38.7 Million People Break Guinness World Record for Stand Up Speak Out on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

38.7 Million People Break Guinness World Record for Stand Up Speak Out on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

October 19, 2007

Online press conference today with Mary Robinson,
President, Realizing Rights, the ethical global initiative,
Salil Shetty (UNMC) and Kumi Naidoo (GCAP) at 14.00GMT - log
on at http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/press/conference

    NEW YORK, Oct. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Over 38.7
million people, in 110 countries have broken the Guinness
World Record -- set last year at 23.5 million -- for the
largest number of people to "STAND UP AGAINST
POVERTY" in 24 hours. 

    (Photo: 
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071018/NYTH092 )

    The "Stand Up and Speak Out" record attempt
took place over 16th and 17th October and was jointly
organised by the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC)
and the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) with a
wide range of other partners. The challenge saw millions of
people physically and intentionally standing up against
poverty, inequality and in support of the Millennium
Development Goals.  They spoke out to demand a more urgent
political response to the growing crisis of global poverty.


    United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, who led
a stand up action at UN Headquarters in New York, said,
"Today tens of millions of people are making their
voices heard by standing up and speaking out against
poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals. They are
sending messages that call on their leaders to keep their
promises. They are calling for the actions of citizens to
be matched by the actions of Governments, in developing and
developed countries alike, to demonstrate the political will
required to end the scourge of poverty once and for
all."

    For 24 hours from 9pm GMT on the 16th of October,
people around the world from all walks of life came
together in their schools, streets, market places, in front
of government buildings and local councils, in workplaces
and houses of worship, at sports and cultural events and at
public landmarks to demonstrate their frustration that we
still live in a world where 50,000 people die daily from
preventable causes. The mass mobilisation provided a
platform for global civil society seeking more active
involvement in the current aid architecture debate, debt
cancellation processes, trade negotiations and public
accountability monitoring. The largest numbers of people
who took part in this mobilisation came from developing
countries. 

    Kumi Naidoo, Chair of the Global Call to Action Against
Poverty said: "The confirmation of the new Guinness
record coupled with the political dimension to this year's
action, tells us we are a growing movement of people
holding our leaders to account for tackling global poverty
and inequality.  The impressive efforts of our brothers and
sisters in developing countries through new lobbying actions
like delegations to politicians on this date, shows the poor
are watching how resources are allocated and want to have a
say how policies are made. It now falls on rich countries
to fulfil their side of the bargain too."

    The UN Millennium Campaign's Executive Coordinator
Eveline Herfkens said:  "Together we have broken the
incredible record for the largest number of people standing
up to demand action on poverty. But the record we really
want to break is the world's record of breaking promises
and ignoring the poor. We don't want to record numbers of
people dying of poverty every year.  This is the great
issue of our times, let us become great by dealing with it
decisively."  

    'Stand Up' regional overview of World record numbers
 
    Africa: 7,473,057
    Arab Region: 2,546,885
    Asia: 27,612,061
    Europe: 144,931
    Latin America & Caribbean: 734,105
    North America: 109,828
    Oceania: 117,333

    For further details and country breakdowns please visit
www.standgagainstpoverty.org/press

    Country Highlights

    -- In India all over the country people of all ages
were standing up. In 
       Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India, five
million people 
       participated. DAV Schools, the largest public school
system of the 
       country, reported 500,000 voices against poverty and
at Kashmir 
       University, 35,000 students stood up.  Also in
Delhi, one of four 
       Women's Tribunals on Poverty gathered 400 women from
20 states to 
       debate how gender exclusion and discrimination
impede development in 
       poor countries.

    -- In Bangladesh just under 850,000 people stood up
with the main event 
       held at Dhaka City office and led by the Mayor
followed by a high 
       profile concert. People called for cancellation of
debt servicing to 
       eradicate poverty and at the end 1000 candles were
lit to express 
       solidarity with the GCAP movement.

    -- In South Africa, children in Pretoria stood up and
the residents of 
       the Big Brother Africa House joined the call
lighting a bonfire 
       against poverty which burned for the 24 hour period
(see 
       www.mnetafrica.com/bigbrother/videogallery.asp).   

