The Indian Express Tuesday June 12, 2007

"Where will you stand up tomorrow?" I asked a friend of mine today in an e-mail.  I'll be in Delhi, he e-mailed back. "What about you?" Well, I'll be in the office, I replied. I'll be waiting for updates from national coalitions, writing breaking news reports, updating the web site and sending links to the media and to all who would care to know about how th

GCAP also demands that gender equality be recognized as a central issue for poverty eradication. We further demand that upholding the rights of children, youth, women and excluded groups, as well as ensuring their equal participation, but recognised as fundamental to the achievement of these goals.

GCAP believes that developing countries must have the right to determine their own trade and investment policies, putting their peoples' interests first. International trade rules and national trade policies should support sustainable livelihoods, promote the rights of women, children and indigenous people, and lead to poverty eradication.

We call on donor governments and international institutions to meet and exceed the 0.7% aid target, directed to achieving community and country defined poverty eradication and sustainable development priorities that contribute to poverty eradication and sustainable development.

We call on donor governments and Institutions to immediately and without externally imposed conditions cancel the odious, illegitimate and unpayable debt of poor and middle income countries through a fair, democratic and transparent process to free up resources for human development.

All governments must fulfil their commitments. They must be fully accountable to their peoples and transparent in the use of public resources. They must meet this responsibility by delivering economies that are equitable and work for the poorest people, delivering quality universal public services and ensuring decent work for all.

The waning years of the 20th century were a time of great global fragmentation and division. Since then, people all over the world have steadily come to feel less secure and less safe. However, there was a prevailing belief among civil society organisations (CSOs) and people in general, that the world could unite again in solidarity in a battle truly worth fighting – the war against poverty.

 

At the start of the 21st century more than a billion people are trapped in a situation of abject poverty and gross inequality. 70% of them are women. We face an AIDS and Malaria emergency, with 40 million people infected by the disease. 104 million children are denied access to school and 860 million adults. (70% of them women) cannot read or write.  Millions of people are unemployed or working in precarious jobs with deteriorating conditions of labour.