Last week a few ONE staffers went to see Senator William H. Frist and Chairman of the Coca-Cola Company E. Neville Isdell launch the Declaration on U.S. Policy and the Global Challenge of Water. We were excited to hear these leaders outline practical steps the United States can take to realize President Obama’s inaugural address commitment to “let clean waters flow” in the world’s poorest nations.
The Declaration on U.S. Policy and the Global Challenge of Water makes the case that water is a critical resource “that will become even more critical in the future.” It also presents evidence that “water is intricately linked to the stability and security of communities and nations, human health, education, economic prosperity, humanitarian relief, and stewardship of the physical environment” and that “water is vital to other key resources essential to the human condition, most notably agriculture and energy.”
Endorsed by over 35 leaders from business, government, and academia, the Declaration recommends the adoption of seven action steps:
The new U.S. president should spearhead a comprehensive and sustained global campaign to address the global challenge of water.
The president should develop an integrated strategy for national action on the global water campaign.
The president should appoint a special high-level representative to lead implementation of the U.S. global water campaign.
The special representative should be directly reinforced by a core team to help guide implementation of the water campaign, in addition to expanded capacities at the Department of State at the behest of the special representative.
The proposed U.S. campaign should be commensurate with the magnitude of the challenge—which means a significant increase in the amount and duration of resources committed under the campaign.
The U.S. government should attempt to energize and catalyze international efforts.
The U.S. government should reinforce public/private-sector partnerships.
Don’t miss the chance participate in A POWERFUL NOISE Live tomorrow night. Join thousands of people in 450 theatres across the US to watch “A Powerful Noise” and participate in the live town hall discussion with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, actress and activist Natalie Portman, CARE president and CEO Dr. Helene Gayle; CARE advocate for maternal health and contributing editor for Marie Claire Christy Turlington Burns; and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, New York Times columnist and acclaimed author Nicholas Kristof.
The event starts tomorrow, Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 7:30PM ET / 6:30PM CT / 5:30PM MT and tape delayed at 8PM PT and 7PM in Hawaii. Check out the list of participating theaters and buy your tickets here. Ticket prices range from $15-18 for adults; child prices are available at select theatres.
Some theatres have already sold out of tickets (Denver, DC, Arlington, and NYC’s Union Square) so go ahead and buy tickets today at a theatre near you.
It’s not too late to buy your tickets for “A Powerful Noise” Live. ONE is working in partnership with CARE, the UN Commission on the Status of Women and NCM Fathom to bring you a one-night nationwide event featuring the acclaimed documentary “A Powerful Noise,” followed by a live town hall discussion with leading humanitarian experts and activists.
This moving documentary follows three women — Jacqueline “Madame Urbain” Dembele, Nada Markovic and Bui My Hanh— as each goes about the daily business of empowering, educating, and seeking justice in their respective societies. Weaving through locations in Mali, Vietnam and Bosnia, “A Powerful Noise” tells a tale of hope much larger than the sum of its parts. To learn more about the film, go here.
After watching the film in a movie theatre near you, you can participate in a town hall discussion broadcast live from New York City. The town hall discussion will feature a distinguished panel including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, actress and activist Natalie Portman, CARE president and CEO Dr. Helene Gayle; CARE advocate for maternal health and contributing editor for Marie Claire Christy Turlington Burns; and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, New York Times columnist and acclaimed author Nicholas Kristof.
This ONE Night Only event in honor of International Women’s Day will take place on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 7:30PM ET / 6:30PM CT / 5:30PM MT and tape delayed at 8PM PT and 7PM in Hawaii. Check out the list of participating theaters and buy your tickets here. Ticket prices range from $15-18 for adults; child prices are available at select theatres.
For more information on “A Powerful Noise” film and the featured town hall speakers, click here.
That’s not all I did. But it was one of the highlights of my weekend at the New Baptist Covenant. This regional gathering was the realization of a long-awaited dream of President Carter’s, and I was fortunate to share in that moment as the day’s events began over breakfast.
