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GCAP Africa and the Millennium Development Goals Mid-Point: 07/07/07 - Activity Report

GCAP Together for Equality English

On 7 July 2007 (07/07/07), the halfway point for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), GCAP coalitions from over 20 African countries launched a massive call to their political leaders to protest against the lack of progress in reaching the goals and eradicating extreme poverty. Through a wide variety of activities, GCAP campaigners stood together to generate political pressure and demand action from African leaders for more resources to meet the goals and lift millions of Africans out of poverty.

GCAP Africa’s secretariat encouraged national coalitions to be creative and carry out activities with the strongest possible impact in their communities. These activities included launching MDG shadow reports, hosting public forums and organising rallies and other awareness-raising events. In many countries, GCAP coalitions joined efforts with local and international partners, in particular the United Nations Millennium Campaign, to re-energise local and international efforts for the MDGs.

GCAP Africa coalitions also involved the media in their mobilisation events, with press conferences, press statements, TV appearances and interviews on radio programmes. The GCAP Africa secretariat published a press release that was placed in national and international media. The release highlighted ‘mid-point’ events in Africa as well as GCAP’s concerns and recommendations to African policymakers on the MDGs.

Algeria

In Algeria, members of the GCAP coalition marked the MDG mid-point by holding their annual general meeting. In addition to reviewing outcomes of the GCAP Montevideo meeting and internal issues, Algerian campaigners reached consensus on the need for GCAP to register as a legal entity for greater accountability and increased ability to deliver on its key objectives. The meeting also looked at progress toward the MDGs and the central role civil society plays in ensuring that they are met. GCAP Algeria also called on the government, parliamentarians and civil society representatives to accelerate efforts in attaining the MDGs.

Benin

From 2 to 8 July, Benin kicked off a week of activities themed ‘What are you doing to achieve the MDGs?’ targeted at policymakers and the public. Children played an active role in the events, with over 500 school children participating in sensitisation walks, discussion forums and football matches. A media campaign was also launched to make the eight MDGs more widely known among the public, with many national and local media reporting on the week’s activities. Additionally, campaigners and children led a procession to the national parliament and State House to highlight their demands in relation to the MDGs.

Botswana

The Botswana Council of Non Governmental Organisations, GCAP’s focal point in the country, joined other African coalitions on 7 July 2007 to reflect on the midway point of the MDGs and commitments made by their government. A breakfast seminar was held on 6 July and focused on progress towards the MDGs. Attendees included government and UN officials as well as representatives from civil society organisations (CSOs).

On 7 July, a public rally brought together politicians and trade unionists to give their views on the progress made so far. These activities were purposely set up to provide an opportunity for civil society, government and the nation at large to assess Botswana’s progress and to re-evaluate and re-strategise, so as to put the country in a better position to achieve the MDGs and the National Vision (2016). The mobilisation events attracted a lot of media attention. Prior to the events a news brief was published in a national newspaper to announce activities. Radio Botswana covered the breakfast seminar extensively with phone-in radio shows in connection with the MDGs and a GCAP seminar.

Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, over 3000 people gathered for a massive rally to hear messages on accelerating the pace towards achieving the MDGs and on addressing growing inequality in the country, particularly in rural areas. The rally, which was sponsored by Members of Parliament, brought together campaigners, social activists, artists, civil servants, peasants, and workers from the informal sector in a low-income neighbourhood of Ouagadougou. Testimonies on the impact of poverty and performances from local artists provided a good mix of reflection and entertainment. Participants launched a public call for joint efforts to meet the MDGs before the target date of 2015. They also signed a giant balloon to demonstrate their commitment to contribute to achieving the MDGs. Representatives from various national media houses were also present and showed their support to the call.

Cameroon

An MDG midway point event was organised at the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé. The event was attended by NGO representatives, political leaders, government officials, traditional leaders and women and children’s groups. The day featured presentations and essays from young people and discussions on addressing the root causes of poverty and promoting equality in the country.

Ethiopia

The national coalition hosted a press briefing aimed at raising public awareness on Ethiopia’s strategic plan for poverty reduction and the need to accelerate the pace in achieving the MDGs. National and international media representatives attended the event, along with government officials, UN agencies and CSOs. The briefing also provided an opportunity to call on the government to listen to the voices of people living in poverty and to raise public awareness on the role of ordinary citizens in ensuring that the goals are attained.

Ghana

On 2 July, West African youth gathered for an action summit aimed at reminding all African heads of state attending the African Union summit to keep to their promise on achieving the MDGs. The youth forum concluded with the adoption of a communiqué spelling out concrete policy demands for African governments. A colourful street procession with music and dances also took place.
On 7 July, the national coalition and Reproductive Health Alliance jointly hosted a forum on children and maternal health, HIV/AIDS and malaria. The forum brought together parliamentarians, development partners and various government institutions to discuss the result of recent research on three of the MDGs. Participants called on the government to improve healthcare for children and mothers and to significantly reduce HIV/AIDS and malaria in the country. They also called on community members to become effective advocates for change and improvement in their communities.

