The Clinton Foundation Announces Leadership Transition

Eric Braverman Steps Down as Chief Executive Officer; Maura Pally Appointed Acting CEO
 

New York, NY – The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation today announced that Eric Braverman has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer.  Maura Pally has been named Senior Vice President, Women and Youth Programs, and will serve as Acting CEO of the Clinton Foundation as the Board of Directors conducts a search for a permanent CEO.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have worked at the Clinton Foundation and have been inspired by the tireless work of our staff around the world to impact and improve the lives of millions of people,” said Eric Braverman. “In the last few years, all the initiatives and programs have worked together to make the Clinton Foundation even stronger and now is the right time for a new leader to take the Foundation into the future.  I'd like to thank President Clinton, Secretary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton for the amazing opportunity to serve at this unique moment in the life of the foundation. Most importantly, I'd like to thank the Clinton Foundation staff and partners for their extraordinary work. I’m looking forward to seeing their continued success as part of the extended Clinton Foundation family and will be cheering them all on.”

“When Eric came onboard, the Foundation had been growing quickly for more than a decade. Our individual initiatives were doing well, but Eric’s leadership helped us improve our governance structure, increase coordination across the Foundation and build better internal processes,” said President Bill Clinton, Secretary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.  “Eric also helped us put the use of data front and center so we can better measure the impact of our work and make better decisions about our programs, enabling our staff in New York and around the world to increase our impact and deliver on our mission. We are very grateful to Eric for his leadership and these efforts.”

Maura Pally said, “I am incredibly honored and humbled by the opportunity to step into this role during this transition.  I have worked alongside the Foundation’s tremendous team for quite some time, and know we all share the same passion for and commitment to empowering others to live their best lives.  We have a remarkable legacy here, and an even bigger opportunity ahead.” 

Maura will temporarily fill the role of Acting CEO as the Board conducts a search for a new CEO, and will resume her duties as Senior Vice President, Women and Youth Programs once a permanent CEO has been selected and announced. Eric will remain available to help Maura and the Foundation leadership team through the transition process.

                                                                       Maura Pally

Maura Pally is the Senior Vice President, Women and Youth Programs, and serves as Acting CEO as the Board conducts a search for a permanent CEO. Previously, Maura was the Executive Director for the Office of Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Clinton Foundation where she guided strategic direction, program development, and engagement efforts for No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project, which works to advance the status of women and girls around the world; Too Small to Fail, which aims to close the word gap and promote early literacy for children ages zero to five; and Job One, which mobilizes businesses and organizations to create employment pathways for disconnected youth in the United States.

Maura joined the Clinton Foundation from Bloomberg Philanthropies where she provided strategic direction for programmatic activities and oversight of operational management.  Previously, she served as Acting Assistant and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). As Acting Assistant Secretary, Maura led a bureau of 450 employees and a $635 million annual budget to fulfill ECA’s mandate of facilitating public diplomacy through exchange programs, including the flagship Fulbright Scholarship Program.  Maura oversaw the Department’s exchange activities and budget strategy ensuring programs furthered the Administration’s foreign policy objectives, and created new programs, including smARTpower and TechWomen to empower the next generation of women leaders in technology. Maura has also worked in the private sector, including as Manager of Politics and Public Policy at Oxygen Media, managing the network's on-air and on-line efforts to engage women in the political process. Maura served as a special assistant in the Office of White House Counsel under President Clinton, and earned a B.A. from Brown University and a J.D. from the University of Southern California.

                                                        About the Clinton Foundation

The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation convenes businesses, governments, NGOs, and individuals to improve global health and wellness, increase opportunity for women and girls, reduce childhood obesity, create economic opportunity and growth, and help communities address the effects of climate change.  Because of our work, 26,000 American schools are providing kids with healthy food choices in an effort to eradicate childhood obesity; 36,000 farmers in Malawi and Tanzania have improved their incomes by more than 500% percent; 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced in cities worldwide; more than 5,000 people have been trained in marketable job skills in Colombia; 8.2 million people have access to lifesaving HIV/AIDS medications; $200 million in strategic investments have been made, impacting the health of 75 million people in the U.S.; and members of the Clinton Global Initiative have made more than 3,100 Commitments to Action to improve more than 430 million lives around the world.

Clinton Climate Initiative’s Home Energy Affordability Loan (HEAL) Program Celebrates Five-Year Anniversary

Little Rock, Arkansas – The Home Energy Affordability Loan (HEAL) program is celebrating its fifth anniversary of making energy efficient home retrofits available as an employee benefit. Spearheaded by the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, HEAL works with employers to make energy improvement on company facilities and then provide employees with the resources to complete home audits and retrofits, the program is delivered in much the same way as a 401k or Flexible Spending Account. Since HEAL was enacted five years ago, HEAL and its replication programs have impacted 5,600 individuals in seven states, created over $3.75 million in construction activity and are producing utility bill savings of over $625,000 per year.

