( CNN ) -- Global activist and U2 frontman Bono attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York to push world leaders to join his ONE campaign in fighting disease , poverty , and hunger . He talked to CNN 's John Roberts on `` American Morning '' about recent successes and what 's next . Bono said politicians who love signing checks but not cashing hurt plans to help the world 's poor . ROBERTS : All this talk has been about the economy collapsing , $ 700 billion bailout . Congress is absolutely absorbed with that . Did that in any way affect what you were trying to do this week ? Are people more focused on this economy than in helping out developing nations ? BONO : We got good news this week . I know normally I 'm on your program with bad news -- the whingeing rock star -- but it 's great . There 's a disease , malaria -- it 's 3,000 African kids die every day of mosquito bites . Sounds mad , but it 's true . And people have committed and it looks like the funds are on the table so that that disease will be no more by 2015 . That makes people like me punch the air and everyone who wears a ONE T-shirt and all our white band campaigners on college campuses all over the country -- it was a great day for them yesterday so we 're celebrating that . I know it 's extraordinary , that while you 're having this meltdown on the markets , that people could even concentrate on this stuff , but I 'm really grateful that they did . We had both [ presidential ] candidates make very powerful statements about the necessity for nonmilitary tools , for instance , in foreign policy . This is an America that both candidates want to show to the rest of the world -- the greatness of America . ROBERTS : So you 're hearing what you want to hear from these candidates ? BONO : Yeah . And you could n't imagine a few years ago that you would have candidates so close to an election talking about this stuff , so yeah . Watch Bono say how he uses his star status on politicians » . ROBERTS : You were talking to Christine Romans outside the studio , who just did that piece for us a few minutes ago on what else could you do with $ 700 billion . What could you do with $ 700 billion ? BONO : We would n't be asking for that kind of money . These are serious matters , people have lost their jobs . But I think the bill for the whole world -- so America would be like a third of it -- for $ 25 billion you could absolutely change the world . You could put kids in school , most kids in school . You could eradicate diseases like malaria , as we 're saying . We could change the water supplies . But what 's important is that people who want to change the world , want to see their country , they see it as a patriotic act to show the world innovation of America , technology of America , pharmacology of America . ROBERTS : For $ 25 billion , you could put every kid who 's out of school in the world into school ? That seems like a lot of people for $ 25 billion . Pretty good return on your investment . BONO : It 's a great return on investment . You heard me on your program before talking about debt cancellation . Strangely Americans do n't know that because of debt cancellation there are already an extra 29 million African children in school . That 's incredible . Because people got out on the streets on the ( RED ) campaign and stuff like that , there 's now 2.5 million Africans on AIDS drugs , which are expensive . So your country is turning for me in the right direction on these issues . ROBERTS : So you 're hearing some of what you want to hear , particularly on the malaria issues . But the European Union had promised to increase aid by $ 50 billion between 2005 and 2010 . It looks like they 're going to fall $ 40 billion short . BONO : They are , but they 're still ahead of America . That 's the bad news . You do n't want to get me into the ring . ROBERTS : Absolutely ! Come on . BONO : We 've had meetings with Sarkozy this week as well as talking with McCain and Palin and as well as always talking with the Obama campaign . We do keep up the pressure on the Europeans , but the Europeans are way ahead of America on aid , just to put it in context . But you 're right . They 're not coming through on all of it . We will torture them too . That 's our job . ROBERTS : You talk a lot about these United Nations Millennium Development Goals . Let me go over a couple of those . It was supposed cut global poverty in half by the year 2015 . Universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010 . Begin to reverse the incidence of malaria by 2015 . How far along that road are we ? BONO : The Millennium Development Goals are in a bit of trouble . It is astonishing to me ... ROBERTS : Whose fault is that ? BONO : You know , politicians . They love signing checks , but they do n't like cashing them . They love the photograph . These G-8 meetings , you 'll see myself and my partner Bob Geldof arm-wrestling with politicians up against the wall . ROBERTS : You 're very effective at doing that . You get access to a lot of places . I remember I was on a trip with President Bush once , and you walked on Air Force One . BONO : It 's the absurdity of celebrity . I do n't consider myself a celebrity in this sense , I think I 'm an activist who knows what I 'm talking about . But yeah , we get access , and we use it . It 's true that there was a very ambitious plan signed up in 2005 that further committed what was decided in the year 2000 , that we could actually across eight goals completely change the face of poverty and hunger in the world . And there was a $ 25 billion bill by 2010 that would enable them to do that . They have n't come through on that . And another day I 'll tell you why , but today I 'm punching the air because malaria will be no more by 2015 . And it 's Americans , people from the private sector -- Peter Chernin , Ray Chambers , all kinds of people , Bill Gates , your mayor of this city , [ Michael ] Bloomberg , is an amazing guy . He 's working on this stuff . I just want Americans to know that side of their country because I 'm a fan of America . And , again , you would have candidates , you know , like John McCain taking time out this week to talk to us , Barack Obama before . This is fantastic . ROBERTS : I was reading your blog on financialtimes.com . You 've been writing all week , doing a great job too . You mentioned in one of your pieces you 've been writing some lyrics . And I 'm wondering where the lyrics are going . BONO : Statistics do n't rhyme . Songwriting comes from such a different part of my brain and such a different part of who I am . ROBERTS : Are you writing about all this ? BONO : No , it 's strange . It 's very strange . I used to work in a garage when I was a kid pumping gas , and I used to dream when I was pumping the gas about getting to rehearsals on a Saturday so I could be with my band and write songs . The work that I 'm doing now , as we say , we 're working like a dog , living like a shih tzu . We 're spoiled people . We travel well , but we work . On these issues , because you 're working for the world 's poor , we work like dogs . But I find myself at times , sometimes I just wake up in the morning , and I just want to be back with my band in a rehearsal room . ROBERTS : You will be soon . New CD coming out next year . BONO : I 'm not complaining about the work . This is the most inspiring thing I 've ever been involved in in my life , and it 's working . It really is working . And that 's why I 'm on your show this morning . I just want to thank Americans . ROBERTS : Good luck on the new CD coming out next year . We 're looking forward to it .
Bono says he 's `` punching the air '' after plan to eradicate malaria won funding . Global activist says you can change the world with $ 25 billion investment . Score: 6