Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has issued a stark warning to the global community, calling for urgent, united action to confront an unprecedented set of global challenges. Speaking ahead of the 20th anniversary Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, Clinton declared that the 2025 summit will be “different — by necessity.”

“The global development community is at an unprecedented crossroads, with growing humanitarian needs, fewer resources, and the landscape changing every day,” Clinton said in his Call to Action. “We need to redefine how we show up, how we work, and how we find ways to honor our common humanity.”

The CGI 2025 Meeting, to be held September 24–25 in New York City, will bring together heads of state, business titans, Nobel laureates, philanthropists, and grassroots leaders to explore “What’s Next” in tackling critical issues.

Confirmed speakers and participants include:

• Political Leaders: Prime Minister Gaston Browne (Antigua and Barbuda), Prime Minister Philip Davis (The Bahamas), Prime Minister Mia Mottley (Barbados), President Vjosa Osmani (Kosovo), and Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration.
• Corporate Leaders: Priscilla Sims Brown (Amalgamated Bank), Rolando Gonzalez Bunster (InterEnergy Group), Tim Cadogan (GoFundMe), James Mwangi (Equity Group Holdings), Daniel O’Day (Gilead Sciences), and Bill Ready (Pinterest).
• Philanthropic Voices: Nancy Lindborg (David and Lucile Packard Foundation), Binaifer Nowrojee (Open Society Foundations), Maribel Pérez Wadsworth (Knight Foundation), Karlee Silver (Grand Challenges Canada), and Darren Walker (Ford Foundation).
• Nobel Laureates: Denis Mukwege, Maria Ressa, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

This year’s meeting will lean heavily on CGI Working Groups — action-focused, problem-solving sessions aimed at producing tangible results. Topics include climate solutions, democracy and human rights, economic inclusion, global health, humanitarian response, innovative finance, education access, and protecting truth and transparency in media.

Among the notable voices in these working groups will be India’s Reema Nanavaty, Director of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), and Chetna Sinha, Founder of Mann Deshi Bank, both contributing to the climate and economy tracks respectively.

Founded in 2005 alongside the U.N. General Assembly, CGI has driven more than 4,000 Commitments to Action, improving the lives of over 500 million people in 180+ countries. True to its origins, the 2025 meeting will require every participant to make a concrete commitment to address a pressing global issue.

“CGI has always been about turning ideas into action,” Clinton said. “This year, action is not just our focus — it’s our only option.”