FROM THE DESK OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

Renewed dedication to the Call for Poverty Eradication and Equality

Release Date: 10 May 2007

By Kumi Naidoo, CIVICUS Secretary-General

Dear e-CIVICUS Subscriber,

As the sun sets on the muddy waters of the Rio de la Plata we have declared the critical three-day meeting of the Global Call to Action against Poverty ( GCAP ) closed and prepare to leave our charming host country Uruguay .  Sitting here among more than 120 GCAP activists from over 70 national coalitions representing major global trade unions, faith organisations, national and international NGOs, human rights organisations, youth groups and women’s organizations, I cannot escape feeling that we have covered a great distance in the last two and a half years but that this unique journey is far from over.  

While dynamic energy pervaded this diverse group in Montevideo , the challenges of reaching consensus on a shared vision for the movement were in evidence. We came together here to reaffirm that GCAP must and will continue at least until 2015, the year by which the world leaders promised that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) would be achieved.  This, I am pleased to say, we did while looking further down the line to see how we can work together more effectively and with as profound an impact as possible.  

It was not far away form here in Porto Alegre ( Brazil ) at the World Social Forum in January 2005 that GCAP was officially launched.  Following nearly two years of discussions with civil society activists from the South as well as the North the time for some unified action seemed ripe. Originally planned as a one-year action bringing civil society together under one shared purpose, that of eradicating poverty, the Call gathered such impetus that it was clear it could not end in 2005.  

Without question, GCAP has since been deepening and expanding its presence globally.  It has become a prominent and visible global force capable of mobilising people in all walks of life around the call that cries, “no more empty promises.” After the momentous year of 2005 when GCAP made an impact at global decision-making level as well as on the streets of more than 80 countries, over 24 million people joined the call to stand up against poverty last year. Every day more organizations and countries join to make GCAP even stronger and more broad-based.  The feeling here in Montevideo was that we need to work harder to build on this local and national level force as a principal driver. Discussions between delegates in and outside the formal sessions centred around this need to share experiences and strengthen their ability to mobilise locally.  

The Montevideo meeting was opened by the remarks from Rodolfo Nin Novoa, Uruguay ’s Vice President and Ana Olivera, Deputy Minister of Social Development. Referring to the country’s relative success in reducing its poverty level, they emphasized the importance of social organizations that speak for the marginalized population's needs, which in our collective minds was official testament that a stronger civil society is a primary force for poverty eradication.  

It is at this juncture I shared my observations about what is happening around GCAP’s goals. Unfortunately, extreme poverty continues to be the daily reality for too many and that inequality between and within countries has worsened. Governments and international institutions have continued to renege on their promise to eradicate poverty and space for civil society and citizen action has further reduced. As witnessed in the recent scandal at the World Bank, there is a crisis in global institutions in its own governance and accountability.  

It is with these fundamental challenges that the assembled group reaffirmed our dedication to this global call. Our colleagues repeatedly reminded us that we are fighting the structural causes that reproduce poverty. We agreed that GCAP’s purpose would be:  

GCAP fights the structural determinants and causes of poverty

GCAP challenges the institutions and processes that perpetuate poverty and inequality across the world.

GCAP works for the defence and promotion of human rights, gender equality and social justice.

GCAP is committed to democratizing the values, mechanisms and processes of negotiation and decision making in the interest of the poorest and marginalized people.

GCAP is committed to ensuring that equity, human security and inclusion are the core principles around which global, regional and local governance is organized.  

Our core policy demands, more and better aid, debt cancellation, trade justice and public accountability solemnly stand. We also reaffirmed our demand for gender equality. A new development from this meeting in Montevideo was the recognition that climate change is also part of our policy concerns. It was accepted by all that climate change is exacerbating the trend whereby the lives and livelihoods of millions are destroyed through the denial of rights over land, water, forest, natural resources and energy. Floods, droughts, famine and conflicts resulting from climate change threaten the development goals for billions of the world's poorest people. All these renewed policy statements of GCAP are captured in the official Montevideo Declaration, which will soon be posted on the GCAP website at www.whiteband.org.   

As part of the discussions, it was agreed to work even harder to effectively link people’s awareness, voice and action with concrete policy and political victories. In the last three days, we spent time discussing how to formulate our mobilisation plans so that they are rooted in our key policy messages, as well as how best to organise ourselves in this polycentric coalition, at the base of which is people living in poverty and inequality.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who joined us in organizing and participating in this key meeting. The efforts of the teams who had worked for months to prepare the agenda and discussion topics was evident as we went through the meeting and dealt with the challenges. In particular, much appreciation goes to Ana Agostino and our colleagues at International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) in Montevideo whose tireless work made this meeting such a fruitful one. Not only was the setting of Uruguay appropriate for our global group but it also offered us a chance to learn more about the realities of the struggle to combat poverty there and meet people working directly with some of the most marginalized people on the continent. 

Of course the work starts now in earnest for all of us and GCAP is geared up for a series of actions throughout 2007. As part of the upcoming CIVICUS World Assembly, GCAP will be present in several key points. The first is the international launch of the Poverty Requiem on May 24^th. The Poverty Requiem will be performed by a choir of over 200 including members of the National Youth Choir of Scotland and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus and directed by Peter Maissan who has also composed the music. It is a great chance for people to hear the piece and come up with ways to have it repeated around the world as a unifying work of art.  

GCAP is also hosting some important workshops at the World Assembly. The first of these is a training workshop on the Saturday 25 May. Designed in two parts, the first involves a critical evaluation of how civil society is currently holding governments accountable and includes some case studies. The second part will be an analysis of the collective tools required to hold governments accountable. GCAP will also be involved in workshops tackling CSO accountability and aid effectiveness. I encourage those of you present in Glasgow to come by and use it as an opportunity to know our GCAP colleagues.  

Beyond May 2007, GCAP is mobilising around the G8 meeting in Germany in June 2007, the midway point for the Millennium Development Goals in July and of course the big day, October 17^th, the Global day for the Eradication of Poverty. At our meeting in Montevideo , exciting ideas on how to make these events successful were presented by the mobilisation taskforce. Please keep an eye on www.whiteband.org to see what is being lined up where you are and get involved in any way you can.  

Warmest regards,  

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