President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton Unveil New Commitments to Action on
Second Day of 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
NEW YORK, NY – During the second day of the 10th Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton announced new Commitments to Action that will address pressing global challenges. Speakers discussed the importance of valuing social and environmental efforts, innovation in a rapidly urbanizing world, and education to employment pathways globally.
Highlights from the second day of the Annual Meeting included:
- Featured speakers included: Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State, United Arab Emirates; Uridéia Andrade, Alumna, Gastromotiva; Mary Barra, Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Company; John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco; Emmanuel Chiezie, Project Co-ordinator, Dr. Aloy & Gesare Chife Foundation; Gesare Chife, Executive Director, Dr. Aloy & Gesare Chife Foundation; Matt Damon, Co-founder, Water.org; David Hertz, Founder and CEO, Gastromotiva; Nicholas Kristof, Columnist and Author, The New York Times; Jack Ma, Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group; Nisreen Mitwally, Alumna, Education For Employment (EFE); Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Finance Minister Federal Republic of Nigeria; Mohammad Parham Al Awadhi, Co-founder, Peeta Planet; Peyman Parham Al Awadhi, Co-founder, Peeta Planet; Ashish Thakkar, Founder, Mara Group, Founder, Mara Foundation; Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation; Gary White, CEO and Co-founder, Water.org.
- President Obama discussed how the Administration - in partnership with other governments, non-governmental organizations, and the philanthropic community - is deepening its commitment to defend and strengthen civil society globally.
- CNBC hosted a CGI Conversation asking “Do Consumers Care” which was streamed live online and will be part of a CGI special on CNBC. Becky Quick, Co-anchor, Squawk Box, CNBC, moderated conversations with President Bill Clinton; John P. Bilbrey, President and CEO, The Hershey Company; Lisa Jackson, Vice President, Environmental Initiatives, Apple; Tony James, President and COO, Blackstone; Hugh Grant, Chairman and CEO, Monsanto Company; Antony Jenkins, Group Chief Executive, Barclays; and Penny Pritzker, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce.
- Fareed Zakaria, Host, Fareed Zakaria GPS, CNN moderated a conversation with Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair, Clinton Foundation; Paul Farmer, Co-founder and Chief Strategist, Partners In Health, Kolokotrones University Professor, Harvard Medical School; and Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Liberia about the emerging Ebola crisis and the global response. The session closed with a one-on-one conversation with Shimon Peres, Former President of the State of Israel.
- Ambassador Gianna Angelopoulos was joined by President Clinton to announce the CGI Mediterranean meeting, to be held in Athens, Greece in June 2015.
- President Clinton announced a new commitment made by The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Beverage Association to reduce beverage calories consumed per person nationally by 20 percent by 2025.
- Secretary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton announced the Elephant Action Network, which includes 21 different commitments made by 16 individual organizations, which reach 58 different countries and touch upon three programmatic pillars: Stop the Killing, Stop the Trafficking, Stop the Demand.
- Concluding the evening, regional business school finalists pitched their solutions to address non-communicable diseases in urban and peri-urban communities to a panel of judges at the Hult Prize Award Dinner. President Clinton announced the winning team, NanoHealth, which will be awarded $1 million in start-up capital for their proposal to use innovative technology to create micro-insurance health networks for slum dwellers.
President Clinton, Former Secretary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and CGI commitment-makers also announced new Commitments to Action and reported progress of commitments made at past CGI Annual Meetings:
Commitments announced in Plenary Session today include:
Solar Energy for Housing and Education in Rural Mexico
Commitment by: Ilumexico (Manuel Wiechers, Founder, ILUMEXICO)
In 2014 Ilumexico committed to aiding the 3 million people living in Mexico without electricity, installing 1,500 solar home electricity systems throughout the rural countryside. Hoping to provide every Mexican with electric light by 2025, Ilumexico has already helped 17,000 people since 2009. Their unique microloan system allows for the introduction of affordable, renewable power in places with no traditional means of distribution. Ilumexico has committed to outfitting 22 schools with solar arrays, lighting, and computers as well as establishing training programs to keep those systems running in the years to come.