“By bringing a market-based solution the issue of home energy consumption, HEAL has proved that environmental sustainability is financially sensible,” said President Clinton. “Over the past five years, HEAL not only benefitted workers and their families, but helped their employers and communities with lower energy costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. I am proud that this program began in Arkansas. Its measured success proves that it is ready to be scaled up at home and implemented across the United States.”

HEAL was inspired by the Clinton Foundation’s Hurricane Katrina recovery programs in New Orleans. After seeing firsthand how energy efficient home renovations were benefitting low and moderate income homeowners, CCI developed the HEAL concept for use in the workplace. Launched in 2009 in Arkansas, in partnership with Governor Mike Beebe and the Arkansas Energy Office, CCI scaled HEAL to an employer in each of Arkansas’ Congressional Districts.

“For five years now, the Clinton Climate Initiative has worked diligently to reduce energy use in Arkansas homes and businesses,” Governor Mike Beebe said. “The Home Energy Affordability Loan program has created energy-service jobs, helping attract and train a skilled workforce in communities throughout our state.”

Since its inception ago, the HEAL program has focused on achieving the triple bottom line of:

• Social equity: Providing access to energy education and affordable energy financing for all economic levels of society.
• Economic development: Creating cost savings to the occupants and providing local jobs to implement the work.
• Environmental impact: Providing measurable and verifiable greenhouse gas reductions through energy retrofits.

To date, the HEAL program has been tested and replicated in seven states with organizations of varying types, sizes, and business sectors. Since launching in Arkansas, HEAL and its Replication Partners have piloted the program in Wisconsin, Vermont, Michigan, California, North Carolina and Missouri.

Currently, CCI is working to further develop the program with new offerings targeting other areas of employee sustainability such as transportation and water conservation.

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About the Clinton Climate Initiative

The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) was launched in 2006 to implement solutions to the root causes of climate change. CCI works to improve the energy efficiency and advance building retrofits; to increase access to clean energy technology and deploy it at the government, corporate, and homeowner levels; to help over 20 island nations reduce their reliance on diesel and adopt renewable energy; and to monitor, preserve and grow forests in line with national governments and communities. CCI’s approach addresses the major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the people, policies, and practices that impact them - while also saving money for individuals and governments, creating jobs, and growing economies.

About the Clinton Foundation

The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation convenes businesses, governments, NGOs, and individuals to improve global health and wellness, increase opportunity for women and girls, reduce childhood obesity, create economic opportunity and growth, and help communities address the effects of climate change.  Because of our work, 26,000 American schools are providing kids with healthy food choices in an effort to eradicate childhood obesity; 36,000 farmers in Malawi and Tanzania have improved their incomes by more than 500 percent; 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced in cities worldwide; more than 5,000 people have been trained in marketable job skills in Colombia; 8.2 million people have access to lifesaving HIV/AIDS medications; $200 million in strategic investments have been made, impacting the health of 75 million people in the U.S.; and members of the Clinton Global Initiative have made nearly 3,100 Commitments to Action to improve more than 430 million lives around the world.

Learn more at http://www.clintonfoundation.org, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ClintonFoundation and on Twitter @ClintonFdn.

President Clinton to Bring Together Leaders from Business, Government, and Civil Society at Clinton Foundation’s Future of the Americas Convening

Juan Manuel Santos, President of the Republic of Colombia; Carlos Slim, Founder, Carlos Slim Foundation; Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank; Dr. Valentin Abe, Founder, Caribbean Harvest; Gustavo Cisneros, Chairman, The Cisneros Group of Companies; Vicky Colbert, Executive Director, Fundación Escuela Nueva; Henry Cisneros, Chairman, Citiview; Hernando de Soto, President, Institute for Liberty and Democracy; David Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy; Gloria Estefan, Estefan Enterprises; Frank Giustra, President and CEO, Fiore Financial Corporation; Stanley Motta, President, Motta Internacional; Thomas F. McLarty, Chairman, McLarty Associates; Jennifer Pryce, Founder and CEO, Calvert Foundation; Frank Rainieri, President Grupo Puntacana; Carlos Rodríguez-Pastor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Intercorp; Donna Shalala, President, University of Miami; Robert Zoellick, Chairman, Goldman Sachs’ International Advisors; are among leaders who will convene Dec. 11 in Miami, Florida to focus on improving shared prosperity across the western hemisphere

NEW YORK — Today, President Bill Clinton announced a roster of international leaders from the private and public sectors across Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States who will participate in a one-time Future of the Americas convening on December 11 at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida. This convening is part of President Clinton’s long-standing commitment to economic prosperity, investment, and innovation across the western hemisphere, through his work in office and post-presidency through the Clinton Foundation.

