Accountability

The forum calls for PEOPLE'S FOOD SOVEREIGNTY NOW! and more than 600 delegates (NGO's, indigenous peoples, fishers, farmers, environmentalists, youth, etc) are attending right now the thematic sessions of the Forum.

GCAP Italy in collaboration with the Italian Association of NGOs held a side-event "on the road from L'Aquila". The aim of the side event was to have a feedback on the roadmap on food security after L'Aquila Summit.

Some of the speakers were:

• Renzo Maria ROSSO - Coordinator for Multilateral Organizations - Directorate General for Development Cooperation - Italian MoFA
• Marco COCHI -  Mayor's Delegate for Cooperation - Municipality of Rome
• Richard CHINA - Director, Policy Assistance and Resources Mobilization Division and Officer-in-Charge Field Operations Division - FAO
• Paul G. LARSEN - Director, Multilateral and NGO Relations - WFP
• Kevin CLEAVER - Assistant President for Programmes, Programme Management Dept. - IFAD

Some of the main conclusions were:

• Developing countries have demonstrated that it is possible to reduce hunger (ex. Brazil, China, Ghana, Vietnam, India and Tanzania)
• Need to have national programmes as a result of coodination work between governments, farmers and civil society organisations
• Need to find regional programme solutions
• Farmers organisations need to be strengthen
• Food quality must to be included in national programmes
• Need to find the way to use resources efficiently
• Need confidence that food secuirty will be included in the Canadian agenda
• Donors need to be accountable

In some cases the political impact of Stand Up is already being felt, while in others it has marked the beginning of political campaigns for the next year. Here is a small overview of some of the key political events and we look forward to receiving information on events as well as on the follow up.

Shortly after Stand Up, the South African Government responded to one of GCAP South Africa ’s key policy demands by announcing the extension of the age for a child support grant from 15 years to 18 years. “The announcement comes as icing on the cake after the most successful Stand Up & Take Action campaign ever seen in SA, with over 2 million people participating all over the country and we are glad to see the very direct and real action from the SA government to end poverty, now" said Rajesh Latchman of GCAP South Africa.

In Kenya, parliamentarians attended key Stand Up events such as a Climate Justice Hearing organised by GCAP Kenya and agreed to provide them with support in preparing and presenting a public petition on poverty reduction to the Parliament. The coalition plans to follow up in 2010 by organising a national convention on poverty to devise clear strategies on the achievement of the MDGs by 2015 next year, and a people’s report as part of the New MDGs Plus 10 mobilization. Key demands will include increased funding for women and youth, to improved governance and management of public affairs as well as the revision of management in hospitals.

A MDG awards gala to honour the best-performing local government was launched by GCAP Uganda where the Government is currently preparing a report on the achievement of the MDGs. The inaugural award was presented to the Kasese District. The coalition will participate in the upcoming Joint Annual Review of Decentralization scheduled for early December – GCAP Uganda will focus on particular on the achievement of the MDGs by Local Governments. In addition members of the Parliamentary MDGs Forum committed to work with GCAP in the budget analysis, monitoring and other campaign activities. All coalition members are using the Stand Up numbers to lobby the government and some members of the coalition such as The Youth Policy Plus Network is planning to send a petition to the Speaker of Parliament on the issues they raised during their Stand up Events.

An MDG race in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, focused on commitments to delivering on Pro MDG related policies despite the challenge of the financial crisis. Various statements were made during the event on the need to ‘MDGise’ the national budget, especially around the issues of education, health and sanitation, as well as food security. During the event GCAP Zambia managed to engage the government on committing to the implementation of a “Six National Development Plan (SNDP)” on poverty reduction and will follow up on this over the next year.

The Second Phase of ‘9-is-mine’ campaign was launched by GCAP India - Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (Don’t Break Your Promise Campaign) which mobilised 6.7 people all over the country who reasserted their right as citizens to development and held the government accountable to its promises. Over the weekend, people across 156 Parliamentary Constituencies audited the functioning of government schools and hospitals in their respective constituencies as a reminder to the government on its own promise of 6 percent GDP on education and 3 percent on basic health service. The second phase of the 9-is-mine drive will focus on several demands to be implemented at policy level in order to fulfil the commitments of MDGs by 2015. These include: adequate budget allocation on economic and social infrastructure and fulfilment on the as yet unmet promise to spend 6 percent of GDP on universal education and 3 percent on basic health facilities, the doing away with the majority of the tax exemptions and the use of the proceeds of these towards subsidies for the poor and marginalised.

