Sierra Leoneans from all walks of life, on Saturday marched through the streets of Bo, Kenema, Makeni and Freetown calling on the government and African leaders to stand up, take action and end poverty now.
In her statement Aminata Kelly-Lamin Regional Coordinator Network Movement of Justice and Development (NMJD) said that the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) Coalition – Sierra Leone Chapter is a world wide alliance of about 118 national coalitions made up of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), faith groups, trade unions, community based organization and student organizations.
She said that GCAP-SL has also been working with other national coalitions around the world to call for immediate action to reduce the debt burden of poor countries, as well as to institute fair trade policies and practices.
“With only six months left for the 2015 target date to meet the Millennium Development Goals, GCAP coalitions the world over are desperate to ensure that national governments stand to the test of the target date”, she said.
Madam Kelly-Lamin states that since the formation, GCAP-SL has been working with other like-minded organizations in and outside the country to promote public debates and discussions on economic and social issues.
In their position statement, its states that this year’s campaign is taking place against the back drop of a deepening global financial, fuel and food crisis.
The statement further recalled that governments of the whole world reaffirmed in September 2000, at the UN New York Millennium Summit, their determination to “strive for the full protection and promotion in all our countries of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights for all”.
The statement noted that the world leaders pledged, in particular, to make the right to development a reality to all.
“They gave themselves until 2015 to complete the first stage of this commitment, embodied in the MDGs, which include in particular the halving of extreme poverty and hunger in the world, access of all girls and boys to primary education, the reduction by two-thirds of under five child mortality and the halting of the spread of HIV and AIDS” the statement notes.
They (GCAP-SL) demanded that leaders of poor countries make it their responsibility to save the lives of their poorest citizens. They also asked them to tackle inequality of all forms, to be accountable to their people, to govern fairly and justly, to end corruption and to fulfill human rights.
To all leaders, they demanded that they act now to meet and exceed the MDGS; to commit themselves to signing an ambitious, fair and binding global climate deal by the year end and uphold the peace and security of all.
By Abibatu Kamara
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