Twenty years after President Clinton convened the first Summit of the Americas, this convening will bring leaders together from across the hemisphere to create space for them to have a conversation about the next twenty years, with a focus on how to strengthen investment, jobs, health, and education. The Future of the Americas will complement the official Summit of the Americas in April 2015.

The agenda of President Clinton’s Future of the Americas convening will encourage cross-sector collaboration across Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States. Discussion topics will include energy, infrastructure, the environment, agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprises, women and girls, technology, chronic diseases, nutrition, primary education, and vocational training. This convening is a working meeting, with an emphasis on interactive, roundtable discussions.

“I'm looking forward to our Future of the Americas discussions in Miami. There’s been tremendous progress across our hemisphere since we first came together twenty years ago, and now more than ever, it’s clear the next twenty years in our hemisphere will depend largely on the actions that leaders from all sectors and countries take today,” said President Clinton. “This meeting will give people an opportunity to focus on key challenges and opportunities – around jobs, education, health and the need for inclusive political, economic, and social policies. I’m thankful for the leadership of the people who are participating, and hopeful that our discussions will re-energize their efforts to shape our shared future in ever more positive ways.”

Participants in the Future of the Americas discussions include Dr. Valentin Abe, Founder, Caribbean Harvest; Gastón Acurio, Chef, La Mar by Gastón Acurio; Fidel Andueza, Head of the Americas, Libra Group; Carlos Julio Ardila, Vice President of the Board, Organización Ardila Lülle; Steffano Bertozzi, Dean, School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley; Carlos Bulgheroni, CEO, Bridas Energy; Luis Carlos Sarmiento Angulo, President, Grupo Aval; Adriana Cisneros, CEO and Vice Chairman, The Cisneros Group of Companies; Gustavo Cisneros, Chairman, The Cisneros Group of Companies; Henry G. Cisneros, Executive Chairman, CityView Companies; Vicky Colbert, Executive Director, Fundación Escuela Nueva; David Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy; Hernando de Soto, President, Institute for Liberty and Democracy; Jorge Errázuriz, Partner, BTG Pactual;  Emilio Estefan, Estefan Enterprises; Gloria Estefan, Estefan Enterprises; Alfonso Fanjul, CEO, Fanjul Corp; Angélica Fuentes, CEO, Grupo Omnilife; Alejandro García Padilla, Governor, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; Frank Giustra, President and CEO, Fiore Financial Corporation; Rolando González-Bunster, Chairman and CEO, InterEnergy Holdings Ltd.; Nizan Guanaes, Chairman and Founder, Grupo ABC; Gabriela León, CEO, GRESMEX SA de CV; Phillip Levine, Mayor, Miami Beach; Alfredo Mesa, Executive Director, Florida Marlins Foundation; Thomas F. McLarty, Chairman, McLarty Associates; Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank; Stanley Motta, President, Motta Internacional, S.A.; Dyer Narinesingh, President, University of Trinidad and Tobago; Eduardo Padrón, President, Miami Dade College; Nicholas Prouty, President, Putnam Bridge Funding Jennifer Pryce, Founder and CEO, Calvert Foundation; Frank Rainieri, President and CEO, Grupo Puntacana; Julissa Reynoso, U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay; Carlos Rodríguez-Pastor, Chairman and CEO, Intercorp; David Rothkopf, President and CEO, Garten Rothkopf, Israel Ruiz, Executive Vice President and Treasurer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Alejandro Santo Domingo, Managing Director, Quadrant Capital Advisors, Inc.; Juan Manuel Santos, President of the Republic of Colombia; Donna Shalala, President, University of Miami; Carlos Slim, Chairman, Grup Carso; Javier Soto, President and CEO, The Miami Foundation and Gerardo Werthein, Chairman, Caja de Seguros S.A., and many others.

This convening builds on President Clinton’s commitment to inclusive growth across the Americas. While in office, President Clinton:

• Along with fellow democratically-elected leaders in the Americas, convened the first Summit of the Americas in December 1994, in Miami. The summit – the first of its kind in 27 years – brought together the 34 democracies of the hemisphere to articulate their shared vision of the future.  The leaders agreed to 23 separate initiatives in support of the four summit themes: strengthening democracy, promoting economic prosperity, eradicating poverty and discrimination, and guaranteeing sustainable development.
• Authorized a $20 U.S. billion loan package in 1994 to restore international confidence in the Mexican economy after the peso hit an all-time low.  From 1996-97, the Mexican economy experienced its most rapid growth in 20 years. In 1997, President Clinton announced that the Mexican government had repaid the loan, with interest, ahead of schedule.
• Developed new accords with the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru that forgave between 45-79% of eligible debt and rolled over payments of the rest to more manageable levels.  The agreements helped restore international confidence in Latin American economies, which led to new foreign loans from both private banks and international financial institutions such as the World Bank.

