Thousands Join Stand Up Campaign

Thousands of New Zealanders joined more than 38.8 million people in 110 countries to break the Guinness World Record set last year at 23.5 million for the largest number of people to Stand Up Against Poverty in 24 hours.

The "Stand Up and Speak Out" record attempt took place on 17 October and was jointly organised by the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) and the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) with a wide range of other partners.

The challenge saw millions of people physically and intentionally standing up against poverty, inequality and in support of the Millennium Development Goals. They spoke out to demand a more urgent political response to the growing crisis of global poverty.

In New Zealand, Stand Up events were held in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington, along with schools and workplaces around the country (http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/events/nz):
Christchurch Art of Living City Mall
Ngawha North Auckland
Walk it Out for One's Life (Auckland)
Papamoa School
Birkenhead College
Wellington Art of Living Civic Square
Auckland Art of Living
New Plymouth Girls' High School
Randwick Park School
Kauri Park School
Ignite Youth
Rutherford Primary School Art of Living Auckland
Art of Living Skycity, Auckland
Art of Living Yellow Pages Auckland

For 24 hours from 9pm GMT on the 16th of October people around the world from all walks of life came together in their schools, streets, market places, in front of government buildings and local councils, in workplaces and houses of worship, at sports and cultural events and at public landmarks to demonstrate their frustration that we still live in a world where 50,000 people die daily from preventable causes. The mass mobilisation provided a platform for global civil society seeking more active involvement in the current aid architecture debate, debt cancellation processes, trade negotiations and public accountability monitoring. The largest numbers of people who took part in this mobilisation came from developing countries.

The goals are: 1) eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; 2) achieving universal primary education; 3) promoting gender equality and empowering women; 4) reducing child mortality; 5) improving maternal health; 6) combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; 7) ensuring environmental sustainability and 8) developing a global partnership for development.

The Art of Living Foundation, an international humanitarian organisation with a presence in 145 countries, has put its support behind the UNMC's campaign.

- ends -

© Scoop Media