An interview to Irfan Mufti, the Pakistani representative of the Global Call to action against poverty

Do you think is it possible to achieve the MDG?
Yes. We believe the world has the resources to achieve the millennium (or Minimalist) Development Goals. What is lacking is the political leadership and will to address these basic issues and entitlements of every citizen. It is however ironic that despite the fact that 8 years have passed (more than mid-way mark) the performance on achieving the MDGs is inexcusably slow in most countries.

Donor governments and international institutions must urgently provide the major increase in the quality and quantity of resources necessary for the eradication of poverty and promote social justice, the achievement of the MDGs, gender equality and guarantee the rights of children and youth. These resources must also support sustainable development, workers rights, migrants rights and interests of marginalized groups including indigenous peoples. Resources must work to rebuild, not undermine governments and the public sector, enabling them to deliver on the rights of their citizens.

Immediately and without externally imposed conditionalities cancel the odious, illegitimate and un-payable debt of poor and middle income countries through a fair, democratic and transparent process to free up resources for human development. Where debt cancellation measures are inadequate or failing to enable poor countries to reach the MDGs and provide basic social services, we support collective developing countries strategies for the repudiation of all odious and illegitimate debts.

Which countries are working better against poverty and why?
Some of the poorest countries are on track on several of the Goals, for instance Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana and Bangladesh.

Some of the key factors for this success are: leadership from the top, especially in political decisions and policies; global MDGs adapted to National Goals through a consultative process with peoples interest groups, parliaments and other civil society groups; clear Plan, Policies & Strategies focusing on strategic and immediate needs of the poor and vulnerable communities; MDGs prioritised in the allocation of domestic and external resources in the budget.

We see the examples of pro-poor budgeting in these countries: high focus on improving delivery mechanisms through the involvement of poor’s themselves; greater accountability and transparency at all levels – more citizen engagement in policies, decisions and plans; more media and public debates on issues and challenges focusing poor; International donors line up behind national priorities and provided timely and without conditionality aid. We can achieve our targets by ensuring public accountability, just governance and the fulfilment of human rights.

The poverty reduction is strong but uneven progress. The number of extreme poor in the developing world declined by 278 million between 1990 and 2004, and by 150 million in last five years. But 1 billion population increased in these countries during 1990-2004.

With regard to the human development goals there are more serious shortfalls: 75 million children of primary school age are still not in school; 10,000 women die every week, during pregnancy and birth; 190,000 children under, five die of disease every week; over 4 million, people are infected with HIV, with more than 2 million dying every year from AIDS; more than 1 million people die of malaria, a preventable disease, every year, including 1 child every 30 seconds.

What are your actions against poverty?
What sets GCAP apart from most campaigns is that, in addition to being a coalition of international organizations and issue-based networks, it operates on national and regional levels. Each country can mount its own campaign and choose its own national emphasis from within the framework of the Montevideo Declaration. Some GCAP objectives are specific (0.7 of GNI in aid, progress on the MDGs etc.) while others are less concrete and more difficult to measure (government accountability, aid quality and gender equality).
GCAP’s goals range from ensuring the delivery of good quality aid promised by G8 countries and of other OECD nations (0.7% of GNI promised), to maximising efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through debt cancellation for developing nations and the removal of unfair trade practices. GCAP has adopted the white band as its official international symbol – a symbol that has been seen on the wrists of millions of people in many countries. Since 2005, the above approach has produced a "triad" of GCAP outputs (concrete anti-poverty policy demands, mass mobilisation and communication).

In 2005, Brazilian President Lula da Silva endorsed the Call at the World Social Forum in January and the iconic Nelson Mandela said in London in February, “As you know, I recently formally announced my retirement from public life and should really not be here. However, as long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest. Moreover, the Global Call to Action against Poverty represents such a noble cause that we could not decline the invitation.”
That same year, GCAP members and supporters took more than 38 million actions around the world to put pressure on politicians and world leaders attending crucial meetings in Hong Kong Gleneagles and New York in particular. In 2006, as well as establishing a presence at meetings of the World Bank and IMF, the G8, on International Women’s Day, World Youth day etc., there was a peak month of action. From September to October thousands of actions were taken, culminating on October 16 and 17 when 23.5 million people around the world Stood Up Against Poverty (mainly in Southern countries) and in doing so set a new Guinness World Record. In 2007, GCAP further mobilized people worldwide on the same key dates, added new coalitions and increased the numbers taking part in actions. The peak time was limited to the dates around October 17th. The Stand Up action was repeated and the slogan Speak Out added, followed by a political demand appropriate to national and regional contexts... The number mobilized almost doubled from the previous year to 43.7 million.
The GCAP contributed also to the following shifts in the global fight to end poverty and inequality have been registered:

The number of children out of school globally fell to 72 million, from 76 million the previous year, and from 100 million five years earlier. 2006 was also the fourth year of consistent growth in Sub-Saharan Africa of over 5%, and inflation of less than 10%, even when oil-exporting countries are discounted. Per capita growth in Africa lagged behind, but is still consistently above 4% a year. This is a significant turnaround compared to earlier in the decade.

Debt cancellation agreed at the Gleneagles G8 in 2005 and realised for many countries in 2006 and 2007, is translating into greater poverty spending across the world, paying for new teachers and health workers in Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and many other countries. Since 1999, poor countries receiving debt cancellation have more than doubled the amount they are spending on fighting poverty.

