Entries For: September 2008

Outside the UN building, at the Dag Hammarskjold square in New York, advocates Mary Robinson, Kumi Naidoo and Ela Bhatt joined Queen Rania, Ban Ki Mooma, will.i.am, Angelique Kidjo, Bono and many others activists from around the world to pledge their commitment to act against poverty and inequality and ask politicians to take immediate action in their names.

Make your own pledge to act now to end poverty and inequality.

Join online by adding your name and personal commitment at www.whitebandaction.org

“We cannot believe the way poverty has been sidelined in favour of discussions on how to support the rich. This is our golden moment to get these Goals back on track but the voices of people affected by poverty have been kept on the fringes. This is not a recipe for putting right the most grievous wrong of our time,” said Kumi Naidoo, GCAP co-chair.

GCAP is calling on the leaders attending the High Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reassess their priorities and commit the resources needed to meet their targets. We ask governments to:

• Prioritise the poorest and most marginalised people in all actions under the MDGs. 
• Respect the right to active participation of people living in poverty
• Deliver on commitments from donor and recipient countries on the MDGs
• Enact MDG action plans that address systemic barriers to achieving and exceeding the MDGs
• Strengthen government accountability.

Earlier this week the US announced $700 billion to bail out crisis-ridden banks. It is estimated that it would cost the world $6 billion to stop women dying at childbirth. Do that and there would still be $694 billion left in change to help out the ailing banks. Campaigners from Africa, Asia and Latin America are left reeling at the continuing refusal of governments to take responsibility and act decisively to end poverty and inequality in our lifetime.

said Lysa John, Coordinator GCAP India.

Now more than ever there is a need to keep mobilising and putting pressure on governments to keep their promises to meet and exceed the MDGs. What can you do? Get involved in Stand Up and Take Action now!

Kumi Naidoo opened the Hearing remarking that "the testimonies and stories from people leaving in poverty should be heard inside of the UN building, not just across the road from it", but that "it is important that these voices and the messages to end poverty and inequality and meet and exceed the Millennium Development Goals should be heard".

Watch Kumi talk about why poverty hearings are important -->>

The hearing saw witnesses from Africa, Asia and Latin America and advocates Mary Robinson, Ela Bhatt, Archbishop Ndugane and Serigne Mansour Sy, speak on three main issues: poverty and hunger, addressing education and environmental sustainability.

Here are some of the words spoken at the hearing:

"In Ghana, women farmers said that we eat what we don't produce.  And we produce what we don't eat.  That is the message to the world.  There is something inherently wrong with our global system, and our national systems."

Ela Bhatt, founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India and member of The Elders, INDIA

"This cannot just stay in this room; education is so important, I want to speak to the leaders of this world, and send them a message.  The leaders fo the world mustn't forget the poor people fo the world, the children, so we have the change to go to school, and access an education.  School has to be free."

Ablavi Abgodjan, Global March Against Child Labour, TOGO

"How far have we gone?  To add figures, today, 2.5 billion people lack access to basic sanitation.  900 million people lack access to water.  In ssa alone, we need about 100 years more from today to achieve the sanitation targets, at this rate.  Imagine who will wait 100 years for a toilet."

Jamillah Mwanjisi, African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation, KENYA

"This cannot be sustainable forever.  We have a historical debt, with people we now call 'poor'. There are no rich countries. There are enriched, and impoverished countries.  We don't need aid, we need to find out how to restitute what has been taken from people."

Marta Benavides, International Institute for Cooperation Amongst Peoples, EL SALVADOR

"What we need to realise is that this idea of holding hearings can give great strength. Any country that hasn't, should have public hearings.  This galvanises, and links the various networks, that are part of the people power.  That's our strength.  People power with justice on our side."

Mary Robinson, president of Realising Rights and member of the Elders, IRELAND

Click here to see more images from the poverty hearing ->>

This hearing is the latest in a series taking place across the world, from Bangladesh to South Africa, from Kenya to Nepal.

The messages coming from all the hearings will be taken to the delegates meeting tomorrow at the UN High Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals to discuss progress at the half way mark.

Watch the video below to get a flavour of the hearings or read further down on the blog for more information.

More reports will be published soon.

