What We Want Today
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14:23 updated with video
So- I just finished helping coordinate the CNBC interview with two African G20 Voice bloggers, Daudi Were of Kenya and Sokari Ekine of Nigeria alongside Bob Geldof. (I’ll be able to upload some video of it in a bit.) We are working to make sure the media are giving space for opinions and insights from Africa. Many media outlets are now coming by to interview Daudi, which is amazing.
Overall, it’s an incredible privilege to be able to attend this summit and to have the opportunity to advocate for ONE’s goals in such a giant room full of journalists who are often prone to forgetting to cover Africa. So what exactly are our goals? Here they are again below in a very simple list:
1. We want the leaders to agree an immediate $50bn fiscal stimulus for sub-Saharan Africa – many African countries are suffering from the effects of economic downturn, even though they were little to do with the origins of the crisis. Vital development assistance will not only help save trade and jobs but also lives.
2. We also want international institutions to be reformed so that the people of developing countries have a voice at the global level. The World Bank and other organizations are run by developed countries – making them represent developing countries will help ensure a fairer world.
3. We also need better regulation of the financial system – over $800billion of illicit cash flows out of tax havens – imagine if governments could capture that money and put it to good use. So we’re hoping for a deal on tax havens today.
Ok…back to working the room.
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The ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with frequent contributions from volunteers, members and partner organizations.
The ONE Blog updates readers daily with the latest in global development news and analysis and what ONE members and our partners are doing around the world to influence world leaders in the fight against global poverty.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE or ONE Action. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
April 2, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Keep up the great work, Virginia! As ONE and Bob Geldof have said so strongly, Africa must be included as part of the global economic recovery. This is not only because we must support the world’s most vulnerable people during this financial downturn (a crisis they had little or nothing to do with), but also because Africa represents so much economic and trade opportunity for future growth.
Putting forth smart, robust plans to help the poorest people fight back against poverty, disease and despair will help our global recovery, create goodwill, improve security and–most simply–make this world better and more just.
April 3, 2009 at 2:37 pm
All the tax evaders utilizing tax havens, representing some of the wealthiest people in the world, should not only be made to pay the tax they are currently avoiding, but, have it back dated to the length and breadth of evasion, if they decline to pay, they should be added to a hit list and their details made available to the tax paying public, who will compensate for the inability of the system to authenticate the credentials of an ethical system and implement their own form of justice.
If any tax haven is given immunity from an ethical obligation, that location again should be made available to the public and a biological experiment can be performed in the name of justice.