If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together – African Proverb
If you feel like the sky is falling every time you turn on the news, you’re not alone. However, last week, joined by 2,500 changemakers—leaders from business, government, and civil society—I realized that there are still good things happening in the world. There are still people who care and who are committed to making a difference. I felt a sense of hope and was able to really focus on what we can do.
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2025 Annual Meeting brought thought leaders from around the world together to talk about the issues and make plans to take action on some of the world’s most pressing challenges—together. Which is key. No one gets anywhere alone, and we cannot solve the problems of our time without each other, but when we work together, anything is possible.
Like so many of us, President Bill Clinton has a list of things that worry him, and opened the event touching on his concerns around the dismantling of domestic and foreign assistance programs, the “war on science and public health,” and cuts to education. He also took the opportunity to condemn political violence, defend free speech, the free press, and democracy, and ways to bring the divided country together.
However, in order to be a counterweight to the negativity, and in the spirit of CGI and the focus on solutions, he said, “If we hold our heads high, keep our eyes and ears open and deal with others with an outstretched hand and not a clenched fist, we’ve got a chance to keep hope alive. We have the chance to make a meaningful difference in other people’s lives.”
Working for Change
Uniting around this year’s theme of “What’s Next,” the meeting featured a “Working Groups” format, designed to make way for collaboration between leaders from business, government, and philanthropy and generate concrete, cross-sector partnerships. These groups included Climate, Democracy and Human Rights, The Economy, Education, Health, Humanitarian Response, Innovative Finance, and Truth and Information.
In a letter to attendees outlining this year’s format, President Clinton issued a call to action. “Given the scope of the challenges we face, this year’s CGI meeting will be different – by necessity. We need to redefine how we show up, how we work, and how we find ways to honor our common humanity.”
Secretary Hillary Clinton, noting that CGI Working Groups were first developed to respond to the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, pointed out that more than half of those joining this year’s Working Groups are first-time attendees. “Our Working Groups have been a chance to stop wringing our hands and start rolling up our sleeves instead.”
Since 2005, CGI has asked attendees to come with Commitments to Action — specific, measurable partnerships and projects that address an urgent global challenge. As a result, members of the CGI community across business, philanthropy, and government have partnered to launch more than 4,200 commitments that have improved the lives of more than 500 million people in over 180 countries. This year was no exception, as the event launched 106 new commitments to action.
Women’s Rights 30 Years Later
Thirty years after declaring that “women’s rights are human rights” in Beijing—and several days before CGI—Secretary Clinton sounded the alarm, warning that women’s rights are under siege by the Trump Administration and autocratic leaders overseas. Pointing out that regression on women’s freedom is often an early sign of a weakened democracy, and described a “coordinated, deliberate effort to dismantle the progress toward women’s equality.”
“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for women across the world, who have benefited from the changes in laws, regulations and norms over the last 30 years, to realize that there are strong forces at work to try to turn the clocks back,” she said.
Secretary Clinton weighed in on women’s rights, and sessions focused on democracy and solutions to global issues. Marking the 30th anniversary of her remarks in Beijing, she also announced a new Commitment to Action – a landmark report by the Women’s Initiative at Columbia SIPA’s Institute of Global Politics (IGP) and GWL Voices: Beijing+30: A Roadmap for Women’s Rights for the Next Thirty Years. The report outlines policy priorities critical to advancing the full and equal participation of women and girls in the twenty-first century, including in the areas of democracy and human rights, technology, economic participation, and conflict and climate (more to come on that soon).
Next Steps
While there were global activists, advocates, and leaders from every sector, we heard from the people on the ground, too. And learned that, right now, it’s movements, not programs, that are getting funded. We discussed why it takes courage to take on issues that not everyone agrees with or even likes. And then we touched on what was probably one of my biggest takeaways: when it is difficult, it’s most important. That means do what we’ve always done—put our heads down and continue to do the work. Like Secretary Clinton said, it’s all hands on deck. It’s time to come together, get comfortable being uncomfortable, and turn our world into one that works for all of us.
Videos featuring numerous speakers from this year’s event are available to watch on demand HERE.