Wednesday’s CGI highlights, plus reconciliation in the Balkans and Afghani rappers
Good morning, CGI attendees!
Today’s highlights include a discussion of how to close the health-care funding gap with Ethiopia’s minister of health; a panel on new models for recycling that includes Unilever CEO Paul Polman; and a closing session that asks attendees to imagine the future, with Ben Affleck and Bill & Chelsea Clinton.
You can review the full annual meeting agenda here, follow tweets about it here, and see photos from the event here.
It’s expected to be unseasonably hot and humid today, with a high of 86 degrees.
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YESTERDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS AT CGI
Reconciliation for Serbia and Bosnia. Bill Clinton was joined by Serbian prime minister Aleksander Vucic and Camil Durakovic, the mayor of Srebrenica, the Bosnian town where 8,000 were slaughtered by Serbs in 1995. Vucic explained how his trip to Srebrenica a year ago to apologize was a “lose-lose political situation for me,” but essential to continue to help prevent future bloodshed. Durakovic applauded his courage, adding ”reconciliation is a process. It’s a not a handshake, it’s not a dinner, it’s a process that may last as long as we live.”
Girl power. Afghani rapper Sonita Alizadeh delivered a powerful performance of her song, “Brides for Sale,” then joined fellow teen activist Memory Banda, from Malawi, on a panel hosted by Chelsea Clinton. Banda explained how she’s helping end the sanctioned rape in the “initiation camps” of girls in Malawi, while Alizadeh said her success means her parents no longer view her as an asset to be sold. Alizadeh told Banda “we’re from different countries, different cultures, but we’re on the same path” as they shared a high five.
Sports can inspire social progress. US fencer Ibtihaj Muhammed, the first US Olympian to compete in a hijab, explained how seeing other black fencers expanded her horizons, and that she hopes she can do the same for young Muslims. Retired basketball player Jason Collins, the first openly gay NBA athlete, said he was inspired by gay tennis players Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova. And Lex Gillette, a long jumper and four-time Paralympian, said he despaired when he lost his sight as a young boy and that “sports gave me the ability to see potential in myself. Sports gave me vision.”
WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT AT CGI
The older generation’s debt to the young. Impressive young people have taken the stage at CGI, but where they lead, their elders must follow, said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood. “The issues these young people are talking about are not theirs to solve alone,” she said. Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, said older people have an obligation to challenge young innovators to focus their efforts globally, for everyone. “Innovation that everyone can’t access is not innovative,” he said.
Preparing for the future. World Bank president Jim Kim said ending extreme poverty will come through new forms of financing and huge investments by the private sector, an effort which “will take trillions of dollars, not billions.” Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai showed off a robotics kit designed to help kids learn technology, while John Chambers, executive chairman of Cisco, gave a bullish vision of a digitized future that will transform everyone’s life, largely for the better.
The impact of the Clinton Foundation. Wired drew a contrast between the foundations of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, and the comparison doesn’t favor Trump. Fortune trumpeted an announcement from a handful of major corporations to contribute $70 million to women’s initiatives. And InStyle took the time to critique Chelsea Clinton’s dress (it was “curve-hugging”).
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD
The US Federal Reserve meets. Most Fed watchers think it wants more time to evaluate the economy and won’t increase interest rates before December.
The United Nations discusses antimicrobial resistance. Across town, the General Assembly will deliberate on the medical, economic, and security consequences of superbugs. The international body has met on health issues only three times in the past: the HIV crisis in 2011, chronic illnesses in 2011, and Ebola in 2014.
Samsung replaces its exploding phones. From today, US owners can either pick up a new Galaxy Note 7, ask for a refund, or get a different device.
MATTERS OF DEBATE
Private money could save the planet. Former US treasury secretary Henry Paulson says the $90 trillion (paywall) needed for green investment doesn’t have to come from the government.
The explosion in New York is a reminder not to exaggerate the threat of terrorism. Much day-to-day extremism has become “the monopoly of the utterly unimpressive.”
Weep not for Brad and Angie. The idea of lifelong marriage desperately needs an overhaul.
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SURPRISING DISCOVERIES
Toyota is making clean energy from dirty sewage. The carmaker is converting human waste to hydrogen to fuel powerful zero emissions cars.
Switzerland scrapped mandatory dog training… By law, all new dog owners had to attend canine obedience classes.
…while British vets warned against buying “flat-faced” dogs, like French bulldogs. They often suffer from health problems due to their breeding.
A skeleton saw the light after 2,100 years. Divers have found a human skeleton at the Antikythera shipwreck site off the coast of Greece.
California is regulating cow farts. The state’s dairy farmers have to lower methane emissions by 40% by 2030.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, and ideas to [email protected]. You can download our iPhone app or follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.