Malaka’s currently sitting in a special blogger room getting ready to watch the TedXChange event, featuring Melinda Gates and a host of other big thinkers and doers.
Want to watch along with her? You can catch the live webcast here.
So when you brought up our website this morning to find out the latest UN MDG Summit news (shouldn’t this be everyone’s first place to check in the morning?), you may have noticed that our website looks a bit different. We’re really excited about it here at ONE, and we wanted to fill you in on what we added special for this week.
At the top of the page, don’t miss ONE’s brand new video. I was completely wowed when I first watched it (and heard Alicia Keys voice narrating the message!)- and I’m sure you will be, too. My sister is expecting her second baby boy in just a few months, and I just sent the video to her. I’m expecting a phone call soon to let me know that she added her name to our petition and that she loves the thought of a world where no child is born with HIV by 2015.
And just below the video, find all the latest and greatest on our UN MDG Summit coverage. Check out our blog posts and tweets, brush up on MDG policy news, read our new report “Africa’s Future is Female” from cover to cover. It’s one stop-shopping – all just for you!
Gotta run to the subway, but can’t wait to share this week with all of you. And let us know what you think of the new look in the comments below.
This week, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), an effort to improve economies in sub-Saharan Africa, celebrates its 10th anniversary. ONE global policy intern Nathan Cole gives us a recap of AGOA’s annual forum.
Last week, experts on U.S.-African trade met at the annual African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum to discuss its progress since it was signed into law in 2000.
AGOA gives beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries preferential access to U.S. markets by allowing many products from these countries to be imported duty free. International trade is essential for development in Africa, and AGOA offers tangible incentives for African countries to continue their efforts to grow economically by exporting more to the U.S.
In the past ten years, AGOA has made progress in fostering U.S. trade with Africa. Currently, 38 countries are eligible to participate in AGOA. As Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) noted in the AGOA Civil Society Forum two weeks ago, “AGOA’s been a great success … it’s time to celebrate.” The Act has promoted new trade and investment, and it has created some 300,000 jobs in Africa. AGOA is also helping to create new markets in the U.S.
However, as Sen. Cardin also noted, several challenges still remain. For example, most of the increase in trade has been with oil and gas products, and AGOA has had a very limited impact on agricultural products. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at the AGOA Forum last week, “Despite the best of intentions, AGOA has achieved only modest results and has not lived up to the highest hopes of a decade ago.”
There are many obstacles, but AGOA offers many opportunities as well. If necessary reforms such as broadening product coverage and simplifying eligibility rules are implemented, AGOA could help millions of Africans lift themselves out of poverty. AGOA can continue to foster reforms in African economies, provide technical support, and build platforms for dialogue. Hopefully, the AGOA Forum will continue to provide new insights and opportunities for advancing trade relations with Africa.
For more information on AGOA, please see ONE’s issue brief.
Last night the University of Colorado Student Union passed a proclamation declaring the campus to be a Campus of ONE. The unanimous decision reflects the University’s commitment to being a leader on social justice issues and standing up against extreme poverty and preventable diseases. What’s even more significant is that the committee is determined to be more than a quiet statement of faith, but to make it public with a signing event and active promotion of ONE on campus throughout the next school year.
The sponsor of the bill, Dan Omasta, described the bill as unique because in this election cycle we are constantly hearing about all the things we can’t agree on, it’s nice to talk about what we do share as common values. The passage of this proclamation makes the University of Colorado one of the largest school to become a Campus of ONE.
I’m very proud of my University and look forward to the work we have to do over the summer and next year.
-Matthew McAllister, Colorado ONE member and CU Sophomore
Mitt Romney made a campaign stop at the Puritan Restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire today. ONE member Andrea Synborski and I were able to talk with Gov. Romney about global disease and global poverty before he headed in for a town hall meeting.
Andrea mentioned that fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa was an important issue to her as a young Republican and spoke of President Bush’s work leading US efforts. Gov. Romney commented how Bush had just proposed 30 billion dollars over the next 5 years to help prevent and treat the spread of global AIDS. I was able to talk with the governor about how I have repeatedly heard him call for a “Second Marshall Plan” that would reach out to marginalized countries around the world and address issues of humanitarian care and basic education. I told him that actions like that show the rest of the world the type of people we Americans are.
During the stop, Gov. Romney was asked to sign an autograph book from a young NH child. She asked him to name three good role models for her. Gov. Romney responded by telling her: “Ronald Reagan – he was a President, Bono – lead singer of the group U2 for his work to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa, and Franklin Graham – a religious figure”. Although I do not think the girl knew who any of those people were, I gave her a ONE band and explained how the ONE Campaign works to fight disease and poverty in extremely poor places around the world.
Gov. Romney made his way to the exit and we told him to “save lives in Africa” on his way out. He smiled at us and told us he would do his best.
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.
Mitt Romney made a campaign stop at the Puritan Restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire today. ONE member Andrea Synborski and I were able to talk with Gov. Romney about global disease and global poverty before he headed in for a town hall meeting.
During the stop, Gov. Romney was asked to sign an autograph book from a young NH child. She asked him to name three good role models for her. Gov. Romney responded by telling her: “Ronald Reagan – he was a President, Bono – lead singer of the group U2 for his work to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa, and Franklin Graham – a religious figure”. Although I do not think the girl knew who any of those people were, I gave her a ONE band and explained how the ONE Campaign works to fight disease and poverty in extremely poor places around the world.