Since leaving office, President Clinton has continued to be active in the region though the work of the Clinton Foundation:

• Since 2007, the Clinton Climate Initiative and C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group have been empowering cities in Latin America to invest in green technologies and fight climate change— including Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo’s deployment of low-carbon transportation, Bogotá, Colombia’s retrofitting of traffic lights, and Mexico City’s improvement of waste management systems.
• Since 2007, the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership (Enterprise Partnership) empowers individuals across Latin America to work themselves out of poverty. The Enterprise Partnership creates distribution, supply chain and programs training social enterprises, including the Acceso Training Center in Colombia that will place 20,000 people in jobs and the Chakipi Distribution venture that will train 3,000 women for distribution jobs in Peru.
• The Clinton Foundation, since 2010, has raised a total of $34 million for Haiti, including relief funds and also conducts projects focused on supporting Haiti’s small and medium businesses, improving livelihoods, enhancing education and exploring the nexus of agriculture, energy and environment.
• Since 2012, the Clinton Health Matters Initiative has been implementing community health transformation and college campus mental health programs in communities and college campuses serving more than two million Latino Americans.
• In 2013, President Clinton convened Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Latin America meeting, resulting in 40 Commitments to Action: new, specific, and measurable plans to address global challenges. Since CGI launched in 2005, CGI members have made 712 commitments around the world that directly impact the Latin American region. Over 300 students from Latin American countries have attended CGI University meetings since they began in 2007.
• The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the Clinton Foundation, works with schools, companies, community organizations, healthcare professionals and families to build healthier environments where children thrive. The Alliance works with more than 4,800 schools and out-of-school time programs whose primary ethnicity of the student population is Latino.  The Alliance also focuses on populations where significant racial and ethnic disparities in obesity prevalence exist, especially in the Latino community.

For more information, a complete list of featured participants, and the most up-to-date schedule visit www.clintonfoundation.org/futureoftheamericas or email press@clintonfoundation.org. Follow us on Twitter at @ClintonFdn and Facebook at Facebook.com/ClintonFoundation for meeting news and highlights.

ALL PRESS MUST BE CREDENTIALED BY THE CLINTON FOUNDATION. Press registration is now open to the members of the media. To apply, please complete the form at https://www.clintonfoundation.org/press/registration/future-americas-meeting.  All media must apply for credentials and must be approved by the Clinton Foundation to attend. The deadline to apply is Friday, December 5. Journalists may apply for credentials on-site, but pre-registered media will be given priority.

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About the Clinton Foundation

The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation convenes businesses, governments, NGOs, and individuals to improve global health and wellness, increase opportunity for women and girls, reduce childhood obesity, create economic opportunity and growth, and help communities address the effects of climate change.  Because of our work, 26,000 American schools are providing kids with healthy food choices in an effort to eradicate childhood obesity; 28,000 farmers in Malawi have improved their incomes by more than 500 percent; 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced in cities worldwide; more than 5,000 people have been trained in marketable job skills in Colombia; 8.2 million people have access to lifesaving HIV/AIDS medications; $200 million in strategic investments have been made, impacting the health of 75 million people in the U.S.; and members of the Clinton Global Initiative have made more than 3,100 Commitments to Action to improve more than 430 million lives around the world.

Wine Star: Nicolás Catena

The right leader at the right time, this vintner effected profound change in Argentina's wines

Ben O'Donnell
Posted: October 21, 2014

Nicolás Catena poured the Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Mendoza Adrianna Vineyard 2007.

It can take years, even centuries, for a wine region to come of age but, as Wine Spectator executive editor Thomas Matthews noted, “sometimes, on occasion, an inspirational leader can bring rapid and profound change.” He invoked Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi, and in the next breath, introduced another pioneer: Argentina's wine visionary, Nicolás Catena.

Catena described the evolution of Catena Zapata. The family company, like most Argentine bodegas, produced large quantities of inexpensive, rustic wine. Then, a visit to Napa Valley in the early 1980s inspired him: Relative upstarts were talking about achieving world-class quality in wine. “I had been educated that nobody, nobody, could make a wine to compete with the French,” he recalled. “Why could I not do the same in my country?”