Improving Livelihoods in Post Conflict & Disaster Areas
Commitment by: The American Jewish World Service (Ruth Messinger, President, American Jewish World Service)
Partner(s): Mouvman Peyizan Bayone 2eme Section Communale des Gonaives (Mouvman Peyizan Rankit (MPR); Sevis Finansye Fonkoze; Oganizasyon Gwoupman Peyizan pou Devlopman 8eme Seksyon Komi; Lambi Fund of Haiti; Groundswell International; Association of Disabled Females International (ADFI); Committee for Peace and Development Advocacy (COPDA); Liberian Rural Women Association (LIRWA); Mano River Women Peace Network Liberia (MARWOPNET); Save My Future Foundation (SAFMU); Self-Help Initiative for Sustainable Development (SHYMPI); Self-Help Initiative for Sustainable Development (SHYMPI); West Africa Network for Peacebuilding Liberia (WANEP)
In 2010, the AJWS committed to partnering with grassroots organizations in three countries, providing $1.5 million in grants to those working on the ground addressing each community’s unique problems. Today, the commitment is complete. In post-earthquake Haiti, AJWS partnered with local farming organizations to improve food security, building seed banks, and increasing agricultural education. In Liberia, their partner, the Sustainable Development Institute, educated forest dwelling villagers about land rights to defend them from logging companies, and in Sri Lanka their partners engaged with the Tamil and Sinhala communities to promote peace and reconciliation after years of sectarian violence.
Partnership to Scale Enterprises Serving the Poor in Africa
Commitment by: Acumen, Dow Chemical, Dow Chemical Company Fund (Bo Miller, Global Director for Corporate Citizenship, Dow Chemical Company)
Partner(s): Barclays PLC, Unilever
In 2012 Acumen, with Dow Chemical and the Dow Company Fund, committed $1 million over 5 years to accelerating the distribution of improved products and services throughout East and West Africa. By expanding the reach of social enterprises serving agricultural, sanitation and energy efforts, the commitment will boost development across sectors. In 2014, Acumen hosted the first Technical Assistance Summit in Nairobi, Kenya inspiring innovation, collaboration and partnership between global corporations and social enterprises, receiving 8 applications for assistance and four more for the Dow Sustainability Corps skill-based volunteerism program, and distributing four $200,000 assistance grants to social enterprises.
Building Democratic & Economic Empowerment: Bhutan’s First Law School
Commitment By: White & Case (Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, Kingdom of Bhutan; Hugh Verrier, Chairman, White & Case LLP)
Partner(s): Royal Institute
White & Case LLP will partner with the Kingdom of Bhutan to form the country’s first law school, further enhancing their legal system since forming their first stable democracy in 2008. The goal of the law school is to eventually support and enroll 200 full time-students, 100 faculty, staff, and visiting researchers, aiming to build and strengthen Bhutan’s democratic governance and legal expertise.
Start Empathy: Equipping Every Child to be a Changemaker
Commitment By: Ashoka: Innovators for the Public (Bill Drayton, CEO and Founder, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public)
Partner(s): Einhorn Family Charitable Trust; Peace First; Playworks; Roots of Empathy US; Girls on the Run International; New Teacher Center; Whole Child International; Public Broadcasting Service; Deportes para Compartir; Greater Good Science Center; Prezi; TeacherTube; TeacherTube; Advisory Board Company
In 2012, Ashoka committed to launching a global Start Empathy initiative which will bring the development of empathy into schools, making it as fundamental as reading and math in early education. Through this commitment, Ashoka and its partners will equip future generations with the ability to understand the feelings and perspectives of others and to guide their actions in response - enabling them to find solutions, lead effectively, and drive change. Ashoka has now elected 15 new Empathy Fellows in the U.S. and more globally, recognizing their fit with Ashoka's long-standing Fellow selection criteria and the powerful insights they bring to Ashoka.