In Bangladesh , 35 million people from civil society to officials from local government, trade union leaders and elected community representatives stood up and reiterated their commitment to Take Action against Climate Injustice, Poverty and Inequality. The people urged that the Government of Bangladesh as a signatory to the UN Millennium declaration must take its responsibility seriously and come up with realistic and concrete strategies to ensure that a positive change in the quality of life of the population is brought about by 2015. According to organisers it was “a significant milestone for Bangladesh and will remain in history since political leaders, including the Prime Minister for the first time reinforced her commitment to make poverty history.”

Despite devastating floods, 35 million people stood up across Philippines to emphasize the importance of policy action to accelerate the achievement of the MDGs. This year’s Stand Up campaign included the launch of “I Vote for MDG” campaign, which encourages voters to know their candidates in next year’s elections and support those who will have the MDGs as their platform of government.

GCAP Peru presented an alternative report to the one launched by the government on the progress of the MDGs. The report which questioned the government’s claim to be on track towards eliminating poverty received widespread national media coverage and a follow up conference will take place towards the end of the year.   In addition, to draw attention to Peru’s lack of progress on maternal mortality (a woman dies every eight hours due 8 hours due to complications in pregnancy, childbirth and post natal care making it one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Latin America) 100s of coffins were carried through the streets of Lima to raise awareness of the issue.

With eight months to go to the next G8/G20, GCAP Canada , Make Poverty History, launched its “G8 Campaign” as part of its Stand Up activities and called for a domestic poverty reduction plan and action on climate change as well as financing for the MDGs and the transformation of global economic and financial systems. Two petitions were launched where citizens can send a message to the Canadian Prime Minister http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/en/makeusproud and http://dignityforall.ca

In an event organised by GCAP UK , 200 MPs were given a copy of the Bond International Development Manifesto as thousands of people across the country called on politicians to ensure that the country play its full part in rising to the challenge of fighting poverty and inequality. Politicians contacted included deputy leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman, Conservative manifesto writer Oliver Letwin and Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Vince Cable.

In Ireland , the We Don't Care Less campaign (http://www.wedocare.ie/) was a key focus for Stand Up as citizens called on the Government not to make any further cuts to the Overseas Development Aid budget in 2010 and to maintain its promise of spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA by 2012. A poll carried out by the European Union and released days after Stand Up revealed that more than 92% of Irish respondents said that it was “important” to help people in developing countries and, despite the economic crisis, 65% said that we should exceed or at least honour our aid commitment, while just 13% said it should be cut. http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_318_en.pdf

A number of events focused specifically on climate justice with clear demands on poverty and climate change to their governments and to world leaders. These events include:

GCAP Ghana and Ghana National Youth Coalition on Climate Change (GNYCCC) launched their Climate Justice Hearing “We can’t wait; Stand Up, Take Action, End Climate Change and Poverty Now”, a caravan which departed from the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology in Accra and visited eight different regions of the country, gathering peoples’ testimonies on the impact of climate change on their lives. On the road, the GNYCCC team engaged people of all ages to stand up against climate change and poverty, and gathered signatures to be handed over to the government and to leaders in Copenhagen demanding action. Almost 50,000 people participated in the activities. Testimonies from school children, farmers (men and women), women’s groups, Elders and community leaders gave evidence of the devastating impact of climate change on their lands: children dropping out of school because their parents lost their fields and cannot afford school materials, or because their days have to be spent walking long distance looking looking for drinking water; unemployed youth that migrate from their communities and engage in tree cutting and people from diseases caused by the increased intensity of the sun light and by polluted water.

Key challenges highlighted by the group at the end of the journey which they will be following up with the government are: the need for the “ordinary citizen and the civil society organization to be carried along by Government in the fashioning of a comprehensive frame work policy on climate change in Ghana” as well as the need for the “private and industrial sectors of the Ghanaian economy who are the worse offenders, to contribute substantially to mitigation intervention.”

Climate Justice hearing were also held in Peru and Kenya, with thousands participating in both. At the closure of the event in Kenya, Mwangi Waituru of GCAP Kenya said “During STAND UP we have heard hallowing stories of children going for days without food right here in Nairobi, businesses and livelihoods that have been shattered by power and water crisis due to the war torn destruction of the environment and the ozone layer in particular… Are we saying and with such casualness that by 2015, those dying of hunger will still be dying?” while in Peru, participants in the hearing launched a statement with ten key demands at a national level on climate justice and sustainable development.

