Last month, Bono gave an aspirational, optimistic talk at the TED2013 conference in California on how the world can deal with and, he argues, eventually eliminate, extreme poverty.

Today, TED have made the footage of what was widely considered an inspirational talk available. Watch the the U2 singer, speaking more as activist and founder of charity organisation ONE, than as the lead singer with the biggest rock'n'roll band in the world below.

The U2 frontman calls on people to become "factivists" – that is, people who use hard evidence to exact positive change and to promote agencies – and also discusses the incredible progress that's been made in the treatment of AIDS, in the fight against malaria and in the reduction in child mortality over the last decade.

Noting the 2.65 million children whose lives are now being saved every year, he asks, "Have you read anything, anywhere in the last week that is remotely as important as that number?"

However, Bono also warns that the progress which has been made is in jeopardy. He exhorts the audience to fight corruption, inequality, apathy and inertia in the pursuit of empowering the world’s poorest people.

The full talk can be viewed here:

Full transcript at [link]www.ONE.org/TED[/link]