Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the “Partnerships in Action: Honoring Our Commitment to Afghan Allies” Reception

MODERATOR:  We will now begin our formal program.  Please welcome to the stage the Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma, White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, #AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver, and Florence Pouya.  (Applause.) 

DEPUTY SECRETARY VERMA:  Okay.  Well, welcome, everybody.  Good evening, good evening.  Thank you for joining us.  Thank you for joining us tonight to honor the amazing partnerships that have helped resettle thousands of our Afghan allies since August 2021.  The U.S. Government, in partnership with many of the organizations here tonight and countless more, has undertaken significant efforts to relocate and resettle 183,000 Afghans who faced risks following the end of the U.S. operations in Afghanistan. 

This collaborative initiative reflects a commitment to safeguarding allies, including interpreters, civil society leaders, women leaders, and their families, who stood beside the United States for over 20 years.  They partnered with us to build their country in a way that reflects the true ideals and values of Afghanistan, and to secure a brighter future for themselves and their families.  It seems nearly impossible to resettle and relocate thousands, especially with obstacles at every turn, and it would have been impossible if it were not for the organizations represented here tonight.  So thank you for your contributions, your commitment, and your focus on the humanity in us all.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)

It’s now my honor to introduce the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.  Under his steadfast leadership, the department was able to navigate the complex aftermath of the Taliban takeover of Kabul.  His unwavering dedication has been instrumental in our efforts to resettle and relocate our Afghan allies. 

Mr. Secretary, thank you for everything that you’ve done.  The floor is yours.  Thank you. (Applause.)

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you.  Thank you, everyone.  Good evening.  First of all, welcome to the State Department.  It’s wonderful to see this particular group of extraordinary people gathered here this evening.  And I am going to say at the outset I’m going to be rude; I’m going to have to leave immediately upon sharing a few thoughts with you because I’ve got to catch a plane to head to Europe.  But I did not want this day to go by without having a chance to spend a few minutes with you and to take account of the remarkable work, the life-changing work, that so many people in this room have done.

For decades we’ve had Afghans, as you heard from Rich, from all walks of life taking extraordinary risks to build a more peaceful, a more prosperous, a more inclusive country.  They fought for equal rights for women and girls, for freedom of religion, for democracy.  And so many, over years, especially the 20 years preceding the Taliban takeover, worked side by side with U.S. diplomats, U.S. soldiers, with international organizations, with others – all with the purpose of advancing progress for the Afghan people.  Interpreters, some ran education programs, others provided medical care – each and every one extraordinary in their dedication to their country, to its people, to their future.

When President Biden ended America’s longest war, he made a commitment that the United States would always stand with our partners, including by continuing to facilitate relocation, resettlement, by bringing people to safety.  And we’re all here tonight because we shared in that commitment, we shared in that pledge.

In 2021, as the Taliban took over Afghanistan, people from around the world jumped into action to evacuate our Afghan partners and their families, to take our friends in civil society, first and foremost, who’ve done such remarkable work.  And I would start with – I’m always trying to find the right words to describe Shawn – (laughter) – indefatigable, unstoppable.  But Shawn VanDiver, who has been such an extraordinary leader in this effort.  (Applause.)

Now, you’ll hear from Shawn in a moment.  You’d expect that we would of course hear from Shawn.  (Laughter.)  But along with members of the #AfghanEvac Coalition, he dropped everything and worked around the clock, literally around the clock, to help Afghans escape.  Over the last three years, so many of you have continued to go to extraordinary lengths to deliver on this shared commitment to the Afghan people. 

Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Albania, Kosovo, the Philippines, and other countries have all provided safe haven for Afghans on their way to their new homes.  Colleagues across the department, across the United States Government, led with diplomacy to build this international network.  They reviewed sometimes incredibly complex cases with care, with compassion, and with determination.  Partners on both sides of the aisle in Congress have provided critical funding and legislative authorities where necessary, including two members who are here with us tonight – Representative Scott Peters, Senator Chris Coons — and I’m so grateful to them for their leadership and their work.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

And where’s – and Chris is here somewhere too. 

