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Meeting with Senator Nelson’s Staff
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Recently, Florida ONE members Anthony Wojtkowiak, Marc Wharton and I met with Ms. Willowstine Lawson, Senator Nelson’s regional director for Broward County. During the meeting we talked about how we got involved with ONE and the importance of U.S. leadership in fighting extreme poverty and global disease. Specifically, we discussed climate change’s adverse impact on developing countries (who have contributed very little to global warming) particularly in the agriculture and water sectors. We asked that Senator Nelson support 5% of any revenue produced from future climate legislation to directly address this issue. We mentioned the benefits that the small increase from the current allocation of 2% would add, for example: increased trade opportunities, more good will towards the US, and a reduced risk of support for religious extremism, just to name a few. It was a great meeting and a first step towards building a stronger relationship with Senator Nelson’s Broward County staff. -Johanna Salazar, FL ONE Member |
Time to start thinking about 2011
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The United States is the biggest donor country to Africa, and if you read this blog often, you know that U.S. financing has prevented millions of needless deaths, and helped build roads, schools and clinics that form the backbone of growing economies and healthy societies. During this tight budget environment, development advocates need to advocate early and aggressively for programs we know are successful. And though the fiscal year 2010 (FY10) budget is not yet complete, the Obama Administration is already deep into crafting the budget for FY11. ONE submitted our budget request to the Administration a few weeks ago, and we’ve already started our lobbying. I wanted to share that budget request with you today, and over the next few months, we’ll provide further details. Broadly, ONE’s goals in this year’s budget request are to:
These are just a few of the many priorities highlighted in this budget document. We look forward to working with you—our members and supporters—over the next year to secure the funding levels described in this budget. |
“Using malaria to create opportunities”
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Excerpts from the post below. You can continue follow Jessica’s trip in real time on MNM’s Buzzwords Blog here.
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President Obama meets with President of Botswana
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Today, as part of his trip to Washington, Botswana’s President, Ian Khama is scheduled to meet with President Obama. Although the specific topics of discussion have not been released, many are predicting that the two leaders will discuss the precarious situation in Zimbabwe. This discussion is particularly relevant now, as the government of Botswana issued a statement last week condemning Zimbabwe’s unity government and the conflict in the country. Other sources predict that the two will also discuss their shared challenges, including addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS. Last week, in a statement released announcing President Khama’s visit, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs highlighted the importance of a U.S.-Botswana relationship: “Botswana is a strong democratic partner in sub-Saharan Africa, and the two leaders will meet to discuss a wide range of regional and bilateral issues, including how the United States can support sound governance, economic development, and natural resource conservation throughout the continent.” Botswana is often held up as an example of good governance in Africa, lauded as one of the best governed countries in Africa and praised for effectively managing its natural resources and avoiding the conflict and corruption that has plagued many other nations on the continent. During his visit to Africa earlier this summer, President Obama emphasized the importance of good governance for success on the continent, saying that with better governance, Africa will undoubtedly prosper. President Obama also commended Botswana’s success, saying that, “ultimately, it will be vibrant democracies like Botswana and Ghana which roll back the causes of conflict and advance the frontiers of peace and prosperity.” |
United Against Malaria’s New Digs
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Soccer stars, foundations, governments, and corporations are all joining forces ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to unite against malaria. And don’t forget the NGOs, too, including UAM’s founding partners ONE, PATH, Malaria No More, Roll Back Malaria, Comic Relief, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Population Services International and the United Nations Foundation, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. By leveraging soccer—one of the most popular sports in the world—UAM aims to raise global awareness and renew worldwide commitment to ending malaria.