Advancing Child Health Through Mobile Technologies
Commitment by: Samsung (Irwin Redlener, President and Co-founder, Children’s Health Fund; David Steel, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Samsung Electronics America, Inc.; Charles Basch, Professor of Health and Education, Columbia University; Jane Pauley, Co-host, NBC Dateline)
Partner(s): Children’s Health Fund; Columbia University
In 2014, Samsung is partnering with the Children’s Health Fund committing to create the Samsung Innovation Center at Children’s Health Fund, a New York City based center focused on improving children’s access to quality health care. Over the next 2 years, the partners are pledging $2 million to enhance the Health Fund’s preexisting pediatric programs with mobile technology, bringing together experts from Columbia University and over 2,000 doctors to update 50 mobile care clinics and develop telehealth access for isolated communities, allowing for both increased face to face and remote doctors’ visits for thousands of underserved children.
American Beverage Industry Calorie Action Plan
Commitment by: The American Beverage Association, The Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., PepsiCo and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (Howell Wechsler, CEO, Alliance for a Healthier Generation; Susan Neely, President and CEO, American Beverage Association; Wendy Clark, Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing Communications and Capabilities, Coca-Cola North America; Rodger Collins, President of Package Beverages, Packed Beverages Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.; Albert Carey, CEO, PepsiCO Americas Beverages PepsiCo)
In 2014, The American Beverage Association (ABA) and its member companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and PepsiCo (Beverage Companies) and in partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation committed to reduce per person calories consumed from beverages nationally by 20% by 2025. The Beverage Companies will leverage their marketing, innovation and distribution strength to increase and sustain consumer interest in and access to beverage options that help them reduce their calories, including smaller portion sizes, water, and other no or lower calorie beverages, as well as engage in consumer education and outreach efforts. In addition to each companies’ product, packaging and ingredient innovation, to help achieve this goal, the companies will launch a national initiative as well as have a special focus on communities where there has been less interest in/or access to such options.
FITE Future Entrepreneurs: Salon Industry Careers for Women
Commitment by: Dermalogica (Salon Industry Careers for Women – Jane Wurwand, Co-Founder, Dermalogica)
Partner(s): The International Dermal Institute; Dermalogica Academy
In 2014, Dermalogica committed, under the FITE initiative, to launch FITE Future Entrepreneurs in partnership with the International Dermal Institute in order to create a pathway to entrepreneurship for at-risk young women who inspire to work in the skin care industry. Through a scholarship application process, Dermalogica will identify and select up to ten young women in the New York area to go through a complete industry education and on the job training program over the next two years that includes undergraduate education, necessary materials and supplies, mentorship, secondary/graduate study, and apprenticeship/job placement.
Improve Western Shoshone Educational Performance
Commitment by: Barrick Gold Corporation (Tim Buchanan, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Barrick Gold Corporation)
Partner(s): Great Basin College; British Council
In 2014, Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick) commits to implement an intensive and multi-faceted approach to improve educational performance, access to higher education, and employment opportunities for members of the Western Shoshone communities located in northeastern Nevada. Barrick aims to improve high school graduation rates, improve college and vocational school entrance and completion rates, and increase employment rates. For 17-24 year olds, specifically, Barrick and its partners will launch training, mentoring, and hiring programs that will serve as pathways for future employment opportunities and create a career-ready pipeline of talent available to local employers.
Community Hub for Opportunities in Construction Employment
Commitment by: North America’s Building Trades Union (Mark Coles, Executive Director, Building Trades)
Partner(s): Choice; DC Jobs; National Urban League and local affiliates; Department of Employment Services – Washington DC; So Others Might Eat; Wider Opporutnities for Women (WOW); YouthBuild USA and their local affiliates; Helmets to Hardhats; National Electrical Contractors Association; Mechancial Contractors Association; Iron Workers Employers Association; Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association
In 2014, North America's Building Trades Unions committed to implementing a structured, demand-driven, apprenticeship-readiness program in close cooperation with key local community-based partners to prepare 125 local young adults in the Capitol Region for the registered apprenticeship programs that lead to long term, sustainable careers in construction. The Building Trades' CHOICE apprenticeship-readiness program will be developed based on the best practices drawn from similar Building Trades programs in Milwaukee, New York City, Boston, New Orleans, and, most recently, in Detroit. The Building Trades community-based partners will assist in the recruitment, assessment, referral and mentoring of local residents in preparation for registered apprenticeship programs.
