NEW YORK, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090923/DC81231)

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":

    --  Visa will build on the success of its 2008 commitment with a new
        commitment to reach 20 million people worldwide with financial literacy
        education by May 1, 2013. To help reach this expanded goal, Visa will
        launch "Financial Football," an interactive, soccer-based
        video game developed with FIFA, an innovative new approach for helping
        children and adults learn about personal finance.
    --  Blue Engine will provide one-on-one direct instruction to both high and
        low performing high school students in New York City through customized
        tutorials. This program aims to double the number of students enrolled
        in advanced coursework while simultaneously increasing the number of
        students who pass end-of-year examinations, with a focus on helping
        young people from underrepresented, low-income communities.
    --  The Carnegie Foundation commits to support five African postgraduate
        training and research networks, involving 16 African universities and
        research centers, in nine countries. This commitment will strengthen
        higher education in sub-Saharan Africa by increasing the population of
        qualified faculty members in the sciences and technology in African
        universities.
    --  The Lumina Foundation for Education commits to scaling up its campaign
        of policy advocacy and direct technical support, Achieving the Dream:
        Community Colleges Count. This initiative will help community colleges
        make the institutional changes required to dramatically increase the
        number of students who succeed in reaching their goals, with a
        particular focus on low-income students and students of color.
    --  Procter & Gamble will launch Future Friendly, a natural resource
        educational initiative that will reach 50 million U.S. households by
        Earth Day 2010. This will promote the adoption of P&G Sustainable
        Innovation Products in 30 million U.S. households, which will each
        achieve at least a 10 percent savings in water, energy, or waste,
        without trade-offs in performance or value.
    --  Duke Energy and ENN, leading energy companies in the U.S. and in China,
        commit to form a partnership to accelerate development of low-carbon
        energy solutions. The companies have committed to accelerate clean
        energy technology development in solar technology and manufacturing,
        zero emissions coal technology systems, algae for carbon capture and
        biofuels, and smart grid-enabled energy efficiency.
    --  Solazyme commits to work toward commercialization of its renewable oil
        that produces advanced oils from cellulosic materials such as algae.
        This revolutionary technology creates biofuels and edible oils, thereby
        reducing greenhouse gas impacts while improving the well-being of
        communities.
    --  Adaptive Eyewear, in line with the government of Rwanda's National Plan
        for the Elimination of Needless Blindness, will implement a pilot
        program to perform eye screenings and distribute self-adjusting
        eyeglasses in the district of Gicumbi. The pilot will hopefully lead to
        a national rollout, covering the remaining 29 districts of Rwanda by
        2014.
    --  Bridge International Academies (BIA) commits to deliver a high-quality
        education to more than one million students in sub-Saharan Africa over
        the next decade. Charging less than $4 per child per month, BIA will
        empower poor families to pursue an education, while enabling local
        franchise owners to operate their school businesses profitably.
    --  Oxfam America commits to recruit high profile women as Sisters on the
        Planet Ambassadors to put a human face on climate change and raise
        awareness about its impacts and solutions. The women will also engage
        members of Congress on the need for forward-thinking, well-funded
        climate legislation in the United States.
    --  Paso Pacifico and its partners commit to carry out programs advancing
        women as environmental leaders across Central America, providing
        education, training, and opportunities in sustainable tourism and
        resource management. By linking women's livelihoods to climate change
        mitigation programs, it will improve the well-being of local
        communities, and help preserve natural resources and the environment.
    --  His Majesty King Abdullah, on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and
        in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, commits to pledge $30
        million towards the Global Polio Eradication initiative, and to expand
        the Saudi requirement for every pilgrim entering Saudi Arabia for the
        Hajj to receive a polio vaccination.
    --  Genzyme Corporation and its partners commit to raise awareness for and
        support passage of legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Congress
        for a partial tax credit that provides financial incentive for companies
        to invest in neglected tropical disease (NTD) research and development.
        Genzyme will also continue to support new work under existing
        collaborations for NTDs.
    --  HelloWallet commits to provide a year of free financial advice to one
        low-income family for every five paying subscribers, and will provide a
        minimum of 300,000 low-income families in the U.S. with free advice over
        the next five years. By connecting low-income families to money-saving
        tools, financial products, and services, this commitment will generate
        millions in savings.
    --  The Inter-American Development Bank, the Global Network for Neglected
        Tropical Disease Control at the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and the Pan
        American Health Organization will raise awareness of NTDs and mobilize
        resources for treatment and control. These organizations will mobilize
        new investments, advocate for NTD control among potential funders,
        create reference guides for policymakers, and launch water and
        sanitation pilot programs
    --  The Arthur Guinness Fund, a philanthropic arm of Diageo's Guinness
        brand, working in partnership with EnterpriseWorks, will fund CrystalPur
        water filters, providing clean water to 250,000 low-income individuals.
        By creating a private sector supply chain for the filters at an
        affordable price for communities, this commitment addresses the critical
        need to create an inexpensive point-of-use water treatment device in
        developing countries.
    --  Autism Speaks launched the Global Autism Public Health Initiative to
        enhance public awareness of autism and train community-based providers
        to screen, diagnose, and treat autism. This commitment advances Autism
        Speaks' ongoing efforts in Albania, India, Mexico, and Qatar, and
        includes launching national autism awareness campaigns and training
        courses. Autism Speaks will also expand these programs into Chile and
        the Philippines.