The path forward was far from clear. After insufficient success trying to emulate others with varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, “finally I accepted the French obsession with terroir.”

Catena returned to the Malbec grape that had proved itself a partner to the land and headed for the hills—to Tupungato, 5,000 feet above sea level. Skeptics warned that late frosts would wipe out his crop, and it would never ripen at such altitude, but Catena was undeterred. With a talented team, and a great site identified in the Adrianna Vineyard, Catena sought to steer his wine toward greatness with research and technology, joined by his daughter Laura in 2001.

Even today, Catena said, the work continues: The higher sunlight intensity at altitude affects the grapes “in a way we are only just starting to understand.” But his dream of greatness on the world stage has been met, with other Argentineans following in his footsteps. For Wine Experience guests sipping the immense but deftly balanced Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Mendoza Adrianna Vineyard 2007 (95 points, $120 on release), there could be no disputing that.

President Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, And Chelsea Clinton Call Members to Action on Final Day of 10^th CGI Annual Meeting

Members made 188 new Commitments to Action, expected to impact nearly 4.9 million people. To date, more than 3,100 commitments have been made, improving the lives of over 430 million people in more than 180 countries.                                                

NEW YORK, NY – Today, President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton closed the 10^th Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting by announcing new Commitments to Action and issuing a call to action to members in four critical issue areas: addressing energy poverty around the world, tackling food insecurity and hunger in the United States, increasing access to water, and responding the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Over three days, CGI members made 188 new Commitments to Action, expected to impact nearly 4.9 million lives around the world when fully funded and implemented.

Highlights from the final day of the Annual Meeting included:

• Featured speakers included: President Bill Clinton, Founding Chairman, Clinton Global Initiative, 42nd President of the United States; Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Senator from New York; Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair, Clinton Foundation; Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan; Cady Coleman, Astronaut, NASA; Katie Couric, Global Anchor, Yahoo News; Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and Founder, X PRIZE Foundation; Melinda Gates, Co-chair and Trustee, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 2011, President, Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa; Hikmet Ersek, President, CEO and Director, The Western Union Company;  David Leonhardt, Editor, The Upshot, The New York Times;  Graça Machel, Founder, Graça Machel Trust and Foundation for Community Development;  Nilofar Sakhi, Chief Executive Officer, American University of Afghanistan; and Reid Wiseman, Astronaut, NASA , Commander, U.S. NAVY
• Melinda Gates joined Secretary Clinton to examine the progress that has been made since the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and what challenges remain.
• CNN’s Erin Burnett hosted a retrospective conversation on lessons learned since CGI was founded. Participants included President Bill Clinton, Founding Chairman, Clinton Global Initiative; 42nd President of the United States; Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Tony Blair, Former Prime Minister, United Kingdom; Ashley Judd, Actor, Author, Advocate, Population Services International; Zainab Salbi, Founder, Executive Producer and Co-Creator, Women for Women International; The Trials of Spring.
• The Haiti Action Network joined together to highlight the work of the group and debate how members can continue designing and implementing Commitments to Action that build local capacity and have clear exit strategies to enable Haiti to prosper far into the future.
• A discussion hosted by CNN’s Sanjay Gupta discussed the importance of investing in early childhood education and development. Participants included Geoffrey Canada, President, Harlem Children’s Zone; Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Nadine Burke Harris, Founder and CEO, Center for Youth Wellness; Cindy McCain, Founding Member, Eastern Congo Initiative; and Rosemarie T. Truglio, Senior Vice President, Global Education Content, Sesame Workshop.
• CGI members discussed their current efforts underway to combat the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa and explored ways to leverage partnerships in response to the outbreak.
• At the closing, Secretary Clinton had a conversation with Graça Machel, Founder, Graça Machel Trust and Foundation for Community Development, and presented her with the Clinton Global Citizen Award for Civil Service

In the closing plenary, Secretary Clinton issued calls to action to members to develop innovative commitments in four issue areas:

• Committing to make dramatic progress on energy access and energy poverty. As many as 1.3 billion people around the world do not have access to electricity today;
• Helping communities around the world get the clean water they need. In the majority of developed countries, access to clean water is often taken for granted, but worldwide 780 million people lack access because of poor quality or insufficient supplies;
• Increasing access to and improving the affordability of healthy food in low-income communities across America. An estimated 15 percent of all American households, or roughly 49 million Americans, experience food insecurity or hunger;
• Providing immediate assistance and strengthening health systems to respond to the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The Annual Meeting is sponsored by Ambassador Gianna Angelopoulos, HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Hult Prize Foundation, Starkey Hearing Foundation, Victor Pinchuk Foundation,  Barclays, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Coca-Cola Company, Ford Foundation, Monsanto, P&G, Rockefeller Foundation, United Postcode Lotteries, Varkey Gems Foundation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Cisco, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women, NRG Energy, PWC, Blackstone, Deutsche Bank, ExxonMobil, HP, Inter-American Development Bank, InterEnergy, Laureate International Universities, Microsoft, Standard Chartered Bank, Swiss Re, Western Union, APCO Worldwide, Diageo, Jive, and Knoll.