The main objective of Stand Up and Take Action is to raise awareness and get people from all over the world, all ages and all beliefs – you! – to take action towards the complete eradication of poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Stand Up and Take Action brings together diverse groups of activists, professionals, students, non-governmental organizations, film makers, bands, photographers, journalists, artists, poets, and performers who will be uniting their efforts on October 17-19 to profess their support for the MDGs and against poverty and inequality in all regions worldwide.

People of differing, and sometimes opposing, political and religious views find in Stand Up a common stage for protest and action against entrenched patterns of poverty and inequality. And not all participants are traditionally involved in local or national activism in their home countries… anybody can take part, and many people will be joining a mobilisation for the first time or organising their own independent event using the Stand Up toolkits and materials.

Join the biggest worldwide mobilisation to end poverty now!

and get ready to Stand Up and Take Action on October 17-19.

In need of inspiration?

• World Poverty Eradication Day (India): 22 cinemas in India will be running a film slide about Stand Up. Debates have been organised in various schools, colleges, and universities. Rallies, puppet shows and even a magic show have also been organised.
• Hunger Walk (USA): A group of passionate Auburn University Students will be walking 60 miles from Auburn to Montgomery in Alabama, to raise awareness, educate people, and raise funds to help put a stop to World Hunger
• Glasgow City Council Poverty Motion (UK): A motion has been lodged with Glasgow city council calling on UK and Scottish Governments to keep their promises to end poverty and reduce inequality. Glasgow is one of the most deprived areas in Europe, suffering High rates of Child poverty.
• One Candle for the Children (Costa Rica): In Jaco Beach, in front of the sea, locals will light candles and raise them in the night to protest about the high numbers of women and children that are suffering AIDS and for the hundreds of women that work in prostitution.
• UNRWA Schools Stand Up Against Poverty (Palestine): Every UNRWA school child from ages five to eighteen will Stand Up in protest of their own poverty and the poverty of others suffering throughout the world. Children will write, paint, speak, and sing out their own experiences and feelings on poverty: ‘I say no to poverty, but being poor is not shameful.’
• Forum on MDGs (Morocco): Governments officials, UN agencies officials and civil society organizations will attend an International Forum focusing on reporting progress towards the MDGs at the half way point to 2015. .
• Stand Up at Catania (Italy): For Stand Up and Take Action, the city of Catania wants to raise itself up to the sound of music. A concert will be dedicated to the promises made with the Millennium Declaration. The music of artists will be accompanied by a campaign video explaining the MDGs

The meeting was jointly organized by the UN in India, through the UN Millennium Campaign and Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (Keep The Promise Campaign), a civil society network which represents GCAP in India.

"While India is largely on track to achieving the MDGs [...] increased efforts are needed at the state level to complement the national monitoring efforts and programs", said Dr. Pranob Sen, Secretary, India's Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation.

"Efforts to monitor and achieve the MDGs in India must include a special focus on traditionally excluded groups.", said Ashok Bharti, Wada Na Todo Abhiyan

"India has a crucial role to play in the achievement of the MDGs," said Minar Pimple, Dy. Director, UN Millennium Campaign

Over twenty-five agencies were represented at the meeting, which was part of the series of actions and activities during the days leading up to Stand Up and Take Action in October 17-19.

The country report was released in time for the UN High Level Event on the MDGs which will take place at the UN headquarters in New York on 25 September, and where GCAP will be taking part with an Day of Voices, brining perspectives from the south to the UN meeting.

Read the full press statement here

The final figure of people Standing Up last year was a massive total of 43,716,440 participants in at least 6,540 events around the globe spanning 127 countries. They broke the world record – set in 2006 at 23.5 million – for the largest number of people to “Stand Up Against Poverty” in 24 hours.

This year, help us get 1% of the world population to Stand Up and Take Action against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals during October 17-19.

What can you do?

1% of the population…, that’s just over 67 million people, so we need to spread the word: tell your friends, ask your family, rouse your co-workers and motivate your fellow students to take part in the largest anti-poverty mobilisation in the world.

Find out about Stand Up, learn about the Millennium Development Goals, register and add your event and get ready to Stand Up and Take Action!

