About MAKE POVERTY HISTORY
MAKE POVERTY HISTORY
Make Poverty History was the name of a campaign that exists in a number of countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, South Africa, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom. The various national Make Poverty History campaigns are part of the international Global Call to Action Against campaign and similar campaigns exist in other countries under different names.
The campaign is generally a coalition of aid and development agencies which work together to raise awareness of global poverty and achieve policy change by the government. Though the different campaigns focus on different issues according to the circumstances within their country, they generally focus on issues relating to 8th Millennium Development Goal such as aid, trade and justice.
Make Poverty History set out a timescale revolving around the 31st G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland on July 6, 2005.
The campaign was given a high profile launch on British television on New Year's Day 2005 in a special edition of The Vicar of Dibley, written by Richard Curtis, who pledged support for the campaign during 2005. The same issues were highlighted in Curtis' television drama The Girl in the cafe, in an episode broadcast on June 25 on the BBC One channel in the UK on theHBO channel in the U.S. and on ABC TV in Australia.
- Britain assumed presidency of the G8 on January 1, 2005 and hosted the summit with poverty in Africa being, at least nominally, a major topic for discussion.
- The Commission for Africa, launched by Tony Blair in February 2004, aimed to help create a strong and prosperous Africa. Their report, published in March 2005, was a focal point for the British presidency of the G8.
- In the second half of 2005, Britain held the EU presidency.
- July 1, 2005 was the first international "White Band Day", a worldwide day of action.
- July 2 - Over 225,000 protesters demonstrated in Edinburgh to promote the campaign's demands. On the same day, the Live 8 concerts took place before the G8 summit to encourage activism and debate within the G8 member countries, with the aim of increasing political pressure on the leaders.
- July 3 – boats set off to Cherbourg in France to pick up protesters as part of Sail 8
- July 6 - The final Live 8 concert, named Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push rocks Edinburgh in the final strike to persuade G8 Leaders to double aid in Africa. Demonstrators walked overnight up to 20 miles to reach Gleneagles as the A8 had been closed.[citation needed]
- The 20th anniversary of Live Aid was on July 13, 2005.
- September 10 was the second international "White Band Day".
- The United Nations General Assembly Special Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, September 2005. This summit reviewed the progress since 2000 of the Millennium Development Goals, including halving the proportion of people living in poverty by 2015.
- December 10 was the third international "White Band Day".