UK Charities see Great Hope in making Poverty History

On 14th September 2004, a wide coalition of faith groups, charities, trade unions and campaigning groups in the UK announced a new initiative: "MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY" with an ambition to tackle global poverty in 2005.

So what is special about the year 2005? The UK will be gaining a more important position internationally. Starting from July 2005, the UK will hold the G8 summit and hold the presidency of the European Union (EU). It is a golden opportunity for the UK to lead other important countries in Europe and in the world to put their efforts into relieving world poverty.

A strong coalition of charities, non-governmental organisations and trades union, which is commented to be the most powerful coalition ever against world poverty, called for urgent action. The coalition has put extremely high expectations on the British Prime Minister Tony Blair to improve the lives of millions of poor people around the world, some of whom have to live on less than a dollar a day.

The coalition aims to make extraordinary and radical progress on global poverty relief possible through appplying pressure to world leaders through Blair’s Labour government, which has been a key contributor of aid work for the Third World. In particular, Blair’s Commission for Africa reports will be released in April 2005.

According to campaigners and experts, even though in recent years the world’s reaction to poverty has improved a lot, far more action and commitment are needed by governments if the world is to keep with the target of halving world poverty by 2015.

TUC (Trades Union Congress) General Secretary Brendan Barber said, "For too long trade justice, debt and aid have been discussed but left on the ‘too difficult to deal with’ pile. 2005 is a unique opportunity. That’s why the unions are joining with faith groups, charities and campaigning groups to urge everyone to take action to make history."

"MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY" has already receiving widespread international support even before the media formally launched it on 14th September.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa said, "2005 is a year of great opportunity. We can really do something to change the world. The time has come to stop talking and start taking some action. If everyone who wants to see an end to poverty, hunger and suffering speaks out then the noise will be deafening. Politicians will have to listen."

United public pressure has in the past proved a very powerful weapon in influencing the politics of governments in the UK. At the last G8 summit in Britain, Birmingham in 1998, 70,000 people formed a human chain around the centre of the city campaigning for the cancellation of unpayable debt. Later, world poverty was added onto the G8 agenda and brought significant debt relief for poor countries.

Previously this year, the 0.7% campaign launched by BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development), together with Oxfam, Action Aid and Save the Children successfully pushed the British government to keep its promise to increase overseas aid to 0.7% of national income - the standard set by the UN.

On Saturday 2nd July 2005 thousands of people will take to the streets of Edinburgh in advance of the G8 meeting in Scotland to insist that the leaders of the world’s richest nations should take up the challenge to MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY.

Some of the organisations that are currently working together to MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY are ActionAid, BOND, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Church of Scotland Board of World Mission, Jubilee Debt Campaign, OXFAM, Tearfund, TUC, United Reformed Church, World Vision UK and Y Care International, etc.