The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, set up at the Japanese G8 in 2000, has now distributed $8.6 billion in grants to 136 countries. It has got 1.1 million people on treatment for HIV/AIDS. The Global Fund is able to do this in part due to its use of cheap generic medicines, again a victory for which campaigners should take credit. GCAP is active in the work of the Fund at these G8 meetings and in the preparation of position papers and joint lobbies.

Despite a general trend of back-sliding on aid commitments, many countries have improved their aid quantities and quality since 2005. In the UK, the government set a timetable to steadily increase aid to 0.7% of GNI, putting it on course to be a bigger donor than the US by 2010. In Germany the government agreed to increase aid by 3 billion euro over the next 4 years. In India, following campaigns by Social Watch and GCAP among others, the government increased the health budget by 33% and Education by 23%. In 2007, GCAP Spain created a unique State Pact Against Poverty, signed by all political parties, committing them to 0.7% of GNI by 2012, untying ODA and 100% cancellation of LDC debts. These decisions will have an impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of poor women and men, and are a result of popular pressure.

In the last three years, GCAP national coalitions have taken stronger advocacy actions in addition to participating mobilisations. In at least forty countries due to the local advocacy actions, policy dialogues and protests concrete, concrete achievements have been registered.
GCAP Philippines began 2006 announcing a Poverty Red Alert, which engaged legislators and, with partners, crafted an alternative budget grounded on the MDGs. This resulted in an increase in health and education spending. In response to the low poverty threshold, GCAP Philippines launched the “PhP 36 is Not Enough” campaign, which mobilised more than 10,000 Filipinos on October 16 that year and has grown since.
GCAP Malawi helped mobilise over 1 million people (nearly 8% of the population) against poverty and inequality in 2006. That sent a clear message to the government that civil society needed to be a part of the political decision-making process. The coalition established a civil society-wide consultation process for the creation of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy. Furthermore, when civil society questioned Malawi’s land policy’s compliance with human rights principles, the government invited CSOs to draft a new bill that is currently making its way through parliament. When 90% of Malawi’s debt was cancelled, the GCAP coalition was at the forefront in lobbying efforts for the proper use of funds. Measuring success of lobby efforts in poverty eradication is not always easy, particularly on issues of trade and debt relief, but GCAP Bangladesh had a highly successful advocacy campaign in 2007. After a series of round-tables with civil society groups criticising World Bank and IMF policies, the Bangladesh Government decided not to concede to IMF pressure and declared its stance against signing the controversial Policy Support Instrument (PSI). Civil society groups maintained that IMF strings have consistently led Bangladesh into deeper debt with hard conditionalities.

Efforts by Indian GCAP anti-poverty campaigners have led to the development of a local policy agenda for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. A campaign focused around the National Development Goals & National Common Minimum Programme, and the reinforcement of the same through Annual Civil Society Reviews, has been developed. The outcomes were presented to the Prime Minister for 2006 & 2007. They also secured the involvement of 200,000 children in petitioning the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament to ensure 9% of the GDP for the universalization of Health and Education between Nov 2005 to January 2006. Following this, the Prime Minister in his brief to the national media stated that "Health & Education are the focus of the National Budget 2007-08". The two sectors saw maximum increases within the budget for the same year & the % of GDP promise' has since been integrated in the public discourse around the government's performance in the media. The publication of a charter on 'Gender & Governance' in March 2007 raised mass public awareness also when 48 release events & delegations to policy makers were organized across 12 states to emphasize the integration of women's participation and priorities in the government's flagship programs on health, education and livelihood

In Europe, G8 leaders meeting in Germany in 2007 received a GCAP petition containing one million “Voices” calling for specific commitments to poverty reduction, Health and HIV spending at their Summit in June. Some increases were announced and the German government in particular supported the demands of the GCAP coalitions. The UK and Ireland are on track to meet their 0.7 commitments and the Netherlands is one of a handful of countries that has already surpassed this meager aid commitment.

Which role would have today the international cooperation?
The international community especially developed (including G8 countries) can contribute in many ways by: meeting and exceeding the 0.7% aid target and implement innovative international taxes in addition to 0.7% ODA-obligations; Implementing and improving the Paris Declaration to deliver long-term, predictable, harmonised and effective aid; ensuring gender sensitive progress assessments, performance monitoring and indicators for aid effectiveness; meeting international pledges on Education for All (including adult education), Polio, Malaria, TB and the universal access to HIV/ AIDS; without conditionalities cancel the odious, illegitimate and un-payable debt of poor and middle income countries

What can we do in our every day’s life?
I think we need to adopt a comprehensive approach in our life to understand, realize the problems majority of world population (mainly women, children and other vulnerable) and demonstrate through actions and words that we want to solve those problems. Without showing affinity to these people in suffering we cannot feel the real problems and miseries they face in day to day life. Ironically the people suffering had no role in creating these problems that they face nor any role and influence in addressing those problems. The solidarity we can show through changing the pattern of our day to day life, reducing unnecessary consumption, devoting time, resources, efforts and adding voice for policy changes can be the best solutions we can offer. We must strive to our governments wherever we live) to fulfill their promises in millennium declaration 2000, continuing to quality of aid, retiring illegitimate debt of these poor countries and strengthening the voices of civil society in these countries can bring sustainable results.