A view from the United Nations
February - March 2005
“We are rolling!: Civil society’s call for poverty eradication impacts the World Economic Forum and the Group of Seven”
By Vicente García-Delgado, CIVICUS UN Representative (New York)
The political leaders attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos this year felt the earth shaking under their feet. And so did the finance ministers of the G7 meeting in London shortly afterwards.
Indeed, the roaring of the call to end world poverty coming from the launch of the Global Call to Action against Poverty campaign www.whiteband.org during the World Social Forum at Porto Alegre was heard, loud and clear, in the four corners of the world. President Lula of Brazil, arguably the most emblematic Southern leader and increasingly the leading challenger of the so-called Washington Consensus, stood up before 12,000 enthusiastic citizens to demand an end to poverty and flashed a white band on his wrist, the symbol of the G-CAP campaign.
Thousands other participated in the event from outside the packed stadium. Millions of citizens followed the event or learned about the G-CAP campaign through the media.
The success of this event could not be ignored at Davos. Rock star and social campaigner Bono noted that there are rare moments when one can feel that the focus has shifted, and this is one such moments. Indeed, the participants at the WEF identified five specific issues which tally many of the main demands of civil society: poverty, equitable globalisation, climate change, education and global governance.
Turning attention to world poverty reduction, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair made an urgent appeal to deal with the appalling problems facing the African continent. And both Mr Blair and Brazilian President Lula called for the establishment of an international fund, such as the International Financing Facility proposed by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, to finance the Millennium Development Goals. The emphasis on ending poverty led Daniel Vasella, CEO and chairman of Novartis, to acknowledge that “many of the non-governmental organisations agenda points have somehow been integrated into the speeches of politicians and the attitudes of business people.” Mr Vasella’s statement betrayed a certain feeling of annoyance, albeit a rather muted one.
It will not be surprising if Mr Vasella and other business leaders get on board with the poverty agenda in short order. They will do well by doing good.
The massive popular call to end poverty also impacted the Group of Seven (G7) ministerial meeting in London earlier this month. The authoritative voice of South Africa’s mythical figure Nelson Mandela resounded in Trafalgar Square, where some 20,000 citizens had gathered under the auspices of the Make Poverty History campaign (the UK branch of G-CAP). Dr Mandela delineated a forceful parallel between apartheid and poverty. Ending poverty, he said, is not a question of charity; it’s a question of justice, because poverty does not rise out of natural causes: ”It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.” He referred to the G-CAP campaign as nothing less than “a public movement alongside the movement to abolish slavery and the international solidarity against apartheid,” and exhorted the leaders of the rich countries to not look the other way: “Do not hesitate,” he said. ”Recognise that the world is hungry for action, not words. Act with courage and vision.”
While the G7 ministerial meeting ended up shying away from the bold political determination required by the circumstances, it did agree that official development aid must be increased substantially, and that a new financing deal is needed to reduce poverty. Matt Phillips, of Make Poverty History coalition members Save the Children accurately pointed out that the G7 nations are “feeling the heat of public pressure, and have indicated a willingness to increase resources for poverty reduction. We will look to the G8 Summit at Gleneagles to see if they’ll deliver the money to match the rhetoric.”
CIVICUS’ Kumi Naidoo, speaking on behalf of G-CAP at the WEF’s press conference said: "Leaders around the world have made countless promises to end poverty. Time and again they have failed to deliver, leaving millions of people in an endless cycle of poverty. This year is a chance to change all of this and take real strides in stopping the injustice and achieving the modest ambition of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015."
The Global Call to Action against Poverty represents global civil society’s boldest attempt yet to push world leaders, North and South, to fulfill their solemn UN commitments to end poverty. Achieving the Millennium Development Goals is an imperative first step. 50.000 people die every day of abject poverty and preventable diseases, and the world is crying out for an end to this monumental injustice. Leaders are feeling the pressure. It can be done and it shall be done: united, we shall make poverty history in 2005!
Join us! We count on you… www.whiteband.org
In solidarity,
Vicente García-Delgado, CIVICUS´ UN Representative
Please send your comments to CIVICUSUN@aol.com
Below you will find all previous columns:
• No more excuses!: The Tsunami must not be allowed to wash away the Millennium Development Goals
• A Call To Action 2005: Global Civil Society mobilizes to demand an end to poverty and the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals
• TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: Should civil society and the Global Compact live under the same UN roof?
• The UN Global Compact: A big red herring disguised in UN blue?
• Happening now: A global revolution of consciousness
• Lasting security for all: Shifting from state security to security of the people
• The UN – Permanently relevant or temporarily relevant?
• The UN: It's our world?
• Letting the United Nations be all that it can
