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Partners for a New Beginning 2011 Status Report

October 28, 2011

Full report is available for download here.

In September of 2010, Partners for a New Beginning (PNB) was formally launched at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting in New York, NY. As we come together one year later, we would like to assess our progress as well as chart our course forward to ensure that we continue to deliver meaningful results on the ground.

In the year since our launch, Partners for a New Beginning has achieved impressive outcomes. Thanks to the leadership of our esteemed Steering Committee, our partnership with the U.S. Department of State, the tireless support of the PNB Secretariat, and most importantly, our partners abroad, PNB has formed local chapters in Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, the Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, and Turkey, and has firm plans to launch chapters in Jordan and Mauritania by the end of 2011.

During the past year, Partners for a New Beginning has supported over 70 projects. These collaborations are forging new partnerships, empowering local leaders to address key priorities, and connecting visionary individuals and corporations with local counterparts. All of these efforts support PNB’s mission to promote economic opportunity, education, exchange, and science and technology.

As we witness events in the Middle East and North Africa, there is a sense of urgency to our work and an increased focus on bringing together the public and private sectors to create impactful results on the ground. The events of the past year have presented a critical opportunity to transform our relationships abroad, based on mutual interest and shared respect. During the next 12 months, it is essential that we solidify these relationships, increase the impact of our partnerships and continue to support and empower our locally driven projects. Having sowed the seeds for successful partnerships, this alliance now has the opportunity to cultivate these relationships and effect truly long-term change. For PNB, 2011-2012 will be a time of consolidation and continued sustainable results.

PNB has emerged as a viable model for partnership and diplomacy. For many, including ourselves, the possibility of a New Beginning no longer seems out of reach. The golden triangle of civil society, government and the private sector has proven an effective model. As we reflect on the past year and look to the year ahead, it is clear that there is much more to be done. Partners for a New Beginning is well-positioned to advance this work. We are incredibly proud to co-chair this initiative and confident that this Steering Committee will continue to drive a successful effort in the year to come.

Our sincere admiration,

Madeleine Albright, PNB Chair
Muhtar Kent, PNB Vice Chair
Walter Isaacson, PNB Vice Chair

Full report is available for download here.