SEATTLE, May 16, 2005 – Mayor Greg Nickels has proclaimed Seattle a City of ONE in response to the devastating impact of extreme poverty and global AIDS. By proclamation, Seattle acknowledges that healthy people and healthy communities are the centerpiece of any strong and vibrant society.

“Seattle has long been at the forefront of helping meet the needs of those affected by poverty and injustice whether in our city, our country or halfway around the world,” said Mayor Nickels. “In a spirit of humanitarian commitment, we are proud to recognize ONE and declare Seattle as the first city in America uniting our citizens to join this historic movement.”

ONE is a coalition of the nation’s leading relief and advocacy organizations committed to rally Americans one by one to the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE calls on Americans to raise their voices and mobilize a political base for immediate action to do more to help the poorest help themselves.

“Seattle is leading the way by committing its support for the voice of ONE,” said Scott Jackson, senior vice president of Seattle-based humanitarian organization World Vision, a founding member of ONE. “We hope that communities around the nation will take similar steps to provide fuller lives and brighter futures for those living in extreme poverty.”

Every day, 8,500 people die and another 13,500 contract the HIV virus, nearly 1,800 of who are children. In poor countries, there are approximately 6 million AIDS patients in need of lifesaving medicines, but only 700,000 currently have access. More than one billion people, including half the population of Sub-Saharan Africa, live in extreme poverty.

This summer, ONE will unite Americans across the country through a series of grassroots events as part of a countdown to the Africa Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. At the Africa Summit, the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations will decide the fate of the more than one billion people living on less than one dollar a day.

ONE person, ONE city, can mean the difference between life and death for people suffering from extreme poverty and global AIDS, said Paul Dioguardi, national campaign coordinator for ONE. We challenge communities across America to follow Seattle’s lead as, one by one, Americans join together in an historic effort to make poverty history.

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