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What to Expect at CGI This Week


More on the 20th anniversary of CGI, including the 2025 Meeting agenda, featured participants, and livestream information here

 

Last week, leaders at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) gave a preview of the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting to members of the media and content creators, answering questions about what to expect at this week’s event, taking place from September 24-25 and marking CGI’s 20th anniversary.

CGI leadership shared how this year’s meeting will look and feel different, discussed how our community is embodying the theme of “What’s Next,” and highlighted some of the exciting announcements that will be made. 

 

“What’s Next” at CGI this year – and a new model

“This year, as we mark the 20th anniversary of CGI, we’re marking the progress that we’ve been making and recognizing many of the incredible life-changing commitments the CGI community has made over the past two decades,” said Greg Milne, CEO of the Clinton Global Initiative. “But candidly, there’s not a whole lot of time to celebrate. There’s just too much to be done. So, our meeting theme for this year is ‘What’s Next’ and the meeting is designed to help leaders chart the path to what comes next.”

As part of the charge to leaders to map out “What’s Next,” Milne outlined the format and goals of a big change this year – Working Groups that are carefully curated to bring people together for small table discussions that hope to achieve big results.

“CGI Working Groups are carefully designed spaces where leaders from across sectors can come together,” Milne continued. “They can take a hard look at the changing landscape and the urgent needs and map out a path forward. We’re convening groups of leaders and doers around the areas that matter most and we feel are under the greatest threat.”

CGI’s Working Groups this year are focused around eight core topics: climate, democracy and human rights, economy, education, health, humanitarian response, innovative finance, and truth and information.

 

Meeting the moment with powerful conversations

Consistent with past years, some of the biggest conversations happening around the U.N. General Assembly will be on CGI’s stage.

“Our programming on the Main Stage and on the Leader Stage will aim to give actionable, constructive, and tactical advice for how to move projects forward,” said Luke Schiel, CGI’s Chief Program and Strategy Officer. “These dialogues will focus on where we should be going, and what the CGI community should be thinking about as they’re grappling with massive funding cuts, changes in politics and international relations, and new and emerging public health threats.”

Between dialogues on innovative finance, AI in action, bold solutions in philanthropy, contending with climate threats, and more, leaders across the public and private sector will focus on the critical issues we face today – and the emerging challenges of tomorrow.

Schiel continued, “To help us tackle these challenges, we’re joined this year by leaders from across the world – from heads of state to Fortune 500 CEOs, Nobel laureates, heads of philanthropy and civil society, frontline leaders, and community organizers – they’re all showing up in a big way.” 

 

New projects launched from the CGI stage

Joined by focus area leaders, CGI previewed some of the big announcements set to launch at this week’s meeting.

“Our commitment makers are the lifeline of our community,” said Franciscka Lucien, Managing Director of Health Equity. “We’ll be announcing more than a hundred commitments at CGI 2025, on some of our biggest challenges.”

Examples include:

  • A commitment to make lifesaving cancer care easier to afford around the world;
  • A new platform for democratic participation by refugees living outside their communities;
  • A new tool for cities to use satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to make smarter decisions on climate planning;
  • A new platform to connect startups, corporations, investors, and policymakers to drive funding and collaboration in climate resilient technologies; and
  • A landmark analysis of the progress of women and girls, 30 years after Secretary Clinton’s landmark speech in Beijing.

These are just a few of the more than 100 new commitments being announced at CGI later this week.

 

Meeting the moment with determination

At a time of great disruption, CGI leaders are ready to take on some of our biggest and worsening challenges.

“The world is being radically reshaped around us, and we feel like we have a charge this year to help the CGI community shift from being reactive to the state of the world to proactive once again in their social impact missions and journeys,” Schiel concluded.

“Our community is showing up this year to meet the moment, and to do so with the spirit of determination, community, and optimism,” said Milne. “And we feel that despite the challenges that we’re seeing right now, again across the country and around the world, that we can continue to make real, tangible progress on the issues that we all care deeply about.”