Our friends from nonprofits, from resettlement agencies have worked across the United States to support refugees – enrolling kids in local schools; connecting people to English classes; offering sometimes just a friendly smile, a warm meal; showing a new family around town.  In 2023, the State Department launched the Welcome Corps, a program that empowers American citizens to act as sponsors for refugees in their communities.  And I have to say as I’ve seen this take root in all 50 states, people coming forward in their communities to sponsor Afghans, it’s been quite remarkable, and I think it speaks powerfully to the desire across our country, across our communities – again in every state – to do just what the Welcome Corps says: to welcome new Americans to our shores so that they can continue the story of our country.

Last year, we grew our collaboration with #AfghanEvac and it’s 200-member coalition of organizations and nonprofits.  Together, we’ve pooled resources.  We’ve made the resettlement processes more efficient than they were.  We coordinated our efforts more closely with other civil society groups.  As a result of these partnerships, as a result of this extraordinary effort, nearly twice as many Afghans came to the United States in 2024 than the year before.  (Applause.) 

More than 3,000 refugees – hundreds of them Afghans – have built more than new lives.  They built new lives here in America, in our cities, in our towns because of this Welcome Corps program.  And so far, more than 125,000 Americans have applied through Welcome Corps to be sponsors.  Again, that speaks volumes about the heart of this country.  Altogether, since 2021, we’ve reunited thousands of Afghan families, and we’ve relocated and resettled more than 180,000 Afghans.  (Applause.)

And what are we seeing as a result?  We’re seeing new friends, new partners, new citizens-to-be – enriching businesses with their talents, bringing their knowledge, their perspective to our schools, sharing parts of their culture – their food, their music – with their neighbors, enriching this country.  Afghans have become an integral part of our communities, and we’ve seen that take place in a very short period of time.

Now, having said all that, I think everyone in this room knows that we still have a lot more to do – a lot more to do for Afghans in our country, a lot more to do for those who are still on the way. 

We need to expedite the resettlement of Afghans from countries that have offered them temporary shelter.  We need to find more countries that are willing to offer to provide them permanent resettlement.  We need our colleagues in Congress to expand access to Special Immigrant Visas.  And we need this extraordinary network of partners to continue their heroic efforts. 

Now, around this room tonight, we have the paintings that Afghan children made while they were waiting to come to the United States as well as to other countries.  And you see them here behind me and all around the room.  They left some colorful handprints.  They drew loved ones.  One child included lines from the poet Rumi at the bottom of her painting: a call to sow, and I quote, “the seeds of kindness and of love.” 

Now, like many of you, I’ve had the privilege to meet with some of these remarkable young people all around the world.  I’ve been struck time and again by their determination, by their resilience, by their bravery.  They’ve shared their hopes with me.  They’ve shared their hopes with you – to finish their education, to become fashion designers, to start their own businesses.  Many of these kids will now be able to pursue their dreams in safety and that is thanks in large part to everyone in this room. 

So we all get to do lots of different things in our lives, in our careers – whether it’s here at the State Department or in the work that each and every one of you is doing – but it’s not often that you get the opportunity to actually make such a profound difference in one person’s life – in a child’s life, in a family’s life – and maybe, to put it as simply as possible, an opportunity to help someone’s story continue, a story that otherwise might have ended and ended very differently. 

So to each and every one of you, thank you for these extraordinary contributions you’ve made to helping stories continue, the extraordinary difference you’ve made in people’s lives – that’s invaluable.  But it doesn’t just happen; it happened because of you, because of this shared commitment, because of our determination to do as right as we can by so many Afghan friends and partners who stood side by side with us for so many years. 

And all I can say in wishing you a good continuation this evening is let’s keep at it.  There’s more work to be done.  We all know that.  Let’s do it.

Thank you so very much.  (Applause.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY VERMA:  Mr. Secretary, thank you so much.  I’ll now turn the floor over to President Biden’s Homeland Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall.  Liz played a pivotal role in coordinating the relocation and resettlement of Afghans for this administration.  She led interagency efforts to streamline and ensure safe passage to the United States for our allies.  Liz’s leadership was instrumental in managing these complex national security and resettlement priorities.  Liz, your efforts ensured that thousands of individuals who supported the United States were given a chance at safety and a new beginning.  Your commitment to upholding our nation’s promise to its allies reflects true compassion and leadership.

