Global Call to Action Against Poverty
Encyclopedia
The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) is a growing worldwide alliance consisting of national coalitions (or platforms) of campaigns to end poverty
.
It is involved with some 38 million people in actions in 2005 in over 75 countries and 23 million people in 2006 in over 85 countries.
in early 2006 and unanimously agreed to continue the campaign up to December 31, 2007. At a global assembly in Montevideo
, Uruguay
in May 2007 the national coalitions and other constituencies voted to extend the campaigning alliance until at least 2015.
The campaign was founded at a conference in Johannesburg
, South Africa
in late 2004 and officially launched at the World Social Forum
in Brazil
on the January 1, 2005.
It rapidly grew to earn its status as the largest anti-poverty campaign in the world by building on existing networks, and their strategies and activities. Currently it boasts of more than one thousand member organisations and millions of supporters worldwide.
The demands:
The campaign demands that gender equality be recognized as a central issue for poverty eradication.
The campaign further demands that upholding the rights of children, youth, women and other excluded groups, as well as ensuring their equal participation, be recognised as fundamental to the achievement of these goals.'
There is an International Facilitation Group (IFG) that helps coordinate the campaign at an international level. Under the IFT are a number of 'Task Forces' that see too different specialised aspects of the global campaign. These include:
Priority is given to the national coalitions and most major decisions and actions are taken on a national level by national coalitions.
A national coalition is made up of any and all organisations, of that particular country, that are committed to making poverty a thing of the past and support GCAP's platform. The campaign is not restrictive and is currently an alliance of existing coalitions, community groups, trade unions, individuals, actors, religious and faith groups, campaigners, non-governmental organization
s and more.
During the course of 2005 GCAP grew rapidly and by the end of the year the campaign boasted more the 70 national coalitions. This number has since grown to exceed 115.
The campaigns website and all materials are produced in all 4 languages simultaneously.
The campaign will convene in Nairobi in January to further review the campaigns performance through 2006 and discuss the campaigns future through and beyond 2007.
A month of mobilization was launched on September 16, 2005 (to coincide with the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank) which will build up to a climax on White Band Day 4 on the October 17 (International Day for the Eradication of Poverty). During the month, countries around the world undertook an array of actions, culminating in the global white band day. The white band remains the campaign's symbol and expression of solidarity against poverty.
During 2007 national campaigns and coalitions mobilized on key national dates as well as the international white band day.
From 1 September – 20 October 2008, concerned citizens in over 100 countries will join together again for 50 Global Days of Action Against Poverty, united by the symbol of the white band. They will be calling for governments to eradicate poverty, dramatically lessen inequality, and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
The main body of the UK programme for the 50 Global Days of Action currently features 23 events, with over 50 NGOs and civil society organisations involved to date. It includes opportunities to influence major international meetings, lobbying at party conferences, an activist training forum, a stunt, public meetings and a major demonstration against child poverty in the UK.
The 24 hour period started at 10:00am GMT on the 15th of October and ended at 10:00am GMT on 16 October. The record was confirmed and released by Guinness officials on the 17th of October. The official record, that Guinness calls the largest single coordinated movement of people in the history of the Guinness World Record, is set at 23,542,614'
Stand Up events were registered in 85 countries across the world.
From 17–19 October 2008, citizens worldwide will attempt to break this record again. It is possible to register events at www.standagainstpoverty.org.
In the UK, around 200 events are expected as part of Stand Up and Take Action Against Poverty and Inequality. These will be supported by organisations and networks including ActionAid
, WaterAid
, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Stop Aids Campaign
, DEA
, Muslim Aid
, Quaker Peace and Social Witness
, CND, Skillshare, TIDAL, AMREF, Micah Challenge
, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, the Diocese of London
, Pants to Poverty and the International Young Professionals Association.
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
.
It is involved with some 38 million people in actions in 2005 in over 75 countries and 23 million people in 2006 in over 85 countries.
Overview
GCAP was initially a worldwide alliance committed to making world leaders live up to their promises and to making a breakthrough on poverty during 2005. However due to the success of the campaign during 2005, the 170 members of the campaign's International Facilitation Group (IFG) met in BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
in early 2006 and unanimously agreed to continue the campaign up to December 31, 2007. At a global assembly in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
in May 2007 the national coalitions and other constituencies voted to extend the campaigning alliance until at least 2015.
