A wide coalition of charities, trade unions and campaigning groups announced ambitious plans for next year. In a world where poverty kills 30,000 people every day, 2005 will be a year of unprecedented opportunity for rich countries to change the rules and practices of trade, cancel poor countries' debts and deliver more and better aid.
MAKE POVERTY HISTORY aims to be the most powerful coalition ever against world poverty. It calls for urgent action and is looking to Tony Blair as he hosts the G8 and holds the presidency of the EU to improve the lives of millions of poor people around the world who have to live on less than a dollar a day.
MAKE POVERTY HISTORY is already receiving widespread international support and today Archbishop Desmond Tutu 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."
U2’s Bono said: "2005 is our chance to go down in history for what we did do, rather than what we didn't do. This campaign is critical and is coming to a stadium and a pulpit near you."
2005 will be marked by a number of key moments including:
April The Commission for Africa Report published
July The UK hosts the G8
July 20th anniversary of Live Aid
July - Dec The UK holds the presidency of the European Union
Sep UN Millennium Development Goals Special Summit
Last time the UK hosted the G8 was in Birmingham in 1998 when some 70,000 people formed a human chain around the centre of the city campaigning for the cancellation of unpayable debt. This public pressure forced poverty onto the G8 agenda and brought significant debt relief for poor countries.
On Saturday July 2nd 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 MAKE POVERTY HISTORY.
Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), said as the unions met for their Annual Congress in Brighton: "We recognise that 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 poverty history."