A wide coalition of faith groups, charities, trade unions, campaigning groups and celebrities announced ambitious plans last year under the banner MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY. The coalition includes the Church of England (and all other major denominations), Traidcraft and The Fairtrade Foundation. MakePovertyHistory aims to be the most powerful coalition ever against world poverty, calling for urgent and meaningful policy change on three critical and inextricably linked areas: trade, debt and aid. It 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.

By the time you read this article, many of you will have seen the New Year episodes of the Vicar of Dibley, with their clear focus on MakePovertyHistory - a unique UK alliance of charities, trade unions, campaigning groups and faith communities, including the Church of England, who are mobilising around key opportunities in 2005 to drive forward the struggle against poverty and injustice in our world.

The effort is not limited to the UK but the UK Government’s chairing of the G8 Summit in July and its Presidency of the EU in the second half of the year place it in a position of considerable influence. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor have already made clear that both of these will have a clear international development focus. The aim of the MakePovertyHistory coalition is to make sure they deliver on their promise. More will be written in the Spire as the year unfolds, but for now I wish to draw your attention to three events:

1. On 14 January, female clergy will participate in an ecumenical all female march on No 10, led by Dawn French, in support of MakePovertyHistory.

2. Ecumenical church launch of MakePovertyHistory in Bloomsbury Baptist Church (235 Shaftsbury Avenue, New Oxford Street end) on Sat 29 January. Please make an effort to come along and get inspired for action. Each of us can make a difference, with many individual actions resulting in an unstoppable force.

3. Many of you will remember the Jubilee 2000 human chain around Birmingham in May 1998, when the UK last hosted the G8 Summit. We know our presence put debt firmly on the agenda. This year the UK hosts the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, in early July. MakePovertyHistory is calling for 100,000 people to be in Edinburgh on Sat 2 July to witness to the seriousness of the call. Can you help to swell the numbers? Do talk to me about it.

Please pick up a MakePovertyHistory booklet in church so that you can be informed as opportunities to take part in this unique movement unfold.

Source: Ann Peterken, The Spire Magazine - 2005 January

On 11th June Churches Together Around Hampton (CTAH) participated in the Hampton carnival parade to raise awareness about the MAKE POVERTY HISTORY campaign ahead of the G8 summit in Edinburgh later this month. The coalition of aid agencies, church groups and others involved in MPH are campaigning for the alleviation of poverty in Africa and other developing countries.

The campaign can be summarised under the following headings: Drop the debt, more and better aid, trade justice. Here are the thoughts and reflections of some of those involved in the parade:

It is very important public witness to remember the desperate poverty around our world.

I am attending this event because I think it is important to take every opportunity to speak up for the poor in the world and ensure they can benefit from the wealth and opportunity that are available to us. I am especially pleased to be speaking out today with a mix of Christians from different churches. If we stand together we can make a difference.

Every time I run my tap and waste water I think of all those people who have to walk miles for less than enough to drink. How can we ignore all those who have so little?

I can’t get to Edinburgh so I was glad to be able to march for MPH around Hampton.

To show that we can help our brothers and sisters the world over.

This is important to raise awareness locally to seize the opportunity when the issue is being raised at such a high political level. We can translate this into action at the local - to make it global.

To show that as a member of CTAH we want to raise awareness of the MPH campaign ahead of the G8 summit.

A way of getting alongside the disadvantage and poor of the world.

I think it is a great opportunity for individuals to actually make a difference by acting together and showing that the poor and disadvantaged are important to us. Also it is a great opportunity for others to see that the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign is alive and active in our community.

It is great to be doing something locally for the MPH campaign, some voices are always better than none.

I am very glad we are doing the parade because it helps people in Africa.

It helps people in Africa so I am looking forward to this.

I really want to reduce poverty so I’m looking forward to this walk.

Source: The Spire Magazine - 2005 July

Mass Lobby for Trade Justice
Wednesday 2 November, 12-6pm in Westminster
A mass lobby is when a large number of people go to parliament to raise the same concern with their MP at the same time. On this occasion thousands of people from all over the country are in Westminster to call on the UK Government and its partners in the European Union to:
• stop pushing poor countries to open their economies through world trade talks
• respect poor countries’ right to decide on trade policies to help end poverty and protect their environment.

The lobby is part of the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign strategy for 2005. This widely supported movement has been calling for effective progress in three fundamental areas:
Trade Justice - Drop the Debt - More and better Aid

The G8 Summit at Gleneagles in July took some positive steps on debt cancellation and increased aid, but there was no mention of trade. Debt cancellation and increased aid are necessary, but not sufficient commitments. Fairer trade rules are essential if the poorest countries are to have a chance to trade their way out of poverty and rich countries must be prepared to give ground without anything in return,

The Mass Lobby is timed to have maximum effect ahead of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting in December in Hong Kong. Do pay heed to what is said and written about the lobby so that you are better informed for the WTO meeting next month. And use the websites to stay in touch and find out more.

Source: Ann Peterken, The Spire Magazine - 2005 November

Global Poverty - What Can One Person Do? St Paul’s Cathedral engages with the issue
As we near the end of this important year for action on global poverty, a few words on an excellent program of lectures and study days organised by St Paul’s Institute. It has been wonderful to see our cathedral engaging so fully with this important issue.

Several people from St James attended one or more of the events. I myself went along to two of the public lectures - in July to hear Kofi Annan and Gordon Brown and in October to hear Jeffrey Sachs and Hilary Benn. On both occasions the cathedral was packed, with a very high percentage of young people, including many from overseas. There was a buzz of excitement that it’s hard to convey, but very good to experience.

Transcripts of the lectures are available on the Institute’s website and I would encourage you to read them, especially the October transcript of Jeffrey Sachs, Hilary Benn and Bishop Peter Selby. They each spoke so clearly and honestly. I’ll be happy to help if you have any problem in finding or downloading the transcript.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs is Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York and a key advocate of sustainable development. He is also Special Adviser to Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals. It was a privilege to hear him speak and here are just a few snippets to give you a flavour of his encouraging talk:
• He said we must stop wasting time and energy in the blame game, most especially in blaming the poor for their poverty.
• He said time and energy should be invested in practical initiatives e.g. techniques to enhance basic food production, disease control and road building.
• He is not against the process of globalisation, but concerned that certain areas of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, are not managing to engage with it. He spoke clearly of why this should be, highlighting the fact that many of the countries are landlocked - a thousand miles or more from a port which isn’t their own, along roads that are not their own.
• He was very complimentary of Britain’s leadership in the fight against global poverty – both at government and at grassroots level – and was visibly delighted to be able to say this in St Paul’s Cathedral. So all the postcards you have sent, all the letters you have written, all the mass rallies you have joined, really do make a difference. They empower politicians to take action, both here at home and on the international stage.
• He said elimination of extreme poverty is achievable in our lifetime, without the need for additional promises from leaders of the developed world – they simply need to deliver on the promises already made.

This last point brings to mind Bob Geldof’s colourful phrase that we need to find a way “to hold the politicians’ feet to the fire”. In practical terms that means a timetable, with a clear set of benchmarks, to ensure that promises are transformed into action and cash. This will need constant vigilance from civil society, so please continue to play your part as we approach another year.

Source: Ann Peterken, The Spire Magazine - 2005 December