Ladies and gentlemen, Liz Sherwood-Randall.  (Applause.)

MS SHERWOOD-RANDALL:  Good evening, everyone.  What a joy it is to be here with you tonight.  Thank you, Secretary Blinken, who I think has headed out the door now, and Deputy Secretary Verma, my friend Rich.  It’s really an honor to be with you here for this meaningful celebration of what we have accomplished together in our efforts to welcome our Afghan partners to our communities.

These efforts, to quote Hillary Clinton in another context, take a village.  And you are the village.  This would not have been possible without you.  The fact that we were able, as you’ve already heard and you know, to locate – to relocate to the United States more than 180,000 Afghan newcomers since August 2021 has depended so much on our civil society partners.  You have been our secret sauce of success.  Without you this would not have worked.  You have represented – you are represented by many of the organizations here tonight, but there are also many who aren’t here tonight, because there are so many across the country.  I’m looking at my friend Kari McDonough, who’s taught me so much about the generosity of spirit and the openness of our communities, the desire to play a part in this process.  And we want to express our gratitude.  So for those of you who are here, please communicate out to those who are not how thankful we are for your tireless efforts all throughout this process from the very beginning.

You brought us ground truth and the insights into where things were working and where things were not working.  And honestly, Rich told you that I ran this process.  A lot of things did not work at the outset, and a lot of things we had to make up from scratch.  And so we found that our communications were not working with our Afghan partners.  They weren’t working with our communities.  We needed to fix that.  Our bureaucracy was not built to move as fast as the situation required.  We needed to build a whole new system of welcome.  You brought your creative ideas to us to overcome many challenges, and those challenges that we overcame have also – that we overcame then have also informed our ability to welcome new communities of people from other places in the world to our homeland since then, because we learned so much from that effort.

You kept us focused also on implementation of our Enduring Welcome commitment.  You have helped Afghans apply for relocation programs.  You’ve helped validate their employment or their U.S. ties.  And you welcomed newcomers into your own homes.  I know this – again, Kari McDonough, who has had an Afghan family arrive very recently to stay with her and with her husband, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, before moving into their own apartment.  And now Welcome Corps of course is built as an enduring legacy for our country to help future generations come to our country and build our strength.

Indeed, you’ve reminded us what many of our own families went through when they came to this country, whether they came decades ago or more recently, a century ago perhaps as my grandparents did, great-grandparents did, or just in the last few months.  Settling into a new country is hard.  Making connections in a place where you don’t yet have the language and where there are completely new customs, you do depend on the kindness of strangers and the willingness of government at the federal, state, and local level to help you, and especially if you’re also still fearful for those you’ve left behind, as is the case with our Afghan partners.

So I just want to underscore today that this effort, which reflects the strength of this Department of State and all the diplomats here today – I see so many of my colleagues who’ve been essential to this mission; Holly Holzer is standing right there, John Bass next to her – you have been key to this whole endeavor from the very start. 

We together have undertaken a noble effort that truly showcases the best of who we are as Americans: helping the Afghans who stood with the United States and in so doing helping our fellow Americans to be open to the continuing promise of America and to fulfill the obligation that many of us feel to our partners. 

So on behalf of President Biden and the whole White House team, I want to thank you.  You remind us of why this vital work must continue, and we are grateful for your fidelity to this cause and the friendships that we have forged through the good, hard work that we have done together.  Thank you again.  (Applause.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY VERMA:  Liz, thank you so much.  Thank you for your leadership.  Next we will hear from Shawn VanDiver.  As the Secretary said, there really aren’t words to describe Shawn – (laughter) – but I will try.  Shawn is the founder and president of #AfghanEvac, which is dedicated to coordinating efforts to assist Afghans relocating and resettling out of Afghanistan. 