All GCAP Singapore events had a strong focus on climate justice and poverty with all events – from a food raising drive and aimed at raising awareness of both local poverty and the MDGs– included a Stand Up moment where participants also called on world leaders to reach a fair, ambitious and binding deal in Copenhagen. Follow up activities will be held during a “Green Festival” during Obama’s visit to the country for the ASEAN Summit in November.

In the Philippines the youth organization Kabataan Kontra Kahirapan (KKK) mobilised 3,500 students during a Youth Forum on poverty and climate change, which included a photo exhibit, a KKK t-shirt design making contest and a fashion show. “The recent typhoons brought the country down to its knees, devastated and hopeless, questioning the government’s capacity to respond to the crisis. It was also enraging to know that behind the massive flooding is the government’s alleged neglect on putting the people’s safety first before releasing water from Ipo, Anggat and San Roque Dams,” said Richard Candano, KKK Vice Chairperson and GCAP Philippines campaigner.

“We want the world to know that the youth are aware of what is happening and are willing to accept the challenge in improving the lives of many people, especially the poor and the marginalised,” said KKK National Chairperson Claudine Claridad, “Is this time of worsening crises on poverty and climate change, we call on the current and future governments to shape up its priorities and policies before it’s too late. We urge the government to live up to its promises in putting the welfare of the Filipino people first, responding to climate issues as well.”

GCAP China carried out a "climate change and poverty" themed "Stand Up, I do" activity which included Stand Up moments at various events from a photo gallery, a film showing, lectures at colleges, field trips and a mass on university campus. GCAP China will continue focusing issues of climate change and have assigned two coalition members to follow up on the COP15 process at a policy as well as an awareness raising level.

GCAP Argentina campaign "Ningún Hogar Pobre en Argentina" ("Not one single poor household in Argentina") sent the following note (original in Spanish below) celebrating the announcement, and calling for the decree to be made law:

Our campaign from its inception in 2005 has worked to put on the public agenda the need for a Universal Child Allowance, recognising that although this measure is not the solution to poverty, it does establish a basic benchmark to improve the living conditions of children and adolescents in our country.

We joined up with other social organizations in claiming that the need for this measure came from the 2001/2002 crisis in Argentina, and we were joined in recent months by political parties and sectors of the church.

That's why on Thursday 29 October we listened with joy to the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, as she announced the decree that establishes in Argentina a universal allocation per child for Social Protection.

We think this is a commendable that the government, which had been opposing this tool for the redistribution of wealth, has finally decided to implement it, recognising the rights of children of workers from formal to informal workers' children or unemployed.

The decree announces a cash benefit which provides an allowance on a non-retributive, monthly basis payable to one parent, guardian or relative for each child under eighteen (18) who is responsible (no age limit in the case of a disabled child.) This benefit, which is now equivalent to the amount charged by formal workers be paid for each child approved by the family group to a maximum cumulative amount equal to five children. This allocation has some conditionalities relating to health checks and compulsory schooling.

It is estimated that the measure will cost around ten billion dollars and will reach approximately five million children and youths.

There are many reasons why we value this decree, although there are some doubts regarding the universality of its scope, the relevance of the institutions that will be funding it and the bureaucracies of its implementation among others.  For this reason we believe that now it is necessary to deepen the debate, which we are doing through our web www.nomaspobreza.org.ar.

We also believe that this decree must become law to ensure its continuity and consecration as a citizen right.

In conclusion, we believe the Universal Mapping offers a reparatory response to a population that has been hit by neoliberal economic policies. Decent work, with education, health, modernization or establishment of infrastructure, basic services and housing will improve living conditions and begin to eliminate the extreme poverty, gradually consolidating sustainable and inclusive human development.

Visit the GCAP Argentina page for more information.

Version original en español:

Nuestra campaña, desde sus inicios en el 2005, ha trabajado por poner en la agenda pública el tema de  la Asignación Universal por Hijo/a, considerando que esta medida, sin ser la solución para la pobreza, establecería un piso básico para mejorar las condiciones de vida de los niños, niñas y adolescentes de nuestro país.

Nos uníamos de esta manera a otras organizaciones sociales que venían reclamando esta medida desde la crisis del 2001/2002, y a la que se sumaron partidos políticos y sectores de la iglesia en los últimos meses.

