August — Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)

Speaking out against poverty in Bangladesh

Filed Under:

MDGs

A mock National Poverty Tribunal was held in Dhaka on 21st August 2008, Thursday. The tribunal, jointly organized by People’s forum on MDGs (PFM) Bangladesh and People’s Empowerment Trust (PET), was headed by retired justice Golam Rabbani and attended by eminent political leaders from the four major political parties, anti poverty goodwill ambassador Taramon Bibi, famous folk (Lalon) singer Farida Perveen and members of civil society.

Grassroots representatives from various districts submitted their petitions to the jury bench seeking justice and fair wages:

Workers from the tea garden demanded fair wages instead of the 30 Taka per day they receive, which is less then the price of 1 kg rice. They also demanded access to health service in the tea gardens, including safe drinking water and hygienic latrine.

Kohinoor, an urban slum dweller, demanded that her rights to basic essential services be met so that her children do not have to suffer the deprivation and pangs of hunger which she suffered.

Mozammel, a landless day labourer who remained unemployed for six months, demanded respite from money lenders and to find a regular source of income.

Laxmi, a student of class nine coming from a family of city cleaners, demanded rights to education and a life of dignity.

The judgment of the tribunal concluded with the verdict that articles of the Bangladesh constitution that ensure the basic human rights of the citizen to food, shelter, education, health and nutrition must be complied to ensure the constitutional rights of the citizen and thereby end poverty and establish equality and justice.

This tribunal was part of a series of poverty hearings and tribunals taking place across the world ahead of the UN High Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals which will take place in New York on September 25th.

Find out more about GCAP Bangladesh

GCAP gets ready to mobilise for more and better aid

Filed Under:

Aid

The Aid Effectiveness Forum will take place in Accra, Ghana from September 2nd-4th. GCAP organisations will be taking part in the events and mobilising worldwide for more and better aid.

The GCAP blog will give you the latest information and updates before, during and after the event.

For now, find links to articles and news on poverty and aid effectiveness, and if your organisation is mobilising with GCAP, visit the Aid Effectiveness 2008 folder for more information, resources and links.

GCAP Mobilisation Guide out today

The latest information and guidance on the upcoming GCAP Mobilisation moments from September to December is out today.

China 2006 Information, calendars and suggested activities can be found in the Mobilisation Guide, which is available in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish (pdf versions).

Get information and suggestions on GCAP activities around the Aid Effectiveness Summit in Accra, the UN High Level Event on MDGs, this year's Stand Up and Take Action, the International Day for Eradication of Poverty and more...

All resources are online and can be found at GCAP Mobilisation 2008

Contact Ben Margolis on benmargolis[at]whiteband[dot]org for more information.

Speaking out against poverty in South Africa

Filed Under:

Aid
MDGs

"If South Africa fails to address the issues of poverty that affect more than 40% of South Africans both society and our democracy are under great threat," said the organization African Monitor following the first of nine poverty hearings that will take place in South Africa in the next two months.

Speak out: South Africa poverty hearings In this first poverty hearing, held in the city of Bloemfontein, hundreds of residents came to speak of how poverty affects them. The stories they told were ones of dire poverty, of being unable to access social grants, of a lack of social delivery, abuse of elderly people in communities, unemployment, a sense of a loss of dignity, and that poverty affects and frays the very fabric of society.

The views, testimonies and advocacy messages that come out of this and the following South Africa poverty hearings with be taken to local, provincial and national government for action.

These hearings are part of a wider global action to bring up the issues of poverty and inequality to light. The outcomes of these hearings will feed into various international processes, especially the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness which will be hosted in Accra, Ghana in early September, and the UN Extraordinary Summit on the MDGs taking place later in the month in New York, USA, where GCAP will be bringing together voices from the South and the North in a global poverty hearing.

Watch this space for more info on the poverty hearings and other mobilization around the Aid Effectiveness summit and the UN MDGs summit.

Find out more about the South Africa poverty hearings

Mail & Guardian: Talking poverty

Every Human Has Rights Media Award

GCAP partner Every Human Has Rights is launching a new Media Award to recognise outstanding contributions by the media to Human Rights.

Internews is inviting mainstream and citizen journalists from around the world to participate in its Human Rights Media competition by submitting world and current affairs reports that have been published after the 15th of September 2007 and which could be used to illustrate one or several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in a context that is relevant to the issues facing our world today.