For Immediate Release: February 9, 2023
Contact: press@clintonfoundation.org
SECRETARY CLINTON CONCLUDES INDIA TRIP TO SUPPORT CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE COMMITMENTS
This week, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to India to advance the work of Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitments to Action that are providing employment opportunities and critical health care services to girls and women, while also providing critical support for climate resilience in the region. This includes visits to programs of two CGI partners:
Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), the largest women worker’s central trade union in India. Secretary Clinton’s visits this week to SEWA programs included:
- Celebrating SEWA’s 50th anniversary;
- Touring SEWA’s Community Learning and Business Resource Centre; and
- Announcing a new $50 million climate fund being launched by SEWA, in partnership with CGI, the Algorand Foundation, the American India Foundation, the Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, the Council for Inclusive Capitalism, the Desai Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and others.
In 2022, SEWA made a CGI Commitment to reach out to their network of 2.1 million women workers across 18 states in India, to support their financial resilience and support them in adopting green and sustainable livelihood solutions.
The Desai Foundation Trust, an NGO which supports the health, livelihood, and menstrual equity of women and children in rural India for 25 years. The programs Secretary Clinton visited included:
- The Asani Sanitary Napkin Program, which holds rural menstrual health and hygiene awareness sessions;
- Speaking with students at the Indian Institute Of Technology – Gandhinagar, a Desai Foundation partner; and
- Meeting the Desai Foundation’s Heroes for Humanity, instructors who bring menstrual training and access, medical health screening, vocational training, hygiene education and more to rural women.
In 2022, the Desai Foundation made a CGI Commitment to expand their Heroes for Humanity program, training 100 additional heroes to expand their reach to nearly 6 million people.
Coverage of these events are below.
Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton Sunday announced that a global Climate Resilience Fund, in partnership with Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), will work to tackle challenges faced due to rising temperatures due to climate change. Clinton’s visit is with an aim to advance Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitments providing critical support for climate resilience in the region. These commitments were made by members of the CGI community at the CGI 2022 meeting, which resulted in 144 new commitments to action addressing climate resilience, global health equity, inclusive economic growth, the global refugee crisis, and other critical global challenges.
The Economic Times: Hillary Clinton announces 50 million dollar Global Climate Resilience Fund
Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Monday announced a Global Climate Resilience Fund of 50 million dollars for women to fight climate change. The fund will empower women and communities to fight climate change and help provide new livelihood resources and education, she said addressing salt pan workers near Kuda village in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district. “Today, Clinton Global Initiative with the American Indian foundation, SEWA (Self Empoyed Women’s Association founded by late activist Ela Bhatt) and other organisations, I announce 50 million dollar Global Climate Resilience Fund for women,” Clinton said.
Speaking on the ‘Global Climate Resilience Fund’, Clinton said Clinton Global Initiative, Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Algorand Foundation, Council for Inclusive Capitalism, and the American India Foundation will be working with SEWA. “These will be some of the partners with SEWA to begin to address this very significant challenge. We are going to be working over the next months and years with SEWA and all of these committed organisations and others who will join because this is not a problem just for SEWA,” she said. “Your stories are stories of courage, determination and inspiration. You have created new opportunities for yourselves, for your families, for your communities,” Clinton said, adding it was probably the reason why SEWA’s membership more than quadrupled to 2.5 million since she was here in 1995.
The Times of India: Clean energy is India’s future: Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton, on Tuesday, said that alternative clean energy is India’s future and it would not burgen the country. She spoke at a town hall organized at IIT Gandhinagar: “Today India is well-positioned to adopt clean energy to achieve economic growth,” Clinton said, citing the example of women at a salt pan farm in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district who use solar-powered pumps.
The Tribune: Alternative clean energy is India’s future, says Hillary Clinton
The opportunity for India to be a leader in clean energy is “dramatically available” as it can bring down costs and decentralise clean energy using creative thinking and scientific know-how of institutions like IITGN, she added. The former US First Lady, who is on a Gujarat visit from Sunday, said the whole world should come together and try to cooperate and prepare for new challenges posed by climate change. Clinton also visited Palaj village and appreciated efforts of the Desai Foundation (one of the commitment-makers being recognised by the Clinton Global Initiative) and its initiatives along with its partnership with IITGN’s social outreach programmes, NEEV and NYASA.
Known globally for her humanitarian outlook and advocacy for social justice and women’s rights, former First Lady and Secretary of State of the United States of (US) and philanthropist Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) as a part of her India visit and interacted with faculty, students, and the larger IITGN community. She was joined by senior officials of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). During a town hall at the Institute titled “Insights from Her Journey”, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton emphasised the need to take climate action and adopt sustainable alternate solutions in our day-to-day lives. Secretary Clinton is in India to help advance Clinton Global Initiative – CGI’s Commitments to Action that are providing employment opportunities and critical health care services to girls and women, while also providing critical support for climate resilience in the region.
IIT on YouTube: Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton at IIT Gandhinagar – Insights from her journey
Social Media Highlights
@Reuters: Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launches the world’s first global climate resilience fund in partnership with the trade union Self Employed Women’s Association in Ahmedabad, India
https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1622545638440173570?s=20&t=DBjbNoP6I5jGYg786m0SYg
@DesaiFoundation: We were beyond honored to have former US Secretary of State, @HillaryClinton, visit the programing of the Desai Foundation today!
https://twitter.com/DesaiFoundation/status/1623042028090101772
@AlgoFoundation: Through accelerators & seed investments, we’ll support the integration of blockchain into enterprises focused on financial inclusion for low-income working women across India.
https://twitter.com/AlgoFoundation/status/1622944406679523328?s=20&t=DBjbNoP6I5jGYg786m0SYg
@RockefellerFdn: Women are disproportionately impacted by climate change and extreme heat. We are supporting a new fund designed to protect the health & livelihoods of women in the informal sector in India, alongside @HillaryClinton, @AtlanticCouncil & @BloombergDotOrg:
https://twitter.com/RockefellerFdn/status/1623381912990502914?s=20&t=DBjbNoP6I5jGYg786m0SYg
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