Making Poverty History (written June 2005)

You may have heard the furore about the Live 8 concerts being organised by Sir Bob Geldof, to be held simultaneously in different venues around the world. It may be the line-up that has tickled your fancy – apparently, the likes of Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Sir Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, Will Smith, Snoop Dogg, Sir Elton John, Scissor Sisters and P Diddy are to play in locations as diverse and far apart as Philadelphia, Paris, Rome, Berlin, and Hyde Park here in London.

Alternatively, it may be the political shenanigans and campaigning that have caught your attention: the protests at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland on the 2^nd of July or the speech Nelson Mandela gave earlier in the year in Trafalgar Square lending his support to the Make Poverty History coalition and calling on world leaders and the general public to unite and make a difference.

Or could it be the white wristbands that you spotted on a friend, and are wondering if there will ever be an end to the funky wristband bandwagon? Whatever your perspective, it is essential that all the stops are pulled out to make poverty history.

It is 2005 and basic necessities like clean water, food and electricity are provided as a matter of course in most of the developed world. In a country like the United Kingdom, there are now more mobile phones than people, as well as over six million broadband internet subscribers. Living in the midst of such relative affluence and speed, it has become easy to take all we have (and want!) for granted and assume that most people on the planet have access to the same amenities; suffice to say that this is most certainly not the case.  AIDS is one of the biggest impediments to development in parts of the African continent, where a total of 25.5 million people are infected with the HIV virus and 12 million children have been orphaned by the scourge of AIDS. Average life expectancy is about 47 years, and only a small percentage of patients have access to antiretroviral treatment which would alleviate and treat the symptoms of the virus that causes AIDS. This has huge economic implications for households and countries across the continent as a whole. Famine affects most of sub-Saharan and Southern Africa, and in most cases this is as a result of prolonged conflicts and corruption in high places.  Policies governing international trade do not help in any way. They have a penchant of benefiting rich farmers in industrialised nations by allowing them be paid hefty subsidies by their respective governments. This ensures that farmers in poorer countries cannot break even and make a living due to artificially low food prices. All the above, coupled with a crippling debt burden, seem to have been designed to ensure that the world’s poor become poorer while the rich get richer. Enter Make Poverty History, a coalition of almost 400 organisations calling on Western governments and residents to make a difference to the way our world works. Specifically, the coalition believes that by tackling AIDS, famine and drought, writing off debt for the poorest countries, increasing aid and ensuring fair international trade, the blight of poverty can be eradicated.The British government has also been at the forefront of pushing for change and increased aid, having taken over the presidency of the Group of Eight richest and most powerful countries in January – this group comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is a wonderful opportunity for the United Kingdom and the world to make a positive impact on a region that constitutes 13% of global population but accounts for 28% of global poverty.To this end, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announced that he is working on a deal to write off debt owed by the Third World to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He has also proposed setting up an international finance facility to mobilise millions of pounds worth of aid, and has confirmed that he will exempt the organisers of the Live 8 concerts from paying value added tax (VAT) on takings for the concert.Regardless of whether or not one agrees with the way and manner in which the coalition is working to achieve its goals, they can certainly not be faulted in terms of motives or effort. There also appears to have been a rising of moral indignation from the public, which has led to an impressive response so far. So where does the church fit in?  It is amazing how concerned our LORD is about the plight of the poor. First published in Outflow, May 2005.