Commitments announced in Plenary Sessions today include:

CHARGE: Collaborative for Harnessing Ambition and Resources for Girls’ Education

At the 2014 CGI annual meeting, the Center on Universal Education at the Brookings Institution will commit to create CHARGE (The Collaborative for Harnessing Ambition and Resources for Girls Education), a global collective of public, private, and grassroots organizations working to advance the “second generation” of global girl’s education. With more than 30 partners, including the United States, Nepal, the United Kingdom, No Ceilings, Pearson, CHIME for Change, and Discovery Communications – CHARGE has already pledged nearly $600 million to reach 15 million girls over the next 5 years. Working to develop and advance solutions for the most pressing challenges, the partners commit to closing persistent gaps and improving the quality, safety, and security of girls’ secondary education worldwide. The collaborative will chart a new path in this pursuit by focusing on a unique five-step agenda that will: Keep girls in school; Ensure school safety and security; Improve quality of learning; Support transitions from and out of school; and Support girls’ education leaders/workers in developing countries to fulfill these goals.

Connected Women: Driving Gender Equity Through Digital Economy
Commitment by: GSM Association
Partner(s): Ooredoo, Qualcomm, A.T. Kearney

In 2014, GSM Association and its partners committed to develop the Connected Women program to increase women's participation in the mobile economy. The first part of the program includes a comprehensive research project to assess women's wants and needs surrounding mobile technology. Upon completion of the research, the mobile network operators working in partnership with Connected Women, including Ooredoo, Qualcomm, Roshan, and Smart Communications, will utilize the information collected to implement programs and services for their female customers. In 2010, research found that 300 million fewer women than men owned a mobile phone and women are 21 percent less likely to own a phone in low and middle income countries. The Connected Women program will generate information about the socio-economic benefits of greater inclusion of women at all points in the mobile industry continuum from consumer to employee to leader, and then work with industry players to create opportunity.

Dhaka to Harlem: Empowering Women as Engines of Growth
Commitment by: Grameen America

In 2014, Grameen America committed to opening a new branch of its micro-lending service in Harlem, New York, pledging to provide $50 million to 7,000 women business owners in the area over 5 years. Since 2006, when Grameen opened its first New York branch in Queens, the organization has expanded to 18 branches in 11 cities, lending $171 million to nearly 33,000 low income women entrepreneurs across the country. Starting in October with 500 women, Grameen will provide entrepreneurs with funding and financial training on savings, credit maintenance and interest rates.

Rework America: Markle Economic Future Initiative
Commitment by: The Markle Foundation

In 2014, the Markle Foundation made a $50 million commitment to launch the “Rework America” Initiative, providing technological training for the modern business world to college age and continuing education participants later in life. Students will have access to a classroom and online learning environment utilizing models developed by the University presidents of Arizona State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, providing participants with real world skills they might not learn in a university environment.

Ebola Response: Air Bridge Support
Commitment by: Airlink
Partner(s): Paul G. Allen Foundation; Greenbaum Foundation; ChildFund International; AmeriCares; Direct Relief; AFYA Foundation; LIFT; ALAN (American Logistics Aid Network); Brussels Airlines; Western Global Airlines

In 2014, Airlink committed to transporting between 100 and 500 tons of material aid cargo by air to Western Africa by year-end 2014 with the help of its partners. The actual amount that Airlink will ship will depend on the length of time that an air bridge is called for in Western Africa before slower forms of transportation become sufficient to serve the requirement for material aid.

Emergency Solar Lighting for Ebola Relief Teams
Commitment by: Econet Wireless Group

Econet Wireless, a global telecommunications company with operations and investments in a dozen African markets, and its subsidiary company, Solarway, will provide $100,000 worth of solar power lanterns (totaling 5,000 lanterns) to support relief teams working to treat, contain and prevent the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the three worst affected countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The solar power lanterns will provide medical and relief workers with lighting in areas where there is limited or no access to electricity. The lanterns, which come with a solar panel, can be hung as room lights and provide up to 20 hours of light from one full charge. The lanterns also come with a port for charging all types of mobile phones to support improved communications and coordination. Econet Wireless will partner with relief agencies on the ground to ensure 5,000 solar power lanterns are delivered and distributed to frontline public health workers most in need of sustainable lighting solutions.

