• New ONE HIV/AIDS accountability report warns: We’re off track to end pandemic
• Celebrities, activists and ONE members create video messages to inspire global action
• (RED) reaches $200 million milestone for the Global Fund

Washington, DC  — In the lead-up to World AIDS Day on December 1, the 3-million member strong advocacy organization ONE is raising awareness of the progress made in the global fight against HIV/AIDS,  warning of the challenges still faced and calling on world leaders to act. In a new report released today, ONE finds that scientists now have the tools to turn the tide on the pandemic that has killed 30 million people in 30 years, but warns they will fail unless sufficient funding, coordination and political will is brought to bear in support of effective AIDS programs around the world.

Along with the new report, ONE is launching an online petition and unveiling a grassroots video campaign with support from celebrities, AIDS activists and ONE members. These initiatives are designed to pressure global policymakers to step up and follow-through on their commitments to replenish the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria later next year.

ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT

In the past year, President Obama, Tanzanian President Kikwete and French President Hollande joined many of the biggest names in the scientific, political and advocacy communities to call for achieving the ‘beginning of the end of AIDS.’ At the UN, member states set targets to be met by 2015, including: ensuring that 15 million people are on ARV treatment; virtually eliminating mother-to-child transmission of the disease; and drastically reducing the rate of HIV infections.

Despite these commitments, a new DATA report issued by ONE today finds that there has been insufficient progress in meeting these targets and that, at current rates, we will not reach the ‘beginning of the end of AIDS’ until 2022 — seven years after the UN target. The report also finds uneven levels of financial and political commitments from traditional donor countries to the global fight against AIDS.

“The time for aspirational speeches is past, it’s now time for action,” says ONE CEO Michael Elliott. “Last year, world governments made commitments to achieve the beginning of the end of AIDS by 2015. That’s basically the day after tomorrow and we are not where we need to be. An important place to start is making sure everyone follows through on their pledges to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria when it undergoes replenishment in 2013.”

(RED) RAISES $200 FOR THE GLOBAL FUND

After three decades in the fight against AIDS, much progress has been made in controlling the disease. The largest private sector contributor to the fight is (RED), which announced today that it has raised an extraordinary $200 million to support HIV/AIDS programs in six African countries.  (RED) is a division of ONE that partners with the world’s most iconic brands to contribute up to half of the profits from (RED)-branded goods and services directly to the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

(RED) is also marking World AIDS Day with a unique campaign called DANCE (RED), SAVE LIVES, which features an exclusive compilation album from Tiësto, and a global livestream – powered by YouTube – from the Stereosonic Festival in Melbourne, Australia over the World AIDS Day weekend.

“IT STARTS WITH ME” VIDEO SERIES

ONE is also launching a new first-person You Tube video series called, “It starts with me,” designed to inspire global action in the fight against AIDS. “It starts with me,” can be viewed on ONE’s YouTube channel and features an initial lineup of video messages and personal stories from a broad range of contributors such as AIDS activist Cleve Jones, former White House aide Michael Gerson, actors Colin Farrell, Zoe Saldana and Kellan Lutz, blogger Perez Hilton, model Anne V, ONE members and others who are committed to the fight against AIDS.

Viewers can sign ONE’s petition to policymakers urging them to protect life-saving programs for the treatment and prevention of AIDS, create their own YouTube video and share what they’ve seen with their friends and family across their social networks using #startswithme.

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ONE is a global advocacy and campaigning organization co-founded by Bono and backed by more than 3 million people from around the world dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. For more information please visit www.ONE.org.
 
(RED), a division of ONE, was founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver to fight AIDS in Africa. To date, (RED) has raised $200 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to support HIV/AIDS programs in Africa. 100% of that money goes to work on the ground – no overhead is taken.  Global Fund grants that (RED) supports have impacted more than 14 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services.  Learn more at www.facebook.com/joinRED