CBB NEWS

President Bill Clinton Opens the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting with a Focus on Generating Jobs for the 21st Century, Sustainable Consumption for our Planet, “What Works” for Girls and Women, and Progress of Member Commitments


President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón; President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma; Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg; President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso; Prime Minister of Mali, Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé; President of Slovenia, Danilo Türk; Prime Minister of Grenada, Tillman Thomas; and Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina participated in a global climate change panel, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Yang Jeichi, was featured in the “Megacities, Mega Challenges” panel



194 new CGI members commitments, valued at $6.2 billion to positively impact more than 100 million people, announced



New York, NY – President Bill Clinton opened the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) with a session on climate change, convened by President Felipe Calderón of Mexico and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. This ground-breaking session brought together nine distinguished Heads of State, including Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg; President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso; Prime Minister of Mali, Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé; President of Slovenia, Danilo Türk; Prime Minister of Grenada, Tillman Thomas; and Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina to highlight opportunities for collaboration and share effective strategies to address the global climate challenge.

“I am so grateful to President Calderón and President Zuma for engaging CGI members on the important issue of climate change by convening the Leaders Dialogue on Climate Change at our Annual Meeting,” said President Clinton. “Now more than ever, it is essential that governments, businesses, civil society, and the media work together to take action to generate more sustainable and equitable growth while preserving our global sustainability. For seven years, CGI members have done just that. Their work has improved the lives of more than 300 million people around the world in substantive, measurable ways, and has reversed the cycles of environmental degradation and economic downturn.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China, Yang Jeichi participated in the “Megacities, Mega Challenges” panel along with Carlos Slim Helú, founder, Fundación Carlos Slim; James N. Mwangi, managing director and CEO, Equity Bank Limited; Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, the State of California; Janette Sadik-Khan, commissioner, New York City Department of Transportation; and Luis A. Ubiñas, president, the Ford Foundation, where they explored the challenges faced by global megacities and highlighted innovative strategies.

President Clinton announced that this year CGI members have made 194 commitments, valued at $6.2 billion, which will impact more than 100 million people when they are fully funded, and presented several progress reports on past commitments, emphasizing the impact of CGI members work, including the “Investment and Training for American Infrastructure” commitment, first launched by the AFL-CIO and the American Federations of Teachers (AFT) at the June 2011 CGI America Meeting in Chicago.

New commitments by Deutsche Bank, New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation, Greenprint Foundation, Microsoft, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Resources Defense Council, and Johnson Controls will streamline retrofits of commercial spaces, improve the energy efficiency of New York City’s built environment, and provide one million low-income students with access to high-speed broadband were among those announced today.

For descriptions of all the commitments announced, please see below.

More than 1,200 members attended the 2011 CGI Annual Meeting, including more than 50 Heads of State, 500 business leaders, and 450 leaders from NGOs and philanthropic organizations. During the course of the meeting, CGI members will engage in meaningful discussion and explore creative ways to address climate change and dramatic population growth, generating jobs, promoting sustainable lifestyles, and empowering girls and women around the world. Sessions will include insights from CGI members on commitment successes and small group discussions that lead directly to the development of innovative Commitments to Action.

For a complete list of all CGI commitments, please visit: http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/commitments.

All open-press sessions – plenaries, breakout sessions, special sessions, and keynotes – can be viewed live or recorded at http://live.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

On Wednesday, Leaders from Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Lance Armstrong Foundation, Partners in Health, Mayo Clinic, and the American Cancer Society will announce initiatives to combat non-communicable diseases at an 11:00 a.m. press conference.



The following progress reports were announced today:

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty (CGI 2009)

Commitment by: Pro Mujer

Summary: In 2009, Pro Mujer committed to provide an integrated package of loans, savings, business training, health care, and preventive health education over three years to 350,000 women. Since then, Pro Mujer has increased its client base by 18 percent from 178,000 to 230,000, opened 25 community centers, disbursed 360 million dollars in small loans, and helped its clients save $20.6 million in loans.



Innovative College Funding for 10,000 Students (CGI 2010)

Commitment by: Lumni, Inc.

Summary: In 2010, Lumni committed to provide 10,000 students access to financing for higher education through their innovative financing model over five years. To date, Lumni has financed 840 students and raised $2.9 million through partnerships with individuals and institutions, including Inter-American Development Bank and Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation. It also launched two funds to support students in Chile and the United States, and an online Lumni Academy to provide academic and career services.



Investment and Training for American Infrastructure (CGI America 2011)

Commitment by: The AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

Summary: In June 2011, at CGI America, the AFL-CIO and AFT committed to work with pension fund managers to encourage infrastructure investments. They committed to work with fund managers to re-invest up to $10 billion in pension assets of working families into energy efficient, job-creating infrastructure improvements, and to train 140,000 apprentice and mid-career construction workers in high-demand green construction skills. They have made substantial progress: In California, two of the nation’s largest public pension funds, CalPERS and CalSTERS, have allocated more than $1.1 billion to this effort. The AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust deployed $134 million for an energy efficiency project in the Penn South Mutual Cooperative in New York City, and will developing a pipeline for $79 million in further investment.



joinFITE Campaign (CGI 2010)

Commitment by: Dermalogica

Summary: In 2010, Dermalogica made a pledge to help women around the world achieve Financial Independence through Entrepreneurship – or “FITE.” In partnership with Kiva.org, joinFITE began providing small microloans to women to start or grow businesses. To date, joinFITE has funded loans to almost 5,000 women, and engaged more than 36 million consumers in meaningful dialogue.



