The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) was established in 2005 to bring together global leaders to take action to address some of the world's biggest challenges.
CGI U
Building on this successful model, President Bill Clinton held the second meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) at the University of Texas at Austin in February 2009 to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world. CGI U launched in March 2007 at Tulane University in New Orleans, where students, university presidents, and members of youth organizations gathered to address concerns related to education, energy and climate change, global health, peace and human rights, and poverty alleviation. Commitments resulting from CGI U Meetings include installing energy-efficient light bulbs and establishing bike-share programs on American campuses, distributing lifesaving water filtrations kits in communities around the world, and designing medical backpacks for nomadic doctors in Africa. Visit CGIU.org to learn more.
CGI Annual Meeting 2009
CGI's Annual Meeting is held each September in New York City. The meeting’s unique model focuses on Commitments to Action: a member’s new, specific, and measurable approach to a global challenge. Every year, new Commitments are launched; throughout the year, in-progress Commitments are monitored by the CGI team. To date, CGI's members have made more than 1,400 Commitments to Action valued at $46 billion. These commitments have improved more than 200 million lives in over 150 countries, and those made at the 2008 Annual Meeting are expected to improve 160 million lives. The CGI Fifth Annual Meeting will take place September 22-25, 2009, in New York City.
CGI Annual Meeting 2008
Attendees at the fourth Annual Meeting in September 2008 included:
- U.S. President Barack Obama
- Senator John McCain
- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
- Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
- Afghan President Hamid Karzai
- U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown
- Bill Gates
- Craig Barrett
- Lance Armstrong
- Matt Damon
As well as many more heads of state, business executives, Nobel Peace Prize winners, heads of nonprofit organizations and foundations, scholars, and members of the media.
Watch proceedings from the fourth Annual Meeting in 2008 via webcast.
CGI Asia
Last December 2-3, 400 influential Asian business, government, civil society, and philanthropic leaders met at CGI Asia in Hong Kong to develop solutions for the most urgent issues specific to the region. CGI Asia featured panels, workshops, and sessions devoted to addressing education, energy and climate change, and global health at the local, regional, and international levels. Members partnered together on nearly 70 Commitments to Action, which together have an estimated total value of $185 million. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will have a positive impact on more than 10 million lives.
MyCommitment.org
Global citizens also can get involved at www.MyCommitment.org, an online portal that allows everyone to make a commitment and connect with others who share their same vision for change.
To learn more, please visit www.ClintonGlobalInitiative.org.
PROFILE
Yongjun Heo of Swarthmore College is committing to expand the work of his student-led group Pemón Health, which he founded in 2007 to combat preventable illnesses in the indigenous village of Uriman in the Bolívar State of Venezuela.
