Bill Clinton Leaves the Campaign Trail to Refocus on Global Problems

By INEZ SHARABY

Former President Bill Clinton left the politics in Iowa and came to New York City on Thursday to focus on the Clinton Global Initiative.

Clinton opened the conference with the announcement that one of his partners received the approval of the first-ever nasal spray dosage of naloxone.

“This is a miracle drug that will bring people back from almost certain death if they have overdosed on opioids, which can happen to people who become addicted or those who make the mistake of mixing it with alcohol not knowing that it affects the part of your brain that tells you to keep breathing,” Clinton explained.

Pennsylvania will be the first state to have this spray in every high school in its state and the company promised they would provide the spray to every high school in America, he said.

The conference then turned to the politically explosive theme of refugees as Clinton introduced Hamdi Ulukaya who came to America from Turkey, 21 years ago to learn how to speak English. The CEO of Chobani Yogurt settled in upstate New York, where he said he immediately felt at home. Having worked on a farm he knew how to make yogurt and wanted to make a business out of it. In 2007, they launched Chobani.

Upon starting Chobani, Ulukaya went to Utica to the refugee center to employ refugees. Now, he has refugees with over 11 different nationalities working in his Chobani Factories, whom he describes as family.

“I saw with my own eyes what happens when a person settles in Utica,” he said. “The minute they got a job, that’s the minute they stop being a refugee. That’s when they can start making a life for themselves.”

Ulukaya called the refugee situation the biggest humanitarian crisis.

“In Jordan 30 percent are refugees,” he added. “In Lebanon, more than half. These people are being terrorized and this is a test. We can either fail or pass. I am worried, we cannot fail. If we do then humanity will be divided,”

Ulukaya urged audience members and business CEOs and entrepreneurs to help make a difference in the lives of these refugees and help bring America closer.