On February 26th, Bono spoke at TED to show the progress in the fight against extreme poverty… and what we need to do next. Bono shares the new facts about fighting global poverty: “Forget the rock opera, forget the bombast, my usual tricks. The only thing singing today will be the facts.”
By becoming a “factivist,” we can learn what needs to be done to end extreme poverty within the next generation. And the facts are beyond promising. Since 2000:
Eight million AIDS patients have been receiving retroviral drugs
Malaria deaths have been cut by 75% in some countries
Child mortality rate of kids under 5 is down by 2.65 million deaths a year
Extreme poverty declined from 43% in 1990 to 33% in 2000 to 21% by 2010
Extreme poverty has been cut in half in the last 20 years, and the facts show that we can get it to virtually zero within a generation — but only if we act.
“Let’s think about that,” he says. “Have you read anything, anywhere in the last week that is as remotely as important as that number? It’s great news, and it drives me nuts most people don’t know this.”
“If you live on less than $1.25 a day, this is not just data. This is everything. If you’re a parent who wants the best for your kids, and I am, this rapid transition is a route out of despair and into hope.”
