The Clinton Foundation is reconvening its Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to address “steep” challenges it after previously ended in 2016, former President Clinton said in a statement on Friday.
The need for “cooperation and coordination has never been more urgent than it is now. The COVID-19 pandemic has ripped the cover off of longstanding inequities and vulnerabilities across our global community. The existential threat of climate change grows every day,” Clinton wrote.
“Democracy is under assault around the world, most glaringly in Ukraine where Russia has launched an unjustified and unprovoked invasion that has put millions of lives in grave danger. The number of displaced people and refugees worldwide is higher than it has ever been—more than one in 95 of all people alive on the planet today has been forced to flee their home—and rising,” he continued.
The initiative is slated to run from Sept. 19 to 21 in New York City. Clinton suggested that the meeting would look different than those held in the past, though it was unclear if the remarks were made regarding the coronavirus pandemic or other factors.
“Just like the world we’re living in, the September meeting will likely look different than the ones we held before. But what will not be different is the spirit that has driven CGI from the very beginning—the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can apart,” the former president said.
Amid concerns over what could be seen as a possible conflict of interest during former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, CGI ended in 2016, The Associated Press reported.
Prior to that, the initiative’s events featured high-profile speakers including Ben Affleck, Bono, and former Presidents Obama and Carter, according to the AP.
Clinton said in his letter that more than 435 million people in more than 180 countries had been positive impacted by the CGI’s more than 3,700 partnerships and projects.