Mark Bowden, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator and UNDP resident representative for Somalia, says that ongoing support is necessary to help beat the famine in the Horn of Africa. This piece was originally published on UNDP’s blog.
Women await assistance at a feeding site in Mogadishu. Approximately 100,000 people are benefiting from cooked meals on a daily basis in Mogadishu. Source: WFP/David Orr
The arrival of the prolonged seasonal rains, coupled with a scaling up of humanitarian and early recovery operations in recent months, has improved the situation on the ground in southern Somalia, with three regions -– Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle — being downgraded from famine status to that of humanitarian emergency.
I just got back from the National Press Club where the Center for Global Development and Foreign Policy Magazine presented ONE with the 6th Annual “Commitment to Development Award.” Senator John McCain, Cindy McCain, Tom Daschle, and others were in attendance to reflect on and celebrate the successes of ONE Vote ’08 this past presidential campaign cycle.
In talking about ONE, Foreign Policy Editor in Chief Moisés Naím noted that “unless one pushes for obvious ideas, they aren’t obvious for many. Now [these issues] are obvious to millions thanks to ONE.”
Mr. Daschle and Mrs. McCain spoke at length about the necessity of bipartisanship in the fight against extreme poverty—a bipartisanship of which they were obvious examples.
But by far the highlight and emphasis of the ceremony were the immeasurable achievements of ONE members and volunteers all across the country—today represented by Danielle DePas, Michael Castaldo, and Matthew McAllister who came to DC to accept the award. All three were invited to sit on a panel discussion with Steve Radelet and ONE’s Liesl Hickey to discuss topics such as grassroots activism, organizing, and how the US can lead in the fight against global poverty and preventable disease.
We’ll have further posts with photos and video from the event for you shortly. You can read more about the award here.
The confirmation hearings for former Senator Tom Daschle’s nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services are currently underway. Just moments ago, former Senator Bob Dole mentioned Daschle’s work around ONE Vote ’08 as an example of Daschle’s dedication to healthcare both at home and abroad.
He also worked on another bipartisan effort with another former Senate majority leader, Senator Bill Frist on the ONE Vote ’08 Campaign addressing health and poverty in developing countries. As most of you know, Senator Daschle has spent a good part of his career focused on healthcare.
Today, the 111th Congress was sworn in, and in it are many new representatives and senators that will need to hear from ONE members about the importance saving lives in the developing world. I am in DC today, so I decided to swing by the office of my new senator from New Hampshire, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
When I got to there I noticed that former Press Secretary to President Clinton, Mike McCurry was in the room and I immediately noticed the ONE band he was sporting. We spoke briefly about the ONE Vote ’08 launch in New Hampshire that he attended back in 2007. I also ran into New Hampshire Representative Paul Hodes and spoke with him about the campaign trail back in the Granite State.
Then I briefly spoke with Sen. Shaheen about ONE and our efforts to fight global disease and extreme poverty, and I am sure that she will be hearing from ONE members as she has been named to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Today I met my new senator, and urged her to take action to help save millions of lives. But ONE members everywhere should call, write, and meet with your new members of Congress to make sure they know that saving lives in the world’s poorest places is not only possible, it is a priority!
Today we are very proud to announce that the Center for Global Development and Foreign Policy magazine have selected ONE to be the 2008 winner of the Commitment to Development “Ideas in Action” Award. The award, given annually since 2003, seeks to honor individuals or organizations “from the rich world that has made a significant contribution to changing attitudes and policies toward the developing world.”
We are honored to receive this award which of course would never have been possible without the hard work and dedication of ONE members and activists around the world.
Some excerpts from CGD’s announcement below, and you can listen to the telephone press conference here.
Through its ONE Vote ’08 initiative , ONE mobilized 2 million supporters to sign petitions, raise awareness in their communities, and encourage the presidential candidates to explain how they would improve U.S. policies that affect poor people in developing countries. After the election, ONE pushed for President-elect Barack Obama and other newly elected officials to keep their commitments to the world’s poor in the face of the global financial crisis.
ONE Campaign advocates-often sporting ONE Campaign t-shirts-were visible at town hall meetings and election events around the country in 2008, catching the attention of candidates and voters.
ONE also hosted high-level panel discussions on global poverty at the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Hundreds of students, activists, and convention delegates attended the convention events.
Libby Crimmings, as you may know is the ONE Campaign’s Regional Field Director in Iowa and Minnesota. She’s done fantastic work around ONE Vote ’08 this election season, and wanted to reflect and share a few thoughts with us:
I came into work yesterday and hardly knew what to do with myself. The unbelievable feeling that the elections are over finally sank in. It seems like the elections have been 90% of what I have thought and talked about for the past year and a half. Now what?! After the initial shock I realized this is only the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
For almost two years thousands of ONE members have been attending almost every political rally, town hall, meet and greet, and other events such as straw polls or steak fries, raising awareness and asking the presidential candidates tough questions about their commitment to the world’s poor. I remember quite a few early events where members drove hours to a town hall event in a small town in Iowa, where it would be a presidential candidate, a pot of coffee and about 5 people. Those were early days where ONE members got a lot of face time with the candidates. Toward the end the events were huge rallies with thousands of people, less face time but more people to talk to about ONE! Somewhere along the line the candidates started wearing bands, recognizing ONE members, pointing them out in crowds, and sometimes letting them speak!
To all the ONE volunteers and activists who’ve worked tirelessly around our ONE Vote ’08 efforts this (very) long election season, thank you. Each one of you have made invaluable contributions to our effort to make sure EVERY presidential candidate spoke up about their plans to combat global poverty and disease. By holding our elected officials accountable, we’ve ensured that the issues ONE cares so passionately about will be aggressively and vigorously addressed. The 2008 presidential election may be over, but our work to end global poverty is only beginning.
Below is a video of ONE organizer Matthew Bartlett speaking with John McCain a few days ago at what could be his last town hall meeting in New Hampshire as a presidential candidate. It aired on CNN and Matthew’s impassioned and articulate message is spot on. Congrats Matthew and all of our ONE Vote ’08 activists.
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
