ONE Campaign, DATA to Merge to Focus on Poverty-Related Issues Worldwide

The advocacy groups ONE Campaign and DATA, both of which were co-founded by musician Bono, have announced they will merge in the U.S. to form a single group aimed at addressing issues related to global poverty, with a focus on Africa, Reuters reports.

The group will be known as ONE in the U.S. and will include the ONE Campaign's 2.4 million members. DATA -- which stands for debt, AIDS, Trade and Africa -- will retain its name and focus outside the U.S., Reuters reports (Wroughton, Reuters, 10/29). David Lane, an executive with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will lead the new organization as president and CEO. Tom Freston, former CEO of Viacom, will be chair of the board. In addition, DATA Executive Director Jamie Drummond will lead the organization's expansion outside the U.S., and ONE Campaign CEO Susan McCue will be a senior consultant and strategist for the new organization (DATA/ONE Campaign release, 10/29).

"ONE and DATA are two organizations with the same outrage: extreme, stupid poverty in the 21st century makes no sense when the resources and technology exist to do something about it," Bono said in a statement. He added, "What makes sense is to harness these two forces into a single organization and redouble our efforts"

Freston said, "By combining DATA and the ONE Campaign, we will create an organization that is stronger than the sum of its parts and better positioned to put the issues related to global poverty, and voters support for those issues, front and center onto the agendas of the wealthiest nations."

The new organization will be headquartered in Washington, D.C., and will have offices in Abuja, Nigeria; Berlin; London; and Los Angeles (Reuters, 10/29). The merger, which was approved by the boards of DATA and ONE and by voting members of ONE, will take effect within 30 days after formal filings are completed (DATA/ONE Campaign release, 10/29).

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