Global Investigative Support to Address Wildlife Crime
Commitment By: Interpol (Salvatore Amato, Biodiversity Coordinator, Interpol)
Partner(s): Conservation International; International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
In 2014, INTERPOL's Environmental Crime Sub-Directorate (ENS) committed to establishing a comprehensive program to effectively disrupt and dismantle the major transnational criminal syndicates engaged in poaching and illegal trade of African elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn in Africa and destination countries in Asia. This commitment will extend their capacity building and operational support program in the given continents by coordinating efforts and establishing a network of investigators and analysts with the purpose of developing effective multi-disciplinary and multi-national approaches to wildlife crime. Through a series of trainings and associated operations, INTERPOL commits to a significant scaling up of their past efforts through development and delivery of a Standardized Enforcement Training (SET) curriculum that includes modules on information collection, operational planning, crime scene investigation, searches, interviewing techniques, and court room testimony. The SET is delivered as a "train-the-trainer" course designed to enable participants to return and pass on knowledge and techniques learned. By design, a significant outcome of these training events is development of a network of trained investigators and analysts capable of working across borders to effectively address wildlife crime and trafficking.
Horn of Africa Enforcement Network (HAWEN)
Commitment By: International Fund for Animal Welfare (Andy Wilson, Vice President of Foundation Relations, Conservation International)
Partner(s): Freeland Foundation; African Wildlife Foundation; Government of Ethiopia; Republic of Kenya; State of Eritrea; Federal Republic of Somalia; Republic of Uganda; Republic of South Sudan; Republic of Djibouti; Republic of Sudan
In 2014, The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), committed to working with the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and Freeland Foundation (FF) to form "the Partnership" - a five-year program aiming to reduce wildlife crime in the Horn of Africa (HoA). HoA countries have created the "Horn of Africa Wildlife Enforcement Network" (HAWEN) to strengthen wildlife enforcement. IFAW will support HAWEN through the "Africa's Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking" (ARREST) program. ARREST will provide the tools that are crucial success, such as capacity-building and law enforcement training, community education, regional communication mechanisms, and livelihoods projects.
MADE for Saving Africa's Elephants
Commitment By: MADE Fashion (Jenne Lombardo, Co-Founder, MADE for New York Fashion Week)
Partner(s): Conservation International; The Nature Conservancy; Wildlife Conservation Society
In 2014, Made Fashion Week at Milk Studios committed to raising awareness of the African elephant-poaching crisis through its highly visible and most trafficked event of the year, MADE Fashion Week. This event brings together artists, designers, consumers, media, non-profits, philanthropy leaders, and many others for a common cause. Rather than limiting the exposure of the cause to a single-time event, MADE will commission a piece of large-scale artwork inspired by the elephant poaching crisis to be displayed in the gallery of Milk Studios for the entire duration of MADE Fashion Week, September 4 - 10, 2014. This will result in approximately 12,000 people viewing and interacting with the display in-person. In order to build a sustained campaign that results in maximum impact both in the fashion community and a more mainstream audience outside of cosmopolitan New York, the installation initiative in September will be followed by a unique retail experience in October, when MADE designers will produce limited-edition items inspired by the CGI Elephant Action Network and the work of its members to combat the poaching crisis. The products will be upscale, garnering significant media exposure, and forging artistic alliances for NGOs committed to the anti-poaching cause.
Promise for Elephants: Increasing Security in Africa
Commitment By: The Nature Conservancy (Glenn Prickett, Chief External Affairs Officer, The Nature Conservancy)
Partner(s): Northern Rangelands Trust; Lewa Wildlife Conservancy; Save the Elephants; Honey Guide Foundation; Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association; Tanzania National Parks Authority; Zambia Wildlife Authority; Space for Giants
In 2014, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) committed to addressing three primary challenges to protecting African elephants in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia: 1) the scale of the problem is vast and conditions on the ground vary tremendously, including variations in elephant population status and ever changing political stability of range states; 2) wildlife security forces often lack the most basic tools for patrolling and prosecuting poachers; and 3) poverty and growing conflict for resources threaten the long-term survival of elephants. TNC, in partnership with park agencies and other NGOs, will address these challenges using several approaches. They will increase the size and safety of community-run and private protected areas, focusing on wildlife corridors that link protected areas in order to allow for safe elephant migration. TNC will also increase security in these areas by providing local NGOs, community conservancies, and park agencies with funding and technical support. This includes cutting-edge technology to support community watch programs, and assistance in training and equipping wildlife rangers to better patrol millions of acres of elephant habitat. This protection effort is designed as a near term tactic to help improve management capacity and protection at this critical time when the price of ivory makes even the best protected elephants at risk. This commitment will also empower local communities by creating financial incentives for conservation for local people, such as support for wildlife scouts and efforts to strengthen local enterprises. TNC will also support community conservation alliances called "community wildlife conservancies" to improve resource tenure for local communities, increase their management capacity, and improve the benefit flow from sustainably managed resources.
