MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY

Scotland focus to Make Poverty History in 2005

A wide coalition of Scottish charities including Jubilee Scotland, trade unions and campaigning groups have announced ambitious campaign plans for 2005, in the run up to the G8 to be held in Gleneagles.

In a world where poverty kills 30,000 people every day, 2005 will be a year of unprecedented opportunity for rich countries to change the rules and practices of trade, cancel poor countries' debts and deliver more and better aid.

MAKE POVERTY HISTORY aims to be the most powerful coalition ever against world poverty. It calls for urgent action and is looking to Tony Blair, as he hosts the G8 at Gleneagles 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.

Last time the UK hosted the G8 was in Birmingham in 1998 when some 70,000 people formed a human chain around the centre of the city campaigning for the cancellation of unpayable debt. This public pressure forced poverty onto the G8 agenda and brought significant debt relief for poor countries.

This time, plans are being made by Scottish campaigners, in co-operation with others from England & Wales and overseas, for thousands of people to take to the streets of Edinburgh, on Saturday 2nd July 2005, in advance of the G8 meeting. The campaigners will insist that the leaders of the world's richest nations should take up the challenge to MAKE POVERTY HISTORY.

Commenting, Mhairi Hearle, Chair of NIDOS, (Network of International Development Organisations in Scotland), said:

" In 2005 the eyes of the world will be on events happening in Scotland, with the G8 a huge opportunity to Make Poverty History.

" For too long trade justice, debt and aid have been discussed but left on the 'too difficult to deal with' pile. That must not continue. The poor of the world deserve more than the crumbs from the Gleneagles table."

U2's Bono said: "2005 is our chance to go down in history for what we did do, rather than what we didn't do. This campaign is critical....coming to a stadium and a pulpit near you."

MAKE POVERTY HISTORY is already receiving widespread international support
and today Archbishop Desmond Tutu said:

" 2005 is a year of great opportunity. We can really do something to change the world. The time has come to stop talking and start taking some action. If everyone who wants to see an end to poverty, hunger and suffering speaks out then the noise will be deafening. Politicians will have to listen."

For more on MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY visit www.makepovertyhistory.org