ONE Connects 200,000 African Voices with UN Panel and

Influences the Post-2015 Development Agenda 

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – A new report published by the ONE Campaign, today, shows that African citizens want development programmes that will create more jobs, quality education as well as transparent and responsive governments.

The report outlines the findings of ONE’s You Choose, a technology-focused campaign that asked African citizens to tell the United Nations and their governments their top priorities for the post-2015 development agenda. A total of 196,337 citizens participated in the campaign that took place from January to June 2013 in Malawi, South Africa and Zambia. This effort was complimentary to the UN’s “My World” global survey.

ONE presented these preliminary findings to the High-Level Panel (HLP) of Eminent Persons commissioned by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, to recommend an achievable framework for the world’s post-2015 development agenda. The HLP has since outlined its vision for the next set of global development goals, which includes many of the priorities identified by You Choose participants. The post-2015 development agenda will be shaped and finalized over the coming two years as member states convene to deliberate and reach agreement on the details of the framework.

Dr. Sipho Moyo, ONE Africa Director said:

“We submitted the hard data that we collected regarding citizens’ real concerns and development priorities to the UN High Level Panel tasked with setting the new development agenda, and we are pleased that the voices of Africa Citizens were heard.  The panel recognized that it is vital that the needs and desires of the world’s poorest, many of whom are Africans, are placed at the heart of a new development agenda.  Efforts such as “You Choose” will ensure that the post-2015 MDGs are the peoples MDGs, not MDGs from the UN, governments or NGOs.

“It is now up to our governments to turn the aspirations of their citizens into actionable programmes that will have the impact of achieving enduring socio-economic transformation and virtually ending extreme poverty under the post 2015 development agenda.”

As part of the campaign, ONE brought together more than 20 NGOs, faith and private sector partners in South Africa, Malawi and Zambia to promote You Choose and solicit responses from citizens. The Campaign was also supported by celebrities including Winiko and Dan Lu from Malawi, Hugh Masekela and Lira from South Africa, Slap Dee and Chris Katongo from Zambia as well as D’banj from Nigeria, all who played a leading role in mobilizing citizens’ participation.

Data collection followed a multi-channel approach that included email, SMS, radio advertisements, social media, media interviews and outdoor campaign activations in markets and bus stops as well as mobile platforms including biNu and Mxit.   The You Choose initiative is part of the My World coalition, a global survey broadening the understanding of what people believe will have the most impact on their lives.

The full report is available for download here.

Notes to editors

1. Social media played a leading role in data collection

• 91,075 citizens submitted SMS actions in South Africa, Malawi and Zambia.
• 84,232 citizens submitted their priorities on social media channels that included biNu, Mxit and Facebook. Most respondents on biNu were Nigerians, while Mxit was dominated by South African participants. Facebook garnered responses mostly from Malawi and Zambia.

2. Top issues across all markets and channels were:

• Better job opportunities (25%)
• A good education (17%),
• An honest and responsive government (6%),
• Protection against crime and violence (7%) and
• Better healthcare (6%).

3. Top five priorities in each of the participating countries were:

• Malawian – An honest and responsible government (14%), Affordable and nutritious food (11%), Better healthcare (10%), A good education (10%) and Better job opportunities (10%).
• South African – Better Job Opportunities (32%), A Good Education (20%), and Protection against Crime & Violence (6%), An Honest and Responsive Government (6%) and Support for People Who Can’t Work (5%).
• Zambia – A good education (26%), Better job opportunities (25%), Better healthcare (6%), Better transport and roads (5%) and An honest and responsible government (3%).

4. As part of the campaign, ONE worked with more than 20 partners.

• ONE’s lead NGO and faith partners included the Council for Non-Governmental Organisations in Malawi (CONGOMA), South Africa’s Economic Justice Network of (EJN), as well as Zambia’s Civil Society for Poverty  Reduction (CSPR) and Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ).
• ONE’s corporate partners included the Malawi Savings Bank (MSB), the United Nations Information Systems and Standard Chartered Bank in Zambia all who supported the campaign with their growing SMS customer databases.

About ONE — ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 3.5 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Cofounded by Bono and strictly nonpartisan, we raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs.

ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not solicit funding from the public or receive government funding. ONE is funded almost entirely by a handful of philanthropists and foundations. We achieve change through advocacy. Our teams in Washington, D.C., London, Johannesburg, Brussels, Berlin, and Paris educate and lobby governments to shape policy solutions that save and improve millions of lives. To learn more, go to ONE.org.