Shawn is a Navy veteran.  He is an experienced advocate.  He’s played a critical role in bringing together government agencies, nonprofits, private organizations to ensure the safe resettlement of thousands of vulnerable individuals.  Shawn’s leadership and unwavering commitment have been instrumental in fostering collaboration and providing hope to those in need.  I will say not a week goes by where I do not get multiple texts from Shawn – (laughter) – which is exactly how it should be.  Shawn’s work continues to highlight the importance of unity, collaboration, and action between the government and the private sector. 

Shawn, we’ve all learned so much from you.  We’ve been so grateful for your efforts and we really thank you for everything that you’ve done.  Shawn VanDiver.  (Applause.)

MR VANDIVER:  All right.  Good evening, everyone.  As we gather here in the Benjamin Franklin Room, named for America’s first diplomat, surrounded by art created by our Afghan friends, I’d like to start by reflecting on the wisdom of Franklin himself.  He wrote this prayer:  “That I may have tenderness for the weak and a reverent respect for the ancient; that I may be kind to my neighbors, good-natured to my companions, and hospitable to strangers.”  Franklin picked his words carefully: “that I may.”  He recognized that these virtues were not a given.  They’re a choice.

The work that we’ve done together over the last three-plus years to support our Afghan allies is an embodiment of the virtues that Franklin extolled: to honor the hospitality and kindness that America strives to embody, to welcome those who come to our shores seeking safety and opportunity, to help those who have helped us.  Franklin recognized that these things don’t just happen.  We must choose to make them happen, then we must strive toward them hourly, daily, continually. 

So tonight we’re here to celebrate the successes that we’ve shared together, to acknowledge the reality of the challenges that we still face, and to urge our nation to continue to choose to support our Afghan allies, to keep our promises, to be kind to our neighbors and hospitable to strangers – in short, to choose to do the right thing.

Before I go any further, I want to give a special acknowledgment to Roushani Mansoor for her incredible work in organizing this event.  Roushani, where are you at?  (Cheers and applause.)  She’s right back there.  (Applause.)

Roushani, your attention to detail, your creative vision, (inaudible) putting all the frames together for this art – you brought this evening to life.  And now that I’ve thanked you, it’s time for me to apologize.  She gave me a time limit – (laughter) – and I think you guys know I’m not that good at protocol, so buckle up, everybody.  I’ll apologize to you too also, Rich.

Thank you, Deputy Secretary Verma, for your kind words and for hosting us in this iconic space.  Truly folks, look around, walk around.  They probably won’t stop you.  Go in all the rooms. 

A thank you to Secretary Blinken.  I know he’s on his flight.  He delayed his flight to Europe to go do the relentless diplomacy that he’s famous for to come here and talk to us.  He’s had extraordinary – he’s had an extraordinary and steadfast commitment that has been so indispensable to this effort.  It set a standard that we should all strive to meet, an example that we should continue to follow.

Thank you to Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall, who along with Curtis Ried and Jon Finer have all at various times been my break glass in case of emergency whenever urgent action was required but not happening.

And I wish I could thank every other nongovernment and government person in this room.  Our relationships has been – have been forged in fire, but the truth is – is that the commitment of this whole administration to our Afghan allies has been marked by remarkable creativity.  We try, we fail, we try something new.  The willingness to consistently collaborate, to innovate, and to take constructive feedback is precisely why this effort has been so successful and effective.

I also want to express my deep gratitude to our international partners who are in attendance from Qatar, Albania, Kosovo, Pakistan, the Philippines, and more.  Without your support this work just wouldn’t continue.  Please let’s give a round of applause for our international friends.  (Applause.)

I also want to thank and speak directly to the journalists in the room.  The stories you report shape how people understand this work.  They may not always seem sexy or dramatic, but they matter.  This partnership matters.  Your words can honor our combined efforts and inspire others to believe in what’s possible when government and civil society work together hand in hand.  This issue remains in the news, however sporadically, because of so many of you and your colleagues who worked alongside our mission in Afghanistan, keeping government honest and sharing the stories of those impacted.  So look around, meet a source, make a friend, even if it’s an off-the-record friend.  But please continue to tell this story.  Make sure history and the American public know what we all in this room have done together.

