At the start of the 21st century 1.2 billion people live in abject poverty, most of them women. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry and 50,000 people die every day from poverty-related causes. It doesn’t have to be this way. If we choose — if we have the will to act — we can make poverty history.

Poverty is a violation of human rights on a massive scale. Nearly five years ago, all members of the United Nations committed to “spare no effort” in tackling poverty by adopting the Millennium Declaration. Governments also launched the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to meet minimum targets to reduce poverty, hunger, illiteracy, discrimination against women, and environmental degradation by 2015.

But the pace of action is too slow. If we hold the present course, we will fail to meet these targets. And the poor will pay the price.

The Asian tsunami showed that Canadians, including the Canadian government, care deeply and react generously when the world is faced with humanitarian disasters. But short-term relief is not enough. We need a shift in national and international policies to eliminate poverty.

It’s time for real action. In 2005, campaigns to end poverty have been launched world wide. If everyone who wants to end poverty speaks at the same time, world leaders will be forced to listen.

Canada’s campaign to end poverty, Make Poverty History, calls for urgent and meaningful policy change. Here’s what we want in 14 words: More and Better Aid. Trade Justice. Cancel the Debt. End Child Poverty in Canada.


1. MORE AND BETTER AID

Aid is a resource held in trust for people living in poverty. We must not break this trust. But we must do more than simply maintain or even increase our aid—we must also make aid more effective.

More and better aid is needed to help end extreme poverty and hunger … to enable every child to attend elementary school… to reduce child mortality rates … to improve maternal health…to create decent jobs… and to begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Canada can take action:

• Reach the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015 by committing to a timetable to increase aid by 12% in each of the next 3 years and by 15% thereafter.
  
  
• Enact legislation to make “ending poverty” the exclusive goal of Canadian foreign aid in a way consistent with our human rights’ obligations.

2. TRADE JUSTICE

Currently, international trade is neither free nor fair. Trade rules allow rich countries to pay large subsidies to a small number of companies to export food. These policies encourage overproduction, destroy the livelihoods of millions of poor farmers in developing countries and hurt the environment.

We need trade justice so poor countries can protect small farmers and staple crops … so governments can access affordable medicine and maintain public services… and so trade rules support, rather than undermine, human rights and environmental protection.

Canada can take action in international trade agreements:

• Press for trade and investment rules that ensure governments and their citizens can choose the best solutions to end poverty and protect the environment.
  
  
• Support measures that boost farmers’ power in the marketplace and that bring an end to the dumping of goods, which damages the livelihoods of poor rural communities.
  
  
  

3. DEBT CANCELLATION

High interest rates and penalties mean that the poorest countries spend more on repaying debts to the richest countries than they receive in aid. Between 1970 and 2002, for example, the poorest African countries received $294 billion in loans, paid back $298 billion in interest and principal, but still owed more than $200 billion.

We must cancel all debts to the poorest countries to stop this treadmill. When poor governments no longer need to repay debt, they can spend more on what really matters: food, clean water, housing, health care, jobs, education, and building their economies.

Canada can take action at World Bank and International Monetary Fund:

• Promote the immediate and unconditional cancellation of 100% of the multilateral and bilateral debt owed by the poorest countries.
  
  
• Ensure that debt cancellation has no strings attached, enabling developing countries to implement their own national plans to end poverty.
  
  

4. END TO CHILD POVERTY IN CANADA

In 1989, the House of Commons unanimously resolved to eliminate poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000. At the start of 2005, one million Canadian children, or nearly one in six, are still poor. Aboriginal people are disproportionately affected.

We must end child poverty in Canada. We must make key investments in social development that will make a difference: More money for low-income families. Affordable housing and the creation of decent jobs, with a higher minimum wage. And universal, affordable early learning and child care.

Canada can take action:

• Raise the annual Canada Child Tax Benefit (or equivalent benefit) to $4,900 per child and ensure all low-income children receive full benefit of this program.
  
  
• Involve groups where poverty is predominant, such as Aboriginal People, women, minorities and youth in the design and implementation of a domestic poverty reduction
  strategy.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE POVERTY HISTORY!

We need your voice to add to our worldwide chorus. Find out how you can support our global campaign at www.makepovertyhistory.ca. Together, we can make poverty history.

Source: http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/e/pdfs/MPH_Platform.pdf

Reformatted & coded into HTML from a PDF file for Accessibility reasons
(PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view, read or print)

 

You can help put an end to global poverty. The time to act is now. Add your voice to Make Poverty History. Yes I want to Make Poverty History.

 

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Page last updated March 14, 2005