At the Clinton Global Initiative, members made close to 300 new commitments on issues involving economic empowerment, energy and the environment, education, global health, and more. In fact, since the launch of CGI, they have put $63 billion toward improving nearly 300 million lives in over 170 countries. In other words, CGI demonstrates that we are truly becoming a global community. The session that moved me most took place last Wednesday when
Queen Rania of Jordan, Katie Couric, President Sirleaf of Liberia, and Muhtar Kent joined Hillary Clinton in a plenary session to discuss empowering women and girls around the world. We watched the world premiere of The Girl Effect: The Clock is Ticking:
Given the chance 600 million adolescent girls in developing countries can unleash the world's greatest untapped solution to poverty. This is the Girl Effect. If we can release girls living in poverty, they will do the rest. You can be part of that change. In fact without you it won't happen. Join the conversation and let the world know what the Girl Effect is capable of.
The panel also discussed a new CGI commitment to create a global market for clean cookstoves by the U.S. State Department, the U.N. Foundation, the World Food Program, Royal Dutch Shell, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other public and private partners. They will help 100 million households adopt clean and efficient cookstoves and fuels by 2020. As former President Bill Clinton explained:
“This initiative exemplifies what's possible when business, governments, and civil society come together to address a pressing global issue. With an estimated 1.9 million people – most of them children under five years old – dying every year from exposure to hazardous stove smoke, this initiative has the potential to save countless lives, and I'm proud CGI members could build this important public-private partnership."