Promise for Elephants: Reducing Demand for Ivory
Commitment By: The Nature Conservancy (Glenn Prickett, Chief External Affairs Officer, The Nature Conservancy)
Partner(s): Tencent Holdings Limited; Alibaba Group; Sina Corporation; Baidu, Inc.;
In 2014, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) committed to address the challenge of high ivory demand in China by engaging with civil society, the private sector, and the government through a variety of activities. TNC seeks to influence top-level policy perspectives of government leaders through leveraging TNC's China Board of Directors and other high-level connections to bring the ivory issue to the Africa-China dialogue. They also will erode ivory's prestige through a signed statement to not buy ivory by TNC's China Board members and influential donors in China. Illegal online sales of ivory will be reduced by setting up an anti-ivory alliance to unite key B2C websites in China and by tracking misconduct on ivory sale websites in collaboration with other NGOs. TNC will also assess current elephant protection work by key organizations and conduct focus group interviews about how to reduce ivory consumption in China and will include sponsoring Chinese experts for field investigation on market consumption.
Protecting Elephants: Law Enforcement and Conservation
Commitment by: Frankfurt Zoological Society (Peyton West, Director of Help for Threatened Wildlife, Frankfurt Zoological Society)
Partner(s): Tanzania National Parks Authority; Tanzania Wildlife Division; Zambia Wildlife Authority; Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority
In 2014, Franklin Zoological Society-US committed to expanding conservation support in four African wilderness areas with globally significant elephant populations: the Serengeti ecosystem and the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania; the North Luangwa ecosystem in Zambia; and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. Activities will be specific to the wilderness area and are in partnership with local and national authorities. Activities include new and upgraded infrastructure (operations hubs, command centers and other ranger facilities), increasing the number of rangers trained and deployed, implementing advanced ranger training, increasing areas patrolled, instituting a ranger-based monitoring system (SMART), providing computers for expanding intelligence networks, surveys of park boundaries, increasing aerial surveillance, and expanding the ranger vehicle fleets. Simultaneously, FZS-US and their agency partners will expand community conservation efforts that provide opportunities for local communities living in these areas. As an organization dedicated to protecting biodiversity and wilderness, with 90 percent of its resources going to support on the ground conservation in Africa, FZS-US has long engaged in efforts to protect elephants and their habitats. At the end of this two-year commitment, FZS-US expects to see measurable signs of improvement in security and a corresponding decrease in poaching in these key African landscapes.
Protecting Girls & Nature: Using Culture to Change Behavior
Commitment By: S.A.F.E. (Pham Binh Minh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam)
Partner(s): Save the Elephants; Monsanto Company
In 2014, S.A.F.E. committed to expanding their highly successful performance-based and culturally appropriate model for decreasing the practice of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in Maasai communities. S.A.F.E. uses high-caliber theatre performances by local Maasai and community programs to inspire social change in the Loita Hills Maasai communities in Kenya. To date, S.A.F.E.'s community theatre has led to over 20 percent of Maasai girls now undergoing an Alternative Right of Passage (ARP) instead of FGC and 80 percent of the local community has accepted that FGC practices will be replaced by ARP. This commitment will expand their work in Loita Hills as well as replicate their model to change community attitudes and behavior in additional traditional tribal communities in Kenya. Additionally, at the request of local Maasai leaders, S.A.F.E. will use theatre performances and workshops to help shift Maasai attitudes on forest resource use, wildlife conflict, and livestock practices. The change required to transform people into environmental champions is a deeply cultural one and S.A.F.E.'s model will be used to address the cultural shift needed to protect the Loita Hills environment.
