Largest
number of people to stand up against poverty-world record set by
GCAP
[Oct 18]NEW YORK, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Over 38.7 million
people, in 110 countries have broken the Guinness World Record --
set last year at 23.5 million -- for the largest number of people
to "STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY" in 24 hours
For
24 hours from 9pm GMT on the 16th of October, people around the
world from all walks of life came together in their schools, streets,
market places, in front of government buildings and local councils,
in workplaces and houses of worship, at sports and cultural events
and at public landmarks to demonstrate their frustration that we
still live in a world where 50,000 people die daily from preventable
causes. The mass mobilisation provided a platform for global civil
society seeking more active involvement in the current aid architecture
debate, debt cancellation processes, trade negotiations and public
accountability monitoring. The largest numbers of people who took
part in this mobilisation came from developing countries.
The "Stand Up and Speak Out" record attempt took
place over 16th and 17th October and was jointly organised by the
United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) and the Global Call to
Action against Poverty (GCAP) with a wide range of other partners.
The challenge saw millions of people physically and intentionally
standing up against poverty, inequality and in support of the Millennium
Development Goals. They spoke out to demand a more urgent political
response to the growing crisis of global poverty.
The UN Millennium Campaign's Executive Coordinator
Eveline Herfkens said: "Together we have broken the incredible record
for the largest number of people standing up to demand action on
poverty. But the record we really want to break is the world's record
of breaking promises and ignoring the poor. We don't want to record
numbers of people dying of poverty every year. This is the great
issue of our times, let us become great by dealing with it decisively."
'
Stand Up' regional overview of World record numbers
Africa: 7,473,057
Arab Region: 2,546,885
Asia: 27,612,061
Europe: 144,931
Latin America & Caribbean: 734,105
North America: 109,828 Oceania: 117,333