Es por eso que el jueves 29 de octubre escuchamos con alegría  a la Presidenta de la Nación, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, anunciar el decreto que instaura en la Argentina una Asignación Universal por hijo/a para Protección Social.

Nos parece un  hecho encomiable que el gobierno, que venía oponiéndose a esta herramienta de redistribución, haya decidido finalmente ponerla en práctica, equiparando los derechos de los hijos de los trabajadores formales con los de los hijos de trabajadores informales o desocupados.

El decreto anunciado prevé una prestación monetaria no retributiva de carácter mensual, que se abonará a uno solo de los padres, tutor o pariente por consanguinidad, hasta el tercer grado por cada menor de DIECIOCHO (18 años) que se encuentre a su cargo o sin límite de edad cuando se trate de un hijo discapacitado. Esta prestación, cuyo monto es hoy equivalente al que cobran los trabajadores formales, se abonará por cada menor acreditado por el grupo familiar hasta un máximo acumulable al importe equivalente a CINCO (5) menores.

Esta asignación tiene algunas condicionalidades, referidas a los controles sanitarios y la escolaridad obligatoria.

Se estima que la medida insumirá alrededor de diez mil millones de pesos, y alcanzará a aproximadamente cinco millones de niños/as y jóvenes.

Son muchas las razones por las cuales valoramos este decreto; sin embargo, su lectura y análisis detallado arroja algunas dudas relacionadas con  la universalidad de su alcance, la pertinencia de los fondos de financiamiento y las burocracias de su instrumentación  entre otras,  y por esa razón creemos que en este momento es imprescindible profundizar el debate, lo cual estamos haciendo desde nuestra página www.nomaspobreza.org.ar )

Creemos que este decreto, además, debe llegar a ser LEY para garantizar su continuidad y consagrarse como derecho ciudadano.

Para concluir, creemos que  la Asignación Universal ofrece una respuesta reparadora a una población que ha sido castigada por políticas económicas neoliberales. El trabajo decente, sumado a la educación, la salud, la modernización o creación de infraestructura, servicios básicos y viviendas, permitirá mejorar las condiciones de vida y avanzar sobre el núcleo más duro de la pobreza, consolidando progresivamente un desarrollo humano, sostenible e incluyente.

The current Eleventh Five Year Plan marked a major shift in the development strategy of the Indian state, by foregrounding the need for “faster and more inclusive growth”. This was in sharp contrast to the post-economic reform agenda of pursuing vigorous growth, reflective of the government’s belief that “there cannot be inclusive growth without growth itself.”

This shift was borne out of the realization that while at one level the country had recorded an impressive growth rate of 8.9%, at another level, contradictions between different sections of society continued to persevere.  The Planning Commission noted in the approach to the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, that “large parts of our population are still to experience a decisive improvement in their standard of living…. far too many of our people still lack the basic requirements for a decent living...disadvantaged groups, especially the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the minorities have benefited less than they should have. Regional imbalances have emerged across and even within states” [Planning Commission 2006: 1]. To address these growing disparities, there was an immediate need thus to reorient the development strategy and make it more inclusive so that the country’s growth would be indicative of not  just  “the distribution of economic gains but also the security, vulnera¬bility, empowerment, and  sense of full participation that people may enjoy in social life”.

The vision of Eleventh Five Year plan reflects the UPA government’s commitment to ensure that all sections of society benefit from the development process. Several flagship programmes aimed at health, education, nutrition, employment and agriculture have been launched since 2004 and continue to dominate all appraisals of the governments’ performance. However most of these appraisals have remained confined to bureaucratic chambers, to the total and complete neglect of those who are central to democratic functioning i.e. the citizenry. Since people are central to governance, it is imperative that they play a role in the crucial exercise of evaluating the objectives and targets set in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.  Recognising the need to bring people into this process,  several organisations have got together to organise a People’s Mid Term Appraisal (PMTA) to assess from a people’s perspective how  the Eleventh Five Year Plan has worked. 

The Mid Term Appraisal will present an important opportunity to assess the functioning of the Plan and for mid course correction. The Mid Term Appraisal of the Eleventh Plan (2007-2011) is under way and the Planning Commission plans to wind up this process by December 2009.

