William J. Clinton Foundation News

Press Release: President Bill Clinton Recommits to Achieving Universal Access to AIDS Prevention and Treatment

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Opening remarks highlight the progress made and the work ahead in the fight against HIV/AIDS

New York, NY – Earlier today at the opening plenary session of the 18th Annual International AIDS Conference, President Bill Clinton applauded the world’s progress to date in fighting AIDS and recommitted to achieving universal access to AIDS prevention and treatment. In his speech to more than 25,000 conference attendees, President Clinton reminded the audience that while the global community’s progress has been great, now is not the time to walk away from fighting HIV/AIDS.

"We’ve ramped up and we’ve done a good job, but now we need to transition from an emergency response to something that is sustained," President Clinton said. "We cannot get to the...

Joint Statement by President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton on the Passing of George Steinbrenner

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The passing of George Steinbrenner marks the end of an era. Baseball has lost a giant, New York has lost a champion, and we have lost a friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Steinbrenner family today and with all the friends, colleagues, and fans who loved The Boss.

George was a fierce competitor who was the perfect fit for the city that never sleeps – colorful, dynamic and always reaching for the stars. His Yankees brought home seven World Series championships and provided inspiration and entertainment to people in New York and around the world. He was a generous friend and supporter of the community. And after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, when New York needed it most, George and the Yankees helped lift our battered spirits. He was born on the Fourth of July and loved his country even more than his team.

We were delighted to host George and the team at the White House in 1999 to celebrate one of their many...

News: Clinton Climate Initiative Named Top 10 Green NGO

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) has been named by a leading sustainability site, GreenBiz.com, as one of the 10 green NGOs that businesses should know about. The site highlighted CCI’s work to make cities more efficient, particularly building through building energy efficiency and waste projects.

More than one-third of energy is consumed in buildings worldwide, accounting for about 15 percent of global emissions of carbon dioxide, the most prevalent greenhouse gas. CCI currently is planning 200 building energy efficiency projects in 47 cities around the world, including the Empire State Building in New York, helping building owners to realize significant energy savings by using the latest technologies and systems.

Waste in landfills is the third largest source of anthropogenic...

News: Clinton Foundation Haiti Fund Fact Sheet

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Since the January 2010 earthquake, the Clinton Foundation has been turning the donations of money and supplies made by individuals and organizations into direct assistance for the people and government of Haiti. More than 100,000 individuals have donated more than $16 million to the Clinton Foundation Haiti Fund.

The Foundation issued $3 million in emergency relief grants to 12 organizations, and recently allocated $1 million for communal hurricane emergency shelters and $1 million for operational support of the IHRC. The Foundation also directly purchased emergency relief, education, and agricultural supplies as well as supported the shipment and delivery to Haiti of more than $16 million worth of goods, including 14 pieces of heavy equipment, 32,680 solar flashlights and lanterns, 58 solar-powered streetlights, and 390,000 articles of clothing.

Thanks to supporters and partners, the total value of assistance to Haiti provided...

Statement by President Bill Clinton on the Passing of Senator Robert C. Byrd

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend Senator Robert Byrd, whose record-breaking service greatly advanced America’s pursuit of a more perfect union. Senator Byrd was the most respected authority on the rules of Congress, the Constitution, and the history of the Senate. No American leader has shown more reverence for history, for learning its lessons, and for applying them in representative government. He set an incredible example of lifetime learning – earning his college degree in his thirties and getting his law degree while in Congress, at a time when he already knew more about the law than most lawyers in the country. He wasn’t afraid to learn from his mistakes or to change his mind on an issue when he felt he had been wrong. He was justly proud of the federal funds he secured to improve the lives of the people of West Virginia. And he served to the end: I will never forget watching him being wheeled on to the Senate floor to...

Press Release: President Bill Clinton, Frank Giustra and Carlos Slim Launch $20 Million Fund for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Haiti

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Investments will be aligned with priorities in Haiti

Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Today, President Bill Clinton and philanthropists Frank Giustra and Carlos Slim, accompanied by Haiti’s Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive, announced the creation of an innovative new $20 million fund for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Haiti. This is a project of the Clinton Foundation, through the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative, and Fundación Carlos Slim. This new fund was established in response to a call from President Préval and Prime Minister Bellerive for more tools to help Haitian entrepreneurs make sustainable improvements in their businesses and communities, and create more jobs.

"The fund we are announcing today recognizes the important role small-...

Initiative Brief: Reducing Childhood Obesity Through a Focus on Schools as Part of a Multi-Sectoral Approach

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Background

Childhood obesity is one of our nation’s leading health threats. Today, nearly one in three children and youth is already overweight or obese. The obesity epidemic is clearly taking its toll, as more and more kids are developing conditions and diseases that we would normally associate with adults—like high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and type-2 diabetes. Some experts believe that if the childhood obesity trend continues, this current generation may become the first in American history to live shorter lives than their parents.

Thus, a successful strategy to combat child obesity requires coordination across multiple sectors...

Press Release: President Bill Clinton and Philanthropists Frank Giustra and Carlos Slim Launch Fondo Acceso SAS, a USD $20 Million Fund for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Colombia

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

New Fund a Partnership between the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative and the SLIM Foundation

Both CGSGI and the SLIM Foundation Commit $10 million to the Fund

Bogotá, Colombia – President Bill Clinton, Frank Giustra and Oscar Von Hauske of the SLIM Foundation announced today the launch of Fondo Acceso, a USD $20 million fund for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Colombia.

"Colombia and Latin America are home to countless talented entrepreneurs. But, unfortunately, many of them lack access to the tools needed to scale-up their business, employ more people, and ultimately uplift their communities," said President Clinton. "The fund we are announcing today will address this need, and provide...

Press Release: President Clinton Acknowledges Lima's Commitment to Fight Climate Change

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Major Traffic Lighting Project Announced

Lima, Peru – Today, President Bill Clinton joined Mayor Luis Castañeda Lossio of Lima, Peru, to discuss the city’s most recent achievements in addressing climate change.

President Clinton and Mayor Castañeda announced that the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima (MML) is making thousands of traffic lights across the city more energy efficient. Many lights have already been retrofitted and over the coming months, the MML will install over 6,000 new light emitting diode (LED) across the city. The LED lights being used are 90 percent more efficient than the old incandescent lights, and can last over 10 years.

Once the retrofit project is complete and all traffic lights in Lima have been converted to LEDs, it...

Press Release: President Bill Clinton Visits the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA) Cataracts Screening and Sacro Cuore Eye Institute

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Lima, Peru – Today, President Bill Clinton visited an outreach event operated in conjunction with the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA) that screens potential patients to receive cataract surgery under the program operated by the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative (CGSGI) and Fundación Carlos Slim (SLIM) . The President also visited a private clinic, Instituto de Ojos Sacro Cuore (Eye Institute of the Sacred Heart), which is the highest producing private clinic participating in the CGSGI/SLIM Cataracts project.

Last year President Clinton signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), along with a representative of SLIM and MINSA, committing to a program that would complete 50,000 cataract surgeries over 4 years. CGSGI and Fundación Carlos Slim committed $5,000,000 each to this program (or a cost per surgery of $200).

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