Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler co-founder Maria Ressa is among the global leaders, advocates and innovators gathering in New York this week for the Clinton Global Initiative 2026 Annual Meeting, where discussions will focus on democracy, responsible artificial intelligence, climate resilience, humanitarian response and the integrity of information.
The two-day meeting, convened by former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, takes place Sept. 22-23 at the New York Hilton Midtown. This year’s theme, “How Do We Get It Right?”, frames conversations about responding to rising division, disruption and funding pressures while advancing practical solutions to global challenges.
Ressa, a Filipino journalist, author and Columbia University professor, is listed as a featured participant in her capacity as Nobel Peace Prize laureate and co-founder and CEO of Rappler. Her inclusion places a leading Filipino voice on press freedom and democratic accountability among figures from government, philanthropy, business, civil society and entertainment.
Truth, democracy and AI
Ressa has become one of the world’s most prominent advocates for press freedom and information integrity. At CGI, she joins a program that includes discussions of truth and information, preserving democracy, responsible AI, health equity, women’s equality, humanitarian aid and climate resilience.
The meeting is timed to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly and will bring together thousands of participants, according to CGI. Organizers say more than 60 new partnerships and programs—known as Commitments to Action—are expected to be announced during the annual meeting.
Since CGI was founded in 2005, its community has launched more than 4,300 Commitments to Action involving more than 13,000 organizations, with projects intended to help more than 500 million people in 180 countries, the organization says.
Global lineup
Ressa joins a roster that includes President Irfaan Ali of Guyana, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Other featured participants include Prince Harry, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, former USAID Administrator Samantha Power, International Rescue Committee President and CEO David Miliband, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, actor Lupita Nyong’o, actor Carey Mulligan, journalist Nicholas Kristof and science educator Bill Nye.
The event will also feature leaders from foundations, universities, media organizations, global health institutions, technology companies and social-impact organizations. CGI says the philanthropic foundations, multilateral organizations and social-enterprise funders represented at the meeting account for a combined $13.4 billion in annual grantmaking and investment.
New York meeting
Mainstage and Leaders Stage sessions will be livestreamed through CGI’s Digital All-Access platform, while smaller discussions will have limited seating. The official agenda lists Ressa among participants in the opening mainstage session, “How Do We Get It Right?”
Her appearance comes as issues she has long confronted—disinformation, digital-platform power, press freedom and democratic accountability—are central to global policy conversations.
