UNITED NATIONS, Dec 8 (IPS) - The Inter Press Service news agency presented its 2005 International Achievement Award to the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) at the United Nations Wednesday.

Kumi Naidoo, chairperson of GCAP, accepted the award on behalf of the organisation.

"It is important to highlight that the alliance is made up of grassroots, unions, social and religious organisations, and media. We still remember the white band campaign, the impact of which was multiplied during the extraordinary Live 8 concerts last European summer," said IPS Director-General Mario Lubetkin at the ceremony.

"It is for these reasons that we decided to grant the annual IPS International Achievement Award to GCAP, as the embodiment of the strong and renewed efforts of civil society to turn around the difficult global situation we are going through."

GCAP is the world's largest anti-poverty alliance, whose member organisations together represent more than 150 million people in 74 countries.

Faith groups, women's and youth groups, trade unions, international NGOs and numerous other civil society groups form the backbone of the national campaigns, whose symbol is a simple white band.

Uniting this diverse array of actors is their call for a substantial shift in national and international policies to eliminate poverty and achieve and exceed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The eight MDGs include a 50 percent reduction in poverty and hunger; universal primary education; reduction of child mortality by two-thirds; cutbacks in maternal mortality by three-quarters; the promotion of gender equality; environmental sustainability; reversal of the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; and a global partnership for development between the rich and poor.

"The Global Call to Action Against Poverty is bringing down the walls of poverty. The global call is founded on an immutable set of principles of fairness. It appeals to the good side, the generous side, the instinct for justice in all of us," Kerry Kennedy, a board member of IPS, said at the ceremony.

Louise Frechette, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, noted that, "This award is not only well-deserved -- it is a welcome recognition of the important role of civil society in the fight against poverty, disease and illiteracy. In other words, making sure that the Millennium Development Goals are achieved."

"Civil society can play three roles. Civil society in itself has the ability to deliver services. They can improve the quality of the programmes. On a national level, they can lobby for better policies. The third role is recognising that many of these issues cannot be resolved at a national level by the national government, and also being able to advocate on a global level," Naidoo told IPS.

"The U.N. can play a role in that, but it is only the dominant countries in the world that make the decisions, and that is a problem."

This year, over 30 million people around the world raised their voices and demanded action from world leaders on GCAP "White Band Days". The first White Band Day on Jul. 1 coincided with the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, the second, on Sep. 10, with the U.N. World Summit in New York.

The third and final white band day of action in 2005 will take place on Dec. 10, on the eve of the World Trade Organisation's ministerial meeting in Hong Kong.

"This award is as much a comment on the outstanding work of GCAP in the fight against poverty as it is of Dr. Naidoo's dedicated contribution to search for a better quality of life for the marginalised in our society," said Anwarul K. Chowdhury, U.N. under-secretary- general and the keynote speaker at the award ceremony.

"That the award is this time being given to GCAP, a non-governmental organisation, shows just how important partnerships are in moving the development agenda forward," he added. "Governments, intergovernmental organisations, NGOs, the media and the private sector all have their contribution to make in the fight against poverty."

"Communications will play an increasingly important role in the fight against poverty, by joining efforts and building bridges for dialogue among different actors, and creating instruments for civil society, international and national institutions, both public and private, and even the private sector, to allow for a better understanding and exchange, to turn this world into a different place," Lubetkin added.

"This year, GCAP represented an important part of this process and of the kind of partnership required according to the eighth of the millennium development goals," he said.

The Inter Press Service International Achievement Award 2005 has been in existence since 1985. Former winners include Director General of the International Labour Organisation Juan Somavia in 1999, and Dr. Nafis Sadik in 2000, executive director of the U.N. Population Fund.

Last year, the award was presented to the Group of 77, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the bloc's founding, for its longstanding commitment to the cause of developing nations, and for its outstanding contributions in advancing the global development agenda. (END/2005)

Send your comments to the editor