US First Lady Laura Bush opened a summit organized by former president Bill Clinton on major challenges facing the world, and announced that the US government would send water pumps to Africa. Clinton introduced Bush as someone who "used to be a teacher."
"Hillary (Clinton) and I have been particularly grateful for her advocacy of education for young women in developing countries," the former US president said.
The first lady detailed US initiatives for development and unveiled a new one at the second annual Clinton Global Initiative conference, held on the margins of the UN General Assembly.
The US government is partnering with two foundations and other groups "to help address one of the greatest crises in Africa today: the lack of clean water," Bush said.
Washington plans to put 10 million dollars over three years into the program to distribute pumps in sub-Saharan Africa. The program, funded with a total 16.4 million dollars, should provide 10 million people with water by 2010, she said.
The Clinton summit was to bring together about 50 current and past heads of state and government, business leaders and non-governmental organization staff to work on issues such as climate change, poverty and religious and ethnic tensions.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Jordan's King Abdullah II, US billionaire Bill Gates, former secretary of state Colin Powell and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong were among those expected at the event.
The event is designed to generate ideas and get big names to make commitments of aid or policy changes.
The Clinton Global Initiative "is practically oriented," said Rick Menell, president of Teal Exploration and Mining Inc., a Canadian mining concern with operations in Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
"He brings big people in. He has enormous prestige, he is much loved, he has values shared in the world, he's a tremendous advocate of civic action," said Menell, one of the event participants.