North Star Foundation Initiative (CGI 2005)

Commitment by: North Star Foundation

Through a 2005 Commitment to Action, the global express mailing company TNT and the UN World Food Programme, major transporters in Africa, launched the North Star Foundation to address the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. North Star has established a network of roadside wellness centers serving truck drivers and other patients. To date, the clinics have provided free counseling and health services to 110,000 men and 60,000 women. By the end of this year, the alliance will have 42 clinics operating in 19 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa. On average, each clinic provides medical care to 25 patients each day. The partnership continues to expand, and includes the government of Malawi, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and UN AIDS.



The following new commitments were announced today:

BoP HUB, Designing Business to End Poverty

Commitment by: World Toilet Organization

Summary: The World Toilet Organization commits to build the “Base of the Pyramid Hub,” which will serve as a gateway for business ventures, technologists, and manufacturers to access the “base of the pyramid” markets. The BoP Hub will bundle and weave products with distribution, logistics, economies of scale, public policy, design, and technology, and complete the supply chain to create a faster, less expensive ways of delivering goods and services.



Cholera Outbreak Preparedness

Committed by: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh; AmeriCares Foundation

Summary: International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh will partner with AmeriCares’ worldwide network and share resources to respond to global cholera epidemics, while also scaling up its work in Bangladesh. Together, they will create a cholera kit with supplies, equipment, and medicines to treat cholera and will distribute enough kits to treat 15,000 people, enabling quick responses to outbreaks in resource-poor areas.



Creating Economic Opportunity through Social Innovation

Commitment by: eBay, Inc.

Summary: eBay, Inc. commits to launch the Opportunity Project to partner with organizations that have effective market-based approaches to providing economic opportunity in vulnerable communities. The project will help groups scale by providing financial resources, business expertise, and a skills-based employee engagement effort.



Educating Youth in Social Entrepreneurship

Commitment Maker: Institute for Development Studies and Practices—Pakistan.

Summary: Pakistan’s unemployment rate is over 15 percent, and one-quarter of its population lives below the poverty line. The Institute for Development Studies and Practices-Pakistan commits to provide 200 Pakistani youths with literacy, life skills, civics, and leadership training, over four years, preparing them to start their own social enterprises.



Education & Opportunity through Mobile Apps

Committed by: The AppBridge

Summary: The AppBridge will create and distribute free mobile applications that facilitate education, employment, and economic opportunity. In partnership with app developers and mobile phone companies, the AppBridge will launch 50 apps in five countries reaching 250,000 individuals. The project will also develop a programming language for apps to work across a spectrum of mobile devices in multiple languages.



Enrolling 10,000 Out-of-School Children in Pakistan

Commitment by: The Citizens Foundation of Pakistan

Summary: The Citizens Foundation, which currently enrolls more than 100,000 children, at 730 schools in some of the rural and urban slums of Pakistan, now commits to enroll an additional 10,000 out-of-school children, including 5,000 girls. The project will also award 500 scholarships to girls for secondary education, provide literacy training to 4,000 mothers and other female relatives, and create 600 new jobs for women through its all-female faculty.



Girls and Women Tech Training

Commitment by: CA Technologies and Feminist Approach to Technology

Summary: CA Technologies and Feminist Approach to Technology each commit to help women advance in the fields of science and technology. CA Technologies will partner with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to encourage pre-teen girls to explore technology by linking them with mentors from among its own staff, and by providing a series of fun, hands-on workshops in five cities across the United States. Feminist Approach to Technology will support women who have entered the technology field, creating job opportunities for women in India by providing free training and placement support with businesses ready to hire.



Intertribal Council on Utility Policy Green Jobs Initiative

Commitment Maker: The Intertribal Council on Utility Policy.

Summary: The Intertribal Council on Utility Policy commits to launch an extensive green jobs program, working with higher education institutions to develop training and employment opportunities for member tribes in three states. The five-year commitment will create at least 320 green jobs, ranging from administration to construction, for veterans, and unemployed or under-employed women and youth and will address the local need for affordable housing and clean energy through construction of energy efficient straw-bale housing and renewable energy installations.



Investing in Clean Energy Innovation

Commitment by: Inerjys Ventures

Summary: Inerjys Ventures commits to invest $1 billion in renewable energy innovation over the next seven years to help portfolio companies successfully sell their innovations globally. This investment will target technologies with the potential to be game-changers in clean energy production and distribution. Inerjys will also use their state-of-the-art lab facility in Montreal as a business incubator, providing training, lab access, and office space to six new energy start-ups.



Investment in a Portfolio of Renewable Energy Assets

Commitment Maker: Dundee Realty Corporation

Summary: In 2007, Dundee Realty Corporation committed to invest $300 million in a combination of wind, solar, and hydropower projects to generate 150 megawatts of power for the Ontario grid and reduce the region’s dependence on carbon fuels. Today, Dundee and Firelight are now doubling their commitment to $600 million; the goal is to have the full $600 million funded by 2016.



New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation

Commitment by: New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation, Greenprint Foundation, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation

Summary: Deutsche Bank and their partners commit to help NYCEEC—the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation—work with financial, foundation, and real estate communities to make the city agency self-sustaining. By providing information, marketing services, and financing tools to the real estate community, NYCEEC will increase New York’s energy efficiency and spur construction job growth. NYCEEC’s efforts will enable a pipeline of projects that can be developed in the next 12 to 18 months.



PACT’s Community Health Workforce Initiative

Commitment by: Partners in Health

Summary: Partners in Health/PACT commits to integrate 25 community health workers into primary care teams across the nation. The community health workers will serve as extensions of clinics, bringing high-quality care and support into the homes of patients who are marginalized and disengaged from the healthcare system. Over three years, this workforce will impact 2,500 patients, ultimately reducing avoidable costs to the healthcare system while creating the means to innovatively improve health outcomes.



Scaling Demand for Commercial Tenant Green Buildouts

Commitment by: Natural Resources Defense Council and Johnson Controls Inc.

Summary: The Natural Resources Defense Council will bring together partners to design and implement retrofits in commercial tenant spaces. Johnson Controls will provide technical analysis to track performance and generate energy improvements. The project will begin with build-outs at a Jones Lang LaSalle space on Madison Avenue, the Bloomberg LP office space, and the Linked-In office in the Empire State Building.



Shape the Future – Economic Growth through Education

Commitment by: Microsoft Corporation and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Summary: Microsoft commits to help one million students from low-income households and 100,000 educators in the United States access high-speed broadband. In partnership with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship and the Federal Communications Commission, Microsoft will provide home PCs, operating systems, educational software, skills training, and broadband service, for free or at a significantly reduced cost and will use its new assessment software to help local governments determine the economic impact of digital exclusion. The three year initiative will reduce the number of U.S. households without internet by 10 percent



Technical Training Center in Rural Indonesia

Commitment by: YUM

Summary: YUM commits to establish a new vocational-technical training center in rural Indonesia to provide workers with in-demand trade skills. This four-year commitment will train 600 people, align training with the needs of local businesses, link participants with employers, and provide micro-loans to 300 participants for the purpose of launching their own business.



WakaWaka – Home & Personal Solar Light & Power Source

Committed by: Business Creation Investments AG

Summary: Business Creation Investments AG commits to distribute one million solar LED lamps in eight developing countries in five years. With more than 20 percent of the world’s population not connected to the utility grid, the lamps will provide an affordable and safe alternative. The lamps, called WakaWakas, use new technology that provides more and longer light, as well as a faster charge, than any currently-available solar lamps.

What:
2011 CGI Annual Meeting (www.clintonglobalinitiative.org)

Where:
Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers
811 7th Avenue at 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019

When:
September 20-22, 2011



Applying for Credentials: To apply for a press credential to the 2011 CGI Annual Meeting, please complete the online form at http://bit.ly/pressreg2011.

Location: Unless otherwise noted, all events will take place at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers located at 811 7th Avenue. Press entrance and registration is on 52nd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in the Executive Conference Center at the Sheraton.

CGI Media Center and Workspace: The Press Center is located in the Executive Conference Center in the lower lobby of the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. Wired and wireless Internet access will be provided. Phones will not be provided. There will also be video and audio feeds of most events available in the Press Center.

Interview Locations: There will be stand-up camera locations available that broadcast outlets can reserve in advance. In addition, there will be rooms available press can reserve for interviews. To reserve a time, please contact Seth Belaff at seth@tuckerproductions.com.

Wireless Microphones: Please do NOT bring or use wireless microphones on site, as they will interfere with the wireless PA systems.

Plenary sessions and selected press conferences: Plenary sessions will be sent out via fiber, free and unrestricted, on the following loop numbers: Ascent Media Loop #4461 (HD signal) & #4462 (SD signal)

Mult Box: Output specifics are: XLR for audio and BNC connection for video.

Sat Truck Parking: There are a limited amount of satellite and microwave truck parking spaces available. Please email Seth Bellaff at seth@tuckerproduction.com with a request or call at 917-414-5618.

Live Webcast: All CGI sessions open to the press will be webcast at http://bit.ly/cgilive.

Twitter: The event hashtag is #CGI2011.

Photos: Photos from the meeting will be available on CGI’s Flickr account at http://flickr.com/cgiphotos.

Facebook: Highlights, news, and photos from CGI will be shared on the CGI Facebook page: www.facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

About the Clinton Global Initiative

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The 2011 Annual Meeting will take place Sept. 20-22 in New York City.

This year, CGI also convened CGI America, a meeting focused on developing ideas for driving economic growth in the United States. The CGI community also includes CGI U, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.