Combating Ebola: Airlift of 100 Tons of Medical Aid
Commitment by: Direct Relief
Partner(s): Wellbody Alliance – Sierra Leone; Medical Research Centre – Sierra Leone; CDC – Sierra Leone; Last Mile Health – Liberia; Christian Aid Ministries – Liberia; CDC – Liberia; Africare – Libreria; Ministry of Health/National Drug Services – Liberia; Merck; Becton, Dickinson and Company

In response to the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, Direct Relief committed to sending more than 100 tons of urgently needed personal protective equipment (PPE), medical supplies, and medicines to its partners on the ground in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Partners on the ground will team up with the respective Ministries of Health to deploy an effective distribution channel to get supplies to clinics, health facilities, and hospitals in regions heavily affected by the outbreak. In addition, more supplies will be secured in other locations as precautionary and emergency preparedness measures.

Fighting Ebola: Strengthening Rural Health
Commitment by: Partners in Health and Last Mile Health
Partner(s): Wellbody Alliance; Direct Relief

Partners In Health, Last Mile Health (Liberia) and Wellbody Alliance (Sierra Leone) have launched a coalition to scale-up rural Ebola response efforts and rebuild primary health systems in two of the most-affected countries: Liberia and Sierra Leone. The Coalition builds on over 40 years of collective experience (including 15 combined years in Liberia and Sierra Leone) in strengthening public health systems in partnership with Ministries of Health; and integrating research, teaching, and service to deliver high-quality, comprehensive health care to the poor.

The Hult Prize
Commitment by: Hult International Business School

In 2010, the Hult International Business School committed to bring together MBA and undergraduate business students from schools around the world together to come up with innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social problems. Every year, teams from around the globe compete to win recognition for their consulting efforts and $1 million dollars in funding to put their project into practice. Past winners include Cambridge University’s 2011 mPanni plan, now a functioning company in Mumbai, India that provides mobile technology for increased social impact to underserved communities. The 2014 Challenge was to find solutions to non-communicable diseases in urban slums. This year’s winner was 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. After presentations, NanoHealth was announced as the winner at the Hult Prize Dinner on Tuesday.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative - Peru
Commitment By: Goldman Sachs Foundation

In 2009, the Goldman Sachs Foundation committed to build on their global 10,000 Women initiative by joining with the Inter-American Development Bank's Multilateral Investment Fund and the Thunderbird School of Global Management to provide women entrepreneurs in Peru with quality business education and enhanced access to capital. In cooperation with Mibanco, a leading provider of loans to small and micro entrepreneurs, this training will offer more than 700 high-potential small business owners with the specialized training, access to capital, networking, and mentoring necessary to significantly grow their businesses.  Today, 728 women are certified, exceeding the target of 700; 200 women entrepreneurs received one-on-one mentoring, exceeding the target of 120.

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.

Clinton Global Initiative to Host Inaugural CGI Middle East and Africa Meeting in Spring 2015 in Marrakech
International convening will bring together leaders from business, government, and philanthropy to address regional and global issues

New York – At the 10th CGI Annual Meeting today, President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton announced that the Clinton Global Initiative will hold its inaugural CGI Middle East and Africa Meeting in the Spring of 2015 in Marrakech with a focus on economic development.

“CGI brings together leaders from all sectors of society, highlighting successes and creating opportunities to build partnerships to further social, economic, and environmental goals,” said President Clinton. “The Middle East and Africa have a youthful workforce, fast-growing economies, untapped natural resources, and enormous potential to thrive in the coming years.”

In addition to CGI’s Annual Meeting in September, CGI hosts a number of convenings throughout the year, including CGI America and CGI University. In recent years, CGI has brought its model of dialogue and commitment-making to an international setting, tailored to a specific region. This will be the third CGI International Meeting. In December 2008, CGI Asia in Hong Kong brought together several hundred leaders from across the continent to further strengthen social and global responsibility in Asia. In December 2013, CGI Latin America brought together key leaders from the private sector, government, civil society, and NGOs to address to the region’s most pressing challenges.

Follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative for upcoming meeting news and highlights.

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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 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, which are already improving the lives of more than 430 million people in over 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.

Clinton Global Initiative to Host CGI Mediterranean in June 2015 in Athens, Greece

First CGI meeting in Greece will bring leaders from business, government, civil society, and philanthropy to address economic and social challenges in the region

New York, NY — Today at the 10th Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton announced the CGI Mediterranean meeting, to be held in Athens, Greece in June 2015.

“The CGI Mediterranean meeting will bring leaders together to address critical regional challenges such as youth unemployment and social and economic volatility through new Commitments to Action, and to showcase the region’s enormous potential for growth,” said President Bill Clinton.

