The Clinton Global Initiative and Sustainability
I attended the Clinton Global Initiative event, Global Challenges Corporate Solutions: Creating Value for Business and Society, this past Monday. Co-hosted by The Economist the event was held at the Sheraton Conference Center in New York City. The event opened with a Plenary Session, at which the 42nd President, Bill Clinton spoke as well as participated in a panel discussion on the importance of cross-sector engagement in addressing global financial, social and environmental challenges. The discussion was centered on the role that corporations and foundations can play in addressing these challenges given the new realities of the economic crisis. One thing that was clear from the discussion was that sustainability is fundamentally important to both the industrial and developing world, and that is critically important that we look at a sustainable future that addresses the needs on the world’s entire population. To that end corporate social responsibility must address the needs all it’s stakeholders from an economic, environmental and social standpoint. Speaking specifically of climate change President Clinton stated,
“We are not going to win the climate change battle till we prove it is economically feasible to do so.”-President Bill Clinton
The rest of the panel, moderated by The Economist’s New York Bureau Chief Mathew Bishop, Richard Kaufamn CEO of Good Energy, and included John Podesta Co-Chairman of the Obama transition team, Judith Rodin President of The Rockefeller Foundation, and Reggie Van Lee SVP of Booz Allen Hamilton focused on their organizations efforts in conjunction with the Clinton Global Initiative to bring about positive social and environmental change. John Podesta spoke of the need to develop partnerships as we transition from a high-carbon to a low-carbon economy. He felt very strongly that the Obama administration was committed to developing theses sorts of partnerships. Mr. Van Lee felt that because the global issues were so interdependent and complex there was a necessity to create a new taxonomy that could optimize the outcome as opposed to maximizing the outcome.
In closing his introductory remarks President Clinton spoke to the need for engagement and accountability, if we are to survive the current economic crisis and build the kind of world we all believe is possible.
We have to have a world of shared opportunities and shared responsibilities-President Bill Clinton
-FR
Recent Comments