Make Poverty History

Introduction:

I perfectly remember, -because it was so special, intense and historic- the bunch of acts and activities that, in 2005, had place not only in Great Britain, but all over the world. The concerts “Make Poverty History”, the concentrations in many cities at the same time (in Europe, in USA, in Africa, India...), and the meeting of the G8, where we all had or eyes and sense focalised on, waiting for some conclusions that would show some kind of will of change...

Unfortunatly, this huge internatioanl campaign has not finished yet. Nowadays, once a year, there are still concentrations and activities to demand justice to the governants, and the cumpliment of the compromise they sighned in 2000. The Goals of the Millenium are not beeing reached at all. In Spain, this campaing is leadered by the CONGDE (NGO´s coordination institution), and its called “Pobreza Cero”.

The main point:

Mr. Mandela had to be in these acts, and his presence was so significant and important, since he is a reference in the struggle against poverty, social injustice and inequiality. In my opinion, the main point that Mandela appointed was how poverty is man made, and how it is possible to erradicate it by man acts and decisions. He also thew a message of hope and optimism: the conviction of the existence of the possibility to make real changes and impact; he encouraged young peolple to keep on the struggle, because our generation is the one that should keep this noble cause in blossom. “You can be that great generation”.

Is there a political sensibility?

The most powerful people in the world sighned up the Declaration of the Milleniun in 2000, adquiriting that way the compromises that the declaration established. That means that, somehow, there is a voluntee of change, but nevertheless, I have to say I am quite skeptic about the real impact that the goals are, actually, procesing.

Mandela mencioned, in his speech, three fundamental issues: ensuring trade justice, the end to the debt crisis to the poorest countries and the increase of the ammount of aid, and of its quality.

None of these are actually beeing reached. Trade keeps on beeing positive only to developped countries, and Globalisation is not working as it was expected to. Instead, the breach between North and Suth is geeting deeper and deeper. Some countries saw their debt eliminated, and this is positive, but the criteria to actually avoid it wasn`t all the transparent it should have been, and wasn´t either enough. To finish, the increase of the aid is not beeing enough, and sometimes it hides some economical interests behind: countries still transfer aid as credits that increase the debt of the countries, and that are recorded as Oficial Develomnet Aid, when it is not such. Also, the decitions of the priorital countries, the ones that receive the aid, is still impregnated by political interests.

Conclusions:

I don´t want to only spread darness in this matter. I myself think that it is very important to keep on the struggle, and I think it is possible to make the system change, but there is still a lot of work to do. It is necessary to mantein the pressure on the international community to actually get this compromises done, because, otherwise, the goals not only will not be reached in 2015, but never. We must believe we can do it.

Another world is possible.