As a ONE member and intern, I was invited home to co-lead a workshop with ONE and Bread for the World activist Elaine VanCleave. Our workshop was one of many offered for participants to become more informed advocates on issues of poverty. In our workshop, Elaine and I shared our stories as advocates and highlighted ways for participants to become involved. Showing both the “Celebrate, Accelerate” and ONE Sabbath videos, I was able to share specific ways the faith community can be involved with ONE and take action on these issues.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the 16th Street Baptist Church hosted the day’s activities which brought together a once divided group, crossing racial and historical lines for a day of celebration and collaboration around the common goal of ending poverty.
It was an amazing day, and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to be there representing ONE. To learn more about hosting a ONE Sabbath, visit our website.
Check out this great post from our friends at Bread for the World!
-Rosie
Foreign aid works. Watch this video from Bread for the World to see how well it works.
It’s changed the lives of Ronald Kegoli, an HIV-positive passion fruit farmer in Kenya, and Nubia Baca, a widowed rancher in Nicaragua.
It doesn’t work as well as it could, though. The U.S. Foreign Assistance Act, passed in 1961, now encompasses 33 different goals, 75 priority areas, and 247 directives. And that’s not all: Foreign aid is executed by at least 12 departments, 25 different agencies, and almost 60 government offices. Take a look; it’ll make your head spin.
But guess what else works? Advocacy. Speaking out to your elected leaders in Congress. If you contact them, they listen.
Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters 2009 is urging Congress to rework U.S. foreign assistance to make it more effective in reducing poverty. We have the tools to help you educate yourself on this topic and be a strong advocate as you speak out for hungry and poor people. Visit www.bread.org/OL2009 to learn more.
This is our chance to make something our nation has been doing well even better. Help us flood congressional offices with letters. Make yourself heard. Change lives.
The library at Miami University in Ohio was abuzz on Monday night, but not from studying. The buzz was a group of students meeting to discuss how to end global poverty. This past semester the student group has been incredibly active in making ONE’s presence known on Miami’s campus.
Led by students Megan Casey, Ashley Leonard and Amanda Beckham, ONE Miami has held several events on and off campus. This semester alone Miami students have held events at local bars and concert halls signing up new members. They also hosted the ONE Bus and collaborated with several other student organizations.
There is no doubt that other campuses can model Miami in starting an organization on their campus and quickly become active. Congratulations to all Miami ONE members on all the work you have done! Keep it up!
Yesterday, former President of Botswana Festus Mogae was announced as the winner of this year’s Mo Ibrahim Prize, a $5 million prize awarded annually to a former African Head of State or government who has demonstrated excellence in leadership. The BBC calls the Ibrahim Prize the most valuable annual prize in the world.
Mogae, who stepped down in April after two terms as president, was considered instrumental in consolidating democracy in Botswana and ensuring the country’s diamond resources were managed well and invested into local poverty reduction and job creation. Botswana is often touted as an African success story for its stability, low levels of corruption and relatively high economic growth. Former UN Secretary General Kofi noted this in his announcement, saying:
“Botswana demonstrates how a country with natural resources can promote sustainable development with good governance, in a continent where too often mineral wealth has become a curse.” Watch Annan’s full remarks here.
Mogae also was one of the first African leaders to speak out publicly about HIV/AIDS and embrace a program of universal treatment. In an attempt to counter the stigma associated with the disease, Mogae had himself publicly tested and introduced testing as part of routine care in Botswana’s national medical policy. In 2002, Botswana became the first African country to offer free antiretroviral treatment. Botswana now has one of the world’s highest coverage rates for HIV treatment, reaching 90% of those who needed medication in 2007.
President Mogae will receive the$ 5 million over 10 years and $ 200,000 annually for life thereafter. He will also be able to direct an additional $200,000 per year to a cause of his choice during the first ten years. The prize part of a broad range of efforts by the Ibrahim Foundation to support improved governance and accountability in sub-Saharan Africa (we posted here last month on the Ibrahim Index on African Governance, which ranks governments on quality of services and accountability to their citizens). The Ibrahim Foundation was founded by Sudanese telecommunications entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim, a long advocated for strengthened governance and accountability in sub-Saharan Africa.
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
Last week a few ONE staffers went to see Senator William H. Frist and Chairman of the Coca-Cola Company E. Neville Isdell launch the 
