Science Guardian

Giving is good, and Clinton leads world in how to get it done

Bigger targets get more but fantasy meme maintains hold

As noisy helicopters overhead herald the arrival of international leaders to the UN Assembly, former President Clinton’s Clinton Global Initiative, his ambitious initiative leading prominent corporate chieftains and political leaders in many private projects to fight global poverty and ills, entered Round III today in Manhattan.

In a remarkably short time, Clinton has established himself as the world leader in coaxing and pressuring business and political leaders to contribute personal projects to raising up the lives of the underprivileged around the world.

In fact, if the business and political leaders who attend his jamboree don’t pony up and follow through, they are not invited back:

Attendees are required to make specific commitments to address one of the topics and report back to President Clinton on the progress made throughout the course of the year. Attendees who do not make or keep their commitment will not be invited to attend future meetings.

Here’s the gen this morning issued by CGI as we prepare to go down there and swim among the rich and influential whales, sharks, porpoises and small fry from the press.

Notice the improvement in balance that is being achieved by the Clinton effort, which is accelerating the spread of charitable rescue efforts in Africa and elsewhere well beyond AIDS to other ills. While the African First Ladies are banding together to make sure that as many pregnant black Africans as possible get the drugs they need to combat the HIV meme, the ten million children who die annually from pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition and newborn complications globally are going to be the target of a special effort called Survive Until Five, which is going to spend nearly four times as much:

Clinton kicked off the third annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) with over one thousand leaders of business, government and non-governmental organizations representing over 70 countries and including 52 current and former heads of state. During the opening session, Clinton announced five new commitments, including over $1 billion by the Norwegian and Dutch Governments to reduce maternal and child mortality.

“I’m gratified today because it’s clear to me that this model of philanthropy and giving, which began as an experiment in 2005, has proven itself in only two short years. Since our first meeting, more than 600 commitments have been made by CGI members, impacting 100 countries and millions of lives,” he said. “In its third year, CGI is evidence of something that I have always believed— that people are inherently generous, that giving makes you feel good, and that the only thing most of us are looking for is an opportunity to make a difference.”…

Save the Children US and UK
Save the Children and its partners will create a Survive to 5 campaign, driving awareness and action on behalf of the almost 10 million children who die annually from pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition and newborn complications globally. Former US Senate Majority Leader, William Frist, will serve as the chair of the campaign as part of Save the Children’s commitment to global leadership will work closely with key governments to significantly reduce preventable child deaths. The five-year campaign will launch in fall 2007 and is estimated to cost $75 million.

Maureen Mwanawasa, First Lady of Zambia
The Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS, and their President, the First Lady of Zambia, Mrs. Maureen K. Mwanawasa, will champion the expansion of programs and funding for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS. Supported by $20 million over 2 years, their “Save the Unborn Child” campaign and will be implemented by 40 African First Ladies in their respective countries and will save millions of lives by preventing one of the most easily preventable forms of HIV/AIDS transmission.

Clinton kicked off the third annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) with over one thousand leaders of business, government and non-governmental organizations representing over 70 countries and including 52 current and former heads of state. During the opening session, Clinton announced five new commitments, including over $1 billion by the Norwegian and Dutch Governments to reduce maternal and child mortality.

“I’m gratified today because it’s clear to me that this model of philanthropy and giving, which began as an experiment in 2005, has proven itself in only two short years. Since our first meeting, more than 600 commitments have been made by CGI members, impacting 100 countries and millions of lives,” he said. “In its third year, CGI is evidence of something that I have always believed— that people are inherently generous, that giving makes you feel good, and that the only thing most of us are looking for is an opportunity to make a difference.”

Joining President Clinton in the opening panel discussion, titled The Need for Global Action which explored the capacity of businesses, governments, and NGOs to collaboratively develop and implement global solutions, were the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Vice President Al Gore; President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., H. Lee Scott Jr.; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; and President of The World Bank Group, Robert B. Zoellick.

President Clinton announced the launch of MyCommitment.org, an interactive website challenging everyone to take action, make commitments and grow a grassroots movement around public service.

“This year, in an effort to inspire millions of people to engage in citizen service, we’ve developed a new online tool to help those who want to give back do so, either in their own communities or half a world away,” President Clinton said. “MyCommitment.org is intended to provide people across the globe with the opportunity to give to others as well as to tell others their stories of giving.”

