FiveCurrents Produces CGI 5th Annual Meeting

FiveCurrents was honored and excited to produce the Fifth Annual Meeting of The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 22-25 September in New York City. CGI welcomed a very special guest, President Barack Obama, who addressed the opening session of CGI and discussed the importance of giving. The guest list included global leaders from business, government, academia, science, religion, and non-governmental organizations, including numerous heads of state, former heads of state, CEOs of multinational corporations, and prominent philanthropists.

“I think we can say with some certainty that this model actually does work,” President Clinton said. “People don’t have to have the same politics, the same religion, or speak the same language to work together and to have an impact. We all have things to learn from each other. What we need is a shared mechanism to achieve common goals.”

The Clinton Global Initiative 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 non-governmental organizations, and prominent members of the media.

FiveCurrents’ President and Executive Producer of CGI, Scott Givens, said, “The Fifth Annual Meeting brought together an unprecedented number of world leaders, once again creating a forum for participants to develop solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”

On Thursday evening, FiveCurrents produced the Clinton Global Citizen Awards, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated visionary leadership in solving pressing global challenges. Actor and comedian Ben Stiller was the evening’s host, and GRAMMY Award winning artists Juanes and Alicia Keys both performed at the awards ceremony.

At CGI, world leaders identified critical areas for action and collaboration across a multitude of sectors, ranging from education, and energy and climate change to global health and the economic empowerment. CGI members in 2009 have made 284 new commitments valued at more than $9.4 billion dollars. In total, these commitments are projected to improve more than 200 million lives. FiveCurrents has been producing The Clinton Global Initiative since its inception in 2005 and is thankful for the privilege of working with such forward thinking leaders.

CGI 5th Anniversary Approaching

The fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) is fast approaching, and FiveCurrents is preparing for a guest list that includes global leaders from business, government, academia, science, religion, and non-governmental organizations, including numerous heads of state, former heads of state, CEOs of multinational corporations, and prominent philanthropists. And this year, CGI will have a very special guest, President Barack Obama, who will address the opening session of the Fifth Annual Meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd.

FiveCurrents’ President and Executive Producer of CGI, Scott Givens, said, “We are really looking forward to the fifth Annual Meeting and once again creating a forum for participants to come together to develop solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”

At CGI, world leaders will identify critical areas for action and collaboration across a multitude of sectors, ranging from education, and energy and climate change to global health and the economic empowerment. The fifth Annual Meeting will address global challenges via four new action areas: Harnessing Innovation for Development, Strengthening Infrastructure, Building Human Capital, and Financing an Equitable Future.

Since 2005, more than 100 current and former heads of state; hundreds of leading CEOs, philanthropists, and NGO leaders; and 10 of the last 16 Nobel Peace Prize laureates have attended CGI’s Annual Meeting.

For more information on the Clinton Global Initiative, please visit http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/.

Record Numbers Attend CGI U

More than 1000 students, and nearly 100 college and university presidents attended the second annual CGI U meeting, a FiveCurrents production, in Austin this February. Also in attendance were NGOs, national youth organizations, athletes and celebrity-activists including NFL All-Pro Nnamdi Asomugha, Matthew McConaughey, Natalie Portman, Morgan Spurlock and comedian John Oliver.

Participants discussed how student activists could make a difference around the world and each student and university in attendance was asked to make their own Commitment to Action. Over the three day meeting, attendees participated in forums and working sessions to brainstorm ways to make a difference. On the final day, CGI U Meeting attendees collaborated with The University of Texas at Austin students to take part in a wide range of community service activities at the Rosewood Park and Recreation Center in East Austin.

Since the inaugural CGI U Meeting at Tulane University in 2008, students, universities, and youth organizations have made more than 2,500 commitments.

For more information on CGI U, please click here.

BizBash Names CGI Top Political Event of 2009

BizBash released its eighth annual list of “New York’s Top 100 Events” today, and FiveCurrents’ production, the Clinton Global Initiative, ranked number one in the category of Political, Legal, and Diplomatic Events. 

“In a city that leads the world in fashion, finance, media, and advertising–to name a few–it takes something special to stand out. BizBash’s annual list highlights the parties, trade shows, benefits, and parades that draw media buzz, tourism dollars, and top players in their field. … Although the wobbly economy is likely to have serious implications for every host here, you can bet these festivities will continue to draw attention in 2009,” reads the editorial introducing the feature.

The BizBash editorial team ranked 100 events in 13 categories, identifying the most noteworthy and important events in nine industries. The criteria to rank these events take into account relevance and importance, economic impact on the city, and innovative style.

Here are the top events in the Political, Legal, and Diplomatic Events category:

1. Clinton Global Initiative


2. Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner


3. New York State Bar Association Annual Meeting


4. U.N.A.-U.S.A. Global Leadership Awards Dinner


5. Hospitality Committee for the U.N. Delegations Ambassador’s Ball


6. The Inner Circle Show

A Successful CGI Asia Leads To Second CGI U

In December 2008, President Clinton traveled to Hong Kong to join several hundred Asian leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds to further strengthen social and global responsibility in Asia, and move toward the benefits achieved through collaboration. CGI Asia catalyzed innovative solutions and cross-sector partnerships among regionally based members in Asia and CGI’s global community to address critical challenges with global implications. From the commitments made at the meeting, here are a few highlights:

• An estimated 715,000 children will benefit from better education opportunities;
• More than 260,000 adults will learn new job skills;
• Nearly 24,000 hectares of forest land will be protected by empowering local residents to manage their own natural resources;
• The equivalent of more than 40,000 tons of CO2 emissions will be cut;
• More than 250,000 girls and women will be empowered with better opportunities for sustainable livelihoods;
• More than 3.5 million people will gain greater access to health services; and
• Half a million people will now have safe drinking water, and 400,000 children will benefit from better nutrition.

FiveCurrents’ President, Scott Givens, and his staff are now turning their attention towards the second annual Clinton Global Initiative University meeting (CGI U).  The meeting will be held at the University of Texas at Austin from February 13-15, 2009, where more than 1,000 students will come together to make a difference both internationally and locally. The schedule will be similar to the CGI Annual meeting, however CGI U will conclude with a service project to assist their host community. For more information on CGI U, or to attend the meeting, please click here.