Clinton Global Initiative Asia Meeting Results

For Immediate Release
December 3, 2008
Contact: Clinton Foundation Press Office - 212.348.0360

Former President Clinton Concludes CGI Asia Meeting and Announces Impact of Commitments
Commitments unveiled at CGI Asia have estimated value of US$185 million, to impact more than 10 million lives

Hong Kong – Former President Clinton concluded the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Asia meeting today, highlighting examples of CGI members’ Commitments to Action that will positively impact lives across the globe.

“I am truly impressed by our Clinton Global Initiative members and the new commitments announced this week that will bring real, measurable change to millions lives in Asia and across the world,” said President Clinton. “CGI Asia members have made commitments worth an estimated total value of US$185 million, to positively impact more than 10 million lives.”

Examples of the impact CGI Asia commitments will have once fully implemented include:

An estimated 715,000 children will benefit from better education opportunities.
Over 260,000 adults will learn new job skills.
Of these, nearly 26,000 are teachers and 8,000 are health care workers who will benefit from new training.
Over 250,000 girls and women will be empowered with better opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.
Nearly 24,000 hectares of forest land will be protected by empowering local residents to manage their own natural resources.
The equivalent of more than 40,000 tons of CO2 emissions will be cut.
Over 700,000 people will better learn to cope with environmental stress and natural disasters.
More than 3.5 million people will gain greater access to health services.
Half a million people will now have safe drinking water, and 400,000 children will benefit from better nutrition.

Following the successful conclusion of the first day of the CGI Asia meeting, President Clinton was joined at a Gala Dinner by the Honorable Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, internationally acclaimed actor Michelle Yeoh, Jet Li, founder of the ONE Foundation, and other CGI Asia members for a special evening of music and conversation to celebrate giving and inspire Commitments to Action.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd addressed the CGI Asia meeting by video.

“We need new ideas to confront and solve the myriad of challenges which lie ahead of us this century,” said Prime Minister Rudd. “I look forward to working with all those gathered at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting to move our world forward towards a new chapter in human history.”

CGI participants focused on the three main CGI Asia topics: education, energy & climate change and public health. The program also acknowledged the current economic climate with a plenary session on coping with the financial crisis.

Established in 2005 as a project of the non-partisan William J. Clinton Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The CGI community includes: CGI University, a forum to engage college students in global citizenship; CGI Asia, the first in a series of regional CGI meetings; and, MyCommitment.org, an online portal where anyone can commit to helping improve lives.
Information on the Clinton Global Initiative and all CGI member commitments can be found at www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.
Commitments announced on the concluding day of CGI Asia are attached.

The World Food Programme and a diverse group of commitment-makers came together to improve nutrition in Asia. This far-reaching ‘mega-commitment’ includes 6 different CGI commitments involving 8 countries and is valued at US$20 million dollars. It will focus on feeding more people with better food, targeting vulnerable groups in emergency and post-disaster situations and long-term food security.

Partners in this commitment include:

• The World Food Programme commits US$15 million to help 1 million vulnerable children and their parents access improved, locally fortified and processed food products in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Timor Leste. This will have a positive direct impact on their nutrition and their future.

• Mr. Jang Dong Kun—one of South Korea's most popular and respected celebrities—is announcing for the first time a commitment to become the newest Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Programme. He will help build innovative and creative partnerships in South Korea and across the region.

• Dompet Dhuafa (DU-AF-A) Republika Foundation will conduct a fundraising campaign for the WFP Indonesia school feeding program to create a healthy learning environment and improve the health and nutrition of 11,000 school children and teachers.

• Over the next year, Boeing will provide almost 10,000 pregnant and lactating mothers and their children in the Philippines and Indonesia with nutritious food.

• Credit Suisse will partner with the World Food Programme to create a healthy learning environment and improve the health and nutrition situation of over 9,000 school children and 384 teachers in one of the most vulnerable school districts in Indonesia.

• Philippine actress and model KC Concepcion—the Ambassador Against Hunger in the Philippines—will expand her commitment to raise awareness and support for the World Food Programme and positively impact over 71,000 pupils from 426 schools.

Other commitments include:

The WWF is committing US$200,000 over three and a half years to provide access to finance, education, and training to excluded and marginalized women and children living in the slums and rural villages of Southern India, and identify potential NGOs who could replicate this program in Northern India.

The AWECA Foundation commits US$2.8 million over five years to provide vocational training to 2,000 out-of-school and displaced youths, and to integrate a practical training component in 250 rural, public elementary schools.

Digital Divide Data and its partners are committing US$5 million over three years to provide training, job opportunities, and access to higher education for 1,000 disadvantaged youth in South and Southeast Asia, including young people with disabilities.

