What is GCAP?

At the start of the 21st century more than a billion people are trapped in a situation of abject poverty and gross inequality. 70% of them are women. We face an AIDS and Malaria emergency, with 40 million people infected by the disease. 104 million children are denied access to school and 860 million adults. (70% of them women) cannot read or write.  Millions of people are unemployed or working in precarious jobs with deteriorating conditions of labour. Neither have a secure income to sustain their families. Children and young people make up half of the world’s population and suffer from the lack of inclusion and provision of basic services. Hunger is a daily reality for many.  In parts of the world, the death of mothers in childbirth and infant children are still routine - deaths that could be prevented by the availability of simple healthcare. 1.4 billion people don’t have access to safe water. We draw inspiration from their persistent daily struggles to realise their rights to livelihoods, resources, assets and basic services. Today the world has enough resources, knowledge and technology to eradicate poverty. More

The waning years of the 20th century were a time of great global fragmentation and division. Since then, people all over the world have steadily come to feel less secure and less safe. However, there was a prevailing belief among civil society organisations (CSOs) and people in general, that the world could unite again in solidarity in a battle truly worth fighting – the war against poverty. Indeed to date, the pledges required to meet the Millennium Declaration efforts to tackle poverty, inequality, injustice and deliver sustainable development have been grossly inadequate.  Governments too often fail to address the needs of the people within their territory, the quantity and quality of aid from rich countries is inadequate and promises of debt cancellation have not yet materialized.  Rich countries have yet to act on their repeated pledges to tackle unfair trade rules and practices.  But our world has never been richer, and we have the means to turn this situation around.

Galvanised by this imperative, a group of civil society actors including NGOs, international networks, social movements, trade unions, women’s organisations, faith based groups and other civil society actors met in Johannesburg in September 2004. They launched the Global Call to Action against Poverty which initially targeted 2005 as the year when governments could take decisive action to deliver on their promises of the Millennium and make poverty history. GCAP is now 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  demands solutions that address the issues of public accountability, just governance and the fulfilment of human rights; trade justice; a major increase in the quantity and quality of aid and financing for development; and debt cancellation. GCAP also affirms that gender equality must also be at the heart of eradicating poverty. More

GCAP has adopted the white band as its official international symbol – a symbol that are been seen on the hands of millions of people in several countries thereby highlighting that the war against injustices brought on by poverty is not confined to a few activists but is, in fact, a global phenomenon. Since 2006, the global white band day is on October 17, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

What sets GCAP apart from most campaigns is that, in addition to being a coalition of international organizations, it also operates on national and regional levels – just as long as individuals and organizations realize the injustices of poverty and actively work to end it. Each country can mount its own campaign, and choose the important emphasis for the national campaign from within the framework of GCAP policy positions. Each country can name its own campaign such as One, as in Singapore and in the US, Make Poverty History as in the UK, in UAE and in Australia, Wada Na Todo in India, Pobreza cero in Spain, but each campaign is linked to the Global Call to Action against Poverty.

A Global Call against Poverty

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. In particular, we demand solutions that address the issues of

• Public accountability, just governance and the fulfilment of human rights
• Trade justice
• A major increase in the quantity and quality of aid and financing for development
• Debt cancellation
• Gender equality must also be at the heart of eradicating poverty.

Who are the members of GCAP?

This global alliance is made up of a diverse range of coalitions, community groups, trade unions, individuals, faith groups and campaigners, who are all committed to the fight against poverty. These groups have formed country-based coalitions in more than 100 countries who support and promote GCAP’s demands and enable concerned citizens to join with GCAP, to put pressure on their country’s leaders and decision makers.

Find out more about the organisations, groups and campaigners who form GCAP.  Click here for GCAP Mapping

What is the White Band?

GCAP supporters are united by their use of the white band. The white band is the symbol that people, towns and cities all over the world can adopt to show their support and keep the anti-poverty message highly visible. Find out more about the white band and how it is used.

History of GCAP

In September 2003, prominent activist on women and children’s issues, Graca Machel, hosted a group of southern non-governmental issues in Maputo, Mozambique. It was here, with other prominent civil society activists such as Civicus Secretary-General Kumi Naidoo that the idea of a Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) was first aired. More...

What happened in 2005?

During 2005 GCAP members and supporters took more than 38 million actions around the world to put pressure on politicians and world leaders, who where attending crucial meetings that could, if the right decisions where made, commit to overcoming poverty. Check the photo gallery and the whitebandbook

What happened in 2006?

In 2006, GCAP members and supporters took part in a global month of action in September and October. On the 16th and 17th October 23.5 million people around the world Stood Up Against Poverty and in doing so set a new Guinness World Record and sent out a powerful message to national and global political leaders. Click here for the Events in 2006

What happened in 2007?

In 2007, national coalitions focused their efforts on

• International Women’s Day (March 8th)
• The G8 in Germany (June 2nd)
• The midway point for the Millennium Development Goals (July 7^th)
• International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17^th)
• IFIs Annual Meetings actions
• Global Day of Action against Climate Change (December 8th)