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So what can you do to join in the cause? Visit the Clinton Announces Civil Society 2.0
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This week, Secretary Clinton announced the Civil Society 2.0 Initiative, an effort to help grassroots organizations in developing countries use digital technology to enhance their work and communications. It’s part of an effort to build the kind of capacity Western governments and NGO’s have enjoyed in the past. According to the State Department, it will include these 5 components:
You can read more about the initiative here. |
Trying to go to school in Zimbabwe
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At the start of the year, Nora Coghlan from our policy team wrote about the education crisis in Zimbabwe. After a heated conflict between school teachers and the Zimbabwean government, it was feared that “2009 will be another lost year for education in Zimbabwe.” Today, CNN.com has an article examining the state of education in Zimbabwe. While they note signs of the education system fighting back to normalcy, the price of education and continued lack of funding still make it incredibly difficult for families to send their children to school. Watch this corresponding video that CNN ran a few weeks back: Excerpts below, full piece here:
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Report from MCC head hearing
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On November 4, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, presided over by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), held the confirmation hearing for Daniel Yohannes, nominee for CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Yohannes began his testimony by praising MCC efforts; the MCC, he said, “lays innovative foundations” to address the problems of global poverty. Senators Menendez and Lugar both questioned the place of the MCC within the larger development agenda: Lugar asked if the MCC should remain a separate agency while Menendez stressed that it should be complementary to other aid initiatives, rather than replace them. Yohannes agreed, noting that the MCC has been created from the best practices learned from past endeavors and therefore extremely effective, but that it cannot be successful alone. It is imperative to work with other agencies such as USAID and groups on the ground, he said, to take a coordinated approach and prevent duplicity. Menendez also praised the country-ownership aspect of the MCC and asked Yohannes how he would ensure that governments are working with a broad cross-section of civil society organizations (CSO), including those who are often not consulted, such as women. Yohannes emphasized he would make CSO input a priority, making certain that a variety of groups and CSOs are consulted. Lugar encouraged Yohannes to highlight the impacts of the MCC, lamenting that it sometimes takes years to develop projects, compacts and see results, frustrating Congress and others. Yohannes agreed that it was time to show the American people concrete results and emphasized that the U.S. can be proud of its efforts to eradicate deep-seated poverty around the world. Yohannes promised to continue the MCC’s efforts to partner with others to create a “global culture of opportunity.” |
ONE’s Next Top T-Shirt: Deadline TOMORROW!
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Just a reminder that if you haven’t done so yet, please submit your design for ONE’s Next Top T-Shirt by tomorrow’s deadline. After noon tomorrow (EST), we will no longer be accepting submissions. In the past couple days we’ve received many excellent designs, but the winning design could still be out there! Remember to submit it here and ask your friends to do the same. Check out a sample of submissions we’ve received so far in the gallery below. Good luck! |
Climate Change in Africa
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Joseph Powell from the ONE UK office writes about a book launch he recently attended: Last night ONE was lucky to attend the launch of Camilla Toulmin’s new book Climate Change in Africa, which provides a timely reminder of the damage being done to the continent by shifts in climate. The direct impacts include a rise in harvest failures in recent years as unpredictable water cycles and expanding drylands make the life of African farmers harder. In the Horn of Africa for example there have been 3 crop failures in the last 4 years, meaning in Ethiopia alone 6.2 million people are now in need of food assistance. Toulmin highlighted the likely rise in conflict as resources such as water become scarcer, and the devastating impact that rising food and fuel prices can have on the poorest sectors of society. More indirectly the global demand for biofuels has seen large tracts of prime African farmland bought up by companies growing non-food crops. Of course much of the recent debate has been around how Africa can adapt to climate change and that was also high on the agenda. Toulmin suggested realistic interventions such as diversifying farm production and argued that “it is absolutely vital to reach a deal at Copenhagen”. She estimated that anything up to $130 billion may be needed for adaptation costs in Africa alone and that the financing of this will be central to a good agreement. Discussing the book, former Chief Scientist from the UK’s Department For Overseas Development, Sir Gordon Conway stressed that climate change would affect agriculture more than any other sector, with clear implications for the majority of sub-Saharan Africans. As a development issue, he argued, there will be little of greater importance over the coming decades. As policy makers prepare to meet to negotiate a global climate deal next month Toulmin’s book provides a powerful case for ensuring that they keep the poorest in mind and take special consideration of Africa. Not only does climate change add yet another challenge for those struggling to combat extreme poverty and disease by exacerbating the conditions of poverty, but it threatens to erode the gains that have been made in recent years. |
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About the Blog
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.
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TAGS: Florida, ONE Members, Sen. Bill Nelson