For the last three years, we – all of us here and those out there who couldn’t make it – have worked together in various ways to support Afghans desperately seeking a chance at a better future.  We’ve helped friends and strangers alike to navigate overly complicated government systems, to overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers, and, in the best cases, to reach safety and the opportunity to build a new life here in the United States.  This incredible partnership of veterans, volunteers, nonprofit leaders, congressional caseworkers, and government officials from all across the American experience is an unprecedented story of collaboration and civic engagement, of lives changed and futures changed, one worthy of being told and retold.

For #AfghanEvac, it started with several people who I’m happy to see in this room today.  I think back to that very first meeting on August 16th, 2021.  Chris Purdy and Camille Mackler and Steve Miska from Evacuate Our Allies, Loren Voss from No One Left Behind, Joe Saboe from Team America, and so many more convened to make sure that we were deconflicting our efforts, broadening communications, and finding ways to stretch the collective resources that we had. 

I think about that first meeting with government, September 13th, 2021.  Our partners at Task Force Pineapple had just met with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.  I flew in for a quick follow-up, having gained entry thanks to March Bishop and Heather Callahan and Pat Callahan.  You guys still glad you put me in that room?  (Laughter.)  Scott Mann, Chuck Rush, Mike Jason, Joy Shanaberger, Alex Plitsas, and so many more were in that meeting that first day.  Also in that room, on the other side of the table, were Becky Zimmerman, JP Feldmayer, and now Ambassador Timmy Davis, all people who I realized shared the same sentiment that those on our side of the table shared: that the work had just begun and that we needed to collaborate if we hoped to find success and help our allies.

It was in that room that the #AfghanEvac partnership with the State Department was born.  What we’ve built isn’t glamorous or shiny.  It’s gritty, it’s stitched together; sometimes it’s messy.  It’s the result of long hours, tough decisions, and a willingness to keep pushing even against seemingly immovable obstacles.  But despite all of that, it’s beautiful, because this is what keeping your promise looks like.

Together we’ve built an unprecedented partnership between government and civil society that is helping people who risked everything to stand beside us.  We have built something that should serve as an example for the future when crises arise.  We know they’re coming.  We’re know they’re going to arise.

The Afghan poet Rumi wrote:  Know that from ruin you can find treasure.  When Kabul fell, we were faced with ruin, chaos, heartbreak, unimaginable loss.  Lives were lost, dreams were dashed, and hope seemed distant.  But in that ruinous moment there were glimmers of hope: all of you.  We saw thousands of people from across the globe volunteer their time, talent, and treasure to make a difference, to keep the promise that Americans made.

Since then, we’ve assisted families in need by providing direct aid in the form of food, shelter, and medical care.  We’ve helped people fill out and re-fill out complicated paperwork and understand complex government systems.  We’ve uncovered gaps and overlaps in bureaucratic processes and pushed to fix them.  We have demanded better communications and greater clarity for those facing uncertainty and fear.  We have refused to take no for an answer or to give up on successfully delivering on the promise of America.

This effort, funded at about $2 billion a year, is a fraction of the $2.23 million – trillion spent on the Afghan war.  Its impact should be measured not just in dollars spent but in lives saved.  Our work ensures that even though the war is ended, we continue to honor our commitments, not just as a policy choice but as a moral imperative.  Because of our combined efforts, over 180,000 Afghans have arrived in this country since August of 2021 and been given a chance to pursue their own American dream.  Together, the push and pull of government and civil society, of people in power and people with passion, has moved mountains.  The ruin cannot be undone, but the treasure lies in those lives rebuilt, those families reunited, and those futures renewed. 

I wish I could name and thank every single person who contributed to #AfghanEvac’s success and the success of our entire larger movement, but the sheer size of this community in and out of government makes it impossible to acknowledge everyone who deserves recognition.  Thousands of individuals have dedicated countless hours to this work, most often without any compensation or recognition.  To get this work done, many, including many in this room, have gone into debt, they’ve lost time with their families – some have lost their families – and sacrificed their own mental and physical well-being.  But let me say this:  Each of you in this room and those of you who are watching on a livestream and couldn’t join us, each of you changed someone’s life for the better.  You belong here.  You’re deserving of this recognition that this event symbolizes and so much more.

