Wednesday, October 23, 2002

Met with Bono again at the Jefferson Hotel for breakfast. Also present were Jamie Drummond, Lucy Matthew, Katrina and Erin Chapman. We spent almost 2 hours going over options for how we can drive the agenda for universal care, prevention and treatment for HIV infected people worldwide. I emphasized the importance of engaging Russia, India, and China because of the large populations in these countries in which a mere increase in prevalence from 1% to 2% in countries like India and China (I billion people in each country) could quickly create a pool of infected people that would equal all of Africa. He will be meeting with Condolezza Rice this afternoon to push for the USA getting involved in a major way with money (billions) and leadership. I am impressed with Bono’s good intentions and his intelligence and energy. I am disappointed that I cannot tell him about the program that Mark Dybul and I have been working on for the “comprehensive implementation” plan. Hopefully, we can make this public soon so that we can engage Bono’s assistance with his bully pulpit.