in the Northwest, for all of the country. What you do, and how you build now, obviously now, on the coalition, and what you are doing is so extremely important.”
    

      -Tim Wirth, Speaking with the Initiative

Biography