President Clinton Unveils Special Programming Focused on Investing in Girls and Women
New York, September 17, 2009 — President Bill Clinton announced today that this year’s Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting would offer special programming focused on investing in girls and women.
“Gender inequality is one of the most pressing issues that we face as a global community,” President Clinton said today. “I am proud that these issues are a central focus of the Clinton Global Initiative’s Fifth Annual Meeting, and I am confident that by sharing innovative ideas, we can devise solutions that will dramatically improve the lives of girls and women throughout the world.”
Across the globe, poverty and economic insecurity are exacerbated by the low social status of women and girls. Women make up two-thirds of all the illiterate people in the world and only 1 percent of the world’s landowners. Each year of schooling increases a woman’s income by 10 to 20 percent. Educating women has also been shown to increase agricultural yields, boost GNP, and improve health. Yet girls are still less likely than boys to receive even a basic education.
On Wednesday, September 23, 2009, from 9:00 to 10:30 am, CGI will host a plenary session that includes leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sector who are actively engaged in gender equality efforts. The session, entitled “Investing in Women and Girls,” will be moderated by Diane Sawyer, co-anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America. Panelists include Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs; Robert B. Zoellick, President, The World Bank Group; Zainab Salbi, Founder and CEO of Women for Women International; Rex Tillerson CEO of ExxonMobil; and Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State. The panel will focus on social, political, and economic changes that can be made to reverse the marginalization of women.
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative (www.10000women.org) is a $100 million, five year campaign to foster economic growth by providing a business and management education to underserved women. The initiative is currently active in 16 countries and is operated through a network of more than 60 academic and non-profit partners.
In 2005, ExxonMobil launched a global program to help women in developing countries fulfill their economic potential and serve as drivers of economic and social change in their communities. To date, the program has reached women from 64 developing countries and focuses mainly on building the next generation of female business leaders and entrepreneurs and reducing barriers to women’s economic participation.
President Clinton also announced the formation of two Action Networks which will allow CGI members working on issues related to women and girls to discuss best practices, identify service gaps, and catalyze new collaborations and partnerships. The networks -- Empowering Women and Investing in Girls – will meet during the Annual Meeting.
On Tuesday, September 22, a dinner will be held to celebrate the outstanding individuals and organizations committed to addressing the challenges faced by girls and women around the globe. The event will highlight the ExxonMobil’s Women’s Initiative and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative, along with efforts by CARE, Camfed International, and Vital Voices. Participants include Mrs. Sarah Brown, Wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Meet the Press moderator David Gregory, Melanne Verveer, and Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Laureate and founder of the Grameen Bank.
President Clinton’s efforts are part of a larger trend of increased attention toward women and girls. In March, President Obama announced the White House Council on Woman and Girls, which will ensure that agencies across the federal government take women’s issues into account. During its first year, the Council is tasked with ensuring that each federal agency is working to improve the economic status of women. The State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues is also actively working to improve the condition of women worldwide.
About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 100 current and former heads of state, 14 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 1,400 commitments valued at $46 billion, which have already improved the lives of 200 million people in 150 countries. Commitments made at the 2008 Annual Meeting are expected to affect almost 160 million people. The CGI community also includes CGI University (CGI U), a forum to engage college students in global citizenship; and MyCommitment.org, an online portal where anybody can make their own Commitment to Action. CGI will hold its Fifth Annual Meeting September 22-25, 2009, in New York City. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.
