Wednesday, October 29, 2008

CGI and its Impact on 160 Million Lives

Dear Hernan,

This year's Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), a project of the Clinton Foundation, was our most successful to date. One thing was clear to all who attended: our work together has never been more important.

With mounting economic troubles exacerbating poverty levels around the world, health pandemics cutting lives short, education slipping out of reach for millions of children, and increasing temperatures threatening the future of our planet, action is needed more than ever. As President Clinton summarized, "We cannot afford to walk away from this work."

Members at CGI heeded this call, making more than 200 commitments this year alone, which will impact more than 160 million lives. The potential results of some of these commitments include:

* More than $400 million will be raised for investment and credit for small- and medium-sized enterprises in the developing world.
* $375 million will be raised to develop new vaccines and conduct medical research.
* 50 million people will have access to mobile financial services.
* 75 million people will have first-time access to health care or access to improved health care.
* 25 million children will have access to new or improved school feeding programs.
* 16 million children will participate in de-worming programs.
* The emission of 44 million metric tons of CO2 will be avoided.
* Enough clean energy will be created to power the equivalent of 7 million homes in the United States.
* Over 1 billion liters of safe drinking water will be distributed.

In the months to come, CGI will expand to new places and reach new people. On December 2nd and 3rd, the first in a series of CGI meetings outside of the United States will be held in Hong Kong. To learn more about CGI's meeting in Hong Kong, click here.

As always, you can join us by making your own commitment at MyCommitment.org. We each have the power to transform words into action, and a responsibility to help make a positive change today.

Thank you,

Signature
Bruce R. Lindsey
Chief Executive Officer
William J. Clinton Foundation

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