Clinton Global Initiative to Convene in New York
Davos, Switzerland (ots/PRNewswire)
- Former President Bill Clinton to Host Event This September
Former President Bill Clinton said today that he is organizing a major annual gathering of leaders to address global challenges, with the first meeting set to take place this fall in New York City.
The inaugural Clinton Global Initiative will take place in September, coinciding with the 60th session of the United Nations General Assembly. It will bring together innovative and accomplished people from the political, business, academic and non-governmental organization (NGO) communities. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland today, President Clinton said that they are "going to be asked to participate in very specific decisions ... and then making commitments to do something about it."
"I think we'll have a lot of interest because it's around the UN. I think it is very complementary to Davos," President Clinton said. "I just see all these people leave here every year full of energy, wanting to do something about wanting to know there's a place where they can actually go and say, okay, what's my assignment?"
The first meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative will be held in New York City, September 22-24, 2005. Participants will spend time in high level workshops and group sessions as well as informal gatherings, creating the ideal platform for challenging current thought, fostering enlightened leadership and seeking tangible solutions to a number of complex and urgent global problems.
"By identifying specific ways to address the challenges of our time, I believe the Clinton Global Initiative will prove to be a unique and useful forum for leaders and communities around the world," said President Clinton. "And what we begin during three days in September will not end with the closing session of our event. My Foundation will take the ideas we develop and keep working with our Global Initiative participants and others to achieve tangible results."
The former President is inviting a wide range of leaders and experts to join the Clinton Global Initiative this year, from current and former heads of state and the chief executive officers of businesses to noteworthy academicians and key representatives of non-profit, charitable and other NGOs. People from a wide variety of political, ideological, religious, ethnic and geographic backgrounds are expected to participate.
The Clinton Global Initiative is a program of the William J. Clinton Foundation, which works to strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence.
For more information on the Clinton Global Initiative, go to http://www.ClintonGlobalInitiative.org
For information on the Clinton Foundation, go to http://www.clintonfoundation.org
Web site: http://www.clintonfoundation.org http://www.ClintonGlobalInitiative.org
Contact:
Whitney Casey, +1-212-474-6157,
whitney.casey@clintonglobalinitiative.org; or Jim Kennedy,
+1-212-348-1710, jkennedy@owjc.org