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GET READY TO STAND UP AND TAKE ACTION FOR THE MDGS: OCTOBER 17TH -19TH, 2008
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Last year, more than 43 million people all over the world stood up and spoke out sending a clear and powerful message to governments: Keep your promises to end poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

This year we are inviting you to Stand Up and Take Action, to be a part of the growing global movement determined to stamp out poverty and inequality.

We have reached the halfway mark to 2015, the target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. There has been some progress, but there is still a long way to go. We need to take urgent and inspired action now, to remind our governments we expect them to deliver. That's why this year we're focusing on country-specific actions in support of the achievement of the Millennium Goals. Millions will be Standing Up and Taking Action, locally, nationally and globally.

The scope of actions is broad and depends on what is relevant for each national or local context. Whether by a signed petition, a text message campaign, phone calls to local government representatives, face to face meetings with parliamentarians, local and national leaders - What's most important is that we Stand Up and take Action to make our demands heard loud and clear.

In poor countries, Campaigners will be reminding their governments to implement time-bound MDG-based national development strategies, plans and budgetary allocations; to improve MDG implementation and delivery mechanisms with a strong focus on poor and excluded groups particularly women; to produce concrete plans to enhance domestic resource mobilization that will be earmarked for MDG achievement; to create and implement plans for increased transparency and fighting corruption, more systematic and on-going monitoring and reporting of progress towards the achievement of the MDGs and greater accountability on MDG planning, implementation and reporting to elected officials (Parliaments, local Governments etc.) and key non-state stakeholders including the media, faith groups, citizens groups and civil society organizations.

In rich countries, delivering on Goal 8 commitments continue to be important and at the national and global level. Specific commitments from these Heads of State should include, setting and meeting time-tabled commitments on not just aid volume and debt relief, but aid quality and effectiveness; breaking the impasse in the trade negotiations at the WTO, particularly on elimination of agricultural subsidies and market access for developing country goods and services and to stop pushing through WTO plus agreements on a bilateral or regional basis.

Stand Up, Take Action 2008 will be held over a three day period from October 17th -19th.
By starting on a Friday and concluding on a Sunday, everyone, whether at home, at work, at school, university or in a place of worship will have the chance to take part.

We will once again be aiming to break the world record for the most number of people to Stand Up Against Poverty. But even more importantly, you will be building on the momentum created over the last two years, a momentum which has already contributed to real progress. Thank you for all you have done to make Stand Up a strong movement and powerful force in the fight to end poverty and see the Millennium Goals achieved and exceeded. Let's resolve to make Stand Up and Take Action even more impactful in 2008.


Keep watching www.StandAgainstPoverty.org for information and updates!

April 25, 2008 | 5:35 AM Comments  0 comments
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Olympics boycott futile
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Publication Date: 4/22/2008

In 1980, US President Jimmy Carter persuaded a number of African countries to boycott the Moscow Olympics, ostensibly because the then Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan.

The result was total disaster, for the Games went right ahead, but Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes, renowned world-beaters, missed out on the action.

The Soviets didn’t leave Afghanistan until they were routed many years later.

This time round, nobody is trying to persuade African countries to boycott the Beijing Olympics. However, there is a great deal of noise about China repressing Tibetans who are seeking independence for their region which China regards as one of its provinces.

What is happening is rather laughable. As if it will make any difference besides antagonising China, Western leaders led by US President George Bush, are vowing to boycott the Games’ opening ceremony, while others like UK’s Gordon Brown are saying they will attend only the closing ceremony.

We hold no brief for the People’s Republic of China, and we cannot support its strong arm tactics against the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.

But at the same time, we condemn the hypocrisy evident in the West’s self-righteous preachments about human rights abuse in Tibet. Why is nobody cutting sporting links with the US and the UK for invading and occupying Iraq?

When China tells the world to delink politics from sports, theirs are self-serving sentiments because they seem to favour suppression over dialogue with the Dalai Lama. But even he does not support a boycott of the Olympics. Why should Western leaders?

April 22, 2008 | 3:45 AM Comments  0 comments
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US tourism Guru touts ‘indispensable’ Kenya
Related to country: Kenya
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Story by KEVIN J. KELLEY in New York
Publication Date: 4/21/2008

A writer known as America’s foremost travel authority is now touting Kenya as an affordable destination with spectacular attractions.

In a nationally circulated column published on Sunday, Arthur Frommer notes that the recent power-sharing agreement should lead to alluring bargains as Kenya strives to rebuild its shattered tourism industry.

Earlier this month, Mr Frommer rated Kenya among the top 20 travel bargains for 2008.

"If the truce holds and violence ends in Kenya, we soon should see a return to touristic marketing — at prices lower than ever before," Mr Frommer writes. "If things do quiet down, we all should consider booking a trip to one of the few indispensable touristic areas that all of us should see at some point in our lives."

Mr Frommer describes an Africa safari as "an almost mystical experience, a chance to see the world as it was before human beings trod upon it."

Americans can also feel good about spending their dollars in Kenya, he suggests.

The recent violence deprived thousands of Kenyans of jobs in the tourism sector as holiday-makers from the United States and Europe made alternate bookings. "Many Kenyans in the tourism industry have no other source of income," Mr Frommer notes, "and Kenya is not the kind of wealthy nation that can replace the loss with unemployment benefits."

Traveling to Kenya can not only provide great personal enjoyment, but can also help "a multitude of Kenyans to be able, once again, to feed their families," Mr Frommer writes.

April 22, 2008 | 2:38 AM Comments  0 comments
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THERE AND ABOUT: Heads buried in the sand over Zimbabwe
Related to country: Zimbabwe
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Story by CHEGE MBITIRU
Publication Date: 4/21/2008

Southern Africa leaders during the weekend camouflaged a semi-vacation in Mauritius to ostensibly discuss their l’enfant terrible. In Durban, however, dock workers and a court demonstrated how the leaders should deal with the incorrigible.

The leaders head the Southern African Development Community member states. On the agenda was Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. South African President Thabo Mbeki must have kept his head low. His diplomacy in Zimbabwe long became bankrupt.

A litany of woes Mr Mugabe has plastered Zimbabwe with in a 28-year isn’t necessary any more to prove the obvious: Zimbabwe heads to being just a cartographers’ lines that show a country. Mr Mugabe offers a hackneyed explanation: It’s all the fault of whoever happens to be Britain’s prime minister or US president.

Traitors among them

To sweeten his charges, Mr Mugabe reminds Zimbabweans of traitors among them. One such is leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai. Some international pressure finally goaded SADC leaders. Last month’s general election became the catalyst.

The Zimbabwe Election Commission announced results other than presidential. The MDC claimed victory. The ZEC declined to announce presidential results because it discovered anomalies. Ordinarily, elections officials announce results and then courts deal with arising issues.

Things don’t work that way in Mr Mugabe’s fiefdom. In any case, what Nigerians used to call “AGIP”—officials who dance to tunes of Any Government in Power—dominate Zimbabwe’s judiciary.

One of Mr Mugabe’s perpetual malaises is allergy to political opposition. That became obvious soon after independence in 1980. Mr Mugabe’s ZANU-PF took on the late nationalist, Mr Joshua Nkomo, and slaughtered as many of his Ndebele supporters as possible. Once the old man’s political machine became a shell, Mr Mugabe graciously offered him a sinecure. He died a broken person.

Unfortunately, Mr Tsvangirai and his MDC have turned to be hydra-like. Elections results showed ZANU-PF lost the majority in parliament. Of course, Mr. Mugabe didn’t win. He would have boasted to the world the moment that happened.

Ironically, one of the reasons the MDC survives is Mr Mugabe’s gluttonous squandering of political and economic capital he had at independence. As his reputation eroded, the more Zimbabweans willed alternative leadership.

As tension mounted between Mr Mugabe and the opposition, it became clear to SADC leaders Mr Mugabe needed retooling. They named Mr Mbeki as mediator last year. Mr Mbeki opted for the so-called “quite and not megaphone” diplomacy. Mr Mbeki and Mr Mugabe seem to be the only ones aware of the outcome of the quiet diplomacy. That’s how come after visiting Mr Mugabe the previous Saturday; Mr Mbeki said no crisis exists in the country.

Few bought that. Business Day, a South African magazine, dismissed Mr Mbeki’s appearance as “clasping Mugabe’s hand and grinning like and awe-struck schoolboy.”

By mid-last week, it was obvious Mr Mbeki’s ethereal diplomacy floated without leaving a whiff on Mr Mugabe On Thursday, South Africa urged ZEC to release presidential election results. The G8 group of major industrialised countries and the European Union echoed the call.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice kicked dirt, describing Zimbabwe as an “abomination.” She went on: “It’s time for Africa to step up,” Ms Rice said. “Where is the concern from the African Union and from Zimbabwe’s neighbours about what is going on in Zimbabwe?”

On Friday, Mr Mugabe hit back. In a speech to mark the country’s 28-years of independence, Mr Mugabe ranted about all manner of profound issues. These included women who exhibit sensuous anatomy, belly buttons, in public.

The core of his message, however, remained “Down with the British” and a chilling warning, “Nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to change.” Something did, though.

From Durban, the same day, a Chinese ship sailed away with Mr Mugabe’s cargo of three million rounds of ammunition, 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and 2,500 mortar rounds.

Dockworkers refused to unload the cargo and a court backed them up. That’s what Mr Mugabe has always needed to moderate his ways: touchable action, not peer adoration for steadfastness in limping on crutches called colonialism.