    -- In Malawi children were asked to bring a blade of
grass to a local 
       football match, the sum of which was their total of
15,584 
       participants.

    -- In the Philippines, a massive 7+million people were
mobilised at 
       events involving faith groups and at the Anti
Poverty fair. 
       Campaigners called on the Arroyo government to
change their position 
       regarding the worsening condition of millions of
Filipinos trapped in 
       poverty. 

    -- Pakistani campaigners mobilised over 3.5 million
including thousands 
       who helped unfurl a 10km-long banner, In Bahawalpur
carrying one 
       million written messages.  Pakistan was one of 25
countries across the 
       world using giant banners to form a white band, the
symbol of the 
       global anti-poverty movement.

    -- Palestinian children throughout the Occupied West
Bank and Gaza spoke 
       out saying no to poverty.  The activities organized
jointly with the 
       Palestinian Ministry of Education took place for the
first time in 
       public and private schools, as well as UNWRA
schools. 

    -- In Ramallah, a choir from the University performed a
new musical work 
       "The Poverty Requiem" as one of a global
chain of 20 performances that 
       took place on every continent. A high school choir
also performed the 
       piece at the UN Headquarters in New York. 

    -- In Egypt, Cairo the "Sailing the Nile"
initiative saw over a million 
       participants.   

    -- Civil Society delegations to government were
organised in an 
       unprecedented coordinated global lobby against
poverty.  Somalia was 
       one of 35 countries where civil society
representatives organised a 
       group to present demands for pro-poor policy change
directly to their 
       politicians.  

    -- In The Hague, the national anti poverty campaign
displayed 200 
       uniquely created life-size 'Avatars' whilst in
London the UN Deputy 
       Secretary General stood up with key women leaders in
front of city 
       hall.

    -- In Rwanda, youth groups organized a Stand Up soccer
tournament with 20 
       primary schools and in Bangladesh 10,000 young
people blocked a busy 
       crossroads with a human chain. 
 
    -- Faith leaders Stand Up and Speak Out -- At papal
mass at the Vatican 
       Pope Benedict XVI sent a message of support urging
increased efforts 
       to eliminate poverty. Indian spiritual leader his
holiness Sri Sri 
       Ravi Shankar mobilized 30,000 people at his ashram
in Bangalore and 
       millions more across the globe to raise their voices
through the Art 
       of Living Foundation. Micah Challenge, the global
Christian campaign 
       took part and In the US, Canada and Europe Episcopal
and Lutheran 
       churches made the MDGs their top social justice
priority by appointing 
       an MDG-focused organizer in every diocese. 

    Visit http://www.standagainstpoverty.org for full list
of events from around the world

    Notes to Editors: 

    The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is a
civil society alliance of social movements, International
NGOs, trade unions, community groups, women's
organizations, faith and youth groups, local associations
and campaigners working together across more than 100
national coalitions/platforms. GCAP is calling for action
from the world's leaders to meet their promises to end
poverty and inequality. In particular, GCAP demands
solutions that address the issues of; public
accountability, just governance and the fulfilment of human
rights; trade justice; more and better aid; debt
cancellation and gender equality and women's rights. 

    The UN Millennium Campaign was established by UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2002. The Campaign supports
citizens' efforts to hold their governments to account for
the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.  The
Millennium Development Goals, formally adopted by 189
countries in the year 2000 are a set of eight specific
goals which commit rich and poor countries to work together
to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, ensure all boys and
girls complete primary school, promote gender equality,
improve the health of mothers and children, reverse the
spread of HIV/AIDS, protect the environment, and create a
global partnership for development by ensuring rich
countries give more and better aid, debt relief and trade
opportunities to poorer countries.


    For more information, please contact:

     Ciara O'Sullivan
     Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) Media
Coordinator
     Phone: [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]
     Website: http://www.whiteband.org
  
     Anand Kantaria
     Global Media Coordinator, United Nations Millennium
Campaign
     Phone: [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]
     Website: http://www.endpoverty2015.org