Debt Update!

Sep 26th, 2005 9:30 AM EST
By Tayloe

Good news this weekend on the debt front!

Debt deal done, focus on trade: Wolfowitz
Sun Sep 25, 2005 7:23 PM ET

By Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - All 184 member countries of the World Bank and
IMF have now agreed on debt relief for the world’s poorest nations, but
need to push for a free-trade pact at a Hong Kong meeting in December
to accelerate the fight against poverty, development leaders said on
Sunday.

International Monetary Fund and World Bank chiefs said they would move
quickly to finalize the agreement to wipe out the debts of 18
countries, most of them African, following a breakthrough in talks at
the weekend.

“The path to complete debt relief has now been cleared,” said World
Bank president Paul Wolfowitz. “We will move swiftly to give the bank’s
board of directors a paper outlining a compensation schedule and a
monitoring system — a process that can be completed within weeks.”

The debt agreement, sealed by the Group of Eight industrial powers in
July, was given the nod on Saturday by the rest of the international
community after they bridged differences over the financing of the deal.

Faced with the possible collapse of the agreement, the world’s industrial powers promised additional money to cover the costs.

Wolfowitz urged global trade ministers to follow this example and
complete the Doha trade round in Hong Kong, which has been stalled
mainly over differences on farm and services issues.

“The momentum we now have must be maintained heading into the WTO
negotiations in Hong Kong,” Wolfowitz told a news conference at the end
of the semi-annual World Bank and IMF meetings.

“We have agreement on more aid, we have consensus on debt relief — now
let’s complete the picture and deliver a true development round on
trade.”

Read the entire article here…

10 Questions for Bono…

Sep 22nd, 2005 5:00 PM EST
By Tayloe

This is interesting
and mentions the ONE campaign several times and how we as ONE can make
a difference. The questions are direct from readers and are a follow-up
to the NY Times article that ran last week.

Please click here for entire article.

Bono: Question No. 1 is the No. 1 question we get asked: “What can I
do?” President Truman said something like, “If you give Americans the
facts, they will do the right thing.” He was right. But what is the
“right” thing? A few ideas: sign up to the One Campaign to Make Poverty
History at one.org. You’ll be
in the company of 2 million others, and we’re looking for 10 million by
the next election. This campaign is not asking for your money, we’re
asking for your voice — to tell the president, the people up on Capitol
Hill in Washington — that AIDS and extreme poverty is something you
want them to pay attention to. I’ve been in meetings in D.C. with
people who’ve said they want to do more, but they don’t think their
electorate wants them to. The One Campaign is a movement of people who
challenge them on that. A movement of people who believe that America
is not just a country, but also an idea and at the very center of this
idea is the embracing of people who want to be free and equal. These
issues we’re discussing today are today’s battleground for equality.

If
you want to give money, there are organizations in America doing
extraordinary work in Africa. One Campaign members such as Care, Mercy Corps, World Vision, Oxfam America, Save the Children and many others.
Keep-a-Child-Alive is another one, which pays for life-saving ARV
[antiretroviral] medicines for children in Africa.

Ebay Auction Items up for Grabs!

Sep 20th, 2005 10:00 AM EST
By Tayloe

Please go to Ebay and check out the signed celebrity photos taken and printed at The HP Portrait Studio presented by WireImage and Inside Entertainment Magazine last week at the Toronto Film Festival. Through these auctions, HP will support
efforts to raise awareness and funding to eliminate
human suffering around the world, including the recent victims of
Hurricane Katrina. Proceeds from each auction will equally benefit
ONEXONE partner organizations - DATA and the American Red Cross.

There are some incredible signed photos available here and the bidding
has JUST started. Some of the prints available are: Bono and the African Children’s Choir, Elle Macpherson, Kate Hudson, Ray Liotta, Cuba Gooding jr, Kevin Bacon, Kurt Russell, Sir Anthony Hopkins and more. All of these signed photos were donated by the celebs.

It’s pretty cool and a good way to get involved and help those in need! Click here to get started.

White Band Projected on UN Building

Sep 16th, 2005 3:00 PM EST
By Shannon

The white band, the
international symbol of over 150 million anti-poverty campaigners
worldwide was projected on the UN General Assembly building on
Wednesday!