I do want to acknowledge two Afghans whose presence here is especially meaningfully to me personally.  My friend and brother, Abdul Manan – many of you probably know him as “Lucky” – texted me from a mountain in Urgun on August 14, 2021, asking for help.  So many of you got similar texts.  He was the inspiration for the organization #AfghanEvac, and responsible for my involvement in this effort.

I also want to recognize the incredibly brave Florence Pouya, a brilliant young leader who embodies the resilience and promise of Afghan women and is forging a path as an MIT aerospace engineering student and our #AfghanEvac youth ambassador.  You’ll hear from her a little bit later.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge several key individuals from government who made this partnership so successful – Ambassador John Bass, Ambassador Timmy Davis, Ambassador Beth Jones, Karen Decker, JP Feldmayer, Scott Weinhold, Rena Bitter, Suzy George, Allison Wong, and so many more who have helped stand this effort up and keep it moving; the incredible work that the current CARE team is doing under the leadership of Mara Tekach, Darion Akins, Pamela Bates, Dan Forbes, and so many others. 

Back in the fall of 2021, we set a goal which became Enduring Welcome.  And at the time, it seemed lofty and out of reach, but these folks at CARE brought it into reality.  And as a result, thousands of Afghans are joining our communities every single month. 

I also want to lift up two members of the #AfghanEvac team who transitioned into government roles early on and have made an outsized impact.  March Bishop and Jessica Bradley Rushing took the U.S. Government by storm when they joined CARE, bringing the knowledge, tenacity, and heart to this work that defines so many of the volunteers and workers who have made such a difference these last few years.  Together, you have both transformed bureaucracy into a tool for good – something so rare and extraordinary. 

I also want to thank Congressman Scott Peters who is here today.  He has been with #AfghanEvac since before it was #AfghanEvac.  Like, he is the – literally the first person I texted when “Lucky” called.  He also officiated my wedding.  He’s a good dude.  (Laughter.)  Congressman Zach Nunn, who has been a member of our coalition since the early days as a founder of Task Force Argo, has been a strong advocate.  He will be at our happy hour later.  Come to Tonic, everybody.  Both members have been strong partners to Afghans and incredible allies.  And finally, Senator Chris Coons was here earlier.  He has been such a strong partner to Afghans, #AfghanEvac, and to the State Department team executing this work.

It’s thanks to these people and many more our teams have done things that many believed to be impossible.  Despite all of that, the reality is that challenges remain.  And because I am who I am, I’m going to speak a little bit of truth to power since they gave me a microphone, and remind us of the problems that still need to be fixed.

It still takes years – far too long – for our allies, for our Afghan allies, to get through the various hurdles that we’ve created before they can reach safety.  Communications, both within our systems and with the people we aim to serve, remain inconsistent and often inadequate.  Family reunification remains elusive to so many.  And fundamentally, our immigration system still doesn’t meet the urgency of the needs of today. 

These challenges temper our celebration tonight.  We must continue to push forward, demand better, and do more for those who have earned their chance to start fresh in America.

And as we gather here tonight, the uncertainty of a new administration looms large.  Priorities may shift.  Approaches may change.  A new administration brings fresh ideas, but it also brings the unknown.  This work – the lives touched and the futures changed – must transcend politics, which is why our efforts, our advocacy, and our unity are more vital now than ever.

The road ahead may be not – may not be easy, but guess what?  The road behind was pretty bumpy too, right.  If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that we’ve created a resilient team.  We built this community to tackle hard challenges and create solutions, to kick in closed doors and build bridges, to find solutions and keep pushing, to ensure that the work of concluding a war is conducted with the same resolve and enthusiasm as the work of waging one. 

The good news is that many of us know the incoming administration includes individuals deeply committed to this cause, most notably Mike Waltz.  The incoming national security advisor is a friend to so many in this room and has shown profound dedication to supporting Afghan allies.  His office is going to be right down this – right down the hallway from the president.

