The Belinda Stronach Foundation (TBSF) Commits up to $5 Million Over 5 Years at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to Empower Girls and Women Globally

Groundbreaking G(irls) 20 Summit Key to Advancing the Role of Girls and Women

TORONTO, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Belinda Stronach Foundation is participating in the Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York City from September 20 to 23, 2010.  At this year's meeting, TBSF will further showcase its Commitment to Action to supporting the empowerment of girls and women through the G(irls) 20 Summit.  

In September 2009 at CGI, The Belinda Stronach Foundation committed to create a platform that aimed to provide greater coordination of global advocacy efforts and awareness of the issues of girls and women, with a goal to ensure that those issues became part of development narrative for the G8/G20 in 2010.

As a result of this commitment, TBSF, together with its partners, hosted the first ever G(irls)20 Summit in Toronto in June 2010, in the lead up to the G20. This groundbreaking and innovative summit brought together one girl from each G20 country, plus a representative from the African Union, to debate, discuss and design innovative ideas to help empower girls and women globally. Delegates used the Millennium Development Goals as their guide to discuss Child & Maternal Health, Economic Opportunity and Education for girls and women.

The 21 Delegates participated in panel discussions, attended workshops and met with the media and political representatives regarding tangible, scalable solutions toward economic prosperity.  The summit culminated with a communique that provides a blueprint on how to utilize and engage 3.3 billion girls and women around the world.  

"The G(irls)20 Summit was an amazing experience that allowed girls from all over the world to empower each other through discussion and interaction, says Leah Stuart-Sheppard (age 19), Canadian Ambassador at the 2010 G(irls)20 Summit. "We learned about the challenges facing women and girls, but we were also inspired and equipped to work together towards solutions. Coming from all over the world, we all brought different experiences to the table, but we also found many similarities between our lives that give us a basis for collaboration. It is important to make sure every woman and girl has a voice, and to use our own voices in this process."

To date, the impact of the G(irls) 20 Summit which garnered local, national and international attention, has led to over 128 million global media impressions. In addition, 11,315 people have signed up for the What's Your Number? Campaign, over 70 non-governmental organizations have partnered with the campaign and 34 national and international spokespersons acted as Change Agents, including Deepa Mehta and K'naan.  In the face of such support, The Belinda Stronach Foundation is committing to convening the G(irls) 20 Summit in advance of each G20 for the next five years, beginning with the 2011 G(irls)20 Summit in France.

This long-term commitment made at CGI this week by The Belinda Stronach Foundation is an important step to empowering and engaging girls and women in their communities and countries, and on the world stage.  It will also serve as a platform to improving the lives of girls and women as outlined in the Millennium Development Goals.

The Belinda Stronach Foundation builds partnerships with individuals, non-governmental organizations, businesses large and small, as well as other foundations who work in Canada and around the world to confront global challenges with innovative solutions. For more on TBSF please visit www.tbsf.ca.

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 125 current and former heads of state, 15 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 1,700 commitments valued at $57 billion, which have already improved the lives of 220 million people in more than 170 countries. The CGI community also includes CGI University (CGI U), a forum to engage college students in global citizenship, MyCommitment.org, an online portal where anybody can make a Commitment to Action, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young leaders from business, government, and civil society. For more information, visit http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org

To learn more about the G(irls) 20 Summit and how you can get involved by joining the What's Your Number? Campaign visit www.girlsandwomen.com.

For a copy of the G(irls)20 Summit Communique, please visit http://www.girlsandwomen.com/download/news-communique.pdf

SOURCE The Belinda Stronach Foundation