1. Why are we organising a People’s Mid Term Appraisal?
We are interested in organising a People’s Mid Term Appraisal to:
•    Mobilise people’s voice and assess from a people’s perspective the larger policy framework and the programmes/schemes in the Eleventh Five Year Plan;
•    Identify gaps as well as the best practices in implementation through collating the existing empirical evidence and;
•    Substantiate the case with testimonies, case studies etc. from the community.

2. Who is organising this?
A large number of civil society organizations have come together to organise the People’s Mid Term Appraisal. The coalition includes various well known civil society organisations and networks that are currently involved in governance accountability work. The National Consultation on the ‘Role of Civil Society in the Eleventh Five Year Plan’ in December 2008, collectively organised by the Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability and National Social Watch Coalition, with the support of the Planning Commission, had already set the stage to involve people to do the assessment of the targets set in the Eleventh Five Year Plan. The PMTA would serve as the next critical step to strengthen the initiative. The names of those who attended the First Planning Meeting of the People’s Mid Term Appraisal is listed in Annexure-1 and the names of those in the Organising Committee is listed in Annexure-2.

However, many more individuals, networks and coalitions are joining us in this endeavour and we hope many more will join us in the coming days.

3. How will we organise the People’s Mid Term Appraisal?
There are three strategies that we will use.
(a) Building a strong evidence base to critically assess the functioning of the Plan and thereby suggest future directions:
For this, Research Papers are being commissioned on the following themes: Health, Education, Nutrition & Social Safety Net, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Agriculture, Rural Development, Employment including the Small & Medium Enterprises, Energy and Social Exclusion.
We propose the following framework that will form the basis of the People’s Mid Term Appraisal:
•    Gaps in Policies
•    Gaps in Implementation
•    Gaps in Budgets
•    Gaps in Institutional Mechanisms

(b) Building a larger coalition so as to engage people from across the country:
Five year plans explicitly acknowledge the vast regional variations that exist in the country and the concerns therein. Therefore, the People’s Mid Term Appraisal will be incomplete if it does not represent the concerns of different regions and states. Regional and state level consultations will therefore try and build a collaborative space to strengthen this initiative.

•    State level Consultations: State level Consultations will be held in at least 10 states. The consultations will be held in Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The State level Consultations will prepare a brief report commenting on the functioning of the Plan and giving recommendations.

•    Regional level Consultations: 5 Regional level Consultations will be held, one each in North (Shimla), South (Chennai), East (Patna), West (Ahmedabad) and Northeast India (Shillong)

•    National level Consultation: Following the state and regional level consultations, a National level Consultation will be held in New Delhi which will be a consolidation of the whole process.

(c) Building a base of primary evidence:
A sample of 10 villages (5 villages from each district) will be selected from 2 districts of each of the 10 states making the total sample of 100 villages. A survey will be conducted in these villages which will primarily focus on the performance of the particular State in delivery of services (especially from the lens of social exclusion and functioning of institutions of governance). A village fact-sheet will also be prepared which will include comments from various institutions operational at the village level. This evidence of the village fact-sheets and information on delivery of services will inform and add to the State Consultations.

4. How will we follow-up on this process?
The proceedings and key findings of the Consultations will be broken up according to different sectors and taken to the relevant policy makers at the Planning Commission so that the inputs could be integrated in specific chapters of the Mid Term Appraisal of the Planning Commission. Although, social exclusion has been identified as a cross cutting theme, specific issues concerning women, disabled, dalits, adivasis and religious minorities, among others, will be culled out from different sectors and presented to the Planning Commission.

Since in the course of the state level consultations, many actors from the state level will get involved in the process, one of the benefits of the series of activities being proposed, will be the presence of a voice of civil society organisations at the state level too, focussing on follow up advocacy with relevant policy makers at the state level. Since many of the concerns pertaining to social sectors fall in the State List, such advocacy efforts at the state levels will have the potential to influence state’s policies. Such advocacy efforts at the state level will focus on the State’s Annual Plans as well as on specific implementation issues in different schemes and programmes. These recommendations will also be useful for the State Governments in implementing various programmes and schemes in a pro-poor manner. 

5. What can we do?
o    If you have any inputs on how Plan Programme/Policies/Schemes are working and what the bottlenecks are
o    If you have any concrete recommendations for the Planning Commission on what needs to be done to improve the implementation of the EFYP
o    If you want to join our State Level, Regional or National Consultation,

Please send in your inputs/ comments/responses to bhumika@cbgaindia.org/navanita.sinha@gmail.com.

