He’s been networking and raising money for decades to help the world’s poorest people, but even Bono knows that his latest ask is one of the biggest ever.
The U2 frontman, along with a team that includes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Bill and Melinda Gates, is aiming to replenish the Global Fund this weekend to the tune of $13 billion US.
“It’s the biggest ever Global Fund replenishment ever,” he told The West Block’s Tom Clark in an exclusive sit-down interview this weekend. “It’s an enormous sum of money.”
That money will go toward the Global Fund’s central goal of eradicating AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
READ MORE: Justin Trudeau opens two-day AIDS conference in Montreal featuring Bono, Bill Gates
Bono said that of all the world leaders who have ever played host to a replenishment event like the one being held in Montreal, Trudeau has been by far the most “aggressive.”
“I have to tell you, Justin Trudeau is not just rolling up his sleeves, he’s been on the phones. He’s really worked at this,” he told Clark.
Canada has already pledged $800 million to the fund, and according to Bono, that’s not surprising. As countries around the world have responded to the forces of globalization by turning inward, Canada has maintained an outward approach, recognizing that when the world’s poorest are lifted up, everyone benefits.
“I’m not sure you Canadians really understand how you are seen in the world,” he said. “And particularly now, when you have this kind of political mayhem across the world with Brexit and whatever’s happening south of the border, my God.”
READ MORE: Justin Trudeau, Bill Gates to attend world health concert in Montreal
Corruption worse than any disease
The Irish rocker acknowledged that there is one thing even more destructive than any disease, and that’s corruption.
Asked how the Global Fund fights against the perception that billions of dollars in aid are just ending up in the pockets of dictators, Bono said the fund considers transparency to be the “vaccine” for corrupt practices, and is therefore audited regularly by outside parties.
It’s also usually the first to admit when there has been misuse of money in one of its programs, he added.
“If they find they’re not getting value in a certain area, they leave.”
WATCH BELOW: Bono praises ‘aggressive’ Justin Trudeau as he pushes for Global Fund replenishment.
‘Unholy trinity’
Bono, who has been heavily involved in international activist causes since the 1980s, told Clark that world leaders like Trudeau must be ready to commit to “thinking differently” about the millions of refugees fleeing conflict in place like Syria and North Africa.
He said that the prime minister seems to recognize that accepting refugees is only one half of the international community’s responsibility. The other half lies in tackling the root problems that lead to mass exodus.
In North Africa in particular, he said, an “unholy trinity” of extreme poverty, extreme climate and extreme ideology have combined to form a deadly cocktail.
“It might be very, very smart to gather around that problem before it explodes,” Bono warned.
“To be there to say to those people who are fighting to make a living in dirt, we’re with you.”
Watch the full interview above.
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