National Website: www.ceskoprotichudobe.cz

National Coalition: Cesko proti chudobe

If you want to get involved in the coalition, please contact:

Ondrej Kopecný - Glopolis - Phone: (+) 420 272 661 132 - Email: kopecny@glopolis.org

"Cesko proti chudobe" (Czechia against Poverty) is a campaign organized and managed by the steering committee of civil society representatives formed by development and environmental organizations.

1. About the Czech campaign

The ČESKO PROTI CHUDOBĚ campaign started in January 2005 when twenty nine organizations and think-tanks formed a nation-wide civil society coalition, inspired then by similar coalitions in EU and G8 countries.

The model is similar to the MakePovertyHistory campaign, so both umbrella organizations and individual NGOs and think-tanks got involved. The umbrella ones are: FoRS - Czech Forum for Development Co-operation (NGDO platform) and Green Circle (platform of environmental NGOs); the individual NGOs are ADRA, People in Need, Ecumenical Academy, Educon, Flying Gees Foundation, INEX-SDA and VARA; the think-tanks are Glopolis, Development Centre. Other organizations can join the campaign via the website ceskoprotichudobe.cz

The Czech campaign focuses its activities on September 2006 IFIs annual summit in Singapore. The campaign includes influencing media and the public through brochures, posters, direct lobbying, seminars, publications, white bands' distribution, exhibitions, supplements in newspapers and so on.
Visually the ČESKO PROTI CHUDOBĚ campaign presents itself in the press and electronic media, including main newspapers, spots in Czech Public TV and Czech Public Radio broadcasting, and in public places. The main information gate of the campaign is its website www.ceskoprotichudobe.cz.

Aside from mobilization days and various seminars and public debates throughout the year, Czechia against Poverty focuses also on activity on lobbying the politicians through formulated demands (please see bellow in the section Aims and Demands of the Czechia against Poverty Coalition).

The steering committee of "Cesko proti chudobe" is composed of:
Petr Lebeda – petr.lebeda@glopolis.org ; Blanka Medkova – blanka.medkova@peopleinneed.cz ; Tomas Tozicka - ekumakad@volny.cz ; Ondrej Kopecny - kopecny@glopolis.org, Martina Mandova – projekty2@adra.cz , Pavel Trkal – pavel.trkal@educon.cz ,  Martin Naprstek – naprstek@iir.cz ; Jana Krczmarova – jana@inexsda.cz ; Dagmar Trkalova – dagmar.trkalova@educon.cz

2. Aims and Demands of the Czechia against Poverty Coalition

Primary aim of the ČESKO PROTI CHUDOBĚ campaign is to target wide public and politicians. The long-term dialogue with politicians and government is vital for keeping-up the topic of poverty in the world and fight against it high on the agenda in the Czech Republic. In order to ensure it organizations involved in the campaign put together a list of 10 main demands:
1. Establish a Development Agency to make development co-operation effective and transparent so that it would really reflect priorities of developing countries and contribute to fulfillment of Millennium Development Goals, not to support of the Czech export.
2. Increase the size of Czech Official Development Assistance in accordance with pledges of EU member states up to 0, 7% of GNI till the year 2015.
3. Promote and push forward responsible solution and implementation of national programs in recipient countries to reach the Millennium Development Goals under democratic control and participation of civil society.
4. Empower position of women in poor countries through Czech programs of development co-operation.
5. Relieve the poorest countries of undue debts, which they have at rich countries, International Monetary Fund and other creditors. Cancel all illegitimate debts, which originated without foreknowledge of its citizens and were used against their interests.
6. Ensure fair and transparent rules of international trade, and their implementation in policies of governments and international institutions in order not to advantage rich countries unilaterally.
7. Set up mandatory international rules to protect public services against such privatization and liberalization that limits development.
8. Increase social responsibility of supranational companies in the area of human rights, environment protection and local development.
9. Begin with significant and systematic reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the Czech Republic – global climate changes may hit mostly the poor countries.
10. Stop subsidized export of European agricultural products below the costs of production expenses that is harmful to farmers in developing countries.

3. The Czech participation in GCAP in 2005

ČESKO PROTI CHUDOBĚ or Czech Republic against Poverty is the brand for Czech Republic’s participation in the worldwide Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP).

The ČESKO PROTI CHUDOBĚ campaign in year 2005 culminated during September 9-10,  just before the New York UN Millenium+5 Summit through street actions in Prague, Brno, Karlovy Vary, Plzeň, Litvínov, Teplice, Most, Chomutov, Hradec Králové, Vsetín and Olomouc. During street actions passers-by had the opportunity to become more familiar with the content of Czech campaign and its global extension and with the work of participating organizations. At the information booths the passers-by could find white bands, information materials and postcards for Czech President and Prime Minister. People how stopped by could also discuss with the campaign representatives various issues related to poverty in the world. In many places there will be supporting program including concerts and screenings of documentaries.

During UN Millennium +5 Summit representative of Czechia against Poverty coalition presented goals and demands of Czech campaign to the Czech Prime Minister, Mr. Paroubek and handed him over Czech white band with more than 4 000 signatures.

4. The Czech participation in GCAP in 2006

Strengthened by the interest of Czech public and Czech media in previous year, the members of the coalition decided to broaden the number of actions during the mobilization days 06 and to spread the message among more people.
Mobilization days on September 15 and 16, just before annual meetings of IFIs in Singapore, will open the moth of mobilization in the Czech Republic. As in the year 2005 passers-by in more than 19 cities will have the opportunity to stop by at the information booth with white bands, information materials and postcards. They may also sign the white band as an act of solidarity with all poor people in the world. The organizers also invited celebrities – actors, politicians and other well known people – to take part in mobilization days.  The mobilization days will culminate by a concert in Rieger´s Park in Prague.
After the mobilization days the month of actions will continue with several seminars and public debates focused on various target groups – from students to politicians. At the end of the mobilization month, on October 17, there will be a mini film festival of documentaries from different developing countries. On the same day the results of the Development Youth Prize will be announced and followed by an exhibition.

5. Czech white band

Czech white bands are made from natural hemp in sheltered workshops and imprinted with ceskoprotichudobe.cz inscription. Apart from the white bands two versions of handouts are distributed in wide public: A detailed brochure is designed to provide full information to media and other multipliers of the campaign aims. The other handout is in the form of postcard addressed to Czech Prime Minister and Czech President calling for more activity in fight against poverty both domestically and internationally.