The Wu Zhi Qiao Charitable Foundation, along with its partners, is committing US$420,000 over two years to work with universities in Hong Kong and mainland China to construct six "footbridges" and "green" houses in various rural villages of the Gansu and Sichuan provinces of China; in an effort to improve the livelihoods and well-being of 5,200 poor villagers.

The BAIF Development Research Foundation, along with its partners, is committing US$30,700 over two years to integrate an educational program on climate change in 10,000 rural schools in Northern India and 5,000 in Maharashtra state; reaching 500,000 children over the span of two years.

Mlup Baitong, along with its partners, is committing US$110,000 over three years to reduce the current degradation of natural resources in Cambodia by coordinating and implementing a Community Based Forestry Management (CBFM) project in Kampong Thom province.

AIDS Care China, along with its partners, is committing US$450,000 over three years to enhance access to critical health services for 3,000 people suffering from HIV/AIDS in the rural, Yunnan province of China by establishing a pilot clinic that will offer affordable medical services and help initiate new reforms in healthcare delivery.

Yale University, in partnership with the Indian Nursing Council, is committing US$1.26 million over five years to develop a post-graduate curriculum for the Indian Institute of Advanced Nursing (IIAN). This includes developing short-courses for undergraduate nursing faculty and nurses working in specialized HIV clinics, as well as one year post-graduate diploma courses focusing on the development of HIV/AIDS patient management skills.
LRBT is committing US$600,000 over five years to reduce the prevalence of blindness and impaired vision by building a hospital to enhance access to free, quality eye care to disadvantaged populations in the earthquake-struck areas of Pakistan.
KGMF commits US$390,000 over six years to improve health standards among disadvantaged rural communities in India by organizing a series of easily accessible one-day medical camps that will bring healthcare to local villages, reaching an estimated 25,000 people.

The VinaCapital Foundation and its partners commit US$312,000 over 1 year to enhance access to quality healthcare services for underserved children suffering from cardiac disease in Asia. They will train doctors throughout Asia to improve health care for poor children with heart conditions through the use of tele-conferencing.

Nsha and the Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer commit US$90,000 over 5 years to fight breast cancer in Thailand. A start-up women's clothing company called "Burn Baby" will donate 5% of annual revenues for five years to the Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer. Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer among Thai women, and if caught early, has a 95% cure rate.

51-Sim.org and its partners announced a commits US$1 million over 2 years to host China's first ever "Green Car Show" which will be carbon-neutral, and to hold a climate change competition to encourage environmentally-friendly behavior.

The Peter KK Lee Care for Life Foundation, Suicide Prevention Services, Tsinghua University, University of Hong Kong, Youth League of Sichuan and the All Women's Federation of Sichuan commit US$4.4 million over 3 years to help prevent suicides by adding new services that include Mental Aid Social Work teams, new hotlines, and proven suicide prevention strategies.

The Adidas Group, Right to Play and China's Ministry of Education announced their commitment to provide long-term sports-based psychological assistance to children affected by the Sichuan earthquake that left more than 20,000 physically disabled and more than 1,000 orphaned.

The Shri Ram School, Shri Ram Foundation, and Save the Children Bal Raksha Bharat commit US$300,000 over two years to launch a comprehensive disaster risk mitigation program to train teachers, children and families to better prepare for and address natural disasters. This commitment will help 7,500 children in vulnerable communities in India better respond when disasters take place.

GeoHazards International, India's National Disaster Management Authority, GeoHazards Society, ProVention Consortium, EHDD Architecture, University of New Mexico, Rutherford & Chekene Structural Engineering, Stanford University Chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World, and the National Centre for Peoples' Action in Disaster Preparedness commit US$5 million over 5 years to improve the earthquake-resistance and energy efficiency of schools and health clinics in Northern India and other Asian countries.

The Lifeline Express Hong Kong Foundation, the Chinese Ministry of Health, and the International Council of Ophthalmology commit US$7 million over 1 year to reduce blindness in rural China by providing more than 100,000 people with free cataract surgery and training 6,000 doctors.

Empowering Women of Nepal commits US$300,000 over 3 years to build an Adventure Training Center for Women in Pokhara, Nepal which will provide practical skills-based training to 600 rural women in Western Nepal to enhance their access to gainful employment in the trekking industry, where women have typically been excluded.

Laureate Education, Inc. commits US$10 million over 4 years to improve the quality of teaching and learning in 12 countries by providing 1,000 teachers with scholarships to obtain advanced degrees. Over the next 15 years, scholarships provided by Laureate will positively impact more than 500,000 students around the world.