GCAP / MDG Month of Mobilization

 

The MDG campaign was initiated in Nigeria in April 2000 by Civil Society Organizations to provide additional entry point to engage government on development issues; serve as link between government and the grassroots; and provide link between local and international actions towards human centered development.

 

The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) campaign in Nigeria is made up of an alliance of about 700 Civil Society Organizations from all geo-political zones of Nigeria representative of national NGOs with diverse interests e.g. faith based groups, women groups, community based and youth movements.

 

The steering committee comprises Civil Liberties Organization (CLO); Gender and Development Action (GADA); Civil Society Consultative Network on HIV and AIDS Nigeria (CISHAN); National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN); Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN); Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC); Women Environmental Programme (WEP); West Africa CSO Forum (WACSOF); Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC); Federation of Muslim Women of Nigeria (FOMWAN). The Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) and Civil Society Coalition for Poverty Eradication (CISCOPE), serve as convener and co-convenor respectively.

 

The main objectives of the Nigerian campaign are:

·          To build political will for the attainment of the millennium development goals;

·          To provide a platform for Nigerian people to take actions that will hold the government to account to the millennium pledge;

·          To engage in research and documentation, capacity building, media outreach, popular theatre, lobbying, advocacy, exchange visits, mobilization towards commitment and achievement of the MDGs

 

Key supporters of the Nigerian campaign include Oxfam, ActionAid International Nigeria, WaterAid and Partners for Development (PFD). These IDPs provide technical, financial, logistics assistance in the conceptualization, planning and implementation of the campaign

 

Activities in 2005

2005, was a year of International opportunities for the GCAP/MDG campaign worldwide to influence and direct the attention of the world leaders with the G8 Summit, UN +5 Summit, WTO Inter Ministerial in Hong Kong, the hard work of the campaign paid with the extra 48 billion dollars a year in Aid to poor countries, additional 18 countries (potentially up to 27) will receive full debt cancellation for their debts to multilateral institutions. The FTI received far stronger endorsement than any previous G8, Global acknowledgement of the failure to achieve gender parity etc. the Nigeria Campaign was part of all the mobilization for these meetings. Several activities were carried out nationally. These include:

·          Press conferences

·          Prayers in churches and mosques

·          TV/Radio talk shows

·          Mobilization of the public on trade justice

·          Official launch

·          Colloquium

·          Distribution of white bands

·          Decoration of street lights with white bands

·          Bus rides

·          Over 10 million signatures were collected and submitted at Gleneagles pressurizing world leaders to forgive Nigeria debt

 

Month of Mobilization 2006

2006, is another year of opportunity to make progress in getting Nigeria’s agenda into the global agenda. The GCAP/MDG Nigeria group will be campaigning actively around key moments in the year coinciding with the International Financial Institutions’ meetings tagged Month of Mobilization starting from 16^th September and ending 17^th October with the International Day on Eradication of Poverty, promotion of social justice and achievement of the MDGs. And to remind the various governments of the world about the pledge they signed to eradicate poverty by 2015. Some of these events are national, sub regional, continental and global…..All with one voice against poverty.