Earlier this week, President Bill Clinton concluded the fifth annual Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) meeting, which convened nearly 1,000 leaders from business, foundation, NGO, and government sectors to advance solutions that encourage economic growth, support long-term competitiveness, and increase social mobility in the United States.
Attendees made 79 new Commitments to Action that, when fully funded and implemented, will positively impact the lives of more than 1.6 million people in the United States.
"These past two days have reinforced for me, more than ever, that when you strip away all the little things that divide us, you can see just how tied together we all are," said President Clinton. “And, most importantly, you have done so with a bias for action and a relentless focus on the future. Because of your efforts, more than 1.6 million people will be better off.”
Throughout the two-day working meeting, attendees collaborated to develop dynamic approaches for solving some of the nation’s most critical challenges by sharing knowledge, building partnerships, and generating Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable plans for addressing significant challenges. Among the 79 new commitments announced are programs to provide low-income and subprime consumers with alternatives to predatory loans; a project to train 500 tribal members to install and maintain solar energy systems on the Navajo Nation; and a coordinated effort to improve job quality for domestic care workers by asking employers to commit to a short list of key job quality standards for their employees.
When fully funded and implemented, new 2015 CGI America commitments will ensure that:
• Nearly 210,000 jobs will be created or filled.
• More than 126,000 girls and women will be positively impacted by programs to improve quality of education, increase access to employment and skills development opportunities, and invest in women as stewards of community health.
• More than $11.3 million of new capital will be invested in or loaned to small- and medium-sized enterprises.
• More than 111,000 students will gain access to STEM education opportunities.
• More than 1.2 million people will receive access to training programs, either formal or informal (includes skills development, financial literacy, capacity building, and leadership development)
• More than 160,000 educators will participate in professional development programs, equipping participants with effective educational tools.
• More than 120,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents will be avoided.
Since its establishment in 2011, CGI America participants have made more than 500 commitments, which have improved the lives of nearly 2.4 million people. As a result of previously made commitments, more than 920,000 people have benefitted from professional skills training; more than 500,000 children have gained access to improved quality of education; nearly $1.2 billion of new capital has been invested or loaned to small and medium size enterprises; and nearly 4.1 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses have been avoided.
In the Closing Session, President Clinton thanked Mayor Michael Hancock of Denver for hosting CGI America in Denver for the last two years, before welcoming Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta to announce that the Clinton Global Initiative will hold its sixth annual CGI America meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, in June 2016. Commitments to Action already underway in the state tackle critical challenges in infrastructure, education, workforce development, and more. Looking forward, 2016 CGI America attendees coming together in Atlanta will continue to join together to positively impact people’s lives in communities across the nation.
To read all 79 commitments, click here.