The campaign was founded at a conference in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in late 2004 and officially launched at the World Social Forum
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
on the January 1, 2005.
It rapidly grew to earn its status as the largest anti-poverty campaign in the world by building on existing networks, and their strategies and activities. Currently it boasts of more than one thousand member organisations and millions of supporters worldwide.
Demands
"There is great diversity among our group, but we know that we will be more effective when we work together. We do not endeavour to reach absolute agreement on detailed policy, but we want to pressure governments to eradicate poverty, dramatically lessen inequality, and achieve the Millennium Development Goals."The demands:
- Public accountability, Just governance and the Fulfillment of Human Rights
- Women's Rights and Gender Justice
- Climate JusticeClimate justiceClimate Justice is generally used as a term for viewing climate change as an ethical issue and considering how its causes and effects relate to concepts of justice, particularly social justice and environmental justice. For example examining issues such as equality, human rights and historical...
- Trade justice
- Aid and Financing for Development
- Debt cancellation
- Peace and Security
The campaign demands that gender equality be recognized as a central issue for poverty eradication.
The campaign further demands that upholding the rights of children, youth, women and other excluded groups, as well as ensuring their equal participation, be recognised as fundamental to the achievement of these goals.'
Structure
The campaign operates as a global coalition. It is made up of more than 1900 member organizations.There is an International Facilitation Group (IFG) that helps coordinate the campaign at an international level. Under the IFT are a number of 'Task Forces' that see too different specialised aspects of the global campaign. These include:
- The Mobilization Task Force
- The eCommunications Task Force
- The Children & Youth Task Force (CYTF)
- The Feminist Task Force
Priority is given to the national coalitions and most major decisions and actions are taken on a national level by national coalitions.
A national coalition is made up of any and all organisations, of that particular country, that are committed to making poverty a thing of the past and support GCAP's platform. The campaign is not restrictive and is currently an alliance of existing coalitions, community groups, trade unions, individuals, actors, religious and faith groups, campaigners, non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s and more.
During the course of 2005 GCAP grew rapidly and by the end of the year the campaign boasted more the 70 national coalitions. This number has since grown to exceed 115.
Operation
The global coalition is based on the Beirut Platform (a revised version of the Johannesburg Declaration of 2005) from GCAP's review session in March 2006 in Beirut, Lebanon. The campaign operates in 4 primary languages; English, Español, Français & العربيةThe campaigns website and all materials are produced in all 4 languages simultaneously.
The campaign will convene in Nairobi in January to further review the campaigns performance through 2006 and discuss the campaigns future through and beyond 2007.
Mobilisation dates
Throughout 2005 GCAP mobilised millions through a series of 'White Band Days', when the symbol was used to highlight the injustice of global poverty.- White Band Day 1 – July 1, 2005
- White Band Day 2 – September 10, 2005
- White Band Day 3 – December 10, 2005
- White Band Day 4 – October 17, 2006 (part of the Month of Mobilization)
- White Band Day 5 – October 17, 2007
A month of mobilization was launched on September 16, 2005 (to coincide with the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank) which will build up to a climax on White Band Day 4 on the October 17 (International Day for the Eradication of Poverty). During the month, countries around the world undertook an array of actions, culminating in the global white band day. The white band remains the campaign's symbol and expression of solidarity against poverty.
During 2007 national campaigns and coalitions mobilized on key national dates as well as the international white band day.
From 1 September – 20 October 2008, concerned citizens in over 100 countries will join together again for 50 Global Days of Action Against Poverty, united by the symbol of the white band. They will be calling for governments to eradicate poverty, dramatically lessen inequality, and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
The main body of the UK programme for the 50 Global Days of Action currently features 23 events, with over 50 NGOs and civil society organisations involved to date. It includes opportunities to influence major international meetings, lobbying at party conferences, an activist training forum, a stunt, public meetings and a major demonstration against child poverty in the UK.
'Stand UP' Against Poverty
GCAP together with the UN-Millennium Campaign jointly set a Guinness World Record for the most number of people to ever to simultaneously 'Stand Up' against poverty within a 24 hour period. The initiative was held as a part of GCAP's Month of Mobilization and the release of the record numbers was set to coincide with the last day of the Month, The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.The 24 hour period started at 10:00am GMT on the 15th of October and ended at 10:00am GMT on 16 October. The record was confirmed and released by Guinness officials on the 17th of October. The official record, that Guinness calls the largest single coordinated movement of people in the history of the Guinness World Record, is set at 23,542,614'
Stand Up events were registered in 85 countries across the world.
