This October 17, the ONE Campaign is again joining with partners around the world to support the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP). Join us as we “Stand Up and Speak Out”.

The ‘Stand Up and Speak Out’ campaign calls upon people to literally and symbolically do just that – to stand up and speak out – against economic injustices in the world.

The result of the mass mobilisation will be recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, which will be announced globally on October 18.

Last year, 23.5 million partook in the action of which 3.6 million took part in Africa; 19 million in Asia; 55000 in Latin America; 520000 in the Middle East; and 900000 in Europe.

Organisers are hopeful that this year’s event will widen the call to action and it is anticipated that a record high of four million people will take part in the action on the African continent.

“As we cross the mid-point to the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, it is clear that urgent action in many countries is needed now more than ever,” said Salil Chetty of the United Nations Millennium Campaign.

ONE Campaign members are already planning events nationwide. Please visit our events page to find a ONE Campaign Stand Up event near you or check here for some guidance on how to host your own.

“We won’t forget about Africa.”

Governor Bill Richardson made this promise at a campaign stop in Florence, South Carolina, yesterday. The presidential hopeful also thanked the ONE Campaign for coming to his event and encouraged members of the audience to speak to us and find out more about ONE, which they did.

Richardson also told the crowd “the ONE Campaign wants to push the idea that America needs to lead the way in so many ways.” He continued to wear the band we gave him for the entire event and proudly showed it to everyone in the room.

His Political Director in South Carolina, James Dukes, also came to the event wearing his white band. We thanked Governor Richardson for supporting ONE and making Africa a focus of his political platform.

-Mekell Mikell, SC Co-Field Director

The Washington Post ran an excerpt today from Beyond Humanitarianism: What We Need to Know About Africa and Why it Matters, a new book from the Council on Foreign Relations.

The piece makes the case for Africa’s strategic importance, beyond humanitarian disasters. Africa is a major oil producer, the continent along with India and Brazil has taken a principled stand against protectionist trade policies of developed nations in the Doha Round, the Al-Qaeda attacks in Kenya and Tanzania have brought Africa into the terrorist stage, and the continent is at the epicenter of the growing concern over global health.

An excerpt from the piece:

“The growing importance of Africa demands a much more focused, long-term, and carefully directed program of economic assistance and trade reform. The Bush administration has begun to move in that direction with the Millennium Challenge Account, and Congress has contributed with the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which opens the U.S. market to African exports. But much more needs to be done. Only when Africa is recognized for the growing importance it has for America will these shortcomings be overcome.”

You can read the full article here.