Advocates Bang the Drum at U.N. for Millennium Development Goals

In about two weeks, the UN headquarters in New York City will be the site of a global development summit on Sept. 20-22.  

Will the participants at the summit renew their commitment to address global poverty in an effective and comprehensive manner?

A group of anti-poverty advocates have organized a series of rallies outside the UN to make sure that global poverty is addressed in the proper context.  The advocates are are trying everything from giant letters to banging pans to raise awareness of the high-level event.  A big goal is to ensure that meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) becomes a high priority in the summit.  Here's an excerpt from the IRIN news service.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) suffer from a lack of widespread public recognition, not least in the summit's host country, the U.S. 

Mobilizing popular support and influencing delegates will demand a range of online and offline techniques, according to advocacy specialists, some more quirky than others. 

Human rights in general, and gender rights in particular, are at the heart of these calls. Amnesty International, for example, has a 3,865-strong online petition to put human rights at the center of the fight against poverty. In addition, an enhanced focus on gender rights will likely be reflected in the revised “outcome document” to be signed by global leaders in reaffirming their commitment to the eight goals at the 10-year mark.

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(above photo also comes from IRIN)

Stay tuned for updates from the summit.