Bono & ONE Applaud President Obama’s Boost to Global Health Spending

Washington D.C.-Bono and ONE today applauded President Obama’s commitment to boost lifesaving global health spending to a total of $63 billion over the next six years.

Bono, co-founder of ONE, issued the following statement:

“Today, ‘Doctor Obama’ leads the next chapter in the U.S. response to global health crises, building on the record of results from the previous administration and bipartisan support from Congress. The question is no longer whether we can fight these diseases in the poorest countries, it is how much do we want to do? The President is answering ‘a lot.’ His strategic leadership on these issues is protecting the long-term interests of the people in his own country as well as saving vulnerable lives overseas.”

In addition to the announcement that the White House would seek $63 billion in global health spending over the next six years (2009-2014) to shape a new, comprehensive global health strategy, the White House also released some FY2010 funding levels for disease-fighting efforts. The FY2010 commitments include a $165 million increase for the global AIDS initiative PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and a $200 million increase for combating malaria.

ONE’s President and CEO, David Lane, also released the following statement:

“Saving people’s lives and investing in healthy communities is central to a smarter, more effective American foreign policy. President Obama today backed up his strong commitments on global health and development with action. ONE thanks the President for boosting support to these critical initiatives that have already saved millions of lives, and have the potential to save millions more. We look to Congress to support these efforts, continuing the strong bipartisan commitment to global health over the last several years.

“Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of Defense Gates have articulated the need to elevate development and global health as a pillar of a more comprehensive and effective U.S. foreign policy,” Lane said. “If we hope to thwart instability and stand up for the principles that America believes in, we must do more to meet the basic human needs of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Today is a positive step toward that vision.”

Background

Already, American leadership, sparked in large part by President George W. Bush and broad bipartisan support in Congress, has helped save millions of lives from HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Thanks to U.S. support for programs like PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, more than 2.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa are now receiving lifesaving medicines, up from just 50,000 people in 2002. Millions more are surviving malaria thanks to the delivery of bed nets and medicines by U.S. and other donors. In Rwanda and Ethiopia, for example, malaria cases and deaths were cut in half in two years.

The announcement comes nearly a month after President Obama announced at the G20 in London that he would work with Congress to double support for agricultural development in impoverished countries by increasing assistance to more than $1 billion.