Efforts to eradicate poverty worldwide

19-10-08
Page 19

THE World Council of Churches (WCC) is working in consultation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to eradicate poverty worldwide, a member of the Central Committee of the Council, the Most Rev Robert Aboagye-Mensah, has announced.
According to him, the WCC was more concerned about poverty eradication, since it believed that countries had enough resources to take care of their citizens.
“We think we must work towards eradicating poverty because we believe that poverty is something that should not continue to stay with us because the world that we live in has enough for all of us to be able to come out of poverty,” he said at the launch of a campaign against poverty dubbed “Stand Up, Take Action” in Accra.
The Most Rev Aboagye-Mensah said there had been series of consultations with the IMF and the World Bank, adding that for the first time, there was a meeting in Accra to that effect.
He said the meeting in Accra ended up with the WCC, the World Bank and the IMF committing themselves to eradicating poverty, adding that “we believe at the WCC that poverty eradication is not only the work of leaders of worthy countries, but the work of leaders of poor countries”.
“All of us have a responsibility towards eradicating poverty,” he said, and indicated that education and skills training were key to poverty eradication.
The Most Rev Aboagye-Mensah, who is also the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, Ghana, said change in society involved everybody working together and not politicians and donors alone.
He lauded the Stand Up Take Action Against Poverty Campaign, which was in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and stated that the gap between the rich and the poor was too wide.
The IMF Resident Representative, Mr Arnold Mcintyre, urged Ghanaians to continue to strive towards achieving all aspects of the MDGs by 2015.
The campaign, he said, was more essential to bringing attention to the efforts being made against poverty eradication.
The Director of the MDGs Secretariat of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev Albert Kwabi, said the campaign was so crucial for “us to hold our governments accountable”.
Mr Nicholas Amponsah, Project Manager in charge of the Localisation of the MDGs at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), stressed the need for citizens to take ownership of their countries’ development issues.
Under the three-day (October 17-19, 2008) Stand Up Take Action Against Poverty Campaign, citizens will be expected to speak out against poverty and inequality to remind governments of their pledge and promises to end poverty and achieve the MDGs.
By starting on a Friday and ending on a Sunday, the Stand Up, Take Action Against Poverty Campaign would provide an opportunity for people at home, work, school and place of worship to take part in the event.
On October 17, 2007, more than 43 million people all over the world spoke against poverty and inequality.