"CGI members come from 90 different countries, speak many languages, work in all sectors, and approach problems in unique ways,” President Clinton stated during the opening plenary. “But together, their desire and capacity to build a better world for our children and grandchildren has resulted in 1,946 commitments, valued at $63 billion dollars, which have already improved nearly 300 million lives."
The panelists focused on collaborations between social actors such as corporations, governments, non-profits, civil society and foundations to "empower the poor, improve access to education and health care, develop alternative sources of energy, and create a cleaner environment". The panelists were Bill Clinton, former President of the USA, Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert McDonald, president, chairman, and CEO of Procter & Gamble, and Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google.
This opening plenary sparked my imagination and hope. It struck me that in places like this meeting, money is not an obstacle...ideas were. The commitments were flowing, the ideas being seized and actioned. Pledges were being made and reported on. There was a tangible excitement and it surprised me. The number of pilot project that were being financed worried me. This is an amazing event, it is a huge step forward but it is vital that the lessons that have been learnt the hard way are not ignored. The lasting impression that I took away from this event was that ANYTHING is possible. The only limit is ideas. Therefore, if you have an amazing idea that you think can assist in empowering the poor, improving access to education and health care, developing alternative sources of energy, and create a cleaner environment...this is the venue for funding!
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