17 October End Poverty and Inequality Now!

"The campaign to make poverty history-a central moral challenge of our age-cannot remain a task for the few, it must become a calling for the many. On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, I urge everyone to join this struggle. Together, we can make real and sufficient progress towards the end of poverty."

"The observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can be traced back to 17 October 1987. On that day, over a hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger. They proclaimed that poverty is a violation of human rights and affirmed the need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. (...)

October 17th presents an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty, a chance for them to make their concerns heard, and a moment to recognize that poor people are the first ones to fight against poverty. Participation of the poor themselves has been at the center of the Day's celebration since its very beginning. The commemoration of October 17 th also reflects the willingness of people living in poverty to use their expertise to contribute to the eradication of poverty. "

Source

Stand UP :2009  Join now

"To the Leaders of the rich countries we say:

Do not believe that internal domestic challenges such as job losses, financial instability and insecurity will distract us. It is clear now more than ever, that we live in an interdependent world. We urge you to keep your promises on debt relief, more and better aid and trade justice.

To the leaders of poor countries:

Make it your first responsibility to save the lives of your poorest citizens. We ask you to tackle inequality of all forms, to be accountable to your people, to govern fairly and justly, to end corruption and to fulfill human rights.

To all leaders we say:

 Act now to meet and exceed the Millennium Development Goals

 Commit to signing an ambitious, fair and binding global climate deal by the year end

 Uphold the peace and security of all people

Until then. Today and every day we will stand up, speak out and take action for the Millennium Development Goals.

The call to our leaders is simple: End Poverty and Inequality Now!"

StandUp.org download the pledge

How to StandUp!

The International Labour Organization is pleased to host the event in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme and invites you to join us on Friday, 16 October 2009 – World Food Day – at ILO headquarters in Geneva to Stand Up together Against Poverty.

Join this Stand Up group at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, to show your will to end poverty!

Download the invite

Please, download the Ritual for the Eradication of Poverty