The commitments made during the opening session included:

* The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health: The governments of Norway and the Netherlands are committing $1 billion and $175 million respectively to launch “Deliver Now for Women and Children,” a campaign aimed at a two-thirds reduction in the rate of child mortality and three-quarters reduction in maternal mortality by 2015.
* Florida Power & Light: FP&L is investing $2.4 billion in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. As part of the project, FP&L will build new solar power plants that are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 2 million tons over 5 years, they will also provide smart meters to their customers along with an education program designed to help customers reduce their carbon footprint.
* The Darfur Project: PNC Foundation, Blue Mountain Capital, TONIC, the Bridge Foundation, Goldman Sachs Foundation and Merrill Lynch are partnering in a $2 million commitment funding eight airlifts to take much needed humanitarian relief to Darfur and Chad. The flights will be made available for partner organizations wanting to send essential supplies, with the first four flights completed by the end of the year.
* Scojo Reading Glass Microfranchises: In this $1.57 million commitment the Scojo Foundation is committing to more than triple the scale of its program for training entrepreneurs in developing countries to sell affordable reading glasses by expanding to ten additional countries. In total 3,000 entrepreneurs will develop new sources of income providing 300,000 people with new glasses and other eye care products.
* Interpeace: Partnering with President Ramos-Horta and the Peace and Democracy Foundation, Interpeace is investing $1.2 million to implement a nation-wide program designed to enable the Timorese to become the architects of their own future by empowering them to identify the underlying drivers of the violence and un-rest in their communities and to find ways of addressing them in a non-violent and sustainable manner.

Among the additional CGI commitments expected to be announced today:

GLOBAL HEALTH

Save the Children US and UK
Save the Children and its partners will create a Survive to 5 campaign, driving awareness and action on behalf of the almost 10 million children who die annually from pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition and newborn complications globally. Former US Senate Majority Leader, William Frist, will serve as the chair of the campaign as part of Save the Children’s commitment to global leadership will work closely with key governments to significantly reduce preventable child deaths. The five-year campaign will launch in fall 2007 and is estimated to cost $75 million.

Maureen Mwanawasa, First Lady of Zambia
The Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS, and their President, the First Lady of Zambia, Mrs. Maureen K. Mwanawasa, will champion the expansion of programs and funding for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS. Supported by $20 million over 2 years, their “Save the Unborn Child” campaign and will be implemented by 40 African First Ladies in their respective countries and will save millions of lives by preventing one of the most easily preventable forms of HIV/AIDS transmission.

Merck & Co.
Merck will establish a $375.5 million program providing access to its HPV vaccine, Gardasil, in lowest-income countries. By donating a minimum of three million doses of the vaccine over a five-year period Merck will ensure that an estimated 1 million women receive the three-dose regimen and are protected from cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases. This initiative is an extension of a 2006 CGI commitment by Merck to donate rotavirus vaccine to the Nicaraguan Government in an effort to cover every newborn in the country for three years.

CARE USA
Acting as a convener and catalyst, CARE USA will mobilize a global coalition of public and private entities to make sustainable improvements in maternal health and the nutritional status of children under the age of two. These coalitions will, through CARE’s signature eight-year program, “Empowering Women for Good Health,” develop services for low-income women that will help them realize their rights to a safe pregnancy and childbirth, as well as provide information and resources that will help new mothers give their babies a healthy start. The program will be globally focused and has the potential to reach 70+ countries where CARE works. It is anticipated that project implementations will occur in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Central and South America.

EDUCATION

BRAC, Nike, NoVo and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
BRAC USA, as well as the Nike, NoVo and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are mobilizing $271 million to provide education opportunities ranging from primary schooling to graduate degrees and life skills training to 7.5 million children over the next five years in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Uganda and Southern Sudan. The project hopes to mirror the success of last year’s $250 million commitment to provide comprehensive health, education, microfinance and empowerment programs to individuals in five African countries.

Academy for Educational Development
The Academy for Educational Development (AED) will increase the access and quality of education for girls in Liberia, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea and other African countries. Their Leadership for Education and African Development (LEAD) project will introduce the tools necessary to update the local curriculum and teaching methods to enhance community participation and improve education quality. The project’s goal is to significantly improve the educational opportunities of at least 3 million children by 2015.