We request networks/coalitions to join the process and show solidarity.

Yamini Mishra and Amitabh Behar
On behalf of
Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability, National Social Watch Coalition
& Wada Na Todo Abhiyan.

ANNEXURE I
List of People Present at the Meeting to Discuss the People’s Mid Term Appraisal of the Eleventh Five Year Plan:
Sl. No.    Name     Organization    Contact Details
1.    Amitabh Behar    NCAS    amitabh@ncasindia.org
2.    Aditi Kapoor    Oxfam India    aditi@oxfamindia.org
3.    Anil K. Singh    Sansad/WNTA    anilsingh2005@rediffmail.com
4.    Avinash Kumar    Oxfam India    avinash@oxfamindia.org
5.    Babu Lal Sharma    Ekta Parishad/GGF    globalgandhi@gmail.com
6.    Bhumika Jhamb    CBGA    bhumika@cbgaindia.org
7.    Datta Patel    YUVA-Rural, Nagpur    data.p@yuvaindia.org
8.    Deepa    Sama    sama.genderhealth@gmail.com
9.    Deepak L Xavier    Oxfam India    deepaklxavier@gmail.com
10.    Indranil    Anweshan    Inil2@rediffmail.com
11.    Indira Khurana    Water Aid    indirakhurana@wateraid.org
12.    Jyoti    YUVA-Rural, Nagpur    jyoti.n@yuvaindia.org
13.    K. A. Jayakumar    World Vision India    ka_jayakumar@wvi.org
14.    Lilly Vishwanathan    PLAN India   
15.    Madhuri    Indian Network of Positive People    madhuri@inpplus.net
16.    Radhika Alkazi    AARTH ASTHA    aarthindia@gmail.com
17.    Ramakant Rai    National Coalition for Education    nceindia@gmail.com
18.    Rajesh Upadhyay    NACDOR    nacdor@gmail.com
19.    Sarita     CEC    sarita@cec-india.org
20.    Sandhya Venkateshwara     WNTA    sandhyav@rediffmail.com
21.    Seema Thakur    NAWO    thakurseema1@gmail.com
22.    Seema Pawan    World Vision India    seema_pawan@wvi.org
23.    Seema    Jagori   
24.    Siba Sankar Mohanty    WNTA    ssmohanty@gmail.com
25.    Suman    WNTA    suman.wnta@gmail.com
26.    Umesh Babu    NCDHR   
27.    Yamini    CBGA    yamini.mishra@gmail.com

ANNEXURE II

List of Organising Committee Members who will coordinate the process of the People’s Mid Term Appraisal:
•    Amitabh Behar, NCAS
•    Anil Singh, SANSAD/WNTA
•    Himanshu Jha, National Social Watch Coalition
•    Radhika, AARTH ASTHA
•    Rajesh, NACDOR
•    Seema Thakur, NAWO
•    Sarita, CEC
•    Siba Sankar Mohanty, WNTA
•    Yamini Mishra, CBGA

It kind of reminded me of a U2 video from the nineties, the centre of a big city brought to a standstill by a pop group playing a public concert, surrounded by police speaking into their walkie talkies and the backdrop of honking car horns by frustrated drivers. 
That was the rock music finale of this evening’s massive march against poverty in downtown Madrid.  As a mixture of students, hapless tourists and business people going home at the end of the working week were engulfed by thousands of demonstrators, the pop group El Canto del Loco took the stage.  Rocking out their new, specially-composed hit, The Cry of our Generation, there were groupies screaming alongside chanting campaigners. 

The march saw groups from every part of the political spectrum carry a range of messages about trade justice, debt cancellation, hunger and the MDGs as well as the now familiar 'Put People First' banner.  The overriding message, that the global crisis could not be the excuse to the developed world for reneging on their commitments to the poorest.  The spotlight shone brightest on the Spanish government of course, who’s commitment to reaching 0.7% of GNI in aid is being monitored against the backdrop of a recession and rapidly rising national unemployment.  

There were giant balloons carrying slogans and megaphones encouraging people to satirise leaders for summits that deliver little change.  There were thousands of whistles blown in unison so the politicians couldn’t ignore us, probably the most moving moment of the evening for anyone present.  There were clowns and street performers, drummers and nuns, walking side by side.  A sea of television cameras and photographers captured the image of the eight Millennium Goal placards raised high above the crowd while an ariel snap of the rally showed it snaking under the bright sun from Madrid’s Plaza Cibeles to Sol in a carnival atmosphere where accountability and solidarity were at the fore.

