2007 is an important year for the world, as it marks the halfway mark set by governments around the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. At halfway, most African countries are off track for achieving the MDGs. The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) believes that governments should urgently translate the commitments they made in 2000 and 2005 into concrete actions. In Africa, GCAP national coalitions aim to re-energise local and international efforts to eradicate extreme poverty, on and around 7 July 2007 (07.07.07), by launching a massive call for accelerating efforts to meet the goals. "We need to pressurise governments to take meaningful actions, particularly with regard to achieving the goal of halving poverty by 2015. Surprisingly, while we are always reminded that the growth rate of African economies has improved from 1.8% in 1989 to 5.7% in 2006, the reality shows that poverty is increasing, which means that ordinary people are not benefiting from this growth. We call for more accountability and transparency from our leaders. We also ask that emerging challenges such as mitigating the negative impact of climate change on

Africa be addressed, as it is already affecting agricultural production," said GCAP Africa Coordinator Christophe Zoungrana.

Image by peter klashorst

From South Africa to Liberia, Ethiopia and

Benin, anti-poverty groups in 30 African countries will present alternative MDG reports, host TV and radio debates, organise MDG soccer tournaments and meet with policymakers to discuss progress towards the MDGs. They will call on African governments to demonstrate their commitment to poverty reduction and make the necessary public investments in basic social services and direct it transparently to poor people.According to Simekinala Kaluzi from GCAP Malawi, "Success stories in

Southern Africa show that with stronger political leadership, sound policies and adequate aid, large-scale progress towards the MDGs is possible. Mobilising strong political will is therefore crucial to ensure that millions of people in

Africa are lifted out of poverty." Aristide Wilondja from GCAP Democratic Republic of Congo said: "Our country has endured two decades of war and conflict that have disrupted economic development and aggravated poverty. Today, we have one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, and it is clear that we will not be able to achieve any of the MDGs. The midway point serves therefore as a timely opportunity to ask our newly elected leaders to make a firm commitment to use the country’s huge resources to alleviate poverty and achieve the MDGs."Despite some progress,

Africa is not on track to achieve any of the MDGs. The lack of employment opportunities for young people, gender inequalities, rapid population growth, corruption, unfair trade policies, climate change pressure, HIV/AIDS and insecurity are making achievement of the MDGs on the continent even more difficult. For media enquiries, please contact: Christophe Zoungrana, GCAP

Africa CoordinatorTel: +221 824 04 81Email: christophe@ancefa.org