The United Nations Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, and Women for Women International have announced major commitments as part of the fifth annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, which took place September 22-25 in New York City.

In partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UN Foundation made a $30 million commitment to help eradicate polio worldwide; if the effort succeeds, polio would become the second disease (after smallpox) to be eliminated from human populations. In addition to its financial commitment, Saudi Arabia is requiring every pilgrim entering the country for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, to receive a polio vaccination. Although the vast majority of the world is now polio-free, the disease remains endemic in Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

In other news, the Nature Conservancy committed $25 million to help people and natural habitats around the world adapt to the negative effects of global warming. Over the next three years, the organization will work to develop ecosystem-based adaptation methods and evaluate how and when "green" infrastructure is more cost-efficient than "gray" infrastructure.

Earlier in the week, the Omidyar Network pledged $30 million over three years to support global entrepreneurship, especially in India and sub-Saharan Africa, while U.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck and Netherlands-based molecular diagnostics firm QIAGEN announced a partnership to increase access to HPV vaccination and HPV DNA testing to help prevent cervical cancer in the poorest countries of the world — a commitment valued at approximately $600 million.

And to support the economic empowerment of women and girls, a major theme of this year's CGI meeting, Women for Women International will partner with Bloomberg Philanthropies and the NoVo Foundation on a three-year, $24 million initiative to provide 103,000 women survivors of war with rights education and vocational and business skills training that will enable them to raise themselves, their families, and communities out of poverty. The initiative is expected to impact the lives and livelihoods of more than half a million women, men, and children.

"It's a privilege to be...able to help thousands of women rebuild their lives and provide solid economic opportunities that will ensure the education, health, and well-being of themselves, their children, and their families," said Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International. "I'm thankful for this historic moment and serious economic investment we will make with the help of our partners in the global fight for women's empowerment and poverty eradication."