Stand Up, Take Action: Make Noise for the MDGs

8 MDGs

A decade ago in September 2000, world leaders had come together at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to adopt the United Nations Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets – with a deadline of 2015 – that are now known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The eight MDGs – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest.

2015 MDG Target YearTo ensure effective implementation of the Declaration, the UN Millennium Campaign was established by the UN Secretary  General in 2002. The Campaign supports citizens’ efforts to hold their  governments to account for the achievement of these MDGs. With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to attend a summit in New York on 20-22 September 2010 to accelerate progress towards the MDGs. From September 17-19, the UN Millenium Campaign calls people across the globe to turn up the volume on their call for heads of state gathering at the  UN on September 20-22 to demonstrate leadership in order to achieve the MDGs.

The campaign is bringing together citizens through events across continents to amplify support for the eight MDGs, that marks its tenth anniversary this week. They will be singing, chanting, blowing whistles, playing drums, blowing vuvuzelas,  banging pots and pans and setting off alarm clocks. The sounds of these noises  emanating from villages, towns and cities around the world as part of the three  day mobilization “Stand Up, Take Action, Make Noise for the MDGs” will make  citizens’ commitments to track and support their countries’ achievement of the  Goals visible, vocal and impossible to ignore. Announcing the campaign to the world Corinne Woods, Director of the UN Millennium Campaign said, “The  citizens participating in ‘Stand Up and Take Action’ on September 17-19 will  make it clear to heads of state gathering at the United Nations the following  week that they support and want to be a part of the realization of the  Goals.”

Concerts are being organised across Bangladesh, Cambodia,  Columbia, Ghana,  India, Indonesia, Korea,  Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines,  Rwanda, Senegal, and Zimbabwe, where local artists will  sing their support of the MDGs. In Jordan, 40,000  children are expected to simultaneously blow whistles in support of the MDGs,  in an attempt to set a new world record. In a similar campaign last year, more than 173 million people had participated in “Stand  Up,” setting a new Guinness World Record.

Get Involved: Make a Noise

On 18th September (Saturday), 6 pm onwards the majestic Purana Qila in Delhi will resound with rhythm as 100 musicians perform for the MDGs. A photo exhibition entitled, “We Can End Poverty” will showcase progress on the MDGs.

Get FREE passes for the Purana Qila Concert on September 18th at:

UN Information Centre
55, Lodi Estate, New Delhi-110003
Tel : 011 46532242
Email: unicindia@unicindia.org

Aastha Kukreti

Aastha Kukreti holds a Master’s degree in Environment Management and her areas of expertise range from waste management, pollution ecology, green audits, ecofeminism, environmental equity and social justice.

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