G8 in Germany: The World Can't Wait

Campaigners across the country are joining together again to urge the G8 to take urgent action to deliver on the pledges made two years ago as a result of the Make Poverty History campaign. They want the G8 to do more to end poverty.

Charities and campaign groups in the UK will call on the Government to lead the G8 summit to deliver on:

' Debt cancellation and more and better aid
' Trade justice
' healthcare, education, water and sanitation for all
' firm plans to prevent catastrophic climate change and address its impacts

Patrick Watt from ActionAid said 'The millions who got involved in the Make Poverty History campaign in 2005 won major commitments from the world's richest countries, but words mean nothing without action. We're looking for cast-iron guarantees of action at this year's summit across aid, debt relief, world trade and climate change.'

On June 2 thousands will attend a major event at Westminster to call on Tony Blair and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (the President of this year's summit), to make the G8 summit a good one for the world's poorest people. The event will centre around a mass moment, where campaigners will join up along the Thames to call for justice for millions around the world living in poverty.

In the lead up to the event the campaign is also calling on people right across the UK to raise their voices against poverty via a new website, launched today at www.yourvoiceagainstpoverty.org.uk.

Matt Phillips from Save the Children said: 'two years on from the Gleneagles summit 5,000 children die every day from drinking dirty water. More than five million people living with HIV/AIDS still do not have access to medicines. As the clock ticks, peoples' lives are lost'.

'At the same time we have seen that where progress has been made on the commitments made in 2005, this has made a real difference. For example as a result of debt relief measures agreed 4 million people in rural Zambia now have access to free healthcare.'

CAFOD's Helen Wolfson said: 'G8 countries, especially Germany - as this year's G8 President - must deliver on the promises they made at Gleneagles in 2005. We are deeply concerned at the moment that some countries may fail to meet those commitments - the World Can't Wait for action!'

Notes:

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The Make Poverty History in the UK officially ended in 2005, but the campaign continues world wide as the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), who are now launching the latest leg in the UK campaign ' the World Can't Wait. Other members of the UK World Can't Wait coalition include Action Aid, Bond, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Concern, Data, Friends of the Earth, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Oxfam Save the Children, Stop AIDS Campaign, Tearfund, Trade Justice Movement, Trade Union Congress, UK Aid network, Water Aid and World Vision UK.

' For further information on the 'Your Voice Against Poverty' campaign see www.yourvoiceagainstpoverty.org.uk and for more on the Global Call to Action against Poverty to eradicate world poverty see www.whiteband.org