The Fight Goes On: Bono’s Unwavering Quest to End AIDS

Time's Q & A with Bono - http://world.time.com/2012/11/30/the-fight-goes-on-bonos-unwavering-quest-to-end-aids/



In recognition of this year’s World AIDS Day, U2 singer and global activist Bono is stepping up his fight against HIV/AIDS by personally lobbying American legislators to maintain funding for global AIDS initiatives and awareness. His plea comes at a moment when Washington is embroiled in tense budget debates over how to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff” which would trigger automatic spending cuts and tax hikes. Bono showed up in Washington a few weeks after the presidential election to make his case and he didn’t just bring star-appeal, he brought data. His international advocacy organization, The ONE Campaign, recently released a report, warning that despite scientific strides made in combating the pandemic, the United Nation’s goal to achieve the “beginning of the end of AIDS by 2015” will fail if funding is cut to AIDS programs. The report also says financial and political commitment to AIDS efforts from the usual donor countries are varied, with the U.S., U.K. and France leading efforts while Germany, Canada, Japan and Italy lag behind in funding. Bono pushed lawmakers to continue to make AIDS financing a priority. Given the current status, the beginning of the end of AIDS—defined as when the number of new HIV infections each year is surpassed by the number of people receiving treatment—will not be reached until 2022.

American support is key to reaching the ambitious goals set by the United Nations. When Bono sat down with TIME’s managing editor, Rick Stengel last year, he shared his confidence in the Obama Administration’s financial commitment and praised the U.S’s role in leading efforts to fight the virus. “It is an extraordinary thing that the United States has done, which is in the war against this tiny little virus, which has caused so much destruction and heartache, American leadership has been the turning point,” said Bono in the interview. “Five million lives have been saved around the world because of American leadership.”

Despite the anxiety over whether lack of fiscal support will slow the momentum the movement has already achieved, Bono’s organization, The ONE Campaign and its fundraising division (RED), are continuing to spearhead awareness with a new pop culture initiative coinciding with World AIDS Day on December 1st.

ONE is launching a first-person YouTube video series called “It starts with me,” with video messages and stories from contributors like AIDS activist Cleve Jones and actor Colin Farrell. (RED) has teamed up with Tiesto, a leading electronic music DJ to release a compilation album, DANCE (RED), SAVE LIVES with fellow EDM musicians. The album corresponds with a global YouTube livestream from the Stereosonic Festival in Melbourne, Australia.

As Bono told TIME prior to last year’s World AIDS Day, the beginning of the end of AIDS is nearing with continued international political and financial support. “With some breakthroughs in science there is a chance to turn [this around]… As I say it to you, I can hardly believe the sound of it. For some people, this is a really emotional moment,” he said.

Source/Credit: TIME

Give Us the Money - Why Poverty? Documentary Featuring Bono and Bob Geldof

Can celebrity be a force for positive change? Go behind the scenes of the global campaigns associated with rock stars, including Bono’s Drop the Debt and Bob Geldof’s Make Poverty History, and investigate the unprecedented successes, challenges, and legacies of these campaigns.


 

Watch Give Us the Money on PBS. See more from Why Poverty?.

Watch the FULL video for "Give Us the Money" on PBS!!

Why Poverty? uses film to get people talking about poverty.

 The Filmmakers: Bosse Lindquist - Director and David Herdies - Producer

Source:  Why Poverty.net and PBS Video

Bono to Urge U.S. Politicians Not to Cut Aid Programs

Bono will appeal to Democrats and Republicans during a visit to Washington this week to spare U.S. development assistance programs from cuts as Congress tries to avert the looming "fiscal cliff" of tax hikes and spending reductions early next year. (via Reuters)

Bono's visit comes as the Obama administration and congressional leaders try to forge a deal in coming weeks to avoid the economy hitting the "fiscal cliff" - tax increases and spending cuts worth $600 billion starting in January if Congress does not act. Analysts say the absence of a deal could shock the United States, the world's biggest economy, back into recession.

Kathy McKiernan, spokeswoman for the ONE Campaign, said Bono will hold talks with congressional lawmakers and senior Obama administration officials during the November 12-14 visit.
During meetings he will stress the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance programs and the need to preserve them to avoid putting at risk progress made in fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, she said.

Bono, a long-time advocate for the poor, will argue that U.S. government-funded schemes that support life-saving treatments for HIV/AIDS sufferers, nutrition programs for malnourished children, and emergency food aid make up just 1 percent of the U.S. government budget but are helping to save tens of millions of lives in impoverished nations.

The One Campaign would not elaborate which lawmakers and senior Obama administration officials Bono will meet.

On Monday, Bono will discuss the power of social movements with students at Georgetown University. He will also meet new World Bank President Jim Yong Kim for a web cast discussion on Wednesday on the challenges of eradicating poverty.

Source : Reuters
Photo: Cathal McNaughton

Bono to Speak on Social Enterprise at Georgetown

Bono and Bank of America's CEO to Speak on Social Enterprise at Georgetown

Bono will deliver a keynote address at Georgetown University on social enterprise and the power of social movements to create change.

He will be introduced by Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan.

The event is a partnership between the Global Social Enterprise Initiative (GSEI) at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business and Bank of America, the initiative's founding partner. GSEI advocates for transformative solutions to the world’s significant challenges in health and well-being,economic growth, the environment and international development.

Monday, November 12 at 6 p.m. (doors open for media at 4 p.m.)

Gaston Hall – 3rd Floor of Healy Hall
Georgetown University
37th & O Street, NW
Washington, DC 20057

WEBCAST: The event will be webcast at http://webcast.georgetown.edu


Source, Photo and more info: http://socialenterprise.georgetown.edu.

Bono, Nicholas Kristof to Appear at Daily Beast Hero Summit in Washington, DC

Bono will interview Kristof, in a segment called "A Conversation with Bono and Nicholas Kristof."

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and public speaker Nicholas Kristof will be interviewed by U2 lead singer and activist Bono as part of Newsweek and The Daily Beast's Hero Summit, an invitation-only theatrical-journalism event on November 14-15 in Washington, DC.

Nicholas Kristof is an award-winning New York Times columnist and co-author of 'Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide' along with his wife, Sheryl WuDunn. The book, which addresses maltreatment, marginalization, and brutality toward women, was recently turned into an acclaimed PBS series.

Source: PRWeb

Bono, Joe Duffy and Saoirse Ronan show their arty sides for Chernobyl Children

Bono, Michael Stipe, Ed Sheeran, Saoirse Ronan, Ryan Tubridy, Joe Duffy, Helena Christensen, as well as students from art college NCD have contributed over 400 works to the 'Chernobyl Children's Secret Art Campaign, a fundraising campaign to raise funds for medical programmes including child cardiac surgeries for vulnerable children in Belarus and Ukraine.

For buyers hoping to secure a superstar masterpiece at the Secret Art exhibition, it will be a guessing game as they won't find out the painter responsible until after they have purchased their work. Each painting is signed by the artist at the back.

All paintings are €150 and will go on display at the RHA 15 Ely Place, Dublin 2 from November 21.

The exhibition will run until Sunday November 25 where buyers will either purchase a picture by a celebrity painter, or a talented student depending on their luck.

Full article and photo credit: Independent.ie