Special Session on Northern Ireland, moderated by President Clinton, featured Peter Robinson, first minister from Northern Ireland Executive; Martin McGuinness, deputy First Minister, Northern Ireland Executive; Declan Kelly, economic envoy to Northern Ireland, U.S. Department of State; Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; and Micheal Martin, Minster of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Ireland.
Matthew Bishop, New York bureau chief at The Economist, moderated discussion on innovation, which featured Al Gore, chairman of the Alliance for Climate Protection; Jack Ma, chairman and CEO of the Alibaba Group; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director of The World Bank Group; Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation; and Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of Grameen Bank
The second day of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) came to a close with a special session on Northern Ireland, following afternoon plenary and breakout sessions that focused on harnessing innovation for development.
"Innovation can mean a new business model, a new technology, or a new way of delivering services to the poor," President Clinton said. "No matter the form it takes, innovation is key to the challenges that face our world. There are so many people around the world we have yet to reach -- we must find new ways to develop and implement innovative solutions on a massive scale."
At the afternoon plenary session, "Harnessing Innovation for Development," six notable leaders discussed how innovation can empower the poor, fight climate change, increase access to education, and improve health care. Matthew Bishop, New York bureau chief at The Economist, moderated the discussion, which included Al Gore, chairman of the Alliance for Climate Protection, Jack Ma, chairman and CEO of the Alibaba Group, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director of The World Bank Group, Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of Grameen Bank.
Highlights from the discussion included: former Vice President Al Gore highlighted the innovative tools that already exist in the fight against climate changed and emphasized the importance of putting a price on carbon. Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, spoke about the potential for social businesses to improve lives around the world. As an example, he cited Grameen Danone Foods, a partnership between the Grameen Group and Groupe Danone, to produce fortified yogurt to nutritionally-deprived people in Bangladesh where close to half of all children under 5 are underweight. He also noted that mobile technology has the potential to improve education and health care in poor areas.
President Clinton convened the session by announcing six new commitments fueled by innovation. A full list of today's commitments are included below.
The special session focused on Northern Ireland, moderated by President Clinton, included key figures who exercised political leadership to secure peace in Northern Ireland, including Peter Robinson, first minister from Northern Ireland Executive; Martin McGuinness, deputy First Minister, Northern Ireland Executive; Declan Kelly, economic envoy to Northern Ireland, U.S. Department of State; Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; and Micheal Martin, Minster of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Ireland. Panelists discussed factors that can make Northern Ireland more appealing for foreign investors, how local businesses can reach their markets in the U.S., and how talents of young people in the region can be utilized through entrepreneurship.
The Fifth Annual Meeting of CGI will continue until Friday. To learn more, or to watch the meeting webcast live, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.
Commitments Announced on Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The following commitments were announced this afternoon at plenary and breakout sessions focused on "Harnessing Innovation for Development":