ONE Lutheran
Eliminating Extreme Poverty by 2015
ONE is a grassroots campaign and advocacy organization backed by more than 2 million people who are committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Cofounded by Bono and other campaigners, ONE is nonpartisan and works closely with African policy makers and activists.
The History of ONE
ONE's origins go back to 2002. Following their work together during the Jubilee "Drop the Debt" movement, Bono, Bob Geldof, Bobby Shriver, Jamie Drummond and Lucy Matthew joined together in March, 2002 to create a new advocacy organization called DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa). As its name implies, DATA was created to press the governments of developed nations to do their part in the fight against extreme poverty in Africa, with a focus on debt relief, AIDS treatment and prevention and reform of unfair trade rules. DATA also advocated for increased democracy, accountability and transparency in government so civil society in poor countries had a greater say in how those resources were deployed. Introduced to the world via a TIME magazine cover story, DATA established offices in Washington, DC and London to advocate for its policy priorities at the top levels of government in the US, the UK, Germany and across the G8 (the eight wealthiest nations in the world).
In 2004, DATA and ten other leading anti-poverty organizations (Bread for the World Institute, CARE USA, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Oxfam America, Plan USA, Save the Children, World Concern, World Vision) joined together to create a new, non-partisan campaign to mobilize a movement of Americans from all walks of life in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable global disease. ONE was launched at a kick-off event in Philadelphia in May, 2004 attended by faith leaders, heads of leading anti-poverty organizations, celebrities, African activists and policymakers from the right and left.
In 2007, ONE and DATA decided to join their complementary strengths into a united global anti-poverty organization, and in January 2008, they formally merged under the name ONE. ONE combines DATA's high-level global advocacy and policy depth with ONE's grassroots mobilization expertise. Like its predecessors, ONE's mission is to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease in the poorest places on the planet, particularly in Africa, where the challenges are the greatest.
What ONE does
ONE achieves change through advocacy. ONE holds world leaders accountable for the commitments they've made to fight extreme poverty, and campaigns for better development policies, more effective aid and trade reform. ONE also supports greater democracy, accountability and transparency to ensure policies to beat poverty are implemented effectively. The ONE Campaign is an effort to rally Americans to the cause of ending poverty in our world and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
How ONE works
ONE works closely with policy experts, African leaders, and anti-poverty activists to mobilize public opinion in support of tested and proven methods for tackling poverty. ONE believes the fight against poverty is not about charity, but about justice and equality.
ONE members affect change through a broad range of actions, from educating and organizing others in their communities to urging their elected leaders to support the policies and programs making a concrete difference in the poorest parts of the world. ONE members sign petitions, call offices and track candidates down to make their case. As a result, all of the major candidates from both parties share their plans with ONE and some make impressive new commitments to fight global poverty and disease. ONE is part of a broad and vibrant movement of organizations who have spent decades fighting to lift people out of poverty.
What are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?
The MDGs are eight inter-related targets toward the elimination of extreme poverty by 2015. The goals flow from the Millennium Declaration that was signed by more than 189 countries in 2000. It is understood that developing countries are primarily responsible for achieving the first seven MDGs. Industrialized countries are primarily responsible for goal number eight – to create a global partnership with targets for aid, debt and trade. The goals include:
Millennium Development Goals
- Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
- Achieve Universal Primary Education
- Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
- Reduce Child Mortality
- Improve Maternal Health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
- Ensure Environmental Sustainability
- Create a Global Partnership for Development with targets on aid, debt and trade.