The Star Tribune yesterday ran a really compelling op-ed calling upon Congress to pursue a bipartisan approach in the ongoing fight against global poverty. And the men who penned the piece know a little something about bipartisan efforts. J. Brian Atwood and Andrew Natsios are both former USAID administrators who have served under Democratic and Republican administrations and belong to different political parties.

But they both strongly agree that “the need to elevate global poverty reduction as a key national priority is urgent and that the private sector, especially U.S. business, has a critical role to play in spurring growth and creating jobs around the world.” Bringing people together in uniquely nonpartisan fashion in order to achieve honest and practical solutions is the trademark of the ONE Campaign.

Excerpts below, full piece here

Poverty reduction relies on robust and sustainable economic growth. Accordingly, our aid, trade and investment policies must focus on generating wealth and creating employment in the developing world. U.S. policies toward developing countries at present involve far too many agencies chasing too few dollars and without any guiding framework.

Government has a leadership role to play in establishing the right policy environment, funding key infrastructure investments and providing incentives where private capital investment is lagging. The next president needs to reach across the aisle and lead a bipartisan approach to reduce global poverty. Yet government on its own cannot end poverty without the engine of private sector growth to create jobs, generate wealth and boost national income.

U.S. policy should help develop a strong private sector in poor countries, with particular emphasis on helping create small and medium enterprises, the foundation of any healthy economy. It should also help engage multinational companies in the business of development. These companies have the financial and technical capability to make real investments in both infrastructure and human capacity — and the long-term interest to make their engagement sustainable.

-Chris Scott