* Letter to All African Heads of States by African organisations ahead of the UN Millennium Summit (Plus 5) review
New York, September 14-16th 2005

Letter to All African Heads of States
by African organisations ahead of the
UN Millennium Summit (Plus 5) review
New York, September 14-16th 2005

Return Fax: +254-20-3742927
August 31st 2005

Your Excellencies,

Ahead of the UN World Summit in September, we the following fifty national, African and international organizations and networks working in all four corners of Africa write to set out our expectations for the summit on poverty, peace and security. We write under the umbrella of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), an alliance of millions of people and organisations united in the belief that 2005 offers an unprecedented opportunity for change.

Five years after your office signed the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals, we are in serious danger of failing to achieve even these, the most minimalist of targets.

To achieve the MDGs, we believe that your Government must actively demand better terms for Africa on aid, trade justice and debt cancellation. Small steps were taken at the G8 in July on financing development; but larger steps are needed at September’s UN summit to make a real difference. It is critical that the UN Declaration contains commitments on;
• African countries have the right to determine their own trade policies. This will stop rich countries from pushing African countries to open their economies when it is negative for growth and equity.
• Cancellation of the debts of all countries that need it to be able to achieve the MDGs and detach them from harmful World Bank and IMF conditions
• Rich countries to reach 0.7% of their national income in aid immediately and ensure that this aid reaches the poorest men and women in the poorest countries.
• All Governments to restore and uphold the rights of citizens to control and access quality education, health, water and other public services.
• All Governments to embrace a shared responsibility to protect people from genocide, crimes against humanity and armed conflict and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Many of these commitments are crucial for Africa. Without them, the remaining Millennium Development Goals shall go the way of the first target missed; namely gender parity in primary and secondary education.

Further, we note that since the G8 there have been attempts to roll back the commitment to underwrite the debt cancellation deals of the 14 countries with new monies. More dangerously still, there are current attempts by some Governments to force these important commitments from the text. Should this succeed, the UN Millennium Summit will fall disastrously short of the Common African Position on the Proposed Reform of the United Nations and the decisions of the African Union Summits in Abuja and Sirte earlier this year.

We call on you to stand firm on insisting these commitments are contained in the final Declaration and not allow trade offs between the responsibility to protect, development or human rights. Rest assured of our support in these efforts.

In the next two weeks, national campaigners will be meeting their Heads of State and Ministries of Foreign Affairs to press home the importance of leaders delivering on their promises. On September 10th, White Band Day 2, millions of campaigners across the North and South will shout a loud “wake up call” by participating in rallies, concerts, vigils and press conferences to put pressure on governments to deliver. Page 1 of 4

We will continue to call on all leaders to make bold, decisive and binding commitments to end poverty and achieve social justice and larger freedom for all citizens. These will be the measures of success or failure of this historic summit and Africa’s future may depend on it.

Should you wish further elaboration of these issues contact the offices of the organizations below or to seek further information on the campaign, please visit www.whiteband.org

Be assured of our highest consideration in these matters. Yours truly,

Signed by the following ten African and regional associations/networks

All Africa Conference Of Churches, Nairobi, Kenya,
West African Network for Peace-building (WANEP), Accra Ghana, DAWN Anglophone region, Accra, Ghana, AFRODAD, Harare, Zimbabwe, MWENGO, Harare, Zimbabwe,
FEMNET, Nairobi, Kenya, The Global Pan African Movement,
Equality Now-Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, Gender & Trade Network in Africa,
Southern African Network of Women Economists,
African Women’s Millennium Initiative on Poverty and Human Rights (AWOMI)

