Bono to attend Doha conference to press on innovative financing, new donors and to stop backtracking by traditional donors
As world leaders and several thousand participants prepare to gather in Doha this week at the Doha International Conference on Financing for Development, ONE urges governments to seize this opportunity to prove that the financial crisis has not knocked the world's poor off the agenda. Bono, co-founder of ONE, will travel to Doha to advocate this goal in several bilateral meetings.
"Doha is a chance to draw a line in the sand, stop any retreating, and reaffirm forward momentum in the fight against extreme poverty. Doha is the perfect place to meet in these tough times, as the world holds its breath, a global diplomatic development hub between north and south, east and west, rich and poor and between faiths", ONE's European Director Oliver Buston says.
The commitments of individual donors are at stake. ONE points out that particularly Europe's promise of an increase to 0.51% by 2010, with half the increase for sub-Saharan Africa, is in danger mainly because of cuts from Italy and France. Crucially, these cuts were planned before the recent recession.
President-elect Obama has made strong commitments to development assistance, with doubling foreign assistance the centerpiece of his program. ONE hopes that the new administration will keep those commitments, revitalizing the global commitments to the Millennium Development Goals, while working with new development-finance partners and building on innovative financing ideas.
Bono will take part in a Doha Debate special on the evening of December 1, where he will face questions from internationally renowned broadcasted Tim Sebastian and a largely student audience at Qatar Foundation on the politics of international humanitarian aid and his lifetime work as an activist.
The Doha Debates are aired on BBC World News each month, and are the network's top-rated weekend programme.
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About ONE
ONE is a global advocacy and campaigning organization dedicated to fighting extreme poverty around the world, particularly in Africa. ONE is backed by over 2 million people globally.
Working with partners ONE supports the Millennium Development Goals to beat extreme poverty. ONE has helped secure large promises from the G8 and other developed countries to support these goals and is now looking to work with emerging donors in the Gulf region and elsewhere to help boost the global fight against extreme poverty, especially in Africa. Bono is the lead singer of U2 and cofounder of ONE and has been working as an activist for Africa for over a decade, helping secure debt cancellation and increases in aid to fight AIDS TB malaria and boost literacy across Africa.
www.ONE.org
Press Release 2008