Protecting Priority Elephant Populations in Africa
Commitment By: African Wildlife Foundation (Laly Lichtenfeld, Executive Director, African Wildlife Foundation)
Partner(s): Conservation Lower Zambezi; Kalahari Conservation Society; Kenya Wildlife Service; Dja Conservation Services
In 2014, African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) committed to scaling their work in sub-Saharan Africa reducing elephant poaching, targeting ten areas for enhanced capacity to combat and thwart poaching. AWF will partner with NGOS, government, and local bodies to strengthen and expand their counter poaching capacities and will directly support the capacities of the rangers and communities working on the ground. This commitment is expected to reduce the poaching to below the annual growth rate of 5-6 percent over the three-year period of the implementation. They will expand upon their previous capacity building work with existing partners, while also building new partnerships with organizations in expanded elephant territories. The funding will be used to compensate park rangers and community scouts, hire additional field personnel as needed, organize training in counter-poaching and law enforcement strategy and tactics, procure essential field equipment and supplies, and test new technologies and approaches for monitoring areas where poaching is prevalent. In each landscape, AWF will look for the best combination of tools and approaches that can protect elephants in an efficient and cost-effective way. In particular, they will focus on the number of trained rangers necessary to offer adequate coverage and protection of the elephant range.
Ranger Anti-Poaching Training & Widow Support
Commitment by: International Rangers Federation/Thin Green Line Foundation (Sean Willmore, Founder, The Thin Green Line and President, International Ranger Federation)
Partner(s): Elephant Action League; The International Anti-Poaching Foundation; Patagonia Works; PAMS Foundation; Scarab Management
In 2014, the International Rangers Federation (IRF) and The Thin Green Line Foundation (TGLF) committed to actively training and equipping wildlife Rangers on the frontline of conservation in National Parks, Protected Areas, and Community Conservation Zones in nine African countries. The commitment focuses on the training of Government and Community Rangers in advanced anti-poaching techniques as well as in leadership skills and professional development. Through the "Train the Trainers" program, TGLF will ensure the consistency and sustainability of ranger training over time. They will also provide key equipment to the Rangers undertaking anti-poaching work, including water filtration, backpacks, mosquito nets, and smartphones. This commitment will also expand TGLF's Widow Support Program, focusing on assisting the family members of rangers killed on patrol with educational, health, and employment needs. This commitment is designed to concentrate on the immediate solution of anti-poaching in the field to sustain Ranger and wildlife survival.
Ranger Anti-Poaching Training & Widow Support
Commitment by: International Rangers Federation/Thin Green Line Foundation (Sean Willmore, Founder, The Thin Green Line and President, International Ranger Federation)
Partner(s): Elephant Action League; The International Anti-Poaching Foundation; Patagonia Works; PAMS Foundation; Scarab Management
In 2014, the International Rangers Federation (IRF) and The Thin Green Line Foundation (TGLF) committed to actively training and equipping wildlife Rangers on the frontline of conservation in National Parks, Protected Areas, and Community Conservation Zones in nine African countries. The commitment focuses on the training of Government and Community Rangers in advanced anti-poaching techniques as well as in leadership skills and professional development. Through the "Train the Trainers" program, TGLF will ensure the consistency and sustainability of ranger training over time. They will also provide key equipment to the Rangers undertaking anti-poaching work, including water filtration, backpacks, mosquito nets, and smartphones. This commitment will also expand TGLF's Widow Support Program, focusing on assisting the family members of rangers killed on patrol with educational, health, and employment needs. This commitment is designed to concentrate on the immediate solution of anti-poaching in the field to sustain Ranger and wildlife survival.
Securing and Protecting Critical Habitat in Amboseli
Commitment By: International Fund for Animal Welfare (Azzedine Downes, President and CEO, International Fund for Animal Welfare)
Partner(s): Amboseli Trust for Elephants; Kenya Wildlife Service; The School For Field Studies; Olgulului Ol'rarashi Group Ranch
In 2014, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) committed to implementing innovative community-based approaches to protect the Amboseli elephant population in Kenya. They will establish community conservancies by leasing selected critical elephant migration corridors and dispersal areas and train Maasai community members as scouts to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. IFAW will also build the capacity of local communities through investments in a community center, water access pipeline, and educational scholarships for community youth.