and thirty-four national organizations and networks of organisations

GCAP coalition, Banjul, The Gambia, Alternative Trade Network, Ho, Ghana, Tradeaid, Bolgatanga, Ghana, Women In Law And Development In Africa-Ghana, Accra, Ghana, Market Access Promotion Network, Tamale, Ghana, Kenya MDGs Coalition, Nairobi, Kenya, Econews Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, Sustainability Watch Network-Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya, KeNAAM, Kenya Youth and Community Development Programme, Nairobi, Kenya, Kenya Land Alliance, Nakuru, Kenya, Groots – Kenya, Nairobi, YWCA of Kenya, Espace Associatif, Rabat, Morocco, Mozambique Debt Group, Maputo, Mozambique, Independent Social Science Practice, Windhoek, Namibia, Namibian Voices For Development, Windhoek, Namibia, Media Institute Of Southern Africa, Windhoek, Namibia, MDGs/GCAP Coalition, Abuja, Nigeria, Baobab For Women's Human Rights, Lagos, Nigeria, Adolescent Health And Information Project, Kano, Nigeria, Fédération, Nationale Des Producteurs De Coton, Tambacounda, Sénégal, ENDA/REPAO, Dakar, Senegal, Union Nationale Des Acteurs De La Filière Avicole, Sénégal, Sierra Leone National GCAP Coalition, Free Town, Sierra Leone, Emang Basadi Phakamani Bafazi, Rural & Land Women's Movement, Institute For Justice And Reconciliation, Cape Town, South Africa, SANGOCO, Johannesburg, South Africa, Irrigation Training & Economic Empowerment Organization, Moshi, Tanzania, Tanzanian Civil Society Gcap / MDGs Campaign Coalition, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Women In Law And Development In Africa, Lome, Togo, Albertine Rift Conservation Society, Kampala, Uganda, Uganda Coalition For Sustainable Development, Kampala, Uganda, Sustainability Watch Network, Kampala, Uganda, Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda, Kampala – Uganda, Kaabong Women’s Group Organisation, Kampala, Uganda,
Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), Kampala, Uganda,
Zambia Trade Network, Lusaka, Zambia

endorsed by ten international organisations
working in or for development, human rights and justice in Africa

ActionAid International, World Vision Africa Office, Fahamu-UK, Pan African Development Education And Advocacy Programme-UK, Justice Africa-UK, Oxfam International, Africa Development Institute-US, CIVICUS –World Alliance for Citizens Participation, TransAfrica Forum-US, Foreign Policy In Focus-US

Media Advisory

50 African and international Organisations
condemn rolling back of UN development commitments and write to all African Presidents
on upcoming UN Summit

For Immediate Release August 31st 2005
Nairobi, Johannesburg, Lagos/Abuja

What: Press Briefing on upcoming UN Millennium Summit (plus 5) review, September 14-16th, New York. African campaigners condemn rolling back of development commitments and release to the public letter communicated to 53 African Presidents ahead of the Summit.

When: Thursday 1st September 2005

For further information contact;

Nigeria press conference - Thursday 1st September, Lagos/Abuja with Justice Egware as spokesperson
GCAP press officer Etim Imisim - Tel +234 8035741212 or + 234 - 8036299488

Kenya press conference - Friday 2nd September, 10.30 am Chester House, Nairobi with Njeri Kinyoho ActionAid International and Esther Mwaura GROOTS as spokespersons GCAP press officer Anastasia Mutisya-Musyoki Tel +254-73392674

South Africa press conference - Friday 2nd 13:00-14:00, ActionAid, 2nd Floor Rosebank Arena, Cradock Avenue Rosebank, Johannesburg with Kumi Naidoo of CIVICUS and Zanele Twana of SANGOCO as spokespersons GCAP press officer Zukiswa Wanner Tel +27 11 833 5959, ext. 113

Visit: www.whiteband.org • www.gcapsms.org

In Brief:
Less than two weeks away from the UN World Summit, the world’s largest ever anti-poverty campaign is gravely concerned that countries including the United States are undermining the Summit outcome, and ensuring its failure.
The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) warns that by cutting agreed wording designed to end poverty, governments are trying to edit away the future of the world’s poorest people.

The current draft of the Summit outcome declaration contains strong statements on fighting poverty. However, the United States has proposed deleting key wording on tackling global poverty and disease. The proposed US changes include cutting all references to the Millennium Development Goals - the internationally agreed targets for halving world poverty. The US also wants to cut all references to small arms controls and weaken wording on all governments’ responsibility to protect civilians in cases of mass killing such as the Rwandan genocide.

Ahead of the Summit, African organisations endorsed by some of the largest international NGOs under the collective banner of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty have written to 53 African Heads of States calling on them to resist attempts to edit out wording designed to end poverty.

