First day of Stand Up and Take Action great success

The first day of Stand Up has been exciting and inspiring.  From school children in New Zealand to rugby players in South Africa, from planting trees in India, to concerts in Brazil, the diversity of actions towards meeting and exceeding the Millennium Development Goals has been remarkable.  Pictures are coming in to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/standagainstpoverty

Events continue to flood in, and even at this early stage, we can say with confidence that this is an unprecedented experience for humanity.  We have seen a commitment by such a wide range of people, that political decision makers will have no choice but to respond in unprecedented ways.

Mary Robinson leads a 'Stand Up' action of 500 people in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the Amnesty International Annual Lecture which she delivered on the theme &quot;How universal are human rights?&quot;. Also featured is Linda McClelland of the Coalition of Aid and Development Agencies. <br /> Copyright: Amnesty International. Photographer: John Baucher

On the 60^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we have come such a long way in understanding how reinforcing the erradication of poverty and the promotion of human rights is.    As Mary Robinson said at a Stand Up event in Belfast yesterday, "The right to live free from poverty is enshrined in the Universal Declaration and it is so important we stand shoulder to shoulder with so many others who experience the reality of poverty, to show our commitment to end this injustice and hold our own leaders to account for the role they must play in ending it."

In the remaining two days of Stand Up, we are sure to see even more grassroots actions to end poverty and inequality, and to uphold human rights.

Thank you all for you actions, your work, and your commitment.  Please continue sharing with us information about your activities, so that we can strengthen this global movement.