FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

13/10/07 - World longest banner against poverty will unfurl in Bahawalpur (Pakistan) on 17/10/07

Guinness world record attempt

We are pleased to inform the media that October 17th, the International Day of the Eradication of Poverty the people all over the Pakistan are organising themselves and will raise their voices against the anti-poor policies and actions of the government, international institutions and other national and global exploitative structures.

The longest banner against poverty in Pakistan

We are pleased to inform the media that October 17th, the International Day of the Eradication of Poverty the people all over the Pakistan are organising themselves and will raise their voices against the anti-poor policies and actions of the government, international institutions and other national and global exploitative structures. Achieved a figure of 2.3 million people in the year 2006 GCAP Pakistan members comprised of the civil society organisations, social activists, political groups, academic institutions are mobilising have set a target to mobilize approximately 3 million people all over the country to speak in one voice against all those structures, plans, policies and actions
that further marginalise poor and disadvantaged.

These efforts will be part of global mobilisation that aspire to achieve the biggest ever mobilisation against poverty and inequality and in support of the Millennium Development Goals in more than 100 countries. Stand Up and Speak Out events on October 16-17th is a day when the Global Call to Action against Poverty alliance and UN Millennium Campaign call on millions to show courage and demand a more urgent political response to the growing crisis of global
poverty.

More than 1.2 millions peoples of Pakistan signed on the world longest banner on poverty and thousands and thousands people of Bahawalpur will see 10 kilometer long Banner unfurled in Bahawalpur on 17 October 2007. at 10 am at the same time when almost 50 millions peoples are standing and protesting against the poverty and inequality. Bas Bohat ho chuka a coalition of Pakistan civil society organization had made this world longest 10 kilometer Banner under the coordinating organization Insan Foundation Pakistan.

The global call is also focusing on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that more than 184 world leaders signed a commitment to do everything in their power to end poverty, extreme hunger by agreeing to achieve these Goals by the year 2015. This year marks the halfway point to this deadline and still almost a billion people live on less than a dollar a day. What we see that despite that half way point has come most of these countries have not made any significant achievements or shown any political will to do so in near future.

Pakistan will be participating in this global call while thousands of events are happening for 24 hours from 16th October including: GCAP coalition Pakistan are mobilising to demand more and better aid is spent on direct services and employment-generating projects. All these voices will demand the government to fulfill and exceed to their promises in MDGs and increase development spending on the basic and essential social services instead of military budgets and
other non-development expenses.

The member groups and networks GCAP coalition Pakistan demands the Pakistan government to:
1. Issue of poverty eradication should be dealt at top priority basis.
2. Government should ensure the provision of the modern technical education without discrimination to every one to decrease unemployment resulting in proportional decrease in the poverty.
3. Government should promote pollution free industries at local and national level.
4. Government should insure the constitutional rights of the masses of respectful employment.
5. Real steps should be taken to control price hike, keeping in view the capacity of the poor masses.
6. Government should promote agricultural industry to ensure the provision of jobs to the masses.
7. Government should insure safe and conducive working environment for the women by insuring their social, economic and political rights.
8. Immediate resolution of the problems of the landless farmers.
9. Child labor and bonded labor should be banned.
10. Foreign loans taken on the name of the development of the masses should not be received without consent and permission of masses to insure accountability and transparency in allocation and expenditure.

We also demand from the global leaders to:
- Public accountability, just governance and the fulfillment of human rights. All governments and multilateral institutions should be fully accountable to their peoples and transparent in the use of public resources.
- Ensure quality, universal public services for all (health, education, including adult education, water and utilities) and stop privatisation where it causes deprivation and poverty.
- Emphasize, in their health policies, preventive health, reproductive health and actively combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and diseases associated with poverty.
- Ensure gender equality, social justice and stop all forms of violence against women and uphold women’s rights including their political participation and access to resources.
- Promote redistributive mechanisms that ensure equity such as land reform, progressive taxation and poverty reduction strategies.
- Implement policies that ensure full and productive employment with special attention to youth employment.
- Fully support effective peace-building and conflict prevention strategies and ensure that post conflict reconstruction programmes enshrine social and economic justice, poverty eradication and public accountability.

Developing countries have the right to determine their own trade policies so they favor their own people. End subsidies that lead to dumping cheap produce on international markets. National governments must use their influence on the International Financial Institutions and other major funders/ sources of finance to make trade rules fairer.

We hope that the leaders of the world and our governments will listen to these voices and will reform their policies by fulfilling their promises.

Contact:
Mahar Safdar Ali
GCAP /MDGs
Campaign coordinator Pakistan
Insan Foundation Pakistan
4-B.3 Johar Town Lahore
Phones ; 042-5202100 fax 042-5202102, email ; msafdar@insanpk.org

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