By Walter Veltroni and - -
ROME, Jun 28 2005 (IPS)

In September the heads of state will return to the UN in New York to evaluate their progress on the UN Millennium goal of ending poverty by 2015. Before that, G-8 leaders will meet in Scotland, and for the first time their agenda will focus on Africa and poverty. In December in Hong Kong trade ministers will meet in an effort to restart the talks that were begun at Cancun and which are absolutely central to development. In response to these three fundamental meetings, a global movement was created to exert pressure to bring about an end to poverty, write Eveline Herfkens, representative of the UN Secretary General for the Millennium Development Goals, and Walter Veltroni, mayor of Rome. The authors write in this article that the Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a movement comprised of more than 1000 international networks. Three dates for mobilisations in more than seventy countries have been set before the three major meetings. The symbol that will unite all of these events will be a white band, a sign of commitment, which will encircle not only wrists but also important buildings, for example, Rome\’s Trevi Fountain (a band of light in this case) and the Colosseum (an 80 metre band). Wearing the white band serves as a reminder to the powers of this earth that eradicating poverty is a duty, and that the path to the future passes through every part of the earth, not only the developed world.

The Millennial Declaration included eight objectives which together constitute a path towards a safer, more just, and more sustainable world by 2015.

The first seven consist of responsibilities primarily (though not entirely) of poor countries: sending children to school, guaranteeing basic health care, safe drinking water, greater investment in health services and agriculture.

The eighth objective, which sets out the responsibilities and goals for the rich countries, are concentrated in three areas: cooperation on development, foreign debt, and international trade. 2005 is an important year. In September the heads of state will return to New York to evaluate what has been accomplished thus far and what remains to be done. Each leader will give a reckoning of his or her country’s performance.

Before this meeting, in a few days, the G-8 leaders will meet in Scotland, and for the first time their agenda will focus on Africa and poverty. Finally in December in Hong Kong trade ministers will meet in an effort to restart the talks that were begun at Cancun and which are absolutely central to development. It is essential that the rich countries be ready to undertake reforms necessary to balance the asymmetries in current trade relations.

In the light of these three fundamental meetings, a global movement was created to exert pressure to bring about an end to poverty. Launched in Porto Alegre last January in the presence of Brazilian president Lula da Siva, the Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a movement comprised of more than 1000 international networks. Three dates for mobilisations in more than seventy countries have been set preceding, respectively, the G-8, the September summit, and the December conference. The symbol that will unite all of these events will be a white band, a sign of commitment.

These bands will encircle not only wrists but also important buildings, for example, Italian monuments like the Trevi Fountain (a band of light in this case) and the Colosseum (an 80 metre band). The goal is to show support for more efficient measures by our governments to defeat poverty.

More than 30 years have passed since rich countries committed to raising foreign aid to 0.7 percent of GNP. Many of them remain far from reaching this level. But EU member countries committed at the Barcelona Summit to reach at least an average foreign aid level of 0.39 percent by 2006.

After the Monterrey Conference, many countries took this commitment seriously and set dates for reaching the 0.7 percent aid level (Ireland in 2007, Belgium and Finland in 2010, France, Great Britain, and Spain in 2012). Italy remains stuck at 0.15 percent.

It is our duty to raise our voices to say that poverty is a common challenge, that we recognise ourselves as global citizens in an interdependent world in which it is no longer possible to limit your view to only that which is within your borders.

Wearing the white band thus serves as a reminder to the powers of this earth that eradicating poverty is a duty, and that the path to the future passes through every part of the earth, not only the developed world. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

Excerpt:

By Eveline Herfkens and - -
ROME, Jun 28 2005 (IPS)

In September the heads of state will return to the UN in New York to evaluate their progress on the UN Millennium goal of ending poverty by 2015. Before that, G-8 leaders will meet in Scotland, and for the first time their agenda will focus on Africa and poverty. In December in Hong Kong trade ministers will meet in an effort to restart the talks that were begun at Cancun and which are absolutely central to development. In response to these three fundamental meetings, a global movement was created to exert pressure to bring about an end to poverty, write Eveline Herfkens, representative of the UN Secretary General for the Millennium Development Goals, and Walter Veltroni, mayor of Rome. The authors write in this article that the Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a movement comprised of more than 1000 international networks. Three dates for mobilisations in more than seventy countries have been set before the three major meetings. The symbol that will unite all of these events will be a white band, a sign of commitment, which will encircle not only wrists but also important buildings, for example, Rome\’s Trevi Fountain (a band of light in this case) and the Colosseum (an 80 metre band). Wearing the white band serves as a reminder to the powers of this earth that eradicating poverty is a duty, and that the path to the future passes through every part of the earth, not only the developed world.

The Millennial Declaration included eight objectives which together constitute a path towards a safer, more just, and more sustainable world by 2015.

The first seven consist of responsibilities primarily (though not entirely) of poor countries: sending children to school, guaranteeing basic health care, safe drinking water, greater investment in health services and agriculture.

The eighth objective, which sets out the responsibilities and goals for the rich countries, are concentrated in three areas: cooperation on development, foreign debt, and international trade. 2005 is an important year. In September the heads of state will return to New York to evaluate what has been accomplished thus far and what remains to be done. Each leader will give a reckoning of his or her country’s performance.

Before this meeting, in a few days, the G-8 leaders will meet in Scotland, and for the first time their agenda will focus on Africa and poverty. Finally in December in Hong Kong trade ministers will meet in an effort to restart the talks that were begun at Cancun and which are absolutely central to development. It is essential that the rich countries be ready to undertake reforms necessary to balance the asymmetries in current trade relations.

