THE MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN

We now know without a doubt that today’s world has the resources, technology, and know-how to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. What is still lacking is the firm political will of many world leaders to deliver on their promises. What is needed is a major breakthrough—a huge leap in scale and in ambition—if all the Goals are to be met in all regions and countries and for all the people of the world.

Poor countries must ensure greater accountability to their citizens and efficient use of resources. Wealthier countries must do their part by providing more and more effective aid, faster and deeper debt relief, and fairer trade rules, if poorer countries are to have a fair chance of achieving the Goals.

The Millennium Campaign was launched in October 2002 to encourage citizens around the world in their efforts to hold governments to account for the promises they made at the September 2000 Millennium Summit, where government leaders from the highest political level of every country in the world agreed to a set of eight time-bound targets that, when achieved, will end extreme poverty across the planet. Working at both the national and international levels, the ambition of the Campaign is to inspire a global movement to achieve the Goals and eradicate extreme poverty by 2015. Our premise is simple: we are the first generation that can put an end to extreme poverty around the world, and we refuse to miss this opportunity.

The Campaign’s approach is to persuade existing organizations, networks, and movements focusing on issues like trade, education, health, women’s rights, debt, AIDS, and development—essentially all those working for a fairer and better world—to come together under a single banner to show a unity of purpose and the strength of common determination. Importantly, we are not just drawing in traditional campaigning organizations like NGOs and faith-based organizations, but also local authorities, youth groups, parliamentarians, the media, celebrities, and the general public.

Key meetings co-convened by internationally recognized organizations like Oxfam, MWENGO, Social Watch and others in Maputo, Mozambique; Reading, England and Johannesburg, South Africa have led to the formation of an important coalition—“Global Call to Action Against Poverty”—that is planning a series of mass mobilizations to bring world attention to these issues (the first planned for International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2004). The coalition is global, but the action is primarily local.

Hundreds of groups consisting of millions of individuals from rich and poor countries alike have launched campaigns promoting the Millennium Goals at the national level all across the world. Southern campaigns are monitoring budgets and national poverty-reduction strategies, lobbying governments, and raising public awareness and support for the Goals through various creative approaches. In the North, campaigners are demanding that governments adopt specific targets and deadlines on their commitments (i.e. aid, debt and trade)—well in advance of 2015—to ensure poor countries a fair chance of meeting the Goals. In countries all across the world, diverse groups representing millions of individuals are moving nations toward achievement of the Goals everyday.