The following commitments were announced this morning at a plenary session on Investing in Girls and Women:

    --  Merck and Qiagen are launching a major new partnership to prevent
        cervical cancer in the poorest countries of the world. The program will
        facilitate the development of national comprehensive cervical cancer
        prevention and control programs that integrate two breakthrough
        technologies, HPV vaccines and HPV DNA tests. These programs will
        benefit at least 1.5 million girls and 1.5 million women.
    --  The ING Foundation and Girls Incorporated commit to expanding the
        ING-Girls Inc. Investment Challenge, an innovative program giving girls
        hands-on investing experience while allowing them to keep their gains as
        college scholarships.  Increasing the number of cities participating in
        the program, this commitment will have a direct impact on 100 young
        women's lives, while increasing financial literacy in the U.S.
    --  The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (CBFW) and Tomorrow's Youth
        Organization (TYO) are engaging in a new partnership, committing to
        increase women's participation in the Palestinian labor force and their
        contribution to the economy of Nablus by offering customized training
        opportunities and services that will increase participants' business,
        craft, and innovation skills.
    --  Sustainable Health Enterprise commits to provide access to affordable,
        eco-friendly sanitary pads, plus health and hygiene education, through
        sustainable, locally-led businesses, for one million girls and women in
        Africa by 2012. This commitment will increase school/work attendance,
        decrease pelvic infections, and drive economic growth.
    --  Plan USA and its partners commit over the next three years to train 140
        adolescent girls from Ghana in media production and journalism skills,
        empowering the girls to advocate against gender discrimination through
        diverse media. This commitment will increase awareness of the needs of
        adolescent girls in West Africa by reaching a radio and television
        audience of approximately 1 million.
    --  The Freeplay Foundation commits to distribute its award-winning,
        self-powered Lifeline radios and new clean energy Lifelights to poor
        women and girls in Rwanda, directly benefiting 20,000 people. The
        Lifelights will enable women to extend their business hours and the
        radios will enable the women and girls to access health, literacy, and
        practical skills, as well as agricultural advice.
    --  The Nike Foundation and its partners commit to utilize the Adolescent
        Girls' Global Health Agenda to advocate around the report's key
        recommendations to stimulate global attention and investment in
        adolescent girls' health. The Grameen Nurse Institute in Bangladesh will
        serve as a sustainable business model to demonstrate how girl-focused
        innovation improves outcomes for everyone.
    --  Exxon Mobil commits to identify and deploy innovative technologies to
        advance economic opportunities for women in developing countries, in
        partnership with the Ashoka Changemaker Campus Initiative and the
        International Center for Research on Women. The project will improve the
        quality of life of women in developing countries and enable them to
        participate more fully in income-generating activities.
    --  Goldman Sachs commits to working with partners including the
        Inter-American Development Bank to provide women entrepreneurs in Peru
        with quality business education and enhanced access to capital. Their
        efforts will offer more than 700 high-potential small business owners
        with the specialized training, access to capital, networking, and
        mentoring necessary to significantly expand their businesses.
    --  Hathay Bunano and its partners commit over the next year to develop 22
        handicraft production centers in Bangladesh which will provide training
        and subsequent employment for 2000 destitute women. Hathay Bunano will
        train the women in hand knitting and hand crochet, enabling them to make
        high quality, export-orientated children's toys to be sold worldwide.
    --  Pro Mujer commits to provide poor women in Latin America with an
        integrated package of microfinance, healthcare, and training that will
        allow them to take an active role in changing their lives and creating a
        better future for their families. The organization's goal is to expand
        its reach to 350,000 women and impact the lives of more than 1.7 million
        children.
    --  General Mills and CARE will launch "Join My Village" which
        will tap the power of online communities to connect women in the U.S.
        with families in Malawi, igniting a new level of consumer education and
        involvement. Ongoing reports from the field will enable consumers to
        participate in the lives of some of the poorest women and girls in
        Africa.
    --  Women for Women International commits to improve the livelihoods of
        103,000 female survivors of war over the next three years. This will be
        accomplished by a comprehensive program of rights education and
        vocational and business skills training. These will give the women
        access to the resources that allow them to participate in their
        countries' political and economic decision-making.

SOURCE Clinton Global Initiative