Initiative focuses on Latin America

Mar 02, 2008 04:30 AM
Chris Jai Centeno
staff reporter

Joined by stars such as Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Shakira and Elton John, former president Bill Clinton told a Toronto fundraising crowd last night of his latest foreign aid efforts in Latin America and the developing world.

The project, part of the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative, will assist local leaders in addressing issues of social, economic and environmental impact through employment and economy.

Clinton started the initiative last June to create sustainable development in Latin American countries where natural resources dominate the economy.

“The world is bedevilled by three great crises: the persistent and growing inequality in economic opportunity, education and health care; the insecurity caused by our interdependence making us vulnerable to terror, to weapons of mass destruction, to the spread of dangerous materials, to global epidemics; and the unsustainability of our current developmental course because of the threats of global warming,” Clinton told more than 1,000 people at the Westin Harbour Castle Convention Centre.

Tables at the event cost between $25,000 and $300,000.

Vancouver mining financier Frank Giustra has pledged $100 million to the project, plus half of his future earnings from the natural resources sector.

The initiative has raised more than $300 million so far. (Source: The Star)