2013-05-25T12:04:30-04:00 Jonathan Klein http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=jonathan-klein Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Jonathan Klein Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.2340269 2012-12-20T15:20:18-05:00 2013-02-19T05:12:01-05:00

Jonathan Klein http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-klein/
Whilst ink on a page may be a difficult business model to sustain, the public's appetite for -- and ability to consume -- imagery online has never been greater.

The photographer's role is now about much more than documenting unfolding events, it's about telling the story: finding the visual narrative that conveys the chaos and fear of the battlefield, the awe-inspiring power of the athlete and the consummate grace of the performer.

A great photograph has always conveyed information in layers, rewarding the viewer's engagement as the details within the frame reveal more and more about the subject. This remains true today, though what has changed is the volume and speed at which readers can demand and absorb imagery.

This has been a year of momentous events. A U.S. president has been re-elected following the most expensive campaign ever; financial crisis has blighted economies across the globe; war has raged unabated in the Middle East; Hurricane Sandy causes massive flooding across the Atlantic seaboard; and London played host to the world for the 2012 Olympics.

Our photographers have again been at the very heart of the action, capturing the decisive moments as well as the emotion, the atmosphere and, most importantly, the story.

As this slideshow attests, we are fortunate to work with outstanding photographers who excel in their chosen genres. We also acknowledge and thank those who work behind the scenes, the unsung heroes: the desk staff, photo editors and technicians who ensure that our imagery reaches the end-user in a shape and time to make a difference. They bring the stories we tell and events we document to life, and it's a responsibility we do not take lightly.

PHOTOS: The Most Compelling Photographs of 2012 from Getty Images


This story appears in the year-end photo issue of our weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, in the iTunes App store, available Friday, Dec. 28.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1519371 2012-05-15T17:44:52-04:00 2012-07-15T05:12:09-04:00

Jonathan Klein http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-klein/
Just days ago, the Board of the Global Fund convened in Geneva, Switzerland, for its 26th meeting -- the first since the arrival of its new General Manager, Gabriel Jaramillo. The tone was one of hope and change.

The Board discussed progress to date on the current transformation of the Global Fund from emergency response to long-term sustainability. This is being accomplished chiefly through the Consolidated Transformation Plan, a roadmap for executing the recommendations of an independent high-level Panel that reviewed the Global Fund's practices from top to bottom last year.

The Global Fund has moved swiftly to implement these recommendations, which seek to strengthen grants management, focus on the countries with the highest burden of disease, reform the Global Fund's governance structure and enhance its gold standard transparency and accountability measures.

Many of the improvements have already been accomplished or are well under way. Of the more than 160 deliverables in the transformation plan, 35 percent have already been completed -- and the Global Fund is on track to complete the entire plan by the end of this year.

At the Board meeting in Geneva, the Global Fund announced a significantly improved financial forecast that demonstrates that new leadership and rapid change are already strengthening the organization. Now, even with a careful reserve set aside, the Global Fund can direct available funding to high-impact, urgently needed programs that save lives, speeding implementation of its ambitious strategy.

I had the pleasure of meeting Gabriel Jaramillo in person last month, and it's no surprise to me that so much has been accomplished so quickly. He has more than 35 years of experience in the international financial sector, including more than 20 years as a chief executive officer, and he served on the independent the high-level Panel last year. I was particularly impressed with Gabriel's decisive nature and brass-tacks approach, combined with a personal commitment to helping the world's poorest and most vulnerable. As the Global Fund works to stretch every dollar even further in a tough economy, the right hands are navigating its transition to greater efficiency and effectiveness.

The Global Fund Board meeting came at a particularly relevant moment for U.S. lawmakers, as Congress begins consideration of the fiscal year 2013 funding levels for foreign aid, including global health. In February, President Obama requested $1.65 billion for the Global Fund in his budget for FY2013, a strong signal of commitment to the administration's pledge of $4 billion to the Global Fund over three years.

And just last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs approved its FY2013 bill, which includes $5.54 billion for State Department global health programs, including the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund. This signals the Subcommittee's strong bipartisan commitment to -- and confidence in -- our global health investments. The Senate is also expected to act very soon to provide urgently needed funding for global health.

It's essential to remember that all of our foreign aid accounts for less than 1 percent of the federal budget, and improvements at the Global Fund will continue to increase the already strong return on U.S. investment in Global Fund-supported programs, which work in 150 countries to save more than 100,000 lives per month. Moreover, there is a growing bipartisan consensus that global health programs aren't just a humanitarian gesture on the part of the United States -- they also contribute significantly to our own security and our own economy.