Stop the Poaching, Trafficking, & Demand For Ivory
Commitment By: Save the Elephants (Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Founder, Save the Elephants)
Partner(s): WildAid; WildlifeDirect Inc.; Kenya Wildlife Service; Northern Rangelands Trust; Wildlife Conservation Network; Born Free; Stop Ivory
In 2014, Save the Elephants, in partnership with Northern Rangelands Trust, Kenya Wildlife Service, Wildlife Direct, WildAid, Stop Ivory, BornFree, and Wildlife Conservation Network, committed to work with government authorities and other nongovernmental organizations to contribute to resolving the current ivory crisis that is decimating elephant populations throughout the continent. Over three years, Save the Elephants aims to: 1) stop the killing of elephants through facilitation of anti-poaching enforcement in African range states; 2) stop the trafficking of ivory by supporting efforts to strengthen legislation, law enforcement, and judiciary in range states and monitor unregulated domestic ivory markets; and 3) stop the demand for ivory by raising awareness about the impact and risks of ivory sales to the survival of the African elephant, and urge behavioral changes that will reduce consumption in key ivory-consuming countries.
Technology and Innovation to End Poaching and Wildlife Crime
Commitment By: The Stimson Center (Brian Finlay, Managing Director, The Stimson Center)
Partner(s): Linköping University; Dinbar Associates; IHUB; African Wildlife Foundation; SAAB Technologies
In 2014, The Stimson Center, in partnership with local and global partners and the Kenyan government, committed to designing and implementing a gold standard integrated wildlife protection technology system that provides appropriate detection and communication technologies to assist enforcement teams mitigating poaching in the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary in Kenya. In the past two years, about 60,000 elephants and more than 1,600 rhinos have been killed by poachers. Sharply declining wildlife populations have significant economic consequences for these countries in addition to the impact on species population viability. Approximately 13 percent of Kenya's GDP comes from the tourism sector, where elephants and rhinos are star attractions, making their disappearance an economic threat. Poaching and wildlife crime is no longer only conservation challenge; it is also a serious socio-economic and security issue. This multi-stakeholder commitment will bring more robust protection measures to wildlife conservation in Kenya and the technology capacity-building and training will be locally driven and designed from the bottom-up. This pilot project will bring conservation, development, and security communities together to collectively combat the challenge of poaching and wildlife crime.
Women and Walls to Save Tanzania's Wildlife
Commitment By: African People and Wildlife Fund (Patrick Bergin, Chief Executive Officer, Africa People and Wildlife Fund)
Partner(s): National Geographic; Communities of Simanjiro, Babati, Monduli, Longido Districts; Loibor Siret and Narakauwo Women's Associations
In 2014, the African People & Wildlife Fund (APW) committed to both preventing human-wildlife conflicts (most notably via its highly successful Living Wall program) and providing local incentives for sustainable natural resource management in Tanzania. Via this two-pronged strategy, APW will work with community members to protect valuable livestock (and therefore community wealth) through the installation of environmentally friendly predator-proof corrals, and to assist in the recovery of important wildlife populations through community-driven environmental management. In particular, APW believes Maasai women are uniquely positioned to both become shepherds of the environment and to work for the long-term sustainability of environments on behalf of their children and communities. Recognizing the strong linkages between women, girls, and their impacts on the environment, APW will link conservation incentives to the improvement in women's income. Through APW's microfund, investments in environmentally friendly and women-owned small businesses, such as bee-keeping, will be made. In return for accepting micro-grants, community women develop and deliver community-based projects, such as village clean-ups, tree planting, watershed restoration work, and environmental education outreach. In addition to their on-the-ground conservation outcomes, these projects improve local attitudes toward conservation, ultimately bettering conditions for coexistence with elephants and lions.
About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 180 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date, members of the CGI community have made more than 3,100 Commitments to Action, which have improved the lives of over 430 million people in more than 180 countries.
CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.
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