Williamsburg, VA-Today at the College of William & Mary, Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) joined William & Mary professors, as well as members of the global anti-poverty organization ONE, to discuss America’s strategic role in combating global poverty and preventable diseases like AIDS and malaria.

At the “ONE Town Hall” event, presented by ONE and William & Mary, Wittman discussed America’s successful development efforts that have saved lives and thwarted instability throughout the developing world. Wittman also stressed the connection between U.S. development efforts and U.S. security.

“ONE’s efforts, driven by volunteers on college campuses such as the College of William and Mary, raise awareness of the importance of fighting global poverty and preventing disease,” Rep. Wittman said. “This panel is a unique opportunity to discuss how foreign and domestic policy initiatives such as the establishment of U.S. Africa Command and efforts to develop greater interagency collaboration will play a critical role in America’s ability to respond to complex issues in Africa and in developing nations around the world”.

Joining Wittman on the panel was Dr. Michael Tierney, Assistant Professor of William and Mary’s Government Department, Christian Peratsakis, ONE Member and William and Mary student, and Matthew Bartlett, ONE Senior Manager, Field Training and Development.

The foreign policy discussion focused on the need to strengthen and continue U.S. efforts to fight diseases, provide education and create economic opportunity in the developing world, especially as the global economic downturn is hitting the world’s poor the hardest-with another 53 million more people expected to be living in extreme poverty as a result of the crisis.

The panel discussed how America’s global health efforts, thanks largely to the bipartisan support of the U.S. Congress, have delivered historic results over the past several years. More than 2 million people with HIV/AIDS in Africa are receiving basic medicines and beating the disease thanks to America’s commitment. That number is up from just 50,000 in 2003. Millions more are surviving malaria because of cost-effective investments in simple bed nets and medicines. Some 34 million more children living in the world’s poorest and often most dangerous regions have been given the chance to go to school for the first time in recent years, opening the door to productive futures.

ONE, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization whose members work in their local communities to raise awareness of global poverty and treatable, preventable disease and help build the political will to address these challenges. ONE brings together people from all backgrounds and political beliefs to achieve change through advocacy and public mobilization, urging leaders to invest in tested, proven solutions that save lives and combat extreme poverty. Last week, Congressman Glenn Nye (D-VA) participated in a “ONE Town Hall” event at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.