The sixth annual "Clinton Global Initiatives (CGI)" kicked off in New York City on Tuesday.Hosted by former United States President Bill Clinton, over thirteen hundred people will gather at the summit to discuss economic, human rights and environmental issues. The high-profile guest list includes attendees from different backgrounds, from all over the world.
[Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President and CGI Host]:
"We have sixty-seven present and former heads of state or government, six hundred business leaders and five hundred directors of non-governmental organizations, and of course a variety of other people with other interests and backgrounds from ninety countries on six continents.”
Clinton says people were making new contributions even before the start of the summit.
[Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President and CGI Host]:
"By the start of our meeting our members had already made 291 new commitments valued at six billion dollars. We expect that number will grow over the next three days, and in the months to follow as these commitments develop in the conversations and interactions you have with one another."
He also announced 17 new commitments that ranged from providing immediate relief and long-term solutions to disaster-affected areas in Haiti, the Gulf Coast, and Pakistan. Mallika Dutt, a women's rights activist in India, pledged in 2006 to bring down the level of domestic violence in her country. She reported that her campaign "Bell Bajao (Ring the Bell)" - that urges men to ring the bell when they suspect domestic violence - was a great success, reaching over 124 million people in India alone.
Clinton said he hopes that the people present at the 2010 summit will have an idea what needs to be done in their direct environment by the end of the three- day gathering.
Launched in 2005, Clinton established CGI to bring leaders from different backgrounds together to tackle different global issues.
