KC Concepcion at the Clinton Global Initiative Asia

On a cloudy day in Hong Kong, the inaugural Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Asia meeting opened with Asia’s best and brightest who were armed with conviction to commit their life’s work towards turning Asia’s future around. KC Concepcion, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) very own National Ambassador against Hunger represented WFP and her country, along with the Regional Director for Asia Anthony Banbury and the newest National Ambassador against Hunger from Korea, Jang Dong Kun.

KC represented WFP and our country effectively in plenary sessions and smaller group working sessions with other celebrity ambassadors such as Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Karen Mok, Hidetoshi Nakata, and business luminaries such as Mr. Oscar Lopez, Mr. Fernando Zobel de Ayala; and world leaders such as President Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo and former President Bill Clinton. She shared the stage with businessmen, world leaders and celebrities, proving to the world that in spite of her youth, she is able to advocate for change and commitment. Her young voice resonating loud and clear the message of children and families who struggle in conflict-affected parts of the country.

Established in 2005 as a project of the non-partisan William J. Clinton Foundation, CGI convened global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

CGI was also about KC learning from others and her sharing her own new ideas to confront and solve the myriad of challenges to be faced by our generation and the coming one. From climate change to malnutrition, CGI participants, like KC, focused on discussing the problems and possible solutions.

“I am very excited to participate in this first CGI event in Asia on behalf of WFP, and to urge concerted action to address the challenge of hunger and under-nutrition in Asia,” KC said. “I hope that the needs of Asia’s children will be recognized by our leaders. We need to work together to reverse this vicious cycle of under-nutrition and secure a healthier future for the hungry poor, especially children.”

With hunger and malnutrition continuing to be prevalent among children in conflict-affected areas in our country, KC remains a staunch supporter and the face and voice of WFP’s work in the Philippines for almost a year now. Since 2006, WFP’s work in the Philippines has been ensure that food needs, especially of children in conflict-affected communities of Mindanao are addressed.
Rico Hizon, Joey Antonio, KC Concepcion and Korean actor Jang Dong-gun
Rico Hizon, Joey Antonio, KC Concepcion and Korean actor Jang Dong-gun

“KC’s is an important voice for encouraging Asia’s leaders that food is a basic and critical need. Ensuring that needy people, especially children, have adequate access to nutritious food is critical” said Stephen Anderson, WFP’s Country Director and Representative in the Philippines.

KC will be an important part of a new chapter in human history, where the youth provide a loud and resonating voice on behalf of the next generation. President Clinton said during closing remarks, and KC echoed it succinctly during a press-conference with regional and Philippine media, “CGI is a verb not a noun.” Action begets action, and in fact it started with KC herself.

With an aim of promoting innovative solutions to addressing hunger and malnutrition in Asia, especially among children, KC announced her personal Commitment to Action to raise awareness and support for the World Food Programme specifically targeting 71,000 pupils attending 427 schools in conflict-affected areas of Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato.

At the CGI event, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced a US$15 million dollar commitment to improve the nutritional status of hungry children and their families in seven countries across Asia. And along with KC’s commitment to WFP, business leaders and philanthropists also committed to raising more than US$ 4 million in support of WFP’s work.

Other CGI Asia members have made commitments worth an estimated total value of US$185 million, to positively impact more than 10 million lives.

Examples of the impact CGI Asia commitments will have once fully implemented include:

* An estimated 715,000 children will benefit from better education opportunities.
* Over 260,000 adults will learn new job skills.
* Of these, nearly 26,000 are teachers and 8,000 are health care workers who will benefit from new training.
* Over 250,000 girls and women will be empowered with better opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.
* Nearly 24,000 hectares of forest land will be protected by empowering local residents to manage their own natural resources.
* The equivalent of more than 40,000 tons of CO2 emissions will be cut.
* Over 700,000 people will better learn to cope with environmental stress and natural disasters.
* More than 3.5 million people will gain greater access to health services.
* Half a million people will now have safe drinking water, and 400,000 children will benefit from better nutrition.

KC gave WFP’s work a face and a voice, and with that message, she made it known to all who cared to listen. KC is being the change that she wants the world to be. We look forward to seeing more good work and hope that she will continue her commitment to WFP and to the children of this country.

By Patricia Facultad

(Patricia Facultad is a Senior Programme and Public Information Assistant for the Country Director for the U-N World Food Programme.)

Filed under Culture, Social Concern