[ Clinton Global Initiatives (CGI) in New York City ]
NEW YORK—The sixth annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) was kicked off Tuesday morning at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers by founder former President Bill Clinton with a session summarizing topics to be presented and discussed over the course of the conference.
Clinton also outlined opportunities for CGI members to “take action to improve the lives of people around the world.”
This year's meeting was attended by 67 current and former heads of state, more than 600 business leaders, and almost as many leaders from non-governmental organizations (NGO) and the philanthropic sector.
According to Clinton, the week-long conference will enable the CGI members to “make new connections, share insights and ideas and forge partnerships that will strengthen their work for years to come.”
“CGI members come from 90 different countries, speak many languages, work in all sectors and approach problems in unique ways,” said President Clinton.
To date, 1,946 commitments from CGI members have been made. They are valued at an estimated $63 billion dollars and, according to the CGI, have already improved nearly 300 million lives around the world.
Tuesday's opening session was a panel discussion on how corporations, governments, and non-profit foundations can better collaborate to help the poor empower themselves via improved access to education and health care. The session also touched on the topic of developing alternative sources of energy for creating a cleaner environment.
The panel comprised of Clinton, President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald, and Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Google Crisis Response will donate $1 million to flood relief efforts, and they also plan on working on the development of new technologies to aid flood victims. People Finder might be used to help people give and receive updates on friends and loved ones in times of crisis.
Covanta Holding Corporation announced a Plastic Recovery Partnership with Clean Up Our Ocean, which is due to commence later this year. Project Kaisei and Covanta Energy committed to remove and recycle plastic debris from the Pacific Ocean. According to CGI, this commitment is designed to develop a beneficial secondary market for properly processed waste, particularly plastic waste.
Since the CGI's inception in 2005, the annual meetings have brought together more than 125 current and former heads of state, 15 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and many hundreds of leading CEOs and heads of various foundations.
For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.
