In case you missed ONE and (RED)’s World AIDS Day event on Twitter earlier today, you can watch a recorded video of our event in the player below. President Obama made a bold commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS, former President George W. Bush and President Jakaya Kikwete joined us from Tanzania, and President Bill Clinton brainstormed real solutions to the AIDS epidemic.
Note that the event starts at 16:20:
In addition, here’s a recap of our World AIDS Day conversation on social media:
Every day this week, we’ll be highlighting a personal story from our new AIDS report, “Progress. Proof. Promise.” In this essay, former President George W. Bush discusses the impact that PEPFAR has had on the fight against AIDS.
In 2001, an AIDS pandemic threatened to destroy a generation of Africans. In country after country, people were needlessly dying even though new life-saving antiretroviral drugs were available at a reasonable cost. The humanitarian disaster called for dramatic action.
Over the last few decades, few public health images have been as iconic as the red ribbon for AIDS and the pink ribbon for breast cancer. From community AIDS walks and Komen Races for the Cure, to the front of the White House and the backs of T-shirts, these two simple ribbons have come to stand for the threat of these diseases, the unity of affected communities, and the hope of treatment and future cures. Where AIDS and breast cancer (as well as cervical cancer) most directly intersect, however, is their tremendous impact on women across the world — in particular at growing rates in developing countries.
The Bush family along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Photo courtesy of the State Department and the George W. Bush Center.
The ONE office is buzzing today around President George W. Bush’s fantastic World AIDS Day op-ed in the Washington Post. If you haven’t yet, definitely give it a read. He reflects on PEPFAR, the largest effort in American history to combat a single disease, the Global Fund and his commitment to real, measurable results in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Here’s an excerpt:
“On this World AIDS Day, considerable progress has been made. The United Nations recently reported that the world has begun to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. However, considerable need remains. Every human life is precious, and far too many people around the world continue to suffer from the disease.
We still hope for an AIDS vaccine. In the meantime, there are millions on treatment who cannot be abandoned. And the progress in many African nations depends on the realistic hope of new patients gaining access to treatment. Why get tested if AIDS drugs are restricted to current patients? On AIDS, to stand still is to lose ground.
I am happily out of the political business. But I can offer some friendly advice to members of Congress, new and old. A thousand pressing issues come with each day. But there are only a few that you will want to talk about in retirement with your children. The continuing fight against global AIDS is something for which America will be remembered. And you will never regret the part you take.”
Read the full version on the Washington Post’s website. And be sure to check out President Bush and Bono tonight on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” discussing the fight against HIV/AIDS which airs at 6 PM ET.
Gary Edson, CEO of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund checks in:
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, President Obama asked Presidents Clinton and Bush to “lead a major fund-raising effort for relief.” They established the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund to help the people of Haiti not just rebuild, but “build back better.”
Earlier this week, Presidents Clinton and Bush traveled to Haiti to assess needs on the ground. They saw the astounding courage and hope of the Haitian people — and their fierce resolution to rebuild. Visit www.clintonbushhaitifund.org for information on how you can help.
Today, Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are in Haiti. The AP reports:
Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton clasped hands with residents of one of Haiti’s massive tent cities Monday on a tour of its quake-devastated capital – a visit intended to remind donors of the immense needs facing the recovery effort.
The two former leaders, who were tapped by President Barack Obama to spearhead U.S. fundraising for the crisis, made their first joint visit to Haiti. They spotlighted the dramatic need for help ahead of a critical March 31 U.N. donors conference in New York where Haitian officials will ask for $11.5 billion in reconstruction help.
At a news conference with President Rene Preval on the grounds of the collapsed national palace, Bush said he was struck by the devastation caused by the Jan. 12 earthquake.
“It’s one thing to see it on TV, it’s another to see it firsthand,” said Bush, who was making his first visit to Haiti. “Hopefully our visit will remind people that Haiti needs help.”
President Obama and former Presidents Bush and Clinton are speaking live on the White House lawn about the crisis in Haiti and the need for both immediate and long term attention to the country’s recovery efforts. You can watch live on CNN.com. right now.
“Obama is asking former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to coordinate efforts to involve more Americans in the recovery and rebuilding effort that’s needed in Haiti.”
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.
