Take 24 to Tackle 24/7 Global Poverty on Oct. 17

Global poverty is not a static Polaroid shot. It is a shifting phenomenon fed daily by inequality, unfair economic and trade processes, social exclusion and the indifference of a considerable portion of the world's wealthy.

Fifteen years after the UN General Assembly designated October 17th as the International Day for Eradication of Poverty, the global imbalances that cause it remain daunting challenges, and international institutions continue to renege on their promises to eradicate the problem.

What has increased in strength and numbers is civil society and citizen action in the fight to eradicate poverty. GCAP -- made up of national campaigns, major international trade unions, faith organisations, human rights organisations, youth groups, women's organisations -- was launched in 2005 at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, and rapidly became the world's largest anti-poverty movement, with organisations representing about 150 million people in over 110 countries.

The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is asking all people around the world to STAND UP and SPEAK OUT, to say "No!" to extreme poverty on Oct. 17.