As you may have heard, President-elect Barack Obama officially nominated Governor Bill Richardson to serve as Secretary of Commerce earlier today. During his run for the Democratic presidential nomination Governor Richardson went On the Record with ONE to talk about what he’d do to fight global poverty. Below are some interesting quotes and background information.

Richardson talks to ONE about extreme poverty

“When I travel, individuals come up to me in the poorest nations on earth and ask, “What has America done.” The reason is everyone expects America make an effort to make a difference in the world because we are the most powerful nation in the world. But we also need to regain our moral authority.

I also want to make a difference in the areas of pandemic diseases. AIDS. Refugees. Malnutrition. Enormous challenges in Africa—the poorest continent in the earth. Why is it that nobody cares about Africa? I always say that. Why did we let Rwanda happen? We should care about peacekeeping conflicts in Africa. We should care about the fact that close to 25% of the entire continent may be HIV positive. We should forge private/ public partnerships to make Africa a priority in the world’s foreign policy.
I think it’s also important that we recognize that America needs to lead.”

Richardson Praises ONE Campaign, Calls for a Marshall Plan for the 21st Century

SANTA FE, NM — Democratic Presidential candidate Governor Bill Richardson released the following statement today, praising the ONE campaign and calling for a sustained effort to eradicate poverty in the developing world:

“Millions dead from disease in the developing world, mothers who go to bed hungry every night, children who have never seen the inside of a classroom — this is our burden. Our belief is that we can and must do better.

“I am proud to support the ONE campaign in its efforts to alleviate suffering and transform the developing world. Accomplishing these goals will require an enduring will and an abiding faith in the dignity of every human being. I am confident that we will be successful.

“As a former UN Ambassador and a diplomat, I know that just as poverty-stricken neighborhoods produce crime, poverty-stricken states produce terrorism. Ending world poverty is thus not only a moral imperative, it is vital to the security of the United States. ONE’s specific targets — fighting HIV/AIDS, improving education, providing housing, ensuring the health of mothers and children, and providing safe, clean water — are critical for the developing world and America alike. Our next President must actively support these goals at home and abroad.

“We need a Marshall Plan for the 21st century. Developed nations, public organizations, and private companies must coordinate a sustained, focused, intensive effort to wipe out the developing world’s most pressing problems. The original Marshall Plan lifted Europe from the ravages of war and established the United States as the dominant economic player in the world. I believe that during the coming century, our nation’s economic security — and the security of the world economy — depends on replicating that success in the developing world.

“I applaud the ONE campaign for beginning the hard work that the world community must collectively finish. Only if we can work together will we have the strength to solve this problem.”

-Chris Scott