Published: 23 Feb. 2011
Washington, D.C. - Tom Freston, Chair of the Board of Directors of the anti-poverty advocacy group ONE, has today announced the appointment of Howard G. Buffett, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, and Kevin Sheekey to its Board of Directors to advise and guide the growing organization as it works to fight extreme poverty and save lives in the developing world.
Commenting on the appointments, Tom Freston said: "Howie Buffett, Mo Ibrahim and Kevin Sheekey bring deep policy and political knowledge to our board. Further, each has unique and considerable skill sets that ONE can use to great advantage. As ONE's focus expands, we are immensely grateful that they are offering their time and expertise in service of what we believe to be the most important goal of our time - ending extreme poverty."
As a farmer, businessman and philanthropist, Howard G. Buffett is an advocate for farmers in the developing world, and a strong supporter of investment in agriculture as a means to combat hunger while also laying a sustainable financial path out of poverty. In 1999, he established the Howard G. Buffett Foundation with a mission to improve the standard of living and quality of life for the world's poor, impoverished, and marginalized populations.
"No one is more committed than the ONE campaign to partnering with Africa to address its development challenges" said Buffett "I'm looking forward to working with the ONE team to address critical issues that are also the focus of our foundation, particularly agriculture and food security."
Known for bringing mobile communications to millions across Africa, Dr. Mo Ibrahim is a successful Sudanese entrepreneur, academic, and philanthropist. Listed by Time Magazine in 2008 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Dr. Ibrahim has been a leader in fostering good governance and great leadership in Africa with the establishment of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation in 2006. The Foundation produces the Ibrahim Index every year, widely seen to be the leading assessment of governance indicators on the continent.
Dr Mo Ibrahim commented: "ONE is a powerful and tireless advocate for Africa. In campaigning for aid ONE has always focused on the quality, effectiveness and transparency of aid programmes. It sees aid as a tool to abolish the need for aid. In other words ONE focuses on the developmental aspects of aid and the set of policies and principles required from all stakeholders to ensure more equitable international trade and a transparent business environment. It is a distinctive honour for me to be invited to contribute to such a wonderful mission."
Kevin Sheekey has a wealth of experience in public administration, as well as a real understanding of politics and business. He is currently in charge of global government relations and communications for Bloomberg LP, the media and financial information company founded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and is the Chairman of Bloomberg Government, a new division of the company that offers comprehensive information about government and business. He is also a former Deputy Mayor in New York. He will bring an invaluable insight into politics and policy making to ONE's board.
"I look forward to joining ONE's global campaign against extreme poverty and to becoming more actively involved in this fight," said Sheekey. "ONE's efforts have proven to be smart and effective, and I am proud to join an organization that is helping save and improve lives for some of the world's poorest."
With more than two million members around the world, ONE raises awareness about the crisis of extreme poverty and advocates for effective solutions that are delivering real results in the poorest parts of the world. Thanks to effective investments by governments in the U.S. and Europe and African leadership, more than four million people in Africa are now on lifesaving AIDS medication and malaria deaths have been cut in half in countries across the continent.
Notes to editors
- You can find details of all of ONE's board members here.
- ONE is a campaign and advocacy organisation backed by more than two million members worldwide dedicated to combating extreme poverty and disease, especially in Africa. We hold world leaders to account for the commitments they've made to fight extreme poverty, and we campaign for better development policies, more effective aid and trade reform. We also support greater democracy, accountability and transparency to ensure policies to beat poverty are implemented effectively.
- For more information please visit ONE.org or follow us on Twitter: @ONECampaign or find us on Facebook
- To speak to a member of the press team, please find the relevant contact at our Media Centre