Center for Development and Population Activities
CEDPA commits to improving the education and health situations of 20,000 South African girls by adapting its successful life skills curriculum and proven youth development framework to townships in Southern Africa. Utilizing the support of anonymous private funding, CEDPA will expand its programs from its five pilot sites by working closely with local partners to successfully integrate its programs into each location.

POVERTY ALLEVIATION

National Geographic Society
National Geographic, working with partners Ashoka and the U.N. World Tourism Organization, will launch the Global Geotourism Network in March, 2008 to encourage tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place. Over the next three years the Network will develop a series of initiatives including two geotourism summits, the Ashoka Changemakers Competition to identify innovators and social entrepreneurs, an annual Places Rated destination stewardship survey distributed through National Geographic readers, and a specially designated website offering local tourism services and products.

XL Results Foundation/The Hunger Project
XL Results Foundation will contribute $5 million to implement a five-year strategy, to build the capacity of 50,000 elected women leaders who are directly responsible for improving access to health, education, nutrition and higher incomes for 15 million people in rural India. The project will also mobilize local populations to increase the effectiveness of local government, build federations of elected women leaders for advocacy and action and mobilize the power of the media to create public support for strengthening local democracy. Each million dollars raised enables The Hunger Project to provide training and ongoing support to 20,000 elected women representatives, who in turn will mobilize the energies of more than 6 million rural people for poverty eradication.

Hashoo Foundation
In December 2007, the Hashoo Foundation will launch the Honeybee Production project in the Northern Areas and Chitral (NAC) regions of Pakistan, which are amongst the poorest and most isolated in the country. Women account for 55% of honeybee producers in the NAC, but receive only 35% of the total income generated by honeybee production. With a strong focus on developing the production of by-products and creating linkages with markets, the Honeybee Project will allow local women to increase their income and provide for themselves and their dependants while expanding their future prospects.

ENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGE

Pratt Industries
In a $1 billion commitment Pratt Industries will build at least three new paper mills, four waste-to-energy plants and 30 materials recovery facilities over the next decade. Working with municipalities and sanitation departments it aims to avoid millions of tons of CO2 emissions.

Equator Environmental, LLC
Equator Environmental commits $100 million to establish a private equity fund investing in projects that are environmentally friendly, sustainable and directly preserve ecological assets. By monetizing these “eco-products” the fund will enhance the viability of the natural environment and showcase the importance of ecosystem preservation.

Green for All
Through the ground-breaking “Green for All” initiative, The Ella Barker Center for Human Rights is committing to help lead 250,000 Americans out of poverty and into “green-collar” jobs. With the continued growth in the building, solar, urban forestry, and bio-fuels sectors, a highly-trained “green-collar” workforce is needed to meet rising demand. Green for All will advocate for a national commitment to greater job training, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities - especially for people from disadvantaged communities. This transition could boost the U.S. economy, generating new opportunities for wealth and work.

American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
With funding from Rockefeller Brothers Fund, ACORE is committing to advance a more robust policy and economic case for renewable energy solutions and amplifying influential voices to strengthen public understanding of climate change. The commitment will create RECAP-the Renewable Energy Communications and Policy (RECAP) program-a three-year campaign that will put forward critical policy and economic analysis on energy supply, environment and climate, economic development and jobs, and national security. This unique work builds on ACORE’s 2006 commitment to host a world meeting on renewable energy, which has now been successfully funded, and is scheduled to be held as the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008) on March 4-6, 2008 in Washington, D.C.

The Clinton Global Initiative is a project of the William J. Clinton Foundation that brings together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI has approximately 1,000 members, diverse and influential leaders from all over the world, who make tangible commitments to create or support projects within CGI’s areas of focus. During the three-day Annual Meeting, attendees participate in workshops and meetings focused on four main topics: Global Heath, Education, Poverty Alleviation, and Energy & Climate Change. Attendees are required to make specific commitments to address one of the topics and report back to President Clinton on the progress made throughout the course of the year. Attendees who do not make or keep their commitment will not be invited to attend future meetings.More later, with details of any interaction with the topmost figures of key influence in the world encountered at this great event.