Make Poverty History

Make Poverty History

In 2005 the 'Make Poverty History' campaign was set up to last the full year in order to raise awarness worldwide, on the problem that was, and still is poverty.
Not only did the campaign raise the issue of cancelling debts carried by the poorer countries, it also raised the issue on unfair trading globally, and made clear that the explotation of the poorer countries benefitted the rich, and caused poverty to keep occuring. These are some of the points raised about unfair trading found on the campaign website:

Trade Issues
What’s wrong with the Global Trade System?

•  Unequal Partners: rich countries abuse the system and bully poorer countries into agreeing to rules which favour the rich. The benefits of trade will only reach the poor – at home and in the developing world – if international trade rules are deliberately weighted in favour of poor people and the environment.
• While international trade is worth $10 million a minute, poor countries only account for 0.4% of this trade - half the share they had in 1980.
• The so-called Doha Development Round projected that 2/3 of any gains would go to the richer countries.
• According to the New Economic Foundation (2010), for every $100 of growth, just 0.60 found it’s poverty reduction target and contributed to reducing poverty below the £1 a day.
• One size doesn't fit all: rich countries use trade rules to force poor countries to open their economies to goods from rich countries (known as “trade liberalisation”). But poor countries' farmers and industries aren't ready to compete. Decades of forced liberalisation has devastated many poor countries resulting in huge job losses, poor health care and less education. Trade “liberalisation” often comes alongside increased rights for foreign investors and pressure to privatise its economy.
• Do as we say, not as we do: rich countries such as the UK, the USA and the East Asian Tigers succeeded by protecting their farmers and industries, only opening up to competition once their industries were strong enough to compete. Rich countries are using trade rules to deny poor countries the same rights. For example, the average EU cow is subsidised to the tune of around $800. In Ethiopia, the average annual income per person is just $100.

This links in with one of this weeks quetions to consider;
What does work have to do with poverty?
From the above we can see that as a result of poverty, the poor are continued to be exploited in their work, unable to compete on the global scale with the rich. Work for those in the developing world is limited by the restraints forced upon them by the developed world. Therefore work and poverty are inter-related as a viciuos cycle occurs, lack of work and the lack of well paid work leads to poverty, and poverty can lead to a lack of capability to work.

　Although Make Poverty History came to an end in 2006, the events of 2005 helped inspire various members to work together on further campaigns. These took place as the UK platform of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty.
The white band continues as the joint symbol of the fight against poverty, wear yours to continue support for the fight.

Thankyou
Lucy Hoyle