Published 09-22-10
Submitted by Aspen Institute
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, along with Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, and Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of The Aspen Institute, announced today the formation of the Steering Committee and the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) commitments for Partners for a New Beginning (PNB).
Partners for a New Beginning is a non-partisan, non-profit organization established to harness private sector and civil society resources to advance the vision President Obama laid out in his June 2009 Cairo speech of renewed engagement with Muslims around the world based on mutual respect and responsibility. Secretary Albright serves as PNB's Chair. Mr. Kent and Mr. Isaacson serve as Vice-Chairs.
This advisory group of prominent American leaders has committed to using their expertise, global networks, and access to resources to foster locally-driven public-private partnerships and projects to advance opportunity in Muslim-majority countries and Muslim communities in four key areas: economic opportunity, science and technology, education, and exchange.
Today at the Clinton Global Initiative's Annual Meeting, PNB announced its first commitments to increase access to finance, business capacity and development services; improve educational opportunities for students and teachers; foster physical and virtual exchange programs; and enhance science and technology solutions. These commitments will positively impact up to 500,000 people across the PNB targeted countries of Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, and West Bank/Gaza during the next five years.
PNB Steering Committee Members include:
Among the various PNB projects that will be implemented include the following:
Partners for a New Beginning (PNB) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization established to harness private sector and civil society resources to advance the vision President Obama laid out in his Cairo speech in June 2009 of renewed engagement with Muslims around the world based on mutual respect and responsibility. PNB consists of independent citizens who are working in close partnership and consultation with the U.S. Department of State in Washington and U.S. Embassies abroad. Toni Verstandig serves as the Executive Director of Middle East Programs at the Aspen Institute, which acts as the PNB Secretariat, facilitating the public-private partnerships and private-private partnerships that will help fulfill the President's Cairo vision. For more information, visit www.partnersforanewbeginning.com.
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org or follow on Twitter @AspenInstitute.
More from Aspen Institute