Stand Up, Take Action Against Poverty Campaign

Last year, the Philippines won the no. 1 slot for the most number of people who stood up against poverty in the Stand Up Against Poverty, according to Minar Pimple, United Nations Millennium Campaign deputy director who is personally giving the good news to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

To achieve 15 million people who will stand up and take action against poverty for this year in order to sustain the country’s first place position, no less than Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal will lead the campaign on the occasion of the Asian Conference on Religion for Peace at the University of the Santo Tomas (UST).

Minar Pimple, United Nations Millennium Campaign deputy director, who had a TV interview in Equilibrium: Sukatan ng Katarungan, hosted by former Senator Heherson Alvarez, Presidential Adviser on global warming and climate change, will be joined by Suneeta Mukherjee, UNRC AI and UN family focal person for the Philippine campaign, together with partners in the aforementioned meeting with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

This year, as in the last 2 years, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), headed by Chairman Vilma Labrador and Executive Director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, is following up this achievement and supporting the Stand Up Against Poverty, a campaign for global mobilization to end poverty and inequality and for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), through a series of cultural-educational activities. The event will be from October 17 to 19, 2008. The global campaign to mobilize cultural diversity for the UNMDGs was launched in 2006 by UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura at the Philippine hosting of the 31st UNESCO-ITI Congress and Theater Olympics of the Nation with the full support of Pres. Arroyo.
On October 17, 2008, there will be an inter-agency event led by NAPC to be held at the Rizal Park where people will pledge to end poverty and achieve the UN MDGs.

Students will be reflecting on poverty alleviation measures through contests on editorial cartoon, poster making and poetry writing via SMS or “text tula,” which are being conducted to drum up awareness and will culminate with the awarding. The elementary student winner from NCR will be presented to the President. Similar activities are held by DepEd together with NCCA in all regions on the 17th. A Mural MDG sample painting from the NCCA-ITI Kalahi Cultural Caregiving program planned for 1,500 municipalities will be undertaken with the League of Municipalities.

In connection with the campaign, the agreement between TESDA headed by Sec. Augusto Syjuco and NCCA for the accreditation of the NCCA-supported Dreams Academy Performance and Media arts and creative industry modules for the ladderized curriculum focused on the MDGs, as well as the accreditation for the Schools of Living Traditions (SLTs) for Indigenous Peoples and all cultural care-giving programs for poverty alleviation to be given to DSWD centers addressing the needs of abused women and out-of-school-youth, prisoners, and even overseas Filipino communities abroad in cooperation with DFA and CFO, and in particular in Mindanao for a care-giving service that would focus on healing and therapy of victims of trauma due to war or environmental disasters in coordination with the Presidential Office for the Peace Process and Alay sa Kawal.

All the video images of Philippine mobilization for the Stand Up Against Poverty will be featured in Sining Gising, the NCCA program on NBN 4 in collaboration with DepEd and TESDA.

People are enjoined to send letters to their local governments, organize teach-ins, distribute books or other educational materials, donate blood, plant trees or any number of other ways to contribute towards ending poverty and inequality. Those participating must enroll and report their involvement and count of participants to the UN Office not later than 4:00 pm of Sunday, October 19, to 901-0403 (Secretariat), 901-0100 (UNDP), 901-0300 (UNFPA), 901-0124 (UNICEF), and 338-5520 (UNIC) or email to millenniumcampaign.ph@undp.org or sutaph@yahoo.com.

In 2000, leaders of 189 countries signed the Millennium Declaration agreeing to do everything in their power to end poverty. They pledged to do this by achieving the Millennium Development Goals, a roadmap to end extreme poverty by 2015. As a pledge of the nation on this, PGMA was at the Head of States Summit at the United Nations recently.

Still, every day, 50,000 people die as a result of extreme poverty and the gap between rich and poor people is increasing. Nearly half the world’s population live in poverty, of which 70 percent are women.

Last year, 43.7 million people joined Stand Up worldwide, setting a new world record. This year, people are enjoined to “Stand Up and Take Action” to ensure governments worldwide hear our demands to end poverty and inequality.

This year, campaigners worldwide are expected to “Stand Up and Take Action” to push their governments for more and better aid, debt cancellation, education for all boys and girls, healthcare, trade justice, gender equality and public accountability.

To make sure more people can take part, the event will see the unfolding of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty across the world.

Aside from Stand Up Against Poverty, the NCCA has several programs, which aim end poverty and inequality utilizing culture as an instrument in a comprehensive creative communications program.

The event will be in partnership with the League of Municipalities, the Department of Education and the Cabinet Education Cluster.

For details, contact the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office at 527-5529 / 527-2192 loc. 612-615.