Posted on August 24, 2012

2012 Clinton Global Initiative Program Announced

The Clinton Global Initiative has announced that its eighth annual meeting, to be held September 23-25, will be organized, for the first time ever, around a single theme. The theme of this year's event is Designing for Impact.

Over the course of the three-day event, CGI members will explore solutions that maximize the positive effects of design on people and their communities. Sessions will include Women and the Built Environment: Designing for Opportunity, which will examine how the inclusion of women in urban planning leads to improved economic, environmental, and public health prospects for everyone; the Early Years: An Irresistible Investment Opportunity, which will address how companies and governments can support the delivery of early childhood interventions that increase a country's GDP, reduce long-tem social costs, and help children thrive; and the Future of Food, which will explore how attendees can advance a new vision for sustainable food production and consumption in the face of soaring demand.

This year's program will bring together an estimated one thousand current and former heads of state, private-sector CEOs, government officials, and nonprofit and nongovernmental leaders. In a new wrinkle, the 2012 meeting will feature interactive Commitment Workshops and Design Labs in which participants work together to answer pressing questions related to the environment, international development, health, poverty, and early childhood education.

"This year, our annual meeting will help CGI members design solutions to critical challenges, such as empowering girls and women to be full participants in the global economy, encouraging the private sector to create markets for the under-served, and increasing the sustainability of our food supply as global demand doubles within the next fifty years," said former President Clinton. "We redesigned the meeting this year to optimize the creative spirit and remarkable dedication of our members, who, since 2005, have made more than 2,100 commitments that are impacting nearly 400 million lives in more than 180 countries. I look forward to the solutions and commitments that will emerge from the CGI community at this year's meeting."