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THE GCAP E-LETTER 2007 - October 8th 2007 - Edition #12

GCAP Together for Equality English

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THE GCAP E-LETTER 2007

October 8^th 2007 - Edition #12

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The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is a growing alliance of trade unions, community groups, faith groups, women and youth organisations, NGOs and other campaigners working together across more than 100 national platforms. GCAP is calling for action from the world’s leaders to meet their promises to end poverty and inequality. The white band is our symbol and expression of solidarity against poverty.

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Dear Friends,

Please read down to the bottom for important information.

With just 8 days left until Whiteband Day, I write to you from Asia where I have just been attending the regional GCAP Asia meeting. Colleagues from across the region gathered to develop their media skills, outline their plans for October 17 and discuss their future participation in GCAP. At the same time, a GCAP Africa face-to-face meeting happened in Lusaka in Zambia and was attended by two other Support Team colleagues, Sarah and Joe.

I was excited to hear of preparations in many Asian countries and spend extra time with the GCAP coalitions in Nepal and Bangladesh. These countries have formed strong coalitions and are mobilizing different shades of civil society including rural women, workers, peasants, children, youth, tribal and indigenous people that will be speaking in one voice on October 17^th. They are also trying to engage with governments and political leadership by sending delegations with clear demands. I am also happy that most of these coalitions have evolved clear policy agenda through local consultations. Everyone is clearly working hard to both mobilise numbers and ensure their policy demands are expressed in media materials. Many coalitions will be organizing unique activities like human chains, banner marches, poverty mellas, cultural events and music concerts and parliament delegations.

GCAP has also finalized its action plan for IFIs meetings starting October 19^th in Washington. A policy document and peoples’ petition are ready and will be available on GCAP website (www.whiteband.org). Our three Co-chairs have now confirmed their presence at the meetings as spokespersons for the campaign so we hope to offer the media and the politicians a number of opportunities to hear our call for reform.

I would like to remind everyone that there are tremendous mobilisation tools available this year so please do access them online at standagainstpoverty.org and whiteband.org so you can brand your event in an eye catching way and add political punch to your messaging. We also have a note on how to use online social networks to spread the word. There is more information below as well as links to the useful media toolkit and press release issued the past week.

This week we also await the verdict in the trials of our GCAP Ethiopia colleagues Daniel and Netsanet. We are following this closely and together with Action Aid and CIVICUS will release a reaction statement as soon as a verdict is handed down. I know you join me in wishing our friends a safe and rapid release from prison.

Finally, I remind colleagues that our great friend and GCAP supporter, Katsuji Imata has now officially left the Support Team and is going to work with CIVICUS in Johannesburg for the coming months. We have all valued his enormous contribution – not least of all his work on the DIFD funding proposal and Future Structure documents which have now been completed and circulated. The latter will be discussed after all feedback has been received with a view to making a decision by the end of the year.

Kindest regards,

Irfan Mufti, GCAP Campaign Manager

MOBILISATION Update

Reminder on registration and counting rules for Guinness

To ensure your Stand Up and Speak Out action is counted towards the Guinness World record challenge, please register it now if you have

not already on www.standagainstpovetry.org All event organisers should also download and read the counting note which has been sent around, you can also find it on-line.

After registration you simply count the number of people who take part in your event on the day (between 9pm GMT on the 16th and 9pm GMT on the 17^th) and then go back on-line as soon as possible after the event - before 6am GMT on the 18th -to record the number next to your event. Use the login you are allocated when you registered.

Wherever possible, upload a photo proving the event took place. The outcome of the Guinness challenge will be announced on the 18th at 13.00GMT.

For events taking place where internet is not readily accessible we are asking a counting coordinator to be allocated in each country to coordinate with event organisers and log the events on their behalf. For more information please contact Sarah at the support team, sarah.gregory@civicus.org

What’s the point? Firstly registering your event means we can communicate all that is happening around the world to the media. Secondly, it means your efforts will be part of a figure that will help us all in our global advocacy efforts in 2007 and 2008. The more we can verify the strength of our global movement the stronger our case against governments.

We will send a new document this week to everyone on how to upload your photos of events immediately after your event.

Follow up?

We will have access to all the registered data as well as the UNMC after the event so GCAP coalitions will be able to follow up with anyone who took part in your country. What we do with the pictures, testimonials, videos and coverage AFTER October 17 is as important as the day itself, so don't forget to look forward to the year ahead and how we will capitalise on any momentum made now.

October 17 Materials

Please remember to use the materials – logos, brochures, flyers, postcards etc. we have made for the day of action, they can be downloaded and printed locally by just sending the appropriate link for our website to your printer.

standagainstpoverty.org/en/materials and whiteband.org/Action/materials/stand-up-2007/stand-up-and-speak-out-2007-materials

Video Clip:

The Stand Up and Speak Out video clip featuring a school in Soweto is being used by national coalitions and partner organizations in the build-up to October 16^th/ 17th. You can also watch the video online at YouTube.

