Opinion: Viral Video, Vicious Warlord - Nick Kristof: “I’d like to thank the makers of the ‘Kony 2012′ video for goading me to write about Joseph Kony. With about 100 million views, it is now one of the most viral videos of all time. My starting point is a ‘bravo’ for film-makers for galvanizing young Americans to look up from their iPhones and seek to make a difference for villagers in central Africa who continue to be murdered, raped and mutilated by Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army.” (New York Times, Nick Kristof)
Obama, Cameron renew commitment to development – President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron “announced their renewed commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria” in a joint statement this week. ONE CEO Michael Elliot welcomed the commitment of these two leaders, who have “embraced their responsibility . . . to help people live in dignity, health and prosperity.” (Devex, Jenny Lei Ravelo) Read ONE’s full statement here.
Opinion: An alliance the world can count on – In an op-ed for The Washington Post, David Cameron and President Obama state that “as two of the world’s wealthiest nations, we embrace our responsibility as leaders in the development that enables people to live in dignity, health and prosperity.” The two leaders stated that they are redoubling their efforts in Somalia and “working to improve maternal health and end preventable deaths among children, as well as investing in agriculture to ensure food security in the developing world.” (Washington Post, Barack Obama and David Cameron)
The Changing AIDS Epidemic – and what to do next – In a new book, “Tinderbox: How the West Sparked the AIDS Epidemic and How the World Can Finally Overcome It,” Craig Timberg and epidemiologist Daniel Halperin argue that “the West has largely ignored the sometimes more successful homegrown African AIDS strategies in favor of Westernized prevention modalities.” The authors advocate for the global health community to be “more sensitive and aware of local and regional practices” and to “recommit ourselves, both scientifically and financially,” if we want to achieve an “AIDS-free generation.” (New Yorker, Richard Socarides)
UN Official: Give Somalia children protection, education to bring peace after decades of war – Sikander Khan, the top official for UNICEF in Somalia, says that there is an “increased need to invest more in Somalia’s youth and children to give long-term peace a chance to prevail.” Currently only about a third of children of primary-school age are enrolled in school and many children are recruited and used in armed conflict. The prolonged violence has deprived many children of their childhood and put them at risk of “disease and malnutrition.” (AP)
