There is no "bailout" for the world's poorest. Hundreds of billions of dollars have being found to bail out wealthy bankers and financial institutions, during the financial crisis, but seventeen years after the UN General Assembly designated October 17 as the International Day for Eradication of Poverty, the global imbalances that cause it remain daunting challenges, and international institutions continue to renege on their promises to eradicate the problem.

What has increased in strength and numbers is civil society and citizen action in the fight to eradicate poverty.

For the fourth year in a row, millions of people around the world participated in the “Stand Up and Take Action” campaign demanding that world leaders end poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This movement, has set and broken the Guinness World Record for the largest mobilization around a single cause in recorded history. 173 million people Stood Up in 2009.

However, this is a challenging time. The global financial crisis is having a devastating impact on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. And climate change threatens to undo gains made towards achieving the MDGs. With just six years left to the 2015 deadline, no region is on track to achieve their goals.