In the light of these three fundamental meetings, a global movement was created to exert pressure to bring about an end to poverty. Launched in Porto Alegre last January in the presence of Brazilian president Lula da Siva, the Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a movement comprised of more than 1000 international networks. Three dates for mobilisations in more than seventy countries have been set preceding, respectively, the G-8, the September summit, and the December conference. The symbol that will unite all of these events will be a white band, a sign of commitment.

These bands will encircle not only wrists but also important buildings, for example, Italian monuments like the Trevi Fountain (a band of light in this case) and the Colosseum (an 80 metre band). The goal is to show support for more efficient measures by our governments to defeat poverty.

More than 30 years have passed since rich countries committed to raising foreign aid to 0.7 percent of GNP. Many of them remain far from reaching this level. But EU member countries committed at the Barcelona Summit to reach at least an average foreign aid level of 0.39 percent by 2006.

After the Monterrey Conference, many countries took this commitment seriously and set dates for reaching the 0.7 percent aid level (Ireland in 2007, Belgium and Finland in 2010, France, Great Britain, and Spain in 2012). Italy remains stuck at 0.15 percent.

It is our duty to raise our voices to say that poverty is a common challenge, that we recognise ourselves as global citizens in an interdependent world in which it is no longer possible to limit your view to only that which is within your borders.

Wearing the white band thus serves as a reminder to the powers of this earth that eradicating poverty is a duty, and that the path to the future passes through every part of the earth, not only the developed world. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

Excerpt:

By Hazel Henderson and - -
ROME, Jun 1 2005 (IPS)

In September the heads of state will return to the UN in New York to evaluate their progress on the UN Millennium goal of ending poverty by 2015. Before that, G-8 leaders will meet in Scotland, and for the first time their agenda will focus on Africa and poverty. In December in Hong Kong trade ministers will meet in an effort to restart the talks that were begun at Cancun and which are absolutely central to development. In response to these three fundamental meetings, a global movement was created to exert pressure to bring about an end to poverty, write Eveline Herfkens, representative of the UN Secretary General for the Millennium Development Goals, and Walter Veltroni, mayor of Rome. The authors write in this article that the Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a movement comprised of more than 1000 international networks. Three dates for mobilisations in more than seventy countries have been set before the three major meetings. The symbol that will unite all of these events will be a white band, a sign of commitment, which will encircle not only wrists but also important buildings, for example, Rome\’s Trevi Fountain (a band of light in this case) and the Colosseum (an 80 metre band). Wearing the white band serves as a reminder to the powers of this earth that eradicating poverty is a duty, and that the path to the future passes through every part of the earth, not only the developed world.

In September 2000, with the unanimous approval of the UN Millennium Declaration, 189 heads of state and government committed to a global pact between rich countries and poor countries. The agreement recognises that to eradicate poverty and malnutrition, to stop epidemics and viruses like AIDS, to guarantee education, health care, and safe drinking water for all, all countries, poor and especially rich, must commit to do their part.

The Millennial Declaration included eight objectives which together constitute a path towards a safer, more just, and more sustainable world by 2015.

The first seven consist of responsibilities primarily (though not entirely) of poor countries: sending children to school, guaranteeing basic health care, safe drinking water, greater investment in health services and agriculture.

The eighth objective, which sets out the responsibilities and goals for the rich countries, are concentrated in three areas: cooperation on development, foreign debt, and international trade. 2005 is an important year. In September the heads of state will return to New York to evaluate what has been accomplished thus far and what remains to be done. Each leader will give a reckoning of his or her country’s performance.

Before this meeting, in a few days, the G-8 leaders will meet in Scotland, and for the first time their agenda will focus on Africa and poverty. Finally in December in Hong Kong trade ministers will meet in an effort to restart the talks that were begun at Cancun and which are absolutely central to development. It is essential that the rich countries be ready to undertake reforms necessary to balance the asymmetries in current trade relations.

In the light of these three fundamental meetings, a global movement was created to exert pressure to bring about an end to poverty. Launched in Porto Alegre last January in the presence of Brazilian president Lula da Siva, the Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a movement comprised of more than 1000 international networks. Three dates for mobilisations in more than seventy countries have been set preceding, respectively, the G-8, the September summit, and the December conference. The symbol that will unite all of these events will be a white band, a sign of commitment.

These bands will encircle not only wrists but also important buildings, for example, Italian monuments like the Trevi Fountain (a band of light in this case) and the Colosseum (an 80 metre band). The goal is to show support for more efficient measures by our governments to defeat poverty.

More than 30 years have passed since rich countries committed to raising foreign aid to 0.7 percent of GNP. Many of them remain far from reaching this level. But EU member countries committed at the Barcelona Summit to reach at least an average foreign aid level of 0.39 percent by 2006.

After the Monterrey Conference, many countries took this commitment seriously and set dates for reaching the 0.7 percent aid level (Ireland in 2007, Belgium and Finland in 2010, France, Great Britain, and Spain in 2012). Italy remains stuck at 0.15 percent.

It is our duty to raise our voices to say that poverty is a common challenge, that we recognise ourselves as global citizens in an interdependent world in which it is no longer possible to limit your view to only that which is within your borders.

Wearing the white band thus serves as a reminder to the powers of this earth that eradicating poverty is a duty, and that the path to the future passes through every part of the earth, not only the developed world. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

Excerpt: