Bill Clinton meets Katrina survivors in Houston. Photograph: Richard Carson/AP
When he left the White House in 2001, Bill Clinton was the youngest president to leave office since Theodore Roosevelt - and he has kept himself busy since losing his job.
His latest project is the modestly titled Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), a Manhattan gathering of around 800 people - including around 50 world leaders - who meet to pledge money or action on poverty, religious strife, climate change and governance. Luckily, many of the biggest names are already in New York for the UN world summit.
Mr Clinton's spokesman reckons the CGI, which begins today, will be more than a talking shop. "He [Mr Clinton] feels like we've reached the time where it's not enough just to talk about the issues," said Jay Carson.
Among those attending are Tony Blair, the US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, the UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and businessmen such as Rupert Murdoch and George Soros. They will sign contracts promising donations or commitments - and those who fail to fulfil their pledges won't be invited back. Mr Clinton, 59, has been "very clear that if people aren't here to make a difference, then they are at the wrong conference," Mr Carson said.
A number of commitments have already been lined up, including the establishment of a $100m (£55m) joint foundation to work on the alleviation of poverty. Another topic covered will be Islam and the west.
The achievements of Mr Clinton's presidency were partly overshadowed by his affair with Monica Lewinsky and subsequent impeachment (he was acquitted), and he has been keen to establish a positive legacy since leaving office: he has set up the Clinton Foundation, which focuses on battling HIV/Aids, and he has been deployed by the White House - alongside his unlikely friend George Bush Sr - in recent disaster zones, most recently the site of Hurricane Katrina.