Kenya

In marking the halfway mark to 2015, GCAP Kenya, GCAP coalition member the Evangelical Alliance, with support from the United Nations Millennium Campaign, and Education for Life Institute organised a series of events. Among these was a breakfast meeting between bishops who are members of Evangelical Alliance of Kenya and the media, a public forum on the MDGs and a football game with members of parliament and civil society representatives. GCAP Kenya and its partners also hosted a rally at Nairobi’s city stadium. The gathering featured an event entitled ‘blow the whistle in support of the MDGs’, and Kenyans were asked to fast and pray for the MDGs for 24 hours.

Liberia

Community involvement was a key feature of 07/07/07 mobilisation activities in Liberia. Festivities, including traditional dances and cultural performances, were designed to encourage informal interactions and discussions between community members and lawmakers on poverty in the country. Other awareness-raising tools included anti-poverty and MDG messages by GCAP campaigners. Finally, a statement calling for MDG-friendly policymaking was presented to the Liberian parliament. Copies of the statement were distributed to the United States Embassy in Liberia, the European Union, the African Union, the United Nations Mission in Liberia and the President of the Republic of Liberia. These events coincided with a series of talk shows on the MDGs and the launch of Liberia’s shadow report outlining achievements at mid-point.

Malawi

As part of activities to mark the MDG mid-point, GCAP’s national focal point CONGOMA organised a national workshop in Lilongwe which brought together over 100 activists, government officials, traditional leaders, and members of the donor community, the private sector, faith-based communities and the public at large. The workshop aimed to review and discuss the progress Malawi has made in attaining the MDGs. It highlighted issues which could hinder achieving the MDGs in the country, including threats from relying on international assistance and loans. The event generated good media coverage from major electronic and broadcast media.

Mali

In Mali, hundreds of CSO representatives took part in a day-long event to reflect on challenges and the outlook for the MDGs at mid-point. A number of speakers addressed the gathering, including GCAP Mali President Barry Aminata Touré who presented the campaign’s objectives and achievements. Discussions focused on the living conditions of housewives, economic relations between African countries, and mobilisation strategies for Malian women on the feminisation of poverty in the country. Women attendees proposed organising a march to the presidential palace to make their voices heard directly to the President of the Republic.

Namibia

GCAP Namibia took part in a special breakfast meeting attended by various stakeholders, notably embassy officials, and government and CSO representatives, to discuss progress toward the MDGs. A special newsletter spotlighting civil society’s position on the MDG mid-term review was also produced to explain precisely what the MDGs are and what steps have been taken to achieve them. This material was widely distributed to Namibian CSOs and policymakers.

Niger

On 6 July GCAP Niger organised a series of peaceful marches to donor country embassies in Niamey. A wide variety of civil society actors were involved and marched together to the Japanese, French, German and Canadian embassies. Presentations on challenges in achieving the MDGs, particularly in Niger, were made, emphasising the need for rich countries to keep their promises to increase aid to developing countries.

In addition, GCAP coalition members hosted a conference to assess progress in reaching the Education for All (EFA) objectives in Niger. Participants deplored the lack of commitment from decision makers to address education issues properly and civil society’s poor involvement in such a crucial area for development.

Seychelles

As part of GCAP’s mobilisation around the MDG mid-point, Seychelles hosted an MDG consultation with civil society and the private sector on 14 July. The consultation discussed the causes of poverty and hunger and the need to challenge situations where natural resources are being wrongly utilised or are not duly accessible to many citizens. Participants also identified peace and security as key factors for achieving the MDGs in Indian Ocean insular states.

Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, activities were spearheaded by Micah Challenge, a member of the Sierra Leonean coalition. A civil society forum on challenges in achieving the MDGs was held in Freetown, and weekly debates on each of the eight MDGs were broadcast on the national radio in the run-up to 07/07/07.

Somalia

GCAP Somalia led a comprehensive media awareness campaign in six major districts across the country. The campaign aimed to urge local authorities and people in influential positions to pay attention to GCAP demands on the MDGs and poverty reduction. It also aimed to deliver a message of solidarity to people living in poverty worldwide. Large gatherings were held, attended by civil society activists, community leaders and national media houses. Media activities included a well-attended press conference in Mogadishu and a radio talk show on a national radio station.

South Africa

On 6th July, South Africa launched its MDG shadow report. The report evaluates progress since 2005 and calls on South African civil society to be at the forefront of efforts to meet the minimum goals of the MDGs – globally and nationally – including South Africa’s own constitutional goals and programmes. The launch was widely covered by the national media in TV appearances and press articles.

Tanzania

A procession against poverty and a discussion forum involving UN agencies, the government, civil society and the general public were held.

Togo

07/07/07 activities were launched on 6 July in the capital city, Lomé. School materials were donated to disadvantaged children as they prepare to go back to school. Other highlights included the construction of a well in a poor village community and an awards ceremony for the best survey on poverty in Togo at Lomé University. A documentary on people living in poverty was also produced and broadcast on TV for the occasion.

Zambia

In Zambia, 07/07/07 activities were officially launched on the independent television station MUVI TV under the name of AGENDA 2015. A wide variety of activities took place, including an MDG walk with children, a symbolic football match, and an MDG prayer service. A wide-ranging media campaign was conducted, with MDG-focused radio debates being held on national and community radio and a documentary on MDGs in Southern Africa broadcast on local TV channels.