United by the international symbol of the white band, members of the Poverty Action Network of civil society organizations in Ethiopia (PANE) stood up for one minute to add their voice to a 24-hour global call of millions for world leaders to make poverty history.  

The stand up against poverty event took place simultaneously in various corners of the city of Addis Ababa, as civil society organizations mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with a variety of activities including a one minute stand up moment observed at 3:00 p.m. 

The joint CSOs event took place at the Ethiopian National Theatre, where women, children and youth s poke out against poverty, and around 70 youth members of Music Mayday-Ethiopia presented a grand Poverty Requiem and a short documentary film entitled “The Battle was featured.”   

Speaking in one of the simultaneous events which took place at the Ethiopian National Theatre, PANE Executive Director, Eshetu Bekele, said, “more than 800 million people go to bed hungry every day, and every 3.6 seconds another person die of starvation.” 

Every year six million children die from malnutrition before their fifth birthday 

Globally, as of 2005, an estimated 15.2 million children under 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS;   

The day was also marked simultaneously at the campus of Women In Self Employment (WISE), and various market centers where thousands of women embraced by WISE undertake micro and small-scale businesses.  

“Last year over 23 million people called for a substantial shift in national and international policies to help the world’s poorest people. As long as poverty continues to claim 50, 000 lives a day, campaigners in Ethiopia stand united with millions of people around the world to keep the pressure on governments to end world poverty, inequality and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.” 

PANE is mobilizing its member organizations and their constituents in what is dubbed the PANE Campaign Against Poverty (PCAP) which is part of the world’s largest ever anti-poverty alliance, the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), which represents more than 150 million people globally.  

Launched in January 2005 at the World Social Forum in Brazil, GCAP is demanding world leaders tackle poverty, inequality and achieve the Millennium Development Goals by delivering trade justice, further debt cancellation, a major increase in the quantity and quality of aid, and an improvement in public accountability and transparency in developing countries. 

The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), in collaboration with the UN Millennium Campaign, presents a wide array of Stand Up actions between 9:00 p.m. (GMT) on October 16 and 9:00 p.m. (GMT) on 17 October 2007.  

From bicycle demonstrations to music concerts, human chains to a Day of Worship, GCAP supporters in over 80 countries stand united in their demand to world leaders to take action to end poverty. 

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