GCAP launches global mobilisation plans for 2008
7th March, 2008 - Beginning with International Women’s Day on March 8th, a series of key dates will see mobilisations calling for trade justice, debt cancellation, aid effectiveness, gender equality, good governance and the Millennium Development Goals. To mark the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, GCAP will also support and campaign around the issue of Freedom from Poverty as a human right.
Strengthening political engagement and linking mobilizations more strongly with opportunities for policy change is a key part of GCAP’s long-term strategy. GCAP will support a diverse range of on and off-line actions taking place throughout the year on political opportunities and key dates such as International Women’s day, Global Action Week of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), International Youth Day, World Day for Decent Work etc. A peak period of mobilisation against poverty and inequality will happen for 50 days from September 1st to October 20th.
50 DAYS OF ACTION AGAINST POVERTY AND INEQUALITY
•2-4 September, Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, Accra, Ghana
•25 September, UN High level conference on MDGs (prior to UN General Assembly)
•7 October, World Day for Decent Work
•12-19 October, Global Week of Action on Debt
•11-13 October, Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF
•15 October, Rural Women’s Day
•16 October, World Food Day
•17 October, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
•17-19 October Stand Up and Take Action against Poverty and Inequality
•19 October, Micah Sunday
•21 October, Announcement of Guinness world record for Stand up Take action and results of 50 Days of Action
As in 2005 and 2006, GCAP will partner with the United Nations Millennium Campaign on the Stand Up mass global mobilization, from October 17th to 19th. This will mark International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and be a countable action comparable with previous years when 23 and 43 million people respectively literally Stood up and Spoke Out against poverty, inequality and for the MDGs.
A new initiative for GCAP in 2008 will be its participation in the Every Human Has Rights Campaign which is supported by Council of Elders comprised of leading world figures like Nelson Mandela, Bishop Tutu and Mary Robinson (www.everyhumanhasrights.org). The core global messaging will be around freedom from poverty and will offer a window for people to tell their personal stories via a bespoke Google Earth layer on Human Rights, sign the UDHR pledge online or in person, and get involved in human rights issues more closely.
For more information, please visit: www.whiteband.org
ENDS
For more information contact: Ciara O’Sullivan, GCAP Media Coordinator,
tel: + 34 679 594 809
mail: ciara.osullivan@civicus.org
Notes to Editors
The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is the world’s largest anti-poverty 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. The Global Movement for Children is a founding member of the GCAP.
