Bono

Special coverage on aid and development in the Observer

Jan 16th, 2012 4:46 PM UTC
By Michael Healy

Yesterday saw the Observer newspaper in the UK publish a number of great articles about aid and development where ONE’s work was mentioned. We wanted to share our success with you and urge you to get over to their website to check out the coverage for yourself.

The paper’s editor John Mulholland joined Bono and economist Jeffrey Sachs on a recent trip to Ghana. The resulting interview and article addresses the progress being made in countries like Ghana when smart aid is delivered. In the interview Jeff Sachs lays out the “dos and don’ts” of aid giving: “Aid works when it’s practical, when it’s focused, when it’s targeted, when it’s an investment, when it is part of a strategy; and aid does not work when it’s money handed over in an envelope to a friendly ally, especially in a war zone or when it’s a payoff for some other diplomatic support.” And praises the UK’s Department for International Development for their results-based approach to aid. This approach, is mentioned again by paper’s editorial which argues that progress is being made, although we have yet to perfect aid. “Some money is wasted, some is undoubtedly lost to corruption and some aid programmes do not deliver meaningful results. But these are not good enough reasons to abandon foreign aid, any more than the failures of the financial system are reasons to abandon capitalism. Reflect and correct, yes. Abandon, no.”

The article on the trip to Ghana (with the excellent quote “In 10 years Ghana may not need aid” as its headline) touches on the great work done by programmes such as the Global Fund, which ONE campaigners have supported for many years and (RED) continues to fund. The article announces that “By any measure Ghana is a success story”.

The last word is probably best left to Bono, who argues that:

“It’s impossible, I believe, to keep up the scam that brutal, ugly, dumb poverty is something we can live with. That’s a scam. You can’t live with it if you see it. We bring over tough US military guys and US senators to Africa. When they see it up close – you can’t live with it. The only way you can live with it is to lie to yourself and pretend it’s not what people say it is.”

Europe proposes new transparency law to fight corruption

Oct 25th, 2011 5:34 PM UTC
By Joseph Powell

The campaign for transparency in the oil, gas, mining and forestry industries was given a big boost today with the publication of European Commission proposals for a new law guaranteeing all company payments to governments will be published. This country-by-country and project-by-project reporting will give citizens the information they need to hold their leaders and companies accountable. ONE and the Publish What You Pay coalition have been working hard for this change and have warmly welcomed the proposed law.

ONE’s co-founder Bono had this to say on the move:

“This is a serious step forward by Barroso and Barnier, who have thrown their weight behind the fight by the citizens of poor countries to ensure their natural resource wealth turns into actual wealth for the people – and doesn’t line the pockets of dodgy dictators or distant exploiters. The next step is when the great activist himself, Bill Gates Jnr, presents the case for these legally binding measures to the world leaders of the G20, along with other historic proposals on financing the fight against poverty.”

Our Brussels Director Eloise Todd explains what needs to happen next to get the proposed law onto the statute books:

“President Barroso and Commissioner Barnier have shown real leadership. It is now the responsibility of the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament to ensure that these proposals are implemented in full, which we trust will happen given the strong support from the French, British and the European Parliament. In some areas we will look to the Council and Parliament to tighten up the regulation, for example in removing the exemption for countries that would rather keep information secret. It is also essential that the provisions on project-level disclosure are strengthened. The murky deals between extractive companies and despots must become a thing of the past. The EU and its companies will now have to decide which side of history they want to be on.”

The issue of extractive industry transparency is crucial for development prospects in Africa. Huge flows of money are coming into the continent for natural resources ($246 billion in 2009) and yet far too much of it is not being spent on reducing poverty and strengthening public services. Transparency over individual projects gives citizens and activists the information they need to hold their governments accountable for money coming in.

The move by Europe complements ONE’s campaign for section 1504 of the US Dodd-Frank Act which ensures all US listed extractive industry companies will shortly be publishing their payments to governments. We are now moving towards a global standard of mandatory transparency, which was endorsed by the G8 and we hope to see progress on at the G20 next week.

Budge up Bono and Bob – Bill’s the Big New Activist for This G20

Oct 25th, 2011 3:28 PM UTC
By Jamie Drummond

This blog  originally appeared on the Huffington Post.

While Bono and Bob Geldof have long been banging away, pressing world leaders for progress to help the poorest with debt cancellation, more money and better policies to fight hunger and disease, there is a tough new activist in town: Seattle’s finest, Bill Gates Jnr.

In a remarkable twist of political theatre, the billionaire philanthropist – who’s foundation gives away $2.5bn a year – has been asked by President Sarkozy to present his vision on how to finance the fight against poverty to the mixed bag of G20 leaders when they meet next week in Cannes.

To those who don’t know him, it will seem a surprisingly radical vision. Bill will call for a new partnership of revolutionary innovation between the developed world, the emerging powerhouses of the BRICS, the developing world and the private sector. Mr Gates has a devastating deadpan data-delivery style.

Bono calls it the “Kill Bill” manoeuvre. We trust it will go down well with world leaders.

It is essential we all pay serious attention to his proposals because they may shape the fight against extreme poverty for a generation to come. So if you don’t like his proposals, you should feel free to shout out. If you do like them – well, let’s shout even louder.

Even before the report has been published, much attention has been given to Gates’ support for a financial transaction tax. There are clearly huge opportunities here and those countries that are willing to do so should adopt such a levy, but with one key proviso: a significant portion of the proceeds must go towards fighting global inequalities and helping those in extreme poverty.

But this step alone is not enough. Not even its biggest supporters will argue that an FTT can singlehandedly finance the fight against extreme poverty. Fortunately there are many other big and wide-reaching proposals in his paper which also deserve urgent attention and action.

First up is Mr Gates’ push for legally binding measures to enforce transparency in the oil, gas and mining sector. Africa’s natural resources were worth $246 billion in exports in 2009. The proportion of this wealth that was spent on public services and helping people to pull themselves out of poverty should have been much larger than it was.

But without the transparency that shines a light on the contracts that governments sign with big business, money goes astray. He may not know it but in recommending this he has thrown his weight behind the “Publish What You Pay” coalition that ONE is part of, which has been campaigning on this issue for years.

The campaign helped push the USA to lead on this issue, and indeed just today the European Commission is presenting its proposals for legally binding rules to force companies extracting natural resources to make public their payments to governments. So just as Bill’s proposals on a financial transaction tax takes on the Big Banks, so his proposal on transparency takes on Big Oil.

This is why Bill is shaping up to be such a fascinating evidence-based activist. By just following the hard data his empirical process is leading to some very big ideas.

Gates’ proposals will get to the heart of the issue around the future financing of the fight against poverty. Ultimately the largest source of money for fighting poverty comes from within developing countries. The more our aid – resources given by European and American taxpayers – is used to leverage their aid – resources raised by African and other developing country taxpayers for their priorities – the smarter our aid will be and the sooner we can get out of the aid business altogether.

This is similar to the point Tony Blair made in his speech to the Overseas Development Institute last week. It’s not an argument for ending aid prematurely, rather it’s a case for scaling aid up smartly as promised until it is dwarfed entirely by the resources African citizens raise for themselves to fight poverty and promote growth. Then the aid industry exits stage left, job done.

And the job is already half done. Africa has come a long way in the last decade or so since debts were dropped and aid became bigger and smarter. Here are just some of the numbers.

46.5 million more kids started going to school in Africa between 1999 and 2008. In 2009, nearly 4 million Africans were receiving antiretroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS, up from only 50,000 in 2002. Measles deaths in Africa declined by 92% between 2000 and 2008. Remarkable stuff, but more to do.

That is why Bill is also eyeing the huge sums sitting in the coffers of the emerging powers. 1% of sovereign wealth funds may not seem like a lot, but when you realise they currently are currently worth just under $5 trillion, that’s a decent sum.

Applying that kind of money to investments in agriculture and infrastructure can quickly reduce the marginalisation that blights vast regions and put them in a position where they can function fully in the global economy. That is in the interests of all. Current global growth is just about creeping along only because of the arrival of the Chinas and Indias. Africa will be next and the sooner African growth surges even more to help prop up the global economy, the better for us all.

So the future of development finance is about unlocking the capital of emerging economies – but Bill argues it’s also about unlocking their creativity. Their recent experience with rapid development gives them a wealth not just of cash but of knowledge which, if used wisely and mixed with the dynamism of entrepreneurs in developing countries, will unleash job-generating growth not just for their economies but for the global economy.

There remains a real risk that the Cannes G20 summit will go down as the moment where we failed to not just get the Eurozone sorted, but also failed to spot the surging opportunities in this changing world. To world leaders I would say only this: pay heed to Bill Gates’ modest proposals – they could well be the best way to figure out the future not just of financing the fight against poverty, but also the fight for global growth.