I challenge all of us, and especially those stepping into new leadership roles:  Choose to continue this work.  There are tens of thousands more Afghan allies who still need our help, so let’s engage, advocate, and collaborate to ensure that the progress we’ve made is not only preserved but expanded together.

Remember – oh, no, we’re not done.  We’re close, though.  (Laughter.)  I know.  I told – I should have told you all to grab a seat.

But remember, good things don’t just happen, right.  We have to choose to make them happen, like Ben said.  Our collective efforts, rooted in grit and determination, have reshaped what’s possible.  We’ve demonstrated what it means to honor our commitments, to persist in the face of obstacles, and to act with integrity and humanity.  The work isn’t finished, but I know we’ll face what comes next with the same strength and resolve, innovation and partnership, that brought us together here tonight.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

We made it.  We made it through.

DEPUTY SECRETARY VERMA:  Shawn, I’m just glad we didn’t enforce the time limit on you because – (laughter) – it was perfect.  Really, it —

MR VANDIVER:  (Off-mike.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY VERMA:  It was perfect.  Really, your dedication has been amazing and we’re so grateful.

So our final speaker is Florence Pouya.  Florence is a passionate advocate for education and gender equality, known for her pivotal role on the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, also known as the Afghan Dreamers.  She and a number of her teammates were relocated to Qatar and Mexico following the Taliban takeover.  A champion for young women in STEM, Florence has worked tirelessly to create opportunities for Afghan girls to pursue their dreams despite incredible challenges.  Florence now lives in Massachusetts and is an undergraduate at MIT.  She was one of 26 students admitted to MIT’s aerospace engineering program this year, which is incredibly impressive.  Her dream is to be Afghanistan’s first female astronaut, and she is clearly well on her way.

Florence, the floor is yours.  (Cheers and applause.)

MS POUYA:  Good evening, everyone.  It’s my great honor to be here today as a youth ambassador from Afghanistan.  I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Deputy Secretary Verma for hosting this incredible event and to everyone here who has been tirelessly working to support Afghans since the collapse of our country.  Your efforts are invaluable.  And I’m standing here today as a testament to the power of hope, perseverance, and generosity of those who believe in a better future for all. 

My journey to this moment has not been simple.  In August 2021, when I was only 15 years old, I had to leave my country, my home.  The Taliban had taken over and my life, my safety, and the dreams that I had built for myself collapsed.  I left behind everything – my family, my friends, my memories, and the future that I had envisioned.  The journey to escape was not easy.  It was so challenging, and after three days of terror and trying to survive, I fled to Qatar with my teammates, where I spent the two next years.  And it was a journey that I didn’t know what’s next, what am I supposed to do.  And there I met incredible people, like Mr. Shawn, that will play a key role in my journey.  Yeah.  And in May 2023, I received approval for – as a refugee after being referred to USRAP as a P-1, and I arrived in the United States when I just turned 17 years old. 

It was my first time in this country, and as a minor without my family it was extremely challenging for me to adjust to the life in New York.  There were moments that I felt completely alone.  I was uncertain of how to navigate this new world.  But despite all the challenges, I started to dream again.  I got accepted to Iowa State University, so I moved to the Midwest.  I would say it was not easy even there because, unlike many of my peers, I did not have a home to go when the breaks came.  I would watch all my friends and other students pack up your bags to visit your family, but I just remained alone, homesick, and no family to visit. 

Since I left home, to be honest, breaks or holidays have never been my favorite part of the year.  But nonetheless, I started to push myself even harder, dedicated myself to my education and also to my new life here. 

Since leaving Afghanistan, I have spoken to the UN conferences, to global media, (inaudible) organization in Afghanistan, trying to inspire my peers to hold on to hope and continue their education in whatever way possible.  Some of my friends – to be honest, many of my friends – were forced to early marriages, their dreams cut short, and now their lives and their future utterly controlled by men.  Imagine.  Imagine having no say in who you marry, no say in bearing children, no say in when you may leave your home.  This is the reality for many, many young girls in Afghanistan right now, and this is a fate that I deny to accept for myself or for them.

