Thousands take a stand against poverty and hunger

Dubai: A total of 64,641 people across the UAE pledged to help alleviate poverty and hunger during the UAE's third ‘Stand up and Take Action' campaign.

The three-day campaign which came to the UAE under the patronage of UN Messenger of Peace and Chairperson of International Humanitarian City (IHC), Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, concluded on Monday.

Thousands across the UAE joined millions around the world to set a new record for the largest number of people symbolically standing up against poverty in support of the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals.

At the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, 189 world leaders made the promise to end poverty by 2015, by signing the ‘Millennium Declaration' and agreeing to meet the ‘Millennium Development Goals' (MDGs), an eight-point road map with measurable targets and clear deadlines for improving the lives of the world's poorest people.

The accent of the programme, besides ending poverty and hunger, is on universal education, gender equality, children's health, maternal health, combatting HIV/Aids, environmental sustainability, and global partnership.

Response in schools

Schools, universities, offices, community groups and families gathered to express solidarity with the world's underprivileged at various events. According to campaign organisers, the break-up of the participants included 50,552 from schools, 12,330 from companies and organisations, 1,119 people from communities and social clubs, and 640 from the general public who stood up in malls, super markets and individually.

Dubai reported the largest participation with 37,976 volunteers in all while 11,677 people stood up in Sharjah, 7,360 in Abu Dhabi, 3,237 in Al Ain, 3,236 in Ras Al Khaimah and 1,155 in Fujairah.

"Around the world, millions of people from all walks of life asked their world leaders not to let the global economic recession distract them from achieving the Millennium Development Goals," said Rugmani Prabhakar, UAE Co-ordinator and Executive Director of the International Association for Human Values.

"They reminded their leaders to formulate equitable economic policies that guarantee food, a basic level of education and elementary medical aid to every human being on the planet."

The global action comes at a time when 30,000 people continue to die from poverty every day and 3 billion people live on less than $2 (Dh7.3) a day.

Speaking at the closing ceremony on Monday evening, Makiya Al Hajiri, CEO of International Humanitarian City, said: "The Stand Up and Take Action campaign is helping raise awareness and debate about a key global issue. I believe that the spirit of hope and action that drives this campaign is fully aligned with IHC's core objectives."

Top health risks

According to a United Nations WFP report, "Hunger and malnutrition are still the number one risks to health worldwide. Recently, financial and economic crises have pushed more people into hunger. Among the Millennium Development Goals which the United Nations has set for the 21st century, halving the proportion of hungry people in the world remains top of the list."