WASHINGTON, D.C.(June 7, 2011)—The Center for Global Development (CGD) will mark its 10th Anniversary on June 8 with an unusual event that will feature three venues on or near Washington’s famed “Embassy Row”: cocktails at the Residence of the British Ambassador, dinner at the Embassy of Finland, and desserts at the Residence of the Norwegian Ambassador.
The evening will bring together individuals who are working on and influencing development policy, including ambassadors, members of the U.S. Congress, current and former heads of state, senior corporate executives, philanthropists, celebrities, academics and friends to celebrate CGD’s work.
“This milestone event is an opportunity to celebrate together with our supporters CGD’s achievements during our first decade and to look forward to continued growth in our influence and impact,” says CGD founding president Nancy Birdsall. “It’s also going to be a ton of fun.”
Since our founding in 2001, CGD has earned a reputation as a “think-and-do” tank that undertakes rigorous research, then crafts and pushes towards implementation of practical policy proposals to make the world a fairer, safer place.
“CGD is easily the leader in development thinking at this time,” says Donald Kaberuka, the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), who will be honored on the evening with the Edward W. Scott Jr. Equity Advocate Award, named for CGD’s founding chair.
Kaberuka is being given the award in recognition of his success in rebuilding the AfDB and for his strong voice for Africa during the 2008 financial crisis and on global issues such as trade and climate change. “We in Africa have been major beneficiaries of CGD work – whether on debt relief for Nigeria, Liberia, and Sudan; on climate finance, deforestation, or private sector development in Africa—the work led by CGD has been a pace-setter,” Kaberuka adds.
De Beers is the presenting sponsor for the event with Nicky, Jonathan and Jennifer Oppenheimer serving as dinner co-chairs. Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar are co-chairs of the event’s honorary committee. "De Beers and my family are pleased to support CGD," says Nicky Oppenheimer, De Beers Group chairman. "Over the past ten years, the Center has worked tirelessly to ensure that issues of the developing world are brought to the highest levels of international dialogue, leading to practical and meaningful solutions, particularly across Africa."
Examples of the Center’s work in its first decade include research, analysis and policy engagement that led to the creation of a pilot $1.5 billion Advance Market Commitment (AMC) that accelerated development and delivery of a vaccine against a pneumonia-related virus that annually kills some 3 million children in the developing world.
Health workers in a dozen countries began administering the life-saving vaccine this year and AMC-like mechanisms are now being proposed for other global health needs and in areas such as clean energy and agricultural innovation.
CGD’s work was also instrumental in obtaining billions of dollars in debt relief for Nigeria and Liberia, and CGD research is currently contributing to a negotiated division of debt between northern Sudan and the newly independent south.
A new film to be shown at the June 8 event tells the stories of three additional CGD policy successes: improving the delivery of assistance for HIV/AIDS, stepping up World Bank support for clean energy, and catalyzing the mobilization of $1 trillion in emergency finance for developing countries to cope with the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis. After the event the film will be posted on the CGD website.
"The Center has had influence and impact beyond my most optimistic expectations,” says Scott, CGD’s founding chair. “My core ambition was to create an organization that would be more than just a sandbox for economists, but one that would have direct and meaningful impact on the plight of the World's poor. I believe we have done that. Nancy has assembled an extraordinary team that has both passion and intellect. I am exceedingly proud of what the Center has achieved."
The Center for Global Development:
The Center for Global Development works to reduce global poverty and inequality through rigorous research and active engagement with the policy community to make the world a more prosperous, just, and safe place for us all. The policies and practices of the rich and the powerful—in rich nations, the emerging powers, international institutions, and global corporations—have significant impacts on the world’s poor people. CGD aims to improve these to expand opportunities, reduce inequalities, and improve lives everywhere. As a nimble, independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit think tank, the Center combines world-class scholarly research with policy analysis and innovative outreach and communications to turn ideas into action.