'It's time to wake up'

Most of us have experienced that heart-wrenching helplessness on seeing footage of extreme poverty on television, but because poverty is a long way from home, some may be sceptical about what a small country like Malta can do to eradicate it.

People ought to realise that they have a voice, which comes in the form of a vote, and it is up to each and every person to put pressure on our government to ensure that their message is put forward, STOPoverty! coordinator William Grech said.

All it takes is a simple gesture, such as wearing a white band, signing a petition - or participating in the events that will be held by STOPoverty! tomorrow.

Speaking during an interview, Mr Grech said: "It's time to wake up to poverty. I know that poverty is a long way from home and it does not get into our headlines. But it is a reality.

"1.2 billion persons around the world are living every day in extreme poverty. This can be changed. All we need is political will," he said.

In 2000 all 189 member states of the United Nations, including Malta, signed an agreement in which they agreed upon eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015. These goals include halving world poverty.

The STOPoverty! campaign is part of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), an international alliance of organisations, networks and national campaigns committed to the complete eradication of poverty.

Forty-two local civil society organisations and a group of individuals are taking part in the local campaign which, while expressing solidarity with the poor and fellow campaigners, is calling on our government to honour the commitment it made in the MDGs.

"One of the aims of the STOPoverty! campaign is participatory democracy. You put pressure on your government and show it what you want and what you need it to represent you on. That you want to end poverty and know that this generation can end poverty.

"We have the resources to do it. We have the knowledge to do it. The government and its predecessors have agreed upon set goals. So this is not a solution that we are providing. This was provided by the government, by its predecessors and by the United Nations - an international origination recognised by all the leaders.

"We know that the targets agreed upon in the MDGs are achievable. It was the governments who said so. They signed it," Mr Grech said.

Tomorrow people all over the world will, for the second time this year, wear a white band as a gesture of solidarity with another 150 million campaigners and, most importantly, with the poor.

STOPoverty! has organised a day of events during which people can show their solidarity.

Tomorrow's programme starts with the distribution of white bands and leaflets and the signing of a petition between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Great Siege Square in Valletta. Later on, between 6 p.m. and 7.15 p.m., the public is invited to join in a peaceful protest march from Ghar Id-Dud (near the Chalet) to St Patrick's School in Sliema.

This will be followed by a Faiths Against Poverty gathering from 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. During the gathering representatives from various religions will address the public. The day of events comes to an end with a party at Lava Lounge in Paceville, from 10 p.m. onwards, which includes an ethnic jamming session and a live and unplugged performance by Ivan Filletti and Gianni.

Meanwhile, in Gozo, there will be the distribution of white bands and leaflets and the signing of a petition at It-Tokk Square in Victoria from 9 a.m. to noon and at the Marsalforn Promenade between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The day was chosen to precede the UN Millennium +5 Review Summit to be held between September 14 and 16.

During this "key summit" world leaders will meet to evaluate the progress of the MDGs and track government policies and decisions aimed at reaching the goals.

In 1970 rich nations agreed to spend 0.7 per cent of their national income on development aid but, to date, only Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden and Holland have lived up to this, Mr Grech explained.

In May foreign affairs ministers of the 25 EU countries established target dates and targets for the original 15 member countries and other targets for the 10 new member states. The new member states, of which Malta is one, agreed to reach 0.17 per cent by 2010 and 0.33 per cent by 2015.

STOPoverty! is a two-pronged campaign that puts pressure on politicians to keep their word while raising awareness with the public. A Eurobarometer survey published last year showed that only some eight per cent of Europe had heard of the MDGs and that was an alarmingly negative figure, Mr Grech said.

The campaign invites the public to access its website at www.stopovertymalta.org to learn more about the issue and sign a petition aimed at Malta's three representatives at the UN Summit to let them know that they care about the poor and want their representatives to bring that forward. The petition is open until Wednesday.

The representatives are the Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister and Malta's Permanent Representative at the UN. A letter elaborating on the points outlined in the petition was sent to the representatives on Tuesday.

The Millennium Development Goals

1. Tackle extreme poverty and hunger by halving the number of people living on less than $1 a day;

2. Achieve universal primary education;

3. Promote gender equality and empower women;

4. Reduce child mortality;

5. Improve maternal health;

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;

7. Ensure environmental sustainability;

8. Build a global partnership for development.

Not-so-amusing facts

(taken from the Make Poverty History handbook)

¤ The three richest people in the world control more wealth than all 600 million people in the world's poorest countries.

¤ In 2000, every cow in the European Union received $913 in subsidies while every sub-Saharan African person received $8 in EU aid.

¤ One-third of deaths - some 18 million people per year or 50,000 a day - are due to poverty-related causes.

¤ Each year, 17 million people die of diseases that we know how to cure.