The F Word

Oct 4th, 2011 12:12 PM UTC
By Bono

I’ve been known to drop the occasional expletive, but the most offensive F word to me is not the one that goes f***. It’s F***** — the famine happening in Somalia.

Drought, violence and political instability have invited in the grim reaper on a scale we have not seen in 20 years… more than 30,000 children have died in just three months. The pictures from Dadaab look like a nightmare from centuries past. Yet, this is the 21st century and these pictures are real and, on the whole, unseen. The food crisis in the Horn of Africa is nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe, but it is getting less attention than the latest Hollywood break-ups and make-ups.

ONE’s new film The F Word: Famine is the Real Obscenity isn’t a typical emotional emergency appeal. It’s about focusing the media spotlight on the tragedy unfolding. It’s about building political support in the US and around the world for interventions that will stop the suffering today and break the cycle of famine in the future. Most of all, it’s about taking action — because famine is man-made.

Of course it’s complex, and solutions are difficult — especially in Somalia where there has not been a formal government for 20 years. But that is not an excuse for the world to look the other way. Most of us (thankfully) have no experience of starvation, but we do know what it’s like to lose someone you love. Each of those 30,000 children was someone’s daughter or son, someone’s sister or brother. If you look at reports from the Horn, there are stories of mothers having to decide which child to feed and which to let die; women leaving their children’s bodies on the side of the road as they walk for weeks in search of food and water for those still fighting for life.

History shows there are ways to prevent drought from becoming famine, even though it’s complicated. So check out the film and sign ONE’s petition to world leaders calling on them to live up to promises already made to invest in things proven to work… early warning systems… irrigation… drought resistant seeds… and of course, peace and security. At ONE.org there’s more explanation and information. And while ONE doesn’t solicit funding, if you want to give money, you can find links to other organizations providing emergency assistance in the Horn who need all the support they can get.

This article first appeared on the The Huffington Post

Bono and K’naan discuss famine on CNN

Aug 12th, 2011 11:11 AM UTC
By Kathy McKiernan

ONE cofounder Bono and Somali-born singer and poet K’naan interviewed with CNN’s Anderson Cooper this week on the growing crisis in Somalia and urged the world to put a higher priority on responding to what has become a humanitarian catastrophe.

Anderson and Sanjay Gupta have been reporting from Dadaab and Mogadishu this week, bringing forth heart-breaking stories of the tens of thousands of children who have already died as a result of the famine, with 600,000 more at imminent risk. The world is not responding fast enough to this crisis. There is still a $1 billion funding gap that must be met or millions more could die.

As Bono and K’naan said:

Bono: “It’s hard to believe that this is the 21st century and you know we mustn’t let the complexity of the situation absolve us from responsibility to act. That’s really the message … When you hear stories, and as you’ve reported, of women leaving their dead children on the road to come beg for food, to choose between children, can you imagine? ‘I have to leave this one, he looks the weakest or she looks the weakest, I’ll take this one.’ This is outrageous! This can’t be happening, it must be stopped. And it’s not our intentions, it’s our actions. It’s not the possibilities of the United Nations or the AU, it’s our priorities that define us. This is a defining moment.”

K’naan: “I think people have created a psychological fence around their hearts where Somalia is concerned. We have to find a way to get past that, and look at the humanity of what is happening and help people who are in need of our help at this moment. We are not usually the sort of people who take the victim’s seat. We are people who stand up for ourselves. But it’s a very, very dire, dire situation.”

To see the entire interview, click on the video above. And please sign ONE’s petition asking world leaders to respond to the crisis now.

Australia shows leadership in funding lifesaving vaccines

Jun 13th, 2011 11:20 AM UTC
By David Cole

Prior to the historic vaccines pledging conference, which is taking place today in London, the Australian government yesterday announced that it will give AUD$200 million over 3 years to fund lifesaving vaccines in developing countries.

This announcement shows incredible leadership from the Australian Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, and is a fantastic start to the conference.

Responding to the news, ONE’s co-founder Bono said yesterday:

“Rudd has proven today that he, Prime Minister Gillard and the Australian public are ready to show global leadership, tackling one of the most needless killers of kids…lack of access to vaccinations for the poorest of the poor.  This will be known as the decade of vaccines. Vaccinations are cheap, effective technologies that will, with this kind of leadership, save 4 million lives by 2015. This is not daydreaming by activists. This is a costed, well thought out plan, one of the most exciting things the ONE campaign has ever been involved in”.