On Thursday 1st September in three corners of Africa – Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi, campaigners will simultaneously release the open letter to the press and brief the press on the preparations leading up to the Summit and prospects for Africa.

Media Statement

POWERFUL COUNTRIES SET TO BETRAY HOPES OF MILLIONS AT UN WORLD SUMMIT

September 1st, 2005 - Less than two weeks away from the UN World Summit, the world’s largest ever anti-poverty campaign is gravely concerned that countries including the United States are undermining the Summit outcome, and ensuring its failure.
The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) warns that by cutting agreed wording designed to end poverty, governments are trying to edit away the future of the world’s poorest people.

The current draft of the Summit outcome declaration contains strong statements on fighting poverty. However, the United States has proposed deleting key wording on tackling global poverty and disease. The proposed US changes include cutting all references to the Millennium Development Goals - the internationally agreed targets for halving world poverty. The US also wants to cut all references to small arms controls and weaken wording on all governments’ responsibility to protect civilians in cases of mass killing such as the Rwandan genocide.
The United States is the main culprit in trying to water down the proposals, with the tacit approval of many other governments. Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder are even threatening not to attend the crucial Summit. If the declaration is so substantially weakened, the largest gathering of world leaders in history will result in failure. “It is ironic that citizens in these countries, not their leaders who signed the Millennium Declaration in the first place, are showing greater commitment to fighting global poverty. We in Africa must keep up the call for these leaders to wake up and not betray our common global humanity” said Justice Egware of the MDGs/GCAP coalition of Nigeria
The 50 African countries that make up the Africa bloc have emerged as major brokers on issues of the reform and expansion of the UN Security Council in recent weeks. In a style reminiscent of the 2003 Cancun WTO Inter-ministerial, Africa seems to be approaching the Summit with growing confidence and power.
Ahead of the Summit, 50 African organisations endorsed by some of the largest international NGOs have written to 53 African Heads of States calling on them to resist attempts to edit out wording designed to end poverty. “Should our leaders allow it, the World Summit could go down in history as the meeting where the most powerful people in the world turned their backs on the poorest,” said Esther Mwaura, campaigner from the Global Call to Action against Poverty.
Millions of people across the world as part of the Global Call to Action against Poverty are calling on their leaders to honor their word and keep their commitments. United by the campaign’s global symbol, the white band, world leaders will be ‘woken up’ to poverty on 10 September, just before leaving for New York, by alarm bells, marches and buildings wrapped with the white band.
Ends.

For further information contact;
Nigeria press conference - Thursday 1st September, Lagos/Abuja with Justice Egware as spokesperson
GCAP press officer Etim Imisim - Tel +234 8035741212 or + 234 - 8036299488
Kenya press conference - Friday 2nd September, 10.30 am Chester House, Nairobi with Njeri Kinyoho ActionAid International and Esther Mwaura GROOTS as spokespersons GCAP press officer Anastasia Mutisya-Musyoki Tel +254-73392674
South Africa press conference - Friday 2nd 13:00-14:00, ActionAid, 2nd Floor Rosebank Arena, Cradock Avenue Rosebank, Johannesburg with Kumi Naidoo of CIVICUS and Zanele Twana of SANGOCO as spokespersons GCAP press officer Zukiswa Wanner Tel +27 11 833 5959, ext. 113

NOTES FOR EDITORS

NOTES FOR EDITORS 1

The Global Call to Action Against Poverty coalition is calling on the public to do three things:

1. Show your support for the campaign by wearing a white band or white African beads on September 10th. Tell another person to do so.

2. Join the Global Call to Action against Poverty by sending a text message “no 2 poverty” to world leaders. Text: +27 82 904 3425.

3. Come to the Accra live concert dubbed “Standing Tall Against Poverty”, featuring the best of African and international performers in Accra. Contact for more information +233 21 775 072.Email: [email protected].

NOTES FOR EDITORS 2

Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a coalition of over 100 organisations, faith groups and celebrities working Africa.It is the African arm of the Global Call to Action against Poverty, an alliance of over a hundred national coalitions representing over 150 million people from 60 different countries.

Visit our website at www.whiteband.org