WATCH LIVE THIS AM: President Bill Clinton Announcing New Projects to Help Islands Impacted by Hurricanes, Prepare for 2018 Storm Season
President Clinton announcing Commitments to Action at today’s CGI Action Network meeting at the University of Miami, which brings together leaders from government, business, and civil society to address post-disaster recovery
Today, August 7, President Clinton will convene the second meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery, bringing together more than 400 leaders from government, business, and civil society to make commitments to help communities impacted by last year’s devastating hurricane season.
At the meeting, stakeholders will continue working to create CGI Commitments to Action – new, specific, and measurable projects to address critical issues such as disaster preparedness, agricultural production, mental health, energy efficiency, and workforce development. New commitments will aim to assist with immediate needs as well as the long-term recovery and opportunity in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Dominica, and Antigua & Barbuda.
The plenary session, including these new announcements, will be livestreamed beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET. Watch live here: live.clintonfoundation.org
Featured participants of today’s meeting include President Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States, founder and board chair, Clinton Foundation; Nikima Royer Jno Baptiste, chief executive officer, Digicel Dominica; Dee Baecher-Brown, president, Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands; Bob Lord, chief digital officer, IBM; Rosie Perez, actress and activist; Ingrid Riley, founder, Silicon Caribe Media; Javier Saade, venture partner, Fenway Summer; Board of Trustees of The Nature Conservancy and Pan American Development Foundation; Board of Advisors of Univision Communications; Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers, and more.
COMMITMENTS TO ACTION ANNOUNCED AT THE PREVIOUS MEETING IN APRIL
Prior to today’s meeting, members of the CGI community made Commitments to Action that are currently impacting lives in islands across the Caribbean region. See prior Commitment information below – to learn more, and see clips of each commitment announcement, see: https://bit.ly/2q9F1xX
– The Government of Dominica has committed to launch a climate resiliency agency (CREAD), dedicating $600 million in funding to implement resiliency projects, with the goal of making Dominica the first climate resilient nation in the world.
– The American Federation of Teachers has partnered with Airlink and the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands to bring nurses to conduct vision, hearing, and dental screenings for all 9,000 schoolchildren in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
– In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Direct Relief committed to delivering 40 tons of medical aid directly to its network of local health partners in Puerto Rico.
– Afya Foundation has committed to addressing the urgent medical needs of the elder population in Puerto Rico, by shipping immediate medical supplies and equipment to Acción Social's 22 Elder Care centers, while providing training and capacity building to Acción Social staff.
– Para la Naturaleza (PLN) has committed to launch Habitat, a comprehensive reforestation and habitat restoration program in Puerto Rico that aims to plant 750,000 native and endemic trees that are more resilient to natural phenomena such as hurricanes and provide assessment and maintenance of newly planted areas.
– Americares has committed to address mental health challenges in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria by providing training for 5,000 health workers, emergency responders, and social service providers across the island.
– The Solar Foundation has committed to install a solar + storage system to address the need for reliable, resilient energy at the Río Piedras market in San Juan.
– International Medical Corps has committed to support primary health care for school-aged children in Puerto Rico by procuring an additional Mobile Medical unit for Med Centro, allowing them to reach an additional five elementary and middle schools with comprehensive preventive health screenings, and providing training and capacity building to all Med Centro staff.
– Digicel has committed to repair or rebuild seven schools and 360 homes in Dominica that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Maria, while also training 100 community members in building techniques and provide community workshops on risk mitigation and disaster preparedness.
– Direct Relief, the Hispanic Federation, The Solar Foundation, and New Energy PR have committed to install solar or solar + storage systems at 12 primary care clinics in Puerto Rico, meeting critical energy needs at each site.
Following the meeting, on August 9, 2018, President Clinton will travel to St. Lucia where he will cut the ribbon on a new solar project facilitated by the Clinton Climate Initiative and Rocky Mountain Institute. On August 10, 2018, President Clinton will visit the U.S. Virgin Islands, joined by representatives from Bloomberg, Expedia, and the local government, to make several announcements related to recovery and sustainability. If media wishes to cover these visits, please email press@clintonfoundation.org with your name, organization, and relevant contact information.
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About the Clinton Foundation
Building on a lifetime of public service, President Clinton established the Clinton Foundation on the simple belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, everyone has a responsibility to act, and we all do better when we work together. For nearly two decades, that premise has energized the work of the Foundation in overcoming complex challenges and improving the lives of people across the United States and around the world.
As an operating foundation, we work on issues directly or with strategic partners from the business, government, and nonprofit sectors to create economic opportunity, improve public health, and inspire civic engagement and service. Our programs are designed to make a real difference today while serving as proven models for tomorrow. The goal of every effort is to use available resources to get better results faster – at the lowest possible cost.
We firmly believe that when diverse groups of people bring resources together in the spirit of true cooperation, transformative ideas will emerge to drive life-changing action.