“I’ve been honored to serve as a CGI convening sponsor for the past five years. I love the CGI ethos of turning ideas into action. That’s why, today, I am proud to announce I will sponsor the first CGI Mediterranean event to bring the Clinton Global Initiative legacy of leadership and action to my own country,” said Ambassador Gianna Angelopoulos, who joined President Clinton for the announcement and is the founding sponsor of CGI Mediterranean.

In addition to the CGI Annual Meeting in September, CGI hosts a number of convenings throughout the year, including CGI America and CGI University. For the past two years, Ambassador Angelopoulos has encouraged Greek students to submit proposals to CGI University, and funded their projects after launch. CGI has also brought its model of commitment-making to international settings, as well as hosting issue-focused meetings to create partnerships and develop new Commitments to Action on a global challenge.

CGI Mediterranean continues that tradition. Participants will develop solutions for long-term economic growth and competitiveness for countries in the Mediterranean region by generating commitments in areas such as youth employment, economic development, job creation, and green growth.

Follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative for upcoming meeting news and highlights.

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 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, which are already improving the lives of more than 430 million people in over 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.

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No Ceilings Announces CHARGE: Collaborative for Harnessing Ambition and Resources for Girls’ Education

NEW YORK, NY – Today, at the 10^th Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Julia Gillard, Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, announced a collaboration of more than 30 companies, civil society organizations, multilaterals and governments to improve learning and leadership opportunities for young women and girls.  This collective effort, CHARGE – Collaborative for Harnessing Ambition and Resources for Girls’ Education – has committed over $600 million dollars to reach 14 million girls over five years.  The initiative will:

• Ensure that girls can attend and complete primary and secondary school;
• Make schools safer and more secure;
• Improve the quality of learning for girls;
• Support girls’ transition to higher education and employment; and
• Cultivate local country leaders to champion this work at the grassroots level. 

“We know when girls have access to quality education in both primary and secondary schools, cycles of poverty are broken, economies grow, glass ceilings crack and potential is unleashed," said Secretary Clinton. “The scale of this commitment matches the gravity of the challenge. Ensuring every girl receives a quality secondary education will take all of us, governments, civil society, the private sector, multilateral organizations, the entire international community working together.”

"I am so proud and grateful to all who have joined this exceptional initiative” said Julia Gillard, Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Universal Education. “We are here today to make a difference, to tackle head-on the next generation of girls education issues. It is our job to ensure that girls not only have access to education, but also to a quality education and unbounded horizons for future opportunity. Our work begins now."

The number of children attending primary school has significantly increased in the past two decades, and the gap between boys and girls has narrowed in many countries.  However, there are still significantly fewer girls than boys in secondary school in some regions, and girls face many barriers to completing secondary school with the skills they need -- including threats to their safety and inadequate quality and learning opportunities. This initiative will address these “second generation” issues, particularly in some of the most difficult to reach and marginalized communities across the globe.

NGO partners include BRAC International, which will work to improve learning and life transitions for more than 2.7 million girls and invest $280 million across Bangladesh and seven other countries.  Camfed will spend $100 million to help marginalized girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete secondary school and transition to secure livelihoods.  Plan International will commit more than $16 million to help prevent and respond to school-related gender-based violence in Asia.  And Room to Read will invest $12 million to serve an additional 15,000 girls in nine countries to ensure that girls transition to secondary school and then from school to the workforce or higher education.

Local non-governmental organizations have also made commitments.  GRACE Association will work to transform 50 schools in Pakistan’s most remote and impoverished areas to be inclusive, safe learning environments for 17,000 girls.  The Study Hall Foundation will expand its efforts to promote girls’ secondary school completion in the Uttar Pradesh region of India.  And emerging leaders will be supported by Echidna Giving, the Malala Fund and the Nigerian development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) to ensure local challenges are tackled by empowered, local leadership.

Several private sector partners have also offered support for this initiative.  Mastercard Foundation will commit $30 million to help girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in Sub-Saharan Africa enter and complete secondary school.  Discovery Communications will invest more than $19 million, in partnership with the UK’s Department for International Development, to advance learning outcomes for girls in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria.  Other private sector partners include Gucci/Chime for Change, Intel, and Microsoft.

Multilateral organizations have also joined including UNICEF, UNESCO and the Global Partnership for Education.  Key government partners include Nepal, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and the governments of Japan, Norway, and Malawi will endorse this initiative.

This impressive alliance will contribute significant resources, direct services and training, and innovative policy solutions to improve education and give greater opportunities to girls and young women across the globe over the next five years.

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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 10^th 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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