[WSIS CS-Plenary] STAND UP and TAKE ACTION: October 16th-18th, 2009

Tue Oct 6 13:43:39 BST 2009

Dear Journalist,

We are gearing up to our massive coordinated annual mobilisation against poverty and inequality on the weekend of October 16,17 and 18th.  It coincides with World Food Day and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The mobilisation is called Stand Up and is now in it's fourth year.  We registered participation by 116.9 million people last year. It´s interesting because having started as a rich country thing ( Make Poverty History etc. in 2005) the main force now is coming from developing countries themselves with many of the biggest most impressive actions happening across Asia and Africa.  

Please find below links to materials for you to use in community media
1) radio spot ads and broadcast guide (English and French)- http://www.whiteband.org/Action/take-action/gcap-mobilisation-2009/standup-2009
3) map of registered actions - www.standagainstpoverty.org/map
4) media advisory- see below
5) spokespeople for interview - as a truly global movement we have people who can speak about the issues of poverty, food, inequality, climate justice and gender equality on the ground in 130 countries so please mail me direct if you wish to set up any interviews for next week.

Thanks/ Gracias/ Merci/ Obrigada, 

Ciara
Ciara OSullivan
Media Coordinator, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)
Cel: +34 679 594 809
Office: +34 915239865
ciara.osullivan at whiteband.org
www.whiteband.org

MEDIA ADVISORY/ AGENDA ITEM

STAND UP and TAKE ACTION:  October 16th-18th, 2009

A weekend of global mobilization against poverty and inequality

The fourth annual "Stand Up, Take Action, End Poverty Now!" mobilization will take place from October 16th to 18th this year, when millions of people across the globe call on world leaders to eradicate extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Coinciding with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, this mobilization recorded participation by 116.9 million people in 2008, the majority from poor countries, breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest mobilization of human beings in recorded history.  See www.standagainstpoverty.org/map for a list of pre-registered events.

With just six years left until the 2015 deadline by which world leaders have pledged to achieve the MDGs, people around the globe are demanding that their leaders deliver on the promises they made in the year 2000 to eradicate extreme poverty and its root causes. The MDG commitments related to women's empowerment - including the promise to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters by the year 2015 - have seen the least progress. Women have been especially hard hit by the devastating impacts of the financial, food and climate crises, as women and children constitute more than 70 percent of those living in poverty.

In keeping with this urgency, this year's mobilization will have a specific thematic focus on women, and will be accompanied by actions in more than 131 countries calling on leaders to eradicate hunger, end maternal mortality and ensure women's rights. Many event organizers will also use the mobilization to influence global decisions at the UN Conferences on Climate Change and the MDGs.
Thousands of legislators - including Parliamentarians, Mayors, Senators, Ministers and Heads of State - are expected to be reached through the mobilization this year. Millions of people will come together across the world to remind their elected leaders to give the highest priority to the MDGs in local and national policies, plans and budgets. Events planned include rallies and concerts, gatherings in school assemblies and town halls, delegations visiting politicians and mass SMS campaigns.

This year, for the first time, digital technology will be harnessed to make mobilization possible online. Additional components of the mobilization's groundbreaking new social media activities will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information, audio-visual content, to book an interview or for details on events visit www.standagainstpoverty.org or contact:
Kara Alaimo
United Nations Millennium Campaign?
Kara.Alaimo at undp.org 
Telephone: +1 212-906-6399

Ciara O'Sullivan
Global Call to Action Against Poverty 
Ciara.osullivan at whiteband.org
 Telephone: +34 679 594 809

About the Campaigns:
The UN Millennium Campaign was established by the UN Secretary General in 2002. The Campaign supports citizens' efforts to hold their governments to account for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.  The Millennium Development Goals were adopted by 189 world leaders from rich and poor countries, as part of the Millennium Declaration which was signed in 2000. These leaders agreed to achieve the Goals by 2015. Our premise is simple: we are the first generation that can end poverty and we refuse to miss this opportunity. For more information, visit www.endpoverty2015.org.

The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is a 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. GCAP is calling for action from the world's leaders to meet their promises to end poverty and inequality. In particular, GCAP demands solutions that address the issues of public accountability, just governance and the fulfillment of human rights; trade justice; more and better aid; debt cancellation; peace and security as well as gender equality and women's rights. For more information, visit www.whiteband.org.          

Bazlu
_______________________
AHM. Bazlur Rahman-S21BR
Chief Executive Officer
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC)
&
Member, Strategy Council
UN-Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN GAID)

House: 13/1, Road:2, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207 
Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205 Bangladesh

Phone: 88-02-9130750, 88-02-9138501
01711881647 Fax: 88-02-9138501-105

E-mail: ceo at bnnrc.net, bnnrc at bd.drik.net
www.bnnrc.net

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