In the run up to the announcement ONE members in Australia sent emails and made phone calls to Mr. Rudd to help convince him to make the right decision.

The Australian government’s decision shows that it realises that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) is one of the best examples of smart, innovative aid. Vaccines deliver measurable and cost-effective results. They save millions of children whose future potential, creativity and intellect will drive development in their countries and make vulnerable regions of our world more secure.

Thank you to all ONE members who helped make this happen.

With this positive announcement from Australia and other commitments coming in thick and fast this morning momentum is building. Watch the ONE blog for more news soon.

Bono meets President Calderón of Mexico

May 13th, 2011 3:52 PM UTC
By Oliver Buston

As the U2 360° Tour hits Mexico ONE’s co-founder Bono met with the Mexican President, Felipe Calderón, yesterday to ask him to take the lead in the fight against extreme poverty.

Next year is a huge opportunity for Mexico, with the country hosting the annual G20 summit, and ONE is asking for the fight against poverty to be central to the Mexican G20 agenda.

After the meeting with President Calderón Bono said:

“Next year Mexico will chair the G20, the annual get together of the most powerful leaders on the planet. Obama, Hu Jintao, Sarkozy, Merkel, Zuma, Dilma, they’ll all be flying in.  By the time they fly out, we want them to have agreed specific decisions which we know will save and transform lives in the poorest parts of the world.  As the host, President Calderón will set the agenda.  I asked him to persuade the G20 to take bold action on the fight against corruption globally, on improving healthcare, and on boosting agriculture around the world.”

It’s a big ask and Mexico has terrible problems of its own particularly the violence that is ravaging parts of the country. But my experience here in Mexico is that people stand up for what they believe in and can’t stand things they don’t – such as children dying for lack of basic medications, or for lack of food, or from corruption, which is perhaps the biggest killer of all.

So when the world comes to Mexico next year, we’re asking Mexico to change the world.

Bono on Africa

Feb 21st, 2011 3:12 PM UTC
By David Cole

On 15 February ONE hosted a dynamic discussion in Johannesburg on the role of transparency and technology in driving economic development. The ONE Africa Symposium 2011 featured several speakers in short, 10-minute presentations about ideas that will help shape ONE’s work.

After the event ONE’s co-founder Bono spoke to the Observer newspaper and answered their questions:

At the ONE symposium […] you said: “This feels like the future.” What did you mean?

We are all aware of our ancient pasts and this continent has a rich and extraordinary tradition. But the thing that excites me more is thinking about Africa’s future – as the continent of the 21st century. It’s one of the richest continents on Earth in terms of natural resources. If these resources are allowed to benefit the people above the ground, then they can pay for Africa’s future.

Africa is also rich in terms of its human resources, with such a young, vibrant population. We have this image of Africans being the poorest people on Earth, but Africa itself is so rich. That is what makes the affront of poverty all the more stark. And sometimes we do have to raise the alarm and call the fire brigade, like when Aids is ripping through parts of Africa, but it’s better if we can prevent the fire in the first place and build on the positives.

You listened to successive speakers talking about their ideas and the inspiration that was driving them. Then you said: “We have to change the story about Africa – or at least get out of the way of the real stories coming out of Africa.” What do you mean?

It’s about getting the balance right… a new entrepreneurial class here in Africa can find people like me irritating because we have tended to dramatise what is wrong with the continent to make things happen. But meanwhile they are making things happen and writing a new African story. Investment and private equity is booming in Africa. They’re excited. I’m excited. Things are changing. Ory Okolloh, who spoke at the conference, said that there was a new train leaving the station in Africa – and that people in the west had better get on board or they’ll miss out. This is the story, the train, that is coming out of Africa. We need to tell this story.

In terms of the story of Africa for the 21st century, we all need to be aware of the balance between growth and the remaining need for smarter aid.

Most people are saying that the 21st century will be China’s. You say that it will be Africa’s. Why?

Well, go talk to the Chinese. Why are they pumping so much investment into Africa? Why are they creating such a huge presence in Africa? They know where the future is. Ask them.

You know, these African lions are going to be a match for the Asian tigers. If the right economic plans are made and civic society can keep the vision honest, it will make our interest irrelevant. I never felt so good to feel so useless. These African lions will put us out of business.

I look at Mo Ibrahim and, although he might be an elder statesman, I see him as the new voice of Africa. People like him, they are drowning out our voices and so they should.

And so the future of aid in Africa is?

We mustn’t forget that in general aid budgets are under threat, although thankfully not in the UK. And we mustn’t forget that people’s lives are dependent on it in the near term. And smart aid gets great results. A global alliance for vaccines has averted more than 5 million deaths this last decade and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria saves more than 4,000 lives a day. It’s just about getting the balance right for the future and ensuring our smart aid today builds self-sustaining systems for the future .

And in terms of aid, let’s remember the good stories that came out of debt cancellation and the Gleneagles promises. Let’s not forget these success stories. In most cases, as verified by the World Bank, Africa’s governments spent that money wisely and pulled millions of people out of poverty and despair. And that has helped destroy the mythology that money is wasted.

But we mustn’t forget that there are concrete things we can do to speed Africa’s path to the future, things that don’t involve money. As part of the global grassroots Publish What You Pay coalition, ONE has lately been focusing on the extractive industries. We’ve seen the rush to extract oil, gas and minerals from poorer countries across the world. Our concern is how best to protect those countries and ensure citizens benefit. How to stop them going down the road of other countries suffering from the resource curse. How can you do that?

So the movement we’re part of lobbied for an amendment to a finance bill in the US last year, to make legally sure that companies that are taking resources out of Africa have to disclose what they pay governments for the right to do that.

Now we’re seeing leaders in Europe catching on, with Sarkozy telling me he’ll push this at the EU. We’re also looking for British leadership on this. Our mission is to make this a global requirement. So eventually there’ll be no place to hide, and civil society groups will be able to challenge their government if the money they are making from the nations’ resources isn’t being used in the right way. Mo Ibrahim has said that this deal is bigger than debt cancellation for Africa. I’m proud to support the “publish what you pay” campaign that has been leading this issue for years.

There was a lot of talk at the ONE symposium about “transparency and technology” helping to change Africa. Are they?

You know, I think “transparency” is just a different way of saying “justice”. And technology is helping people access this justice. That’s what we’ve always been about. ONE is not an aid-giving charity, this is not even really about aid – it is about justice. It has always been about getting justice – that has always been the driving force.

And looking at what has happened in Cairo, it’s clear that, in this new information age, people want justice. They don’t just want to be heard, but they want to be able to hear as well. They want to know what is being done in their name. The direction of information technology, with more and more openness, is good for everyone.

You have been coming to Africa and working here over the past 20 years. You hadn’t played South Africa since 1998. How did it feel?

Well, I said that it feels like the future. It was a big deal for me to be on that stage on Sunday night after working here on and off for 20 years. It is an incredible place. Many African cultures are a bit like the Irish – they enjoy and benefit from creative chaos being unleashed. The flexibility of Africa is a bonus for the sort of entrepreneurs and software kids who are creating the future. But don’t listen to me – listen to their stories.

New video: Bono at the World Economic Forum

Jan 31st, 2011 11:12 PM UTC
By Chris Scott

Cheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Office sat down with ONE co-founder Bono this weekend to discuss a whole host of issues including the work that ONE does, progress being made in the fight against extreme poverty, and how he got involved in the work of eradicating inequality. In the interview, he also notes the importance in fighting corruption, describing it as a “disease” — with transparency being the best vaccine against it.

Check it out:

President Sarkozy pledges to lead on transparency

Jan 31st, 2011 4:01 PM UTC
By Joseph Powell

Ever since the US passed legislation last July ensuring that all oil, gas and mining companies would have to be far more transparent in their financial reporting, we have been pushing hard for similar action in Europe. We want all extractive companies around the world to publish what they pay the governments of the countries where the operate – therefore empowering local anti-corruption groups with the information they need to hold their leaders accountable for revenue received.

This campaign received a big boost on the weekend with the publication of a letter from President Sarkozy of France to ONE co-founder Bono announcing that he was prepared to show leadership on the issue. Bono had previously written an op-ed for Le Monde calling for exactly that.

The English text of the letter says:

“In your article, you bring up the need for transparency in the area of natural resources’ extraction in Africa. I completely agree with you. France is organising an experts’ conference on this issue in March in Paris. As of now, I have decided to ask the European Union to adopt, as speedily as possible, legislation to compel industries in the extractive sector to disclose their payments to all countries in which they operate.”

So congratulations to President Sarkozy and his team for championing such an important issue. Transparency campaigners across Africa will now be looking to you to carry this forward – and ensure that the wave of transparency reform does not lose momentum.