Photo credit: Scott Harrison

For
the first time ever, the United Nations allowed an advocacy group to
project a message of hope and activism on the side of the UN General
Assembly Building. ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History, joining
with the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) and UN Millennium Campaign,
projected a giant white band, the international symbol of over 75
national campaigns against poverty worldwide, on the front of the UN
General Assembly Building.

Over 1.5 million Americans and 150
million people around the world are united by the symbol of the white
band, worn by teachers, parents, children, world leaders, students,
celebrities and everyday people worldwide. The projection of the white
band serves as powerful visual reminder that over 150 million anti-
poverty campaigners are watching the World Summit, calling for renewed
commitments and increased progress in the fight against extreme poverty.

ONE more way to help victims of Hurricane Katrina

Sep 10th, 2005 2:00 PM EST
By Meighan Stone, ONE Communications Director

Tonight, you can also help the recovery
effort for Hurricane Katrina by tuning in to the “ReAct Now: Music
& Relief” benefit concert that will air on MTV, VH1 and CMT from
8pm to 12am ET/PT.

From U2 to Coldplay to Kanye West to Big
& Rich to Louisiana native Marc Broussard, an outpouring of artists
will be on the special tonight, joining together in a united effort,
encouraging viewers to get involved and even volunteer.

You can check out www.think.mtv.com for up to date information.

How you can help victims of Hurricane Katrina

Sep 2nd, 2005 6:30 PM EST
By Shannon

In the wake of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina, hundreds
of thousands of Americans are facing an uncertain and challenging
future. We’ve all watched together as increasingly dire reports
have come out of the hardest-hit areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and
Alabama, and right now, our nation is responding to one of the worst
natural disasters that we’ve ever faced. You can help by visiting the
ONE Campaign partners listed below that are working together, as ONE in
this exceptional crisis:

• Bread for the World
• Christian Children’s Fund
• Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
• Church World Service
• Episcopal Relief and Development
• Heifer International
• International Medical Corps
• International Orthodox Christian Charities
• International Rescue Committee
• Mercy Corps
• Nazarene Compassionate Ministries
• Operation Blessing
• Oxfam America
• Red Cross
• Save the Children
• United Way
• World Concern
• World Hope International
• World Relief
• World Vision

Hurricane Katrina

Sep 1st, 2005 10:00 PM EST
By Tayloe

Like many of you, I have been horrified by the images coming out of New
Orleans. The hourly footage on CNN and one incredible cameraman’s
report on NBC rattled my nerves with thoughts of packing everything and
driving to the gulf coast. Everyone here at the ONE campaign HQ
feels horrible that this incredibly devastating event has taken place
and believe that immediate help must be rushed to those desperate for
water, food and medicine. In the next few days we will explore
ways for you to get involved and we will relay information from ONE
campaign partners about their efforts and how to contribute or
volunteer.

The death toll continues to rise and it’s hard to imagine being stuck,
stranded in Downtown New Orleans tonight with no amenities or means to
obtain even the most basic needs. I believe tomorrow we will see
a huge airlift and drop of supplies by the federal government.
They need it now - click here for a list of organizations working in the areas hit hardest by the hurricane.

The ONE campaign is a global effort to fight poverty.
Period. In devastating natural disasters like Katrina it’s always
the poorest of the poor who suffer the most. It doesn’t matter if
it is New Orleans or the slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As ONE
we have to fight poverty everywhere and stay strong as a team.

This is not an “Us or Them” thing. We are ONE world.
Poverty sucks everywhere. We must send help where it is needed
and encourage our leaders to not neglect those who have the
least. Our country will pull together–we will band together and
it will take years but the gulf coast will repair itself. I
encourage everyone to get involved locally and lend a hand any way you
can to help the people of the gulf coast.

I’d also like to see some comments from people here with suggestions on
how to help. Make comments below. I heard some
organizations are already seeking host families for the
displaced. What are the url’s? Please send ideas or comments and i’ll
post them as fast as I can. Thanks everyone.

Take Action: Sign a Letter to President Bush

Sep 1st, 2005 1:00 PM EST
By Shannon

Sign the ONE Letter to President Bush and ask him to fight poverty at the World Summit.

On September 14th, leaders from more than 170 nations will meet in
New York City. At the very heart of this largest gathering of
world leaders in history will be progress on agreed, international
goals like getting every child into school, helping every community get
clean water and fighting AIDS and malaria. Simply put, achieving
these “Millennium Development Goals” would transform the hopes of a generation.