To use it you can request a copy via mail or download it online at whiteband.org or standagainstpoverty.org. There are also a number of other video clips available on the site.

Delegations to Political Decision Makers

Civil society will send a strong message directly to politicians in more than 25 countries in the build up to and on October 17th with clear national political demands, as well as a call for action from governments at the IFI meetings. It is not too late to organise a delegation to lobby a senior minister in your country - and it is important our message is heard by as many representatives as possible. For support in organising a delegation, please contact Androulla Kyrillou or see the handbook developed by the support team.

Banners against Poverty:

There are now an amazing 30 national Banners project members. Pakistan has created more than 10 km of banners with more than 1 million signatures, Palestine will incorporate banners into their 1 million children and youth Stand Up and Speak Out event and in Switzerland large ‘white band’ banners in cities across the country will be showcased. Do make sure you get good photographs of your banners and send them via e-mail to the IFT Support team as soon as you can so they will be circulated to media and put on whiteband.org

Children and Youth Task Force Update

Using social networking sites to support the campaign against poverty

The CYTF is rapidly preparing for Stand Up and Speak Out. To ensure children and youth participation the CYTF has contributed to an

E-campaigning strategy targeted at people who use social networking websites. The attached document outlines how YOU and your NETWORKS can utilize social networking sites over the next 8 days.

For more information contact Joe Cressy from the Support Team.

Annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Found

We welcome the recent news from Bangladesh that civil society has successfully mobilised to prevent the transitional government from adopting a policy Support Instrument proposed by the IMF which would have handed control of the countries fiscal policies to this massive institution. From October 20-22, GCAP will mobilise in Washington at the annual meetings of these two international financial institutions calling on them to hear our demands for greater transparency, an end to conditionality, greater accountability, good governance and action on climate change.

GCAP spokespeople at the meetings will include: Kumi Naidoo (secretary

General of CIVICUS), Ana Agostino (International Council for Adult

Education) and Sylvia Borren (Director of Oxfam Novib) - all 3 co-chairs of the IFT. For more information on planned activities at the Bank go to

http://www.whiteband.org/Action/ifis-actions-1/ifis-annual-meetings-actions

or contact Ben Margolis at bmargolis@oxfam.org.uk

Media and Communications

GCAP issued its second joint global press release with the UNMC about the October 17^th mobilisation to media contacts last week. Please download it from the website or copy it from the text pasted below.

Please send copies of your national release to Henri Valot for publication on the Whiteband.org website. That way more journalists around the world can read your news and political demands and we can refer to them in interviews.

If you need media advice or support, whether making materials or pitching stories to specific journalists, please don't hesitate to contact our media coordinator Ciara O’Sullivan, she is ready to help at any moment ciara_os@hotmail.com or ciara.osullivan@civicus.org

Case studies

The project to gather information about individuals taking part in mobilisations around the world has been a success but we need more. Please download the case study template in your language from the link below and use it to complete the story of one of your mobilisers who is making a difference on the ground and has an interesting personal story to tell. We need these NOW + photos of the person profiled. We will use these in many ways to publicise the GCAP day of action.
http://www.whiteband.org/Action/gcap-2007-mobilisation-tools/

Blogs from you to us ……….to the world

If you would like to send a blog from your country on the day of your mobilisation, it’s so easy: just write a personal account of what you see and how you feel and e-mail to us together with a small picture of yourself and the action. Stories can be submitted in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.

A blog doesn't need to be long or complex but it should feel personal. 200 words are fine. Some tips below:

Think about your audience and what you want your story to tell. What will your audience find interesting? How will your story help communicate what GCAP is trying to achieve?
Keep it brief! Ideally a blog post should be able to be read in three to five minutes. As a general rule, a few brief posts are better than one long one, depending on the subject matter.
Events: Paint a picture of the scene to show others what the event is like include location & date. Try to give a sense of events unfolding. What has been positive or negative? Low and high points? Outcomes?
Describe the persons who are taking part and include their quotes.

For more information contact Henri Valot henri.valot@civicus.org or Ciara O’Sullivan on ciara_os@hotmail.com or ciara.osullivan@civicus.org

Photos and Videos

If you take photos or video recordings of your events don’t forget to send them to us as soon as possible so we can offer them to the media.

Our friends from UBUNTU created a site for all GCAP videos on October 17. It is very easy to upload your videos there. Check it out and use it at: cs-tv.tv/wbd

An expanding galaxy of GCAP sites

Since 2005, GCAP has strengthened its online capacities. The whiteband.org brings together the dozens of global, regional and national GCAP websites. Check them out below! There will always be a website close to you!

Some useful links