Local leaders of political parties and members of national level civil society organizations also participated in the assembly. More than 2000 people participated in the programme, which kicked off with a mass rally in Mahendranagar, the district headquarters of Kanchanpur in Makali zone in the far western region of Nepal, an area prone to food scarcity.

A jury of three men and three women, including Dalit, bonded labour, landless and indigenous people was formed by the assembly to facilitate the debate and discussions. Marginalized people were identified to speak and raise their voice in the assembly. More than 100 marginalized people, particularly the poorest of the poor, spoke against poverty and strongly urged the government to fulfill their commitments and take immediate actions against poverty. Among the participants, 70 percent were women. Women are most vulnerable from poverty and hence they were encouraged to participate and speak about and against poverty.   

A Kamlari woman said "If our children are not human beings, kill them. They do not have food to eat, are suffering from misquotes. Government says the education is free, but school fees are imposed. Who is responsible for this"?  

Janga Bahadur, a local affected by government's conservation programme said "time and again we have been displaced from our place by the government-imposed conservation areas. Government use force such as army and elephant to evacuate us form our land. Our land has been the basis of our life, dignity, livelihoods and identity. I strongly warn government not to violate the livelihood rights of people and ensure rights to resources in order to eliminate poverty".  

A Dalit woman from Achham district said "government occasionally distribute food from Nepal Food Corporation district chapter and Dalit are given the food at the end of distribution even though we are in front in queue in a believe that Dalit will make the food impure. By the time when we reach to the door of store, the foods are finished. Such discrimination should be ended immediately".  

Dansing Raute, a representative of a group at the verge of extinction said "we are unemployed and vulnerable to hunger and illness. Limited amount of food (often are half stomach) is available for us to eat. I demand with the government to ensure employment, health, education and food sovereignty for all of us".  

Chandra Kala Sunar- a woman from marginalized group said "we are tenants and work for landlords. We face food deficit for more than 9 months even though we work for full year. We do not have land rights and also we do not have rights to the production that we produce from the land. We demand for rights to resources including land and other natural resources".  

The participants of the assembly raised their concerns that Nepal is in the process of making new constitution. The new constitution of Nepal should ensure the fundamental rights such as rights to food, health, education of indigenous, Dalits, women, poor, bonded labor, Halia, Kamlari, differently-able-people and excluded and minority groups. Civil society leaders and leaders of political parties supported the voices of the poor.

GCAP representatives including Adelaide Sosseh (GCAP co-chair, The Gambia), Christophe Zoungrana (GCAP Africa Secretariat, Senegal) and Seth Abloso (GCAP Global Council, Ghana) were present at the forum and worked with the Better Aid coalition, CIVICUS and others to present a powerful civil society case for increased Aid Effectiveness. The GCAP delegation engaged in a significant amount of media work, and Kumi Naidoo (co-chair, South Africa) took part in the High-Level Forum itself.

However, despite our efforts, the official statement is not what civil society expected. It is not very clear on time-bound monitorable commitments, although at least it does contain some useful language and a couple of important new commitments in the areas of predictability, budget support, conditionality and transparency.

You can read the full official statement here, or read the reaction from Reality of Aid.

The latest information, articles and opinion from the forum were captured by Terra Viva.

in this special Accra 2008 edition of the Terra Viva publication.

Adelaide Sosseh, GCAP Co-Chair and activist encouraged people worldwide to join in:

“There is a period of unique opportunity in the 50 days ahead when people can show they won’t accept the suffering of human poverty any longer. There are ways for every man, woman and child in the world to take action, however small and local, so that leaders fulfill the Millennium Development Goals, adhere to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and stretch their efforts to narrow the staggering inequality that exists in our world today.”

Millions of people all over the world can join with their personal actions, by participating in poverty hearings, marching up in rallies, playing at anti-poverty football matches, volunteering or donating support, or by taking action online.

Why not take your first action now by pledging your support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

The mobilisation will reach its peak with the annual Stand Up and Take Action against poverty and inequality and for the Millennium Development Goals, which this year will take place between October 17-19. Last year 43.7 million took part, and this year we want to make it the biggest ever.

Make sure to find out about Stand Up, organize your event and register with the website so your action can be counted!

Read the full press release here: GCAP launches 50 days of action in Accra