But even when I was, like, trying to fight for the – for Afghanistan and for my peers, I was also struggling myself, too.  I did not know anyone who to ask for guidance and support myself or my family, or I didn’t know how to get legal support or how to apply, for example, for family reunification. 

Then, in May this year, I got accepted to MIT, where I – of course, it’s my dream school, and I was so happy for that.  Then I got invited to a conference in Washington, D.C., where I met Shawn again and Ms. Jessica for the first time.  Then that week I went to State Department, White House, and got connected to incredible people who promised to help me and my family to get reunited again.

To be honest, that week was very special to me, because for the first time I felt that I was not alone.  There are people who care, people who are trying to help my family to reunite with me.  But the fact that there are still incredible and talented young women left behind in Afghanistan under the oppressive regime of Afghanistan really bothers me a lot.  I can never stop thinking about them.

Women in my country denied the right to work, to education, to walk down the street freely without a male escort – this is not normal nor fair.  Nowhere in this planet any country subjected its women to such suffering, and on here is an example of what Afghan women can achieve.  I’m determined – (cheers and applause) – I’m determined to be the first Afghan female astronaut, not only for myself but for all the other girls who were left behind back home, to inspire them and remind them that regardless of the current situation, your dreams are valid.  And I want to show the world that being born as a woman in a war-torn third world country does not mean that you are destined to remain at – confined at home.

I’m deeply grateful to see this room filled with people who are dedicated to helping individuals like me and my friends back home.  Your commitment to our cause gives me hope and really reinforces the belief that we are not alone as we navigate such difficult circumstances.  Thank you for listening, and through my experience I hope to shed light to untold stories from Afghan girls whose potential is still waiting to be unlocked and whose future is still in limbo.  Thank you again.  (Cheers and applause.)

DEPUTY SECRETARY VERMA:  Florence, thank you so much.  Incredibly moving speech, incredible story, and again, your story about education and perseverance, we all learned so much from it.  So thank you.

Thank you all for being here.  I want to close out the program with just a few thank yous.  There is an entire community of people – Shawn mentioned a number of them – who’ve made this program possible, but first I want to thank Under Secretary John Bass.  John.  (Applause.)  Simply put, without John, this program, this effort would not exist.  We owe our deepest gratitude for your leadership, for your tireless efforts.  Your dedication to ensuring the safety of those at risk has made an immeasurable impact on countless lives.  Your work embodies the principles of compassion and service, and it has been and continues to be a source of inspiration for the entire State Department.

To the Office for the Coordinator of Afghan Relocation Efforts, or CARE, its leadership team – Mara, Darion, and Dan Forbes and the entire CARE team – you were asked to do something – (applause) – thank you.  You were asked to do something the U.S. Government and this department had never done before, and you did it with enthusiasm and determination.  You prioritized the dignity of our Afghan allies and supported them through a tumultuous time in their lives.

To the numerous bureaus and offices who have worked on supporting our Afghan relocation efforts – Consular Affairs, PRM, SCA’s Afghan SIV unit, so many more – it was a true testament to what we can accomplish together: record-breaking visa adjudications and resettlements leading to changed lives.

To our bilateral partners represented here today, the United States ability to honor our commitment to our Afghan allies is predicated on your partnership.  Thank you for helping us in this essential mission.

And to our numerous NGO and civil society partners, you have all played an invaluable role in the relocation and resettlement of our Afghan allies.  In particular, Shawn – #AfghanEvac – has been a tremendous partner in these efforts.  Again, you’ve pushed the department to consider new perspectives.  From securing housing to offering language support and job opportunities, your compassion has made a lasting impact on countless lives.  All of you together have shown the strength of partnership and the enduring commitment to uphold our shared values of humanity and solidarity. 

Thank you all for being such an essential part of this mission.  Thank you all for joining us here tonight to celebrate.  Thank you all for continuing to work with us in the weeks and months ahead.  I hope you leave here with a deep appreciation for the many accomplishments in supporting our Afghan allies over these past several years, and at this point I’ll invite our colleagues from the press corps to depart and we will now proceed with the remainder of the reception.  Thank you so much.  Appreciate it.  (Applause.)