Fair Trade

ONE Campaign Names New Board Members

Very exciting news indeed. It looks like ONE is gearing up to take our campaign to the next level, and this is exactly the right time to do it. The American people have voted for a change, and now it is Congress’ responsibility to step up and do the job for which we pay them. Also, the 2008 presidential campaigns are now beginning in earnest, so there is a perfect opportunity to push our “special interests” - making poverty history - to the forefront.

But, on to the real news. You can view the entire press release (December 18, 2008) at the ONE.org site, but I have excerpted some of the key information for you below.

Washington, DC - Reaching from Capitol Hill to the Internet, the ONE campaign announced today that it has tapped Republican strategist Jack Oliver and Yahoo! Chief Operating Officer Dan Rosensweig as co-chairs of ONE’s growing campaign to build a national grassroots constituency to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty.

“ONE’s aim is to build on our success to date and broaden and deepen our influence,” said Peter Bell, retiring Chairman of ONE’s Board of Directors. “With the election of Jack Oliver and Dan Rosensweig as co-chairs, the appointment of Susan McCue as president and CEO, and the addition of Joe Cerrell of the Gates Foundation to the Board, ONE is positioned to move to the next level. I’m excited that people of their energy and talent are ready to give their all to mobilizing the political will of Americans to end extreme poverty.”

“Jack and Dan are two of the country’s best political and tactical minds,” said Susan McCue, ONE’s incoming CEO. “I look forward to joining forces with them in our grassroots campaign to bring the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty to the forefront of today’s political arena and 2008 Presidential cycle. We are building a team unlike any other and together we plan to create an unstoppable force, powered by people, for real change.”

Joe Cerrell currently serves as director of Global Health Advocacy for the Gates Foundation, guiding the foundation’s global health related communications, public policy, and finance. Cerrell has also served in the U.S. government as assistant press secretary to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, working on environmental policy and sustainable development issues, directing the rollout of White House initiatives and acting as cabinet liaison.

The announcements build on the appointment last month of Susan McCue, Chief of Staff for incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev), as ONE’s first Chief Executive Officer and as ONE’s millions of supporters set their sites on 2007 Appropriations and 2008 Budget and begin to organize around the 2008 presidential primaries and caucuses.

It looks like we stand well poised to start putting some real pressure on the policy-makers to give our agenda items a much higher priority than they have been given in the recent past.

What are our agenda items?

Overall goal: To pressure governments to eradicate poverty, dramatically lessen inequality, and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Primary Objectives (What we need to do to achieve the goal):

• Public accountability of governments and publicly held corporations,
• Just governance and the fulfilment of human rights (as described in the Declaration of Human Rights)
• Trade justice (Fair trade, not Free trade)
• A major increase in the quantity and quality of aid and financing for development in economically depressed regions
• Debt cancellation (for extremely impoverished countries)

Together we can do this!! Now is the right time to make our voices heard.

© 2006 Life is an Ongoing Process.