Elsewhere in Spain, 40 other cities were hosting similar events both today and planned for tomorrow and Sunday.  Estimates tonight are that 12,000 people took part in the Madrid march which is great news.

There is great energy this morning in the head office in Madrid of the Spanish national anti-poverty campaign, Pobreza Cero. Tens of volunteers have been here since dawn packing materials and lining up the thousands of multi-coloured whistles that protestors will blow to call time on governments for taking action to meet the MDGS.  Here in Madrid and in 50 cities around the country people are ready to take to the streets under the banner " Rebel Against Poverty"/“Rebélate contra la Pobreza”.

The Spanish government will be held to account for its promises on addressing poverty , in particular the promise to increase spending on overseas aid and coorindate policies across government (commercial, migratory, financial etc.) with the poverty plan in mind.

Staff and volunteers here in Madrid will wear the bright orange t -shirts of the Zero Poverty Campaign that will help them stand out amongst the tens of thousands expected to march between the famous Plaza de Cibeles and the very central point of Spain, Puerta de Sol where a concert by famous local artists, El Canto del Loco, will get people rocking to the sounds of a new song composed especially for the occasion,  " The Cry of my Generation"

One of the new and exciting iniatives of this year's mobilisation is the photographic competition being launched today to award a prize for the best image taken at today's Madrid march.  Interest in this has spread like wildfire among professionals and amateur photographers city-wide so it will be fantastic to see the final works of art.

Ok, time to go and get those white bands read for the wrists of our supporters!

My name is Abdul Awal and I am have already been doing so much as part of a whole week of action on poverty since October 13th.  We have had a press conference and several excellent discussions calling on our government and rich countries to take more concrete actions to end poverty. Time is passing for our leaders to do the right thing and honour their Millennium Goal promises. Today, I am back to my office and preparing for tomorrows mobilization on World Food Day.  I will join a farmer’s stand up event in the coastal town Noakhali, where farmers are joining hands to demand their right to food and agricultural reform in favor of the marginalized farmers in the newly raised Char area.  On Saturday, I will take part in the central Stand Up event of civil society in the capital city Dhaka at the Central Shohid Minar while on 18th, some great cultural events will take place in Robondra Sorobar, Dhaka city with hundreds of young people and citizens set to take part.
It will really shine a spotlight on the plight of so many people in this country so I am really looking forward to the weekend! awal@nrdsbd.org

World Leaders coming together to “cook up more disaster”

When the hotel doorman asks if we are sure we really want to go up to the Hill District, we know that we are going to the right place. It is here, in the African American neighbourhood known as the Hills that the real G20 Pittsburgh summit action is taking place.

This action is not the flying visit of 22 world leaders to discuss the financial crisis behind closed doors and at a cost of $10 million in security. Nor is it the long lines of police, army, border control and private security who have taken over the streets, out numbering civilians in downtown Pittsburgh. No. The real action, the peoples' voices, the people power, the peoples' strategising is happening right here in the Monumental Baptist Church and the Tent City which has been constructed around it by the Bail Out the People Movement and groups of the unemployed and homeless. It is here that people, from all over the world, have come together to demand to be heard. They have come together to denounce what they see as the deeply flawed policies of the G20 leaders in dealing with the financial crisis and the “magnitude of dislocation” this is causing in the lives of people worldwide and to look at ways of working together to bring about a mass movement for change.

Community leader Carl Redwood, Jr. of The Hill District consensus Group is one of those people. A leader in the struggle for housing, jobs, recreation spaces for young people in the Hill district, he says that the language used by the G20 and the media in their coverage of it may be complex and inaccessible to many but to his community, it is quite simple. “Elite groups such as the G20 are created to remove all obstacles to profit. They come together, supported by multi national corporations, not just to make profit, but to maximise profit.”

It is within this context that according to Joseph Stigltz, one of the speakers at the event, a culture has been created in which banks have become “too big to fail” and in which “loss is socialised and gain is capitalised.” In other words, it has become accepted that tax payers money can be used to bail out banks and shareholders, that people all over the world will loose their jobs and their homes while the banks and corporations responsible for the crisis can continue as before. This, according to Stiglitz,  has been reflected in the policies and discourse of the G20 leaders over the last year as they have met to discuss the financial crisis. “What is needed first is a profound shift of discourse,” he says while highlighting that is not a financial crisis but a systemic crisis of de-investment in people and in housing, health and food.

