FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

15/10/07 - London joins Global Call to Stand Up and Speak Out against Poverty

DATE: October 17th, midday WHERE: The Greater London Authority building, City Hall, The Queens Walk

To  mark  International  Day for the Eradication of Poverty, UK campaigners are  joining  the  global call to Stand Up and Speak Out against poverty in London  on  Wednesday  October  17th.  The worldwide symbol of anti-poverty
campaigning "a white band" is being held up around City Hall, near Tower Bridge.   Hundreds  of  people  will  unite to Stand Up and Speak Out for action to end poverty and  inequality  as  well  as  meet  and  exceed  the  Millennium
Development  Goals.   In  the  biggest  ever  24-hour day of action on this issue,  the  Global  Call  to  Action  against  Poverty  (GCAP)  and the UN Millennium  Campaign  are calling on millions of people around the world to demand a more urgent political response to the growing poverty crisis.

Dr  Kumi  Naidoo,  Chair, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) from South Africa says; "We are in London to make sure the voice of the South is heard  in  the North.  We know that the root causes of poverty are man-made
and  preventable  but the political will is lacking for bold action.   Only by  citizens  taking  this  cause  into  their  own hands and unrelentingly holding  their leaders to account can we change the course of history.  The Global  Call  to  Action  Against Poverty is driving this movement from the smallest  villages  to global financial centres like London and together we are turning up the heat on politicians to act."

The Stand Up and Speak Out event in London is part of a global mobilization in  almost 100 countries.  Campaigners are calling on governments and world leaders  to keep their promises to achieve the Millennium Development Goals
by  2015  and to go much further in taking action to end extreme poverty. A broad  cross-section  of  global  civil  society  is calling for justice on international trade rules and practices, debt cancellation, more and better
aid  to the poorest nations, women's rights as well as greater transparency and accountability.

Dr  Asha-Rose  Migiro,  Deputy UN Secretary General who is attending the UK event  commented;  "Just  past  the  midpoint  to  the 2015 target date for reaching  the  Millennium Development Goals, we know that these targets are
achievable,  but  only  if we break with business as usual and dramatically step up efforts on the ground. Today, people around the world are trying to set  a  new  record for the greatest number standing up against poverty and
for  the  Millennium  Development  Goals;  but the record we really want to break is the record of broken promises."

Last year 23.5 million people stood up on this date, setting a new Guinness World  Record.  This year, the range of events and actions is even greater. In  India,  for  example,  the  Art  of Living Foundation is hosting 50,000
devotees  of peace and non-violence in a stand up moment at their ashram in Bangalore.  Across  Africa,  actions  are  happening  everywhere  including prisons  across Kenya and at concerts in Ghana and Johannesburg. Meanwhile,
one million Palestinian children throughout the occupied West Bank and Gaza will raise banners, release white balloons and speak out against poverty in their region.

The  civil  society representatives participating in this event at London's City  Hall  come  from  the  student  network  U8  and  the  United Nations Association,  UNICEF,  leading UK aid and development organizations such as Oxfam,  Muslim Aid, Tearfund, Jubilee Debt Campaign, One World Action, Save the Children and CAFOD, as well the trade union UNISON.

Himesh Patel, President of the U8 says "As  citizens  of  our  countries  and  of  the world, we can make sure our
leaders  deliver  on  their  responsibility  for  eradicating  poverty  and improving  the  well-being  of  millions.  In  order to understand the real causes of poverty and to enact sustained positive change, there needs to be a  genuine  global partnership for development, as called for by Millennium Development  Goal  8.  The U8 Global Student Partnership is working towards this  on  a  student-level  and the global Stand Up and Speak Out action is
striving for the same goal."

The latest information is on the website: www.standagainstpoverty.org

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Photographs and interviews will be available at the event.

For more information visit standagainstpoverty.org or contact:

• Ciara O'Sullivan, GCAP Media Coordinator, ciara_os@hotmail.com Tel: + 44 7767246880
• Georgette  Ginn,  Oxfam  Press  Officer, gginn@oxfam.org.uk Tel: + 44 7980 837173
• Chandrika Deshpande, UN Press Officer, Chandrika.deshpande@undp.org Tel:+44 (0)7957 460246
• Anand Kantaria, UN Millennium Campaign, anand.kantaria@undp.org Tel: + 1212 906 6783

Available for interview:

• Dr  Kumi  Naidoo, Chair of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) from South Africa
• Dr  Thoraya  Ahmed  Obaid,  Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund
• Mrs  Moraene  Roberts,  GCAP  Grassroots  Ambassador  and  UK  Anti-Poverty Campaigner
• Astrid  Haas  and  Himesh  Patel,  the  U8,  Global Student Partnership for development group
• Alison  Woodhead,  GCAP  IFT  member  + Essential Services Campaign Manager Oxfam International

Event timeline:

• 11.30       Press to arrive
• 12.05        Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, Dr Thoraya A. Obaid, Mrs. Moraene Roberts and    Astrid    Haas    photo   of   "women   against   poverty"   against backdrop of white band wrap around City Hall + other participants
• 12.20       Intro to event by Dr Kumi Naidoo
• 12.25       Dr Migiro speaks
• 12:30       Count  down  to  the  Stand  Up  moment   -  more  photo opportunities
• 12.32       Pledge is read by U8 student representative
• 12.35       Event ends
• 12.40       Additional press interviews

Notes to Editors:
The  Global  Call  to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is a civil  society  alliance  of  social  movements,  International NGOs, trade unions,  community  groups,  women's organizations, faith and youth groups, local  associations  and  campaigners working together across more than 100 national  coalitions/platforms. GCAP is calling for action from the world's leaders   to  meet  their  promises  to  end  poverty  and  inequality.  In particular,  GCAP  demands  solutions  that  address  the issues of; public accountability,  just governance and the fulfillment of human rights; trade
justice;  more  and  better  aid; debt cancellation and gender equality and women's rights.

The  UN  Millennium  Campaign was established by UN Secretary  General  Kofi  Annan  in  2002.  The Campaign supports citizens' efforts  to  hold  their  governments to account for the achievement of the Millennium  Development  Goals.   The  Millennium  Development  Goals  were adopted  by  189  world  leaders  from  the north and south, as part of the Millennium  Declaration  that  was  signed in 2000. These leaders agreed to achieve  the  Goals  by  2015.  Its premise  is  simple,  we are the first generation that can end poverty and we refuse to miss this opportunity.

The  U8  is  a student-led global university network that aims to provide a neutral  platform  for students to engage in shared learning on development issues,  via  campus-based  activities  and  a  highly interactive website. Members  also  participate in multilateral research projects with which the U8  can be used as a platform to engage with policymakers in a critical and educated way. The  U8  derives  its  name from Millennium Development Goal 8's to build a global  partnership  for development. Unlike the G8, membership is not just for  rich  countries,  but  aims to include all. As of today, the U8 has 33 member universities across the globe.

Links to biogs
http://www.whiteband.org/media/press-info
http://www.un.org/sg/deputysg.shtml
http://www.unfpa.org/ed/bio.htm

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