Americans have every reason to be proud of their role in the Global Fund's successes to date. In fact, U.S. leadership leverages the support of other nations. For every $1 contributed by the U.S., the Global Fund leverages more than $2 from other donors worldwide. Strong funding from all donors is critical to ensure that the Global Fund can continue to reach those in need of lifesaving services -- and that the successes of the past decade are not rolled back. So much can be done with so little, and the U.S. government can't afford to shortchange programs that work -- and that save and improve the lives of so many.

The Global Fund started a decade ago as an incredibly effective emergency response to the crises of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Now, it is rapidly embracing key changes that create the preconditions for even greater success in the decade ahead. With PEPFAR and other bilateral partners, U.S. support for the Global Fund can be America's greatest global health legacy.]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2009:/theblog//3.374344 2009-12-01T09:10:00-05:00 2011-05-25T14:50:26-04:00

Jonathan Klein http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-klein/






Throughout history, imagery has proven to be an astounding political and social force, invoking emotions through one universal language. When many of us think about the end of World War II, we envision Eisenstaedt's "The Kiss in Times Square." Nick Ut's heartbreaking image helped bring an end to the Vietnam War by bringing the war into the homes of Americans, who then took to the streets and the ballot box. Neil Armstrong captured the world's first glimpse of humanity on the moon when he took a picture of Buzz Aldrin. As co-founder and CEO of a business that captures the important events of our time, I am acutely conscious of the fact that our photographers and filmmakers are not only documenting stories, but their work is inspiring change.



I grew up in Apartheid South Africa. From an early age, I found it difficult to witness what I believed was the worst affliction that could befall a society. I came to believe that there was no hope, no end to this institutionalized racism in sight. I was wrong. With strong support from the media, with images like this one of Hector Pieterson, a 12-year old boy carried by a fellow student after being shot by police on June 16, 1976, during a protest, Apartheid ended 15 years ago.

But now an even worse affliction has befallen my homeland; AIDS is exacting an enormous toll in South Africa and elsewhere. Imagery, however, has also helped tell the story of the fight against AIDS, reducing the stigma associated with the disease, galvanizing individuals, corporations and governments to take on the battle against the pandemic.






The world has mobilized to fight AIDS. From Princess Diana, who visited AIDS orphans in Brazil in 1991, to home-grown health workers like this one in South Africa, many have worked for change, and images like these have helped push this change. We have moved from almost no one receiving treatment for HIV in the developing world to more than four million people in low- and middle-income countries receiving AIDS medicines this year. HIV infection rates are finally slowing globally, and deaths due to HIV/AIDS have fallen over the last two years. Through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria - the world's largest global health financing mechanism, leveraging U.S. and other funding to fight AIDS in 138 countries -and many other NGOs and governments, what was once viewed as an unbeatable pandemic shows signs of slowing. The business community has also played its part by lending its expertise to the battle - in our case, with imagery. Together, the world is turning a corner in this fight.

Remarkable milestones in the fight against AIDS are within sight. We have the power to end all mother-to-child transmission of the disease. With continued investments, in just five years no mother will have to fear passing on the disease to her child. Within the next decade, AIDS medicines could be available to everyone who needs them. Imagery assists and inspires people and governments to tackle problems like this pandemic.



This is an image of an HIV-positive mother and her HIV-free baby. I believe we will see many more such images of hope in the coming years, as image-makers tell the world that AIDS can become a disease to live with and to be conquered, rather than a death sentence.

Today, on World AIDS Day, I call on all of the media to take up this message of hope, spreading the powerful stories of success in the fight against AIDS that are coming from countries around the world. We must stay the course, notwithstanding a global economic crisis and competing domestic priorities, so that we can continue, with our colleagues in the media, to show the positive impact of investments in global health and particularly HIV/AIDS.

Times Square: Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt/Pix Inc./Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images; Vietnam: AP Photo/Nick Ut; Moon: Photo by Nasa/Getty Images; Hector: Photo by Sam Nzima; Diana: Photo by Ken Goff//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images; Medicines: Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Liaison Agency; Mom: Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images for the GBC


Jonathan Klein is a Board member of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and also serves on the Corporate Advisory Board of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Getty Images.
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