Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Thank you from the ONE Campaign...

Dear Friend:

http://www.one.org/ActionEmail.aspx

This is a big thank you to all 1.5 million of you who joined together as ONE to do something extraordinary.

From the 500,000 letters you sent to President Bush to Live 8 in Philadelphia to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, you called on eight men to do more to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty, and they heard your call. In Scotland this past Friday, overcoming the shadow of a tragic day in London, President Bush joined G8 leaders in an unprecedented deal to cancel debts and double aid to Africa.

For African nations fighting poverty and corruption, this means a $25 billion increase in aid and wiping out 100% of their debts. With this funding, Africa can halve deaths from malaria, put millions of children into school, and 10 million people across the world will have access to lifesaving AIDS drugs. Behind each of these numbers is one person, one life that will be changed forever.

For the first time ever, everyday Americans like you joined together to take a seat at the negotiating table, asking the world's most powerful leaders to do more to help the world's poorest people. Because you signed the ONE Declaration, wore the white band and forwarded emails to friends about ONE, you made a huge step toward making poverty history.  We've come so far and still have far to go. 

Keep the momentum going, email 3 friends about ONE today.

This agreement is a real victory for Africa - but promises made of words will only become promises for a generation if we keep watching, asking and acting. Much more needs to be done in Washington DC to turn these commitments into lifesaving programs, and the world must take new steps to make trade fair. More meetings will take place this year in New York and Hong Kong where a comprehensive debt-aid-trade deal can be reached and end global AIDS and extreme poverty in our time.  

We can be that great generation. As ONE, let's keep up the positive pressure and make 2005 the year we joined together to make history.

Thank you,

The ONE Team

ONE REACTION TO G8 SUMMIT COMMUNIQUÉ
On July 8, 2005, the leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) committed to a comprehensive package of aid to Africa.  British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the G8 would increase aid to Africa by $25 billion, more than a doubling of 2004 levels; increase global assistance by around $50 billion per year by 2010; provide near-universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment drugs; cancel the debt of some of the world's poorest nations; and address trade reforms in the near future.

STATEMENT FROM ONE:

"The ONE campaign is encouraged by the commitment at the G8 Summit to fighting thecrisis of extreme poverty and global AIDS.  We welcome the pledges by G8 leaders to provide an additional $25 billion in development assistance to address the emergency in Africa as part of an additional $50 billion globally by 2010. The 1.4 million Americans who have joined the ONE campaign take satisfaction in the recent commitment to double U.S. aid to Africa and President Bush's commitment of more to come.  We will remain vigilant to ensure that those promises are made a reality.

"These pledges are a positive step forward in a comprehensive debt-aid-trade deal to reduce extreme poverty in the poorest countries. Based on the outcomes of this summit, the United States has moved a step closer to achieving the ONE campaign's goal of devoting an additional 1% of the budget to reducing extreme poverty.

"ONE will continue to advocate for more and better aid, expanded debt relief and trade reform that helps poor countries trade their way out of poverty."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Baby steps...it will take time...but that was one huge baby step!!!  :)  
*hugs*

Anonymous said...

It's called 'Make Poverty History' here :o)
Still a looong way to go, but we're headed in the right direction.
Sara   x

Anonymous said...

What is going on in Africa right now boggles the mind. We need to help so much...we are so rich as a country.