Former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was one of the distinguished recipients honoured at an all-star event in New York, USA, on December 1 for services to humanity and the fight against poverty and HIV/AIDS.

She received the award from two respected international advocacy groups, ONE and RED, alongside Bill & Melinda Gates, philanthropist Mo Ibrahim and former New York Mayor and media mogul, Michael Bloomberg.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala and her co-honourees were recognised at a grand event marking the tenth anniversary of the advocacy groups.

Former US President Bill Clinton and current Vice President Joe Biden were in attendance.

Top comedian and CNN presenter Trevor Noah hosted the event.

In her response to the honour, Okonjo-Iweala said: “I thank ONE and RED for this recognition. It is an inspiration to work harder on the issues of social and economic development that have always been my passion. I’m also grateful to my country for the opportunities to serve. I will always be proud to be a Nigerian.”

ONE is an international campaigning and advocacy organisation of more than 7 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.

It was co-founded by Bono to raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency so governments are accountable to their citizens.

ONE works closely with African activists and policymakers as they fight corruption, promote poverty-fighting priorities, monitor the use of aid, and help build civil society and economic development. ONE’s work is strictly politically non-partisan.

RED was founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to make it easy for people and businesses to join the fight against the deadly virus.

Throughout the past decade, RED has raised more than $320 million with the help of companies like Apple and Coca Cola towards the fight against HIV.

•Photo shows Okonjo-Iweala.

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