The next step, according to Emira Woods from the Institute of Policy Studies, is to “Expand the Space.” A self selected club of the leaders of richer economies can not make decisions for a world of globalised economies, where the actions taken by the more powerful economies have an effect all over the world. “We all know by now that when rick folk come together what they do is cook up disaster,” she says, “We need an inclusive and participatory and democratically accountable G192, we need women around the table, we need sustainable solutions.”

The lack of different voices within the G20 and the framing of the crisis as a purely financial one has, according to participants in the event, been clearly reflected in the outcomes of the summits. Outrage is expressed at the “empowerment of deeply flawed financial insitutions” such as the International Monetary Fund which was granted $1.3 trillion dollars at the London G20 Summit in April. Bhumika Muchhala  from the Third World Network who had been speaking at the launch of the Social Watch 2009 report earlier that day said “It is a truly horrifying that during the worst recession the world has faced since the 1950s, the most powerful nations in the world are empowering the coffers of everything that is flawed about the global economic system?” In terms of representation the IMF, there is one representative for all 24 African countries while all members of the G8 have a representative each and the USA alone holds the power to veto any decisions made, she points out. While the G20 leaders committed to carrying out reform of the IMF, according to Bhumika, the fact that the money was handed over to the institution before any reform has taken place exposes a lack of any real commitment to bringing about this reform.

This is reiterated by Leo Gerard president and international president of the Unite Steelworkers of America (USWA) who has a clear message for G20 leaders “it is time to reform the financial system not reestablish it.

Trickle down economic policies is a philosophy of greed that didn't work yesterday, doesn't work today and won't work in your meeting tomorrow.” He says.

But it also clear to participants that the world can't wait for leaders to bring about change, that change comes about when people come together in spaces like this one. Change comes about through people power.

"There are angry people all over the world,” says Gerard, “In the United States there are 30 million people unemployed people. Lots of them don't know who to blame and so they listen to the media who tell them to blame the workers who have jobs, blame the immigrants who have 'taken our jobs,'or blame the workers in India, China or Mexico who are prepared to 'work for less'... It is up to us to re-channel that anger to the right place and build a mass global movement for change, a movement for jobs – green jobs – for health care and infrastructure. We know the money is there, we have seen it, it is just that it has just been going to the wrong people.”

This is reiterated later on by Larry Holmes of the Bail Out the People's movement and one of the organisers of the various Marches For Jobs which have been taking place around the summit. “When we go out on the streets to march we have to remember we are not there as individuals,” he says, “millions of people from all over the world who couldn't afford to travel here to be with us but the struggles they are facing are the same. And so when we march we represent every single one of them. We represent women, we represent Chinese workers who are forbidden from joining a union, we represent the millions of children that go to bed hungry every night. We represent each and every one of those people and we are going to March for Change not just today but every single day until we have got what we want.”

Let the Marches begin!

Fionuala Cregan, Mobilisation Coordinator, Global Call for Action Against Poverty

25 September, Pittsburgh

Now, Canadian aid spending is directed to go exclusively to programmes that reduce poverty, are consistent with human rights standards, and include the priorities and ideas of people living in poverty. It includes transparent monitoring that looks at the impact of aid on both women and men.

The passing of the Better Aid Bill also reinforced the effectiveness of civil society research and advocacy to influence governance and policy matters at the national level. Additionally, it built a critical mass of parliamentarians supporting Make Poverty History, who are now working with GCAP to engage parliament on the quantity of aid, G8 policy demands, and more.

As an open platform, GCAP supporting organisations engage with different parts of coalition work.  Make Poverty History Canada’s, primary objectives are around more and better aid. The Better Aid Bill was put forward by parliamentarians supporting Make Poverty History, and was coupled with mobilisation of 75,000 individual supports of Make Poverty History Canada, who were disaggregated by voting district, and presented petitions to legislators. Thanks to the development of a strong online network, the coalition put pressure on elected representatives through street demonstrations, massive emails and local communities’ pressure during the political campaign previous to elections. While led by Make Poverty History Canada, the lobbying and mobilisation activities took place in conjunction with growing and diverse groups, including the First Nations, student and youth groups, Oxfam, and organisations working on domestic poverty issues. Campaigning is now ongoing to ‘get to the point’ of .7% and pushing for proper implementation of the bill.

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