The G8 (Group of
Eight) Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia wraps up today. The world
leaders recomitted to the 2005 Gleneagles summit promises to Africa and the world’s poorest countries, but missed an
opportunity to make new committments. In fact, G8 leaders have made a slow
start on last year’s plan and must push even harder to make good on these
life-saving promises.

This morning I was
asked to speak at the press conference for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and
Malaria. The Global Fund is one of the exciting success stories to come out of
this G8. It started as a G8 idea five years ago and now it has saved millions
of lives around the globe and has provided mosquito nets for 11 million
children– these nets prevent malaria.

Another encouraging
thing to come out of this G8 Summit is the World Trade Organization received
clear marching orders from the G8 leaders to secure a deal within a month. Did
you know that trade talks which promise “to make trade work for Africa” have been going on for almost five years? This
mandate hopes to accomplish this goal for Africa soon.

I also attended a
press conference of the World Health Organization (WHO) and asked Dr. Anders
Nordstom, Director-General of the WHO, what can every-day citizens do to help
the work of the WHO in fighting global infectious diseases? Dr. Nordstrom
praised groups like the ONE Campaign saying we play an important and influencial
role and that we are greatly appreciated for all our advocacy work. He added we
need to continue to be on the ground and report back what we see and
learn.

As this G8 wraps up I
am more motivated than ever to take what I have seen and learned and work even
harder at educating others about what ONE is doing to save lives. What we are
doing works. It works on the highest level like here at the G8, and it works on
the grassroots level, like for that mom in Africa who now has life-saving medication because of our
advocacy on her behalf.

I am so proud to be
part of ONE. Together we make a difference.

Shayne
Moore

ONE
Volunteer

This is Shayne Moore, ONE Volunteer, writing from the G8
Summit in St. Petersburg,
Russia.  I’m
having an extraordinary experience from the International Media Center
here on the shores of the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic
Sea. Being in the midst of all the international journalists is
quite an experience for this stay-at-home-mom from the suburbs of Chicago.  Temporary
buildings full of reporters, computers, cameras, and endless gear prov ide the
backdrop for hundreds of sober and single-focused people.  Everyone has a
purpose for being at the G8 and the importance of the event permeates
everything.

I too have a purpose for attending the G8.  I left my
three children and husband and traveled to a time zone nine hours different to
urge G8 leaders to keep their important commitments made to Africa at last year’s G8 Summit.  I attended the G8 Summit
in Gleneagles, Scotland where historic promises were made to
Africa and to the world’s poorest
people.

What did the G8 promise at the 2005 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland?  World leaders promised $50
billion more in effective international assistance per year by 2010 with half of
that for Africa, agreeing to cancel crushing
debts, providing primary education for every child by 2015 and near universal
access to HIV/AIDS drugs by 2010.

This year’s G8 has been focused on the urgent
geo-political crisis in the Middle East and today’s meeting with G8 leaders
produced no new promises to Africa.  However,
the commitments made in 2005 still stand and are saving lives.
 

I am here representing 2.3 million Americans who have
added their voice to the ONE Campaign.  And together we need to keep the
momentum started in Gleneagles and continue to build on it.  The promises made
to Africa are not just policies on a document
released to the world’s press.  These promises affect real people in a real
place and save real lives.  In fact, 800,000 real people are alive today because
of the President’s plan and the Global Fund.  But the way this works for us as
Americans is that Congress plays a crucial role. The President makes
commitments, but Congress writes the checks. 

The ONE Campaign continues to grow.  From the G8 Summit
in St. Petersburg,
Russia I urge all
ONE Campaigners to tell Congress to fully fund these initiatives.  Tell your
neighbors, family, friends and co-workers to join their voices with ONE.  Let us
communicate a sense of urgency around these issues, not only to the world
leaders, but also to our closest neighbors and to Congress. 
 

I feel like Sydney from an episode of
ALIAS! OK, minus the hot pink wig and
fluent Russian. This stay at home mom
and ONE volunteer is taking in all the sights and sounds of the G8 Summit in
St. Petersburg,
Russia. The setting on the coast of the Baltic Sea–
which we travel to through security check points and only by boat– adds to the
spy movie feel, but in reality it is all business here at the G8.

This morning I attended a press
conference with President Bush and Russian President Putin. They discussed important global concerns,
including questions on nuclear arms and the current conflict in the Middle East. And
having never been in the same room with a U.S. President, I was quite taken with
it all. But with all this talk of war
and conflict I kept having this nagging question come to the surface: Extreme poverty kills thousands of people
every day and will continue to take innocent lives. Will the G8 leaders keep the promises made to
the world’s poor last year or will they break their word?

I attended the G8 Summit last
year as a ONE delegate when G8 leaders promised $50 billion more in effective
international assistance per year by 2010, with half of that for Africa. Some other
promises included near universal access to AIDS drugs and care for AIDS orphans
and to reduce the impact of malaria by 85% and help save the lives of 600,000
children every year. We’ve made some
important progress on canceling debts for 19 countries, with more to come. When
it comes to effective aid the G8 leaders are off track. America has made some increases in
development assistance but more needs to be done. On trade, we’re hoping for a breakthrough at
the summit on a trade deal that will work for Africa and the world’s poorest countries.

I’m just one, ordinary person who
in this moment is having an extraordinary experience, and who is sitting in on
Presidential press conferences. And
President Bush has not asked for a sit down chat with me yet! That is the power of ONE. As one person I’m just sitting in a room full
of people with my silent questions. Together we are loud and those nagging
concerns become points on the world leader’s agenda at the G8
Summit.

As ONE we need to urge world
leaders to keep their promises to Africa and
the world’s poorest people.

As part of Yahoo’s new Yahoo! Answers, Bono is asking
the world “What can we do to make poverty history?” Bono’s question
is the last in a series of 25 questions posed by global thinkers, politicians
and celebrities. Every Yahoo user has a chance to answer Bono’s big question.
The best part is Yahoo! will donate $25,000 to The Global Fund to fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria…and $1,000 to the person with the best
answer.

I know I’ll submit an answer, and though I surely won’t
be the winner I know when we work together as ONE we get a bit closer to making
poverty history.  Feel free to comment and share your ideas
below.