United Nations Foundation Announces MY World Initiative Commitment to Action at Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

The United Nations Foundation and its Global Entrepreneurs Council (GEC), which includes some of today’s most innovative entrepreneurs under 45, announced today at the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting a commitment to help the United Nations mobilize one million new participants – especially youth – in the UN’s MY World 2015 global initiative, the only all-inclusive avenue by which any individual anywhere in the world can voice their priorities to global leaders as they define the new development agenda for the world.

“As the demographics of our world shift and the technology revolution continues at lightning speed, we must ensure today’s global leaders hear what is important to all people, especially youth, as they set new goals for the future,” said Kathy Calvin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the UN Foundation.  “People under the age of 29 currently make up the majority of the world’s population, yet they don’t traditionally have as much access to those who make policies and set agendas. We have a unique opportunity with this commitment to include young people from every part of the world in crafting the future they want.”

MY World looks beyond 2015 – the endpoint for the current Millennium Development Goals – to engage people from all parts of the world and ensure their views will be part of the global conversation about the post-2015 global development agenda. To date, approximately one million people from 194 countries have contributed to MY World, and the UN Foundation is committed to helping secure one million more.

The UN Foundation, its Board of Directors, and the GEC will focus specifically on increasing participation of women and youth – especially girls, in Brazil, China, and India, which are among the 20 countries that comprise 85 percent of the world’s poorest people. In addition, the UN Foundation will also focus on securing votes in the U.S., Ghana, and Jordan. With the results from the survey, the UN Foundation Board will convene global policymakers to ensure their ideas inform the process to set the post-2015 agenda discussions.

“The UN is committed to ensuring that there is an open and inclusive process contributing to the formulation of the post-2015 agenda. It should engage people from all parts of the world and sections of society,” said Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. “Partners like the UN Foundation are vital to making this engagement a reality.”

The Foundation’s GEC, whose members represent various industries including, corporate, creative community, and media, has a proven track record of entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and advocacy on global issues. The GEC has chosen to focus its two-year term on elevating the voice and presence of youth in the work of the UN, beginning with the post-2015 process. As a core partner of the UN’s MY World, the UN Foundation and its GEC are bringing entrepreneurial ideas to help this first-ever global survey reach new audiences and communities across the world.

Quotes from Global Entrepreneurs Council Members:

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for youth to connect across borders and be empowered to stand together with the UN. MY World will allow youth to have their voices heard as we shape the global agenda” – Elizabeth Gore, Resident Entrepreneur at the UN Foundation; Chair of the Global Entrepreneurs Council. 

“Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders so it is so imperative that they have a voice in the world development agenda. The commitment the UN Foundation is announcing today to support the UN’s MY World 2015 initiative will allow youth across the globe to join together and play a role in goal-setting to create a positive future for themselves and the generations to follow.” – Ingrid Vanderveldt, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Dell Inc.; Global Entrepreneurs Council member.

“Today’s technology landscape presents a new and unique opportunity to magnify the often unheard voices of youth all over the world.  MY World 2015 will leverage technology in innovative ways to empower global youth to actively engage in setting the priorities for our collective future.” – Haroon Mokhtarzada, Founder/CEO, Webs.; Global Entrepreneurs Council member.

“Through strategic partnerships with entrepreneurs and companies, we can achieve our goal of engaging youth on a global level. The next million votes on the MY World 2015 platform further allows the youth voice to shape the next global agenda.” – Ruma Bose, Serial Entrepreneur, Investor, Philanthropist and Author; Global Entrepreneurs Council member.

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About The United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.

About Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of Bill,
Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 400 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $73.5 billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world, and, this year, CGI Latin America, which will bring together Latin American leaders to identify, harness, and strengthen ways to improve the livelihoods of people in Latin America and around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.