From 17–19 October 2008, citizens worldwide will attempt to break this record again. It is possible to register events at www.standagainstpoverty.org.
In the UK, around 200 events are expected as part of Stand Up and Take Action Against Poverty and Inequality. These will be supported by organisations and networks including ActionAid
ActionAid
ActionAid was founded in 1972 as a child sponsorship charity when 88 UK supporters sponsored 88 children in India and Kenya, the focus primarily being to provide children with an education. Global accounts are now reported in Euros and in 2007 and 2008 turnover was close to 180m Euros...
, WaterAid
WaterAid
WaterAid is an international non-profit organisation set up as a response to the UN International Drinking Water & Sanitation decade . WaterAid is dedicated to helping people escape the poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation. It is based in London, England and was...
, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Stop Aids Campaign
Stop AIDS Campaign
The Stop AIDS Campaign is a campaign run by the UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development, a coalition of more than 80 of the UK's leading international NGOs and HIV/AIDS groups....
, DEA
DEA
DEA is the commonly used acronym for the Drug Enforcement Administration, a United States law enforcement agency.DEA or Dea may also refer to:- Organizations :* DEA , UK development education charity...
, Muslim Aid
Muslim Aid
Muslim Aid is a UK based international relief and development organisation working to alleviate poverty worldwide. The charity says it believes in sustainable, local and practical solutions to empower individuals and strengthen communities...
, Quaker Peace and Social Witness
Quaker Peace and Social Witness
Quaker Peace & Social Witness , previously known as the Friends Service Council, and then as Quaker Peace and Service, is one of the central committees of Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends - the national organisation of Quakers in Britain. It works to promote British...
, CND, Skillshare, TIDAL, AMREF, Micah Challenge
Micah Challenge
The Micah Challenge is an international campaign that encourages Christians to support the Millennium Development Goals. Their aim is to "encourage our leaders to halve global poverty by 2015."...
, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, the Diocese of London
Diocese of London
The Anglican Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north and west. The present diocese covers and 17 London boroughs, covering most of Greater...
, Pants to Poverty and the International Young Professionals Association.
National Campaign Coalitions
GCAP has coalitions present in over a hundred countries, a few of which are listed below, for a detailed list please see http://www.whiteband.org/GlobalPages/GcapNearYou- 2005: plus d’excuses - France http://www.2005plusdexcuses.org
- Deine Stimme Gegen Armut - Germany http://www.deine-stimme-gegen-armut.de
- Hottokenai, Sekai no Mazushisa - Japan http://www.hottokenai.jp
- Make Poverty History - Australia http://www.makepovertyhistory.com.au
- Make Poverty History - Canada http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca
- Make Poverty History - Ireland http://www.makepovertyhistory.ie
- Make Poverty History - Emirates (UAE) http://www.makepovertyhistory.ae
- Make Poverty History - United Kingdom http://www.makepovertyhistory.org
- Make Poverty History - Nigeria http://www.makepovertyhistoryng.org
- The ONE Campaign - Singapore http://www.onesingapore.org
- The ONE Campaign - USA http://www.one.org
- SANGOCO - South Africa
- Wada Na Todo - India
- No More Excuses - Philippines http://www.rockedphilippines.org
- Gemeinsam gegen Armut - Switzerland http://www.gemeinsamgegenarmut.ch
See also
- EndPoverty.orgEndPoverty.orgendPoverty.org is a faith-based 501 non-profit organization whose mission is to empower the working poor in developing countries to lift themselves out of poverty...
- Extreme povertyExtreme povertyExtreme poverty, as defined in 1996 by Joseph Wresinski, the founder of ATD Fourth World, is:"The lack of basic security connotes the absence of one or more factors enabling individuals and families to assume basic responsibilities and to enjoy fundamental rights. The situation may become...
- Make Poverty HistoryMake Poverty HistoryMake Poverty History is the name of a campaign that exists in a number of countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark , Finland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain and Ireland...
- Make Poverty History EmiratesMake Poverty History EmiratesMake Poverty History-Emirates was an open coalition of UAE based organizations that worked together to eradicate global poverty and assist in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals from 2005 until 2009....