November 21st, 2007 at 10:29 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
Yesterday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced 2008 the “Year of Sanitation” and urged the world to increase investment in providing clean water and sanitation throughout the world.
“Investing approximately $10 billion per year can halve the proportion of people without basic sanitation by 2015,” [the U.N. statement] said.
The U.N.’s drive for better sanitation will involve regional conferences and public campaigns to raise awareness and implement projects to improve sanitation in developing countries through public and private partnerships.
UK-based charity WaterAid said the absence of clean toilet facilities, access to safe water and efficient sanitation was directly related to the spread of diseases that killed 1.8 million children a year.
It estimated the economic cost of not investing in sanitation and clean water at $38 million a year resulting from infant deaths, lost work days and school absences due to disease.”
Rudy Giuliani came to speak to Iowa State students on campus last week and was greeted by a crowd of over 400 – including several ONE supporters. Mr. Giuliani spoke for a while and then took questions from the audience. When I asked him what a Giuliani Administration would do to support the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, he said, “I would work very hard to continue the programs that President Bush has supported and increasing them.” Seeing my ONE T-shirt, he added, “You do great work!”
After the event, I got the chance to shake Mr. Giuliani’s hand and offered him a ONE wristband which he wore as he posed for a photo and continued to shake hands with the crowd!
November 9th, 2007 at 12:57 pm | posted by Virginia Simmons
With the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals quickly approaching, the United Nations has partnered with Google and Cisco to create an online monitor to chart the world’s progress.
The monitor includes a map where you select 1) a measurement for one of the 8 MDG goals, 2) a country, and 3) a year.
For example, I chose the stat “percentage of population between the ages of 15-19 years old living with HIV,” the country “South Africa” and the year “2005,” and found out that 18.8% of South Africans were living with HIV in 2005.
Next, I chose the stat “percentage of children under the age of 5 moderately or severely under weight,” the country “Mali,” and the years “2000-2004,” and found out that in 2001, 33.2% of Mali children under the age of five were moderately to severely under weight.
You can check it out the map and roam the whole site here
United Nations Day, the anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter on 24 October 1945, has been celebrated since 1948. It has traditionally been marked throughout the world by meetings, discussions and exhibits on the achievements and goals of the U.N. In 1971, the General Assembly recommended that member states observe it as a public holiday.
Yesterday, the United Nations Association – Columbus Chapter held their own local event in honor of UN Day. The event brought together local NGO’s, students and faculty from the area - including the ONE Campaign – OSU Chapter. The event focused on the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the global fight against HIV and AIDS, and current World Health Organization initiatives.
Carol Welch from the Millennium Campaign, another partner of ONE, was a featured speaker at the event. Along with educating the audience about the MDGs, Ms. Welch encouraged attendees to get involved with ONE and ONE Vote ‘08 in order to create the political will necessary to achieve these goals.
With the presence of three partner organizations, the event helped to emphasize the effectiveness of working together to educate our communities about global poverty and disease. You, too, can partner locally with ONE partners or local NGOs. Check out our partner page to see the full list of our national partners which has grown to over 150 organizations—many groups have local chapters or may be based in your state.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:26 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
A relevant excerpt about food aid, AIDS, malaria and education below:
Feeding the hungry has long been a special calling for my nation. Today, more than half the world’s food assistance comes from America. We send emergency food stocks to starving people from camps in Sudan to slums in — around the world. I’ve proposed an innovative initiative to alleviate hunger under which America would purchase the crops of local farmers in Africa and elsewhere, rather than shipping in food from the developed world. This would help build up local agriculture and break the cycle of famine in the developing world — and I urge our United States Congress to support this initiative.
Many in this hall are bringing the spirit of generosity to fighting HIV/AIDS and malaria. Five years ago, in Sub-Saharan Africa, an AIDS diagnosis was widely considered a death sentence, and fewer than 50,000 people infected with the virus were receiving treatment. The world responded by creating the Global Fund, which is working with governments and the private sector to fight the disease around the world. The United States decided to take these steps a little further by launching the $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Since 2003, this effort has helped bring cutting-edge medicines to more than a million people in sub-Sahara Africa. It’s a good start. So earlier this year, I proposed to double our initial commitment to $30 billion. By coming together, the world can turn the tide against HIV/AIDS — once and for all.
Malaria is another common killer. In some countries, malaria takes as many lives as HIV/AIDS — the vast majority of them children under the age of five years old. Every one of these deaths is unnecessary, because the disease is preventable and treatable. The world knows what it takes to stop malaria — bed nets and indoor spraying and medicine to treat the disease. Two years ago, America launched a $1.2 billion malaria initiative. Other nations and the private sector are making vital contributions, as well. I call on every member state to maintain its focus, find new ways to join this cause, and bring us closer to the day when malaria deaths are no more.
Third, the mission of the United Nations requires liberating people from the chains of illiteracy and ignorance. Article 26 of the Universal Declaration states: “Everyone has the right to education.” And when nations make the investments needed to educate their people, the whole world benefits. Better education unleashes the talent and potential of its citizens, and adds to the prosperity of all of us. Better education promotes better health and greater independence. Better education increases the strength of democracy, and weakens the appeal of violent ideologies. So the United States is joining with nations around the world to help them provide a better education for their people.
A good education starts with good teachers. In partnership with other nations, America has helped train more than 600,000 teachers and administrators. A good education requires good textbooks. So in partnership with other nations, America has distributed tens of millions of textbooks. A good education requires access to good schools. So in partnership with other nations, America is helping nations raise standards in their schools at home, and providing scholarships to help students come to schools in the United States. In all our education efforts, our nation is working to expand access for women and girls, so that the opportunity to get a decent education is open to all.”
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