U2’s Bono spreads positive message on fight to end world poverty at TED Talks

Bono predicts that the number of people living on a dollar a day will be non-existent by 2030

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U2's front man speaks at the TED Conference in Long Beach

Photo by James Duncan Davidson

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During the TED conference of 2005, U2 frontman Bono delivered the disturbing news that 11 million AIDS orphans and 6,500 Africans were dying every day from AIDS due simply to their lack of access to drugs that are available in the pharmacies that we take for granted. At that time, Bono asked people to actively take part in the fight against poverty rather than just donating to charity.

This year, at the Ted conference of global innovators, Bono delivered positive news on the fight against poverty, telling his audience that the number of people living in extreme poverty has steadily declined and that by 2030, no one in the world will be living on less than $1 a day.

The Huffington Post reveals that Bono’s figures on the decline of poverty show how soul-crushing poverty declined from 43% in 1990 to 33% in 2000 to 21% in 2010 and had further good news to share regarding the reduction of malaria deaths by 75% in the past 13 years.

But the rockstar urged those at the TED conference not to become complacent with such good news, saying: “We can’t get this done until we accept that we can get this done. Inertia is how we screw this up. Momentum is how we bend the arc of history down towards zero.”

Bono used a Wael Ghonim quote to conclude his speech, saying: “We’re going to win because we don’t understand politics. We’re going to win because we don’t play their dirty games. We’re going to win because we don’t have an agenda. We’re going to win because the tears that comes from our eyes actually come from our hearts. We’re going to win because we have dreams. We’re going to win because we are willing to stand up for our dreams.”

Before finishing his speech to a standing ovation, Bono reaffirmed Ghonim’s quote to his audience:“He’s right,” Bono said, “We’ll win if we work together as one, the people. The power of the people is so much stronger than the people in power.”

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