Prince Harry, actor Matt Damon, and World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andr茅s are set to speak at the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York on Sept. 23 and 24, the Clinton Foundation announced Thursday.
The theme of this year鈥檚 gathering of political, business and philanthropic leaders is 鈥淲hat鈥檚 Working鈥� 鈥� an effort to shine a spotlight on potential solutions and effective aid in a tumultuous period marked by war, increased and .
Former President Bill Clinton said this year鈥檚 Clinton Global Initiative would 鈥渄ouble down鈥� on the progress made on the climate crisis, global health, gun violence, and other important issues.
鈥淲e started CGI because we wanted to have a meeting where people didn鈥檛 just talk about big problems, but where we could roll up our sleeves and get something done,鈥� he said in a statement to The Associated Press. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more important than ever to be optimistic and realize we all have the ability to make a difference.鈥�
Since after a six-year hiatus, CGI has tried to maintain an optimistic tone, while also developing new ways to help, including the launch last year of , a collaboration between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine.
鈥淏ill, Chelsea, and I are so inspired by the undoubtable impact of the CGI community 鈥� 500 million people affected through programs, partnerships, and solutions that are addressing our climate crisis, economic disparities, equality for women and girls worldwide, and more,鈥� Secretary Clinton said in a statement.
That impact helps CGI draw a wide range of leaders, including Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani.
The Duke of Sussex plans to discuss the launch of The Archewell Foundation Parents鈥� Network, an initiative supporting parents whose children have suffered or died due to online harms. He also plans to address his nonprofit鈥檚 collaboration with the World Health Organization and others to end violence against children, an issue he and his wife Meghan outlined on a .
Water.org co-founder and Oscar winner Damon is expected to discuss the status of he announced in 2022 to give 100 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America lasting access to water and sanitation.
Business leaders scheduled for the conference, which runs at the same time as United Nations General Assembly week, include Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya, Gap CEO Richard Dickson, IKEA CEO Jesper Brodin, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach, Moderna Chairman Noubar Afeyan, Pinterest CEO Bill Ready, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Andr茅s is expected to discuss how he turned World Central Kitchen into one of the fastest growing humanitarian nonprofits with a focus on feeding people quickly in the aftermath of disasters or the outbreak of war. After seven World Central Kitchen workers were by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, Andr茅s said, "Their examples should inspire us to do better, to be better.鈥�
Other philanthropic leaders set to speak include Emerson Collective Founder Laurene Powell Jobs, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker, Hispanic Federation CEO Frankie Miranda, Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson, International Rescue Committee CEO David Miliband, and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Sam Bencheghib, co-founder of the Indonesia-based Sungai Watch, plans to attend this year鈥檚 CGI seeking funding for his nonprofit which places barriers in rivers to prevent pollution from reaching the ocean and then removes the trash collected. At previous CGI meetings, he made contacts that resulted in Sungai Watch becoming one of The Elevate Prize Foundation鈥檚 2024 winners.
Last year, Bencheghib attended CGI to make a commitment to expand Sungai Watch鈥檚 work to Jakarta and its rivers. His nonprofit will make good on that commitment later this year.
But Bencheghib said he is also proud to bring something tangible to this year鈥檚 CGI, especially considering the 鈥淲hat鈥檚 Working鈥� theme. He will showcase furniture created out of the plastic bags pulled from the polluted rivers by his new social enterprise Sungai Design.
The company turns 500 plastic bags into a bench; 2,000 plastic bags become a lounge chair.
鈥淔ighting plastic pollution definitely feels never-ending,鈥� Bencheghib said. 鈥淔orty percent of the trash we collect are these plastic bags and they are not recyclable in this country 鈥� We were looking for a way to turn plastic bags into something that is a little more aesthetically pleasing, something that is a great conversation starter, that raises awareness about what that plastic bag can become if you don鈥檛 throw it into the river and if the right setup is in place.鈥�
_____
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP鈥檚 collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP鈥檚 philanthropy coverage, visit .
Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press
