The 2006 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting is taking place this week (20-22 September) in New York City. Attendees include more than 50 current and former heads of state, plus a high-profile group of CEOs, philanthropists, journalists, and representatives from non-profit organizations. The CGI meetings are considered unique because of their action-oriented focus; participants are not just expected to bring ideas, but concrete funds and plans for change.

In the past year more than $2.5 billion has been committed under CGI to further efforts in four focus areas: energy and climate change, global health, poverty alleviation, and mitigating ethnic and religious conflict.

The Financial Times is providing in-depth coverage of the meeting and the underlying global development issues that are on the agenda. For more general background statistics, check out EarthTrends' climate, energy, health, and poverty data tables.

The Clinton Global Initiative is "a non-partisan catalyst for action, bringing together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges."