World aims for record mobilisation for anti-poverty drive

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct 17 (AFP): Millions of people were set to mobilise around the world beginning late Tuesday for what organisers hope will be the biggest ever drive to demand concrete actions to end global poverty.
The 24-hour "Stand Up and Speak Out" campaign, sponsored by the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) alliance and the UN Millennium Campaign, was to kick off at 2100 GMT, to voice outrage that 50,000 people die daily from preventable causes.
Last year the global event, held on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, drew 23.5 million people and organisers said they hope to do better this year and set a Guinness World Record in the process.
People in nearly 90 countries are to stand up in public spaces, schools, places of work or worship, at sports and cultural events to voice their frustration at the lack of real progress in rooting global poverty.
The result of the Guinness record attempt is to be announced around the world Thursday.
One of the highlights will be a ceremony Wednesday from 1 pm (1700 GMT) at UN headquarters, where UN chief Ban Ki-moon is to lead staff and diplomats in the "Stand Up against Poverty".
"Tens of millions of people are making their voices heard by standing up and speaking out against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals," Ban said. "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."
One of the key Millenium Goals (MDGs) aims by 2015 to reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day and also by half the proportion of people suffering from hunger.
"In 2000, world leaders made a commitment to do everything in their power to end poverty, by agreeing to achieve the MDGs by 2015," said Salil Shetty, head of the UN Millennium Campaign. "This year marks the halfway point to this deadline and still almost a billion people living on less than a dollar a day."