In my lifetime I‘ve had the privilege and honor to meet American presidents and leaders from all over the world, but Archbishop Desmond Tutu commanded more authority than any person I have ever known. His was borne not of faith, nor of religious hierarchy or the status of the positions he held; it emerged from who he was.
He was fierce, and never hesitated to call out injustice, whether to comrade or foe. He was fair – always willing and...
Gayle Smith
Something amazing has happened. The World Trade Organization just appointed its first-ever woman director general and its first-ever African as director general, all in the person of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The new DG brings both energy and amazing experience to the table — former VP of the World Bank, former finance minister of Nigeria, past chair of the board of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and former board member of the ONE Campaign. CV highlights aside, Dr. Ngozi brings...
This pandemic has been as devastating to lives and livelihoods as any war. And yet the world has failed to mobilize the money, the tools, and the political leadership we would muster if we faced a world-wide conflict.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, the impact is stunning: it has claimed almost 2.5 million lives, shattering families and communities, and left huge holes in the lives of many millions more. The virus has infected almost 110 million...
Gayle Smith is the president and CEO of ONE. We interviewed Gayle as part of our #PassTheMic series.
Here’s some of what she had to say.
Coronavirus is currently running faster than we are — which means it’s winning. So we’ve got to outpace it. We need to tackle the pandemic everywhere. At the very least that means knitting together national strategies, sharing information and expertise, and operating in sync.
The other thing we need to think about globally is the...
The rapid spread of the coronavirus has captured the world’s attention. Damaging as it may be, this tiny virus is an urgent reminder of our collective vulnerability to transnational threats — and of the urgency of common cause to protect the health of people everywhere.
National responses — factual public information, containment, testing, tracing, treatment — are critical. But so is an international response that seeks to respond to today’s emergency while also preparing the world to deal with the next...
In 2019 everything was on the line — and we held the line.
So much of what we care about was on the line last year. We faced some major roadblocks as we kept on fighting to build the world we want to see — one where everyone, everywhere can lead a life of dignity and opportunity.
The world has made massive progress in reducing poverty, but extreme poverty in Africa is rising, and inequality is increasing across the globe. Over...
It’s that time of year again. The world’s most powerful leaders will soon be making their way to Davos for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting, where they will spend a week in their mountain conclave discussing the world’s problems.
Those problems are mounting up. The Iran crisis has prompted renewed questions about peace, security and stability in the world’s most volatile region. The bushfires in Australia provide a daily reminder of our failure to respond adequately to the...