wfn.org | Archbishop of Cape Town launches global poverty campaign

["Henry Hess" <hessh@crcna.ca>]

October 16, 2004 - A global campaign to mobilise millions of Christians in
100 countries to press their governments to halve poverty by 2015, was
launched at the United Nations on Friday by the Archbishop of Cape Town, The
Most Reverend Njongonkulu Ndungane.
	
The Archbishop urged churches around the world to take a lead in putting
pressure on governments to achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals of
halving poverty, declaring: "How can we claim to follow Jesus if we are not
prepared to work to achieve his gospel good news for the poor?"

Archbishop Ndungane, successor to Desmond Tutu and once a political prisoner
along with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, was launching Micah Challenge,
which aims to mobilise Christians to lobby, campaign and pray for governments
to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Addressing an audience of church leaders from around the world, the
Archbishop
stated: "Christians can play a vital role in helping global leaders meet
their commitments. When Christians work with one another, united across
nationalities and races, across rich and poor, across men, women and
children, we have an enormously powerful and influential voice. We must speak
loud and clear."

Micah Challenge is spearheaded by the World Evangelical Alliance, which
represents three million local churches in 111 countries, and a network of
260 Christian relief and development agencies. Already national Micah
Challenge campaigns are being formed in the UK, Peru, Australia, Bangladesh,
Canada, India and Zambia. As a first step, Christians around the world are
being asked to sign an on-line commitment & petition at
www.micahchallenge.org

Describing poverty as 'evil' and the Millennium Development Goals as the most
'ambitious commitment the world has ever made to combating poverty', The
Archbishop stated "There is no doubt that the world can afford to do all that
is necessary to meet the Millennium Development Goals. But there is a large
question mark against whether or not we have the will power...Governments and
business can say the words, but they need all the encouragement, all the
pressure, that we can give, to deliver the goods."

He added: "They need to hear that their citizens truly want them to take the
hard steps that are required, so we may live in a world where there is some
for all, not all for some. For it is unacceptable that in a world of surplus,
800 million people go hungry every day."

Archbishop Ndungane, who holds a portfolio for global poverty within
Anglicanism, described Micah Challenge as a significant new movement through
which global leaders could be challenged to play their part in 'securing a
more just and merciful world.'

His comments were echoed by Salil Shetty, campaign director of the Millennium
Campaign at the United Nations. He said the only way governments would
achieve the halving of poverty by 2015 would be if 'people held their feet to
the fire', and that no-one was better placed to achieve this than the
churches. Churches had the moral authority and the following of many people
to make a significant difference.

Katherine Marshall, advisor to the President of the World Bank, told the
church leaders at the launch that without the kind of caring and passion
typical of churches, the Millennium Development Goals would not be realised. 

"Poverty in the world today is an outrage, not only because of the misery it
causes but because we so clearly have the means to defeat it. We as the
international community are deeply convinced that full involvement of the
faith communities will be central to achieving the Millennium Development
Goals."

Bishop Paul Mususu, Executive Director of the Evangelical Fellowship of
Zambia said many countries who had committed themselves to work towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals were doing little to raise
awareness of them among their citizens. He said churches had a crucial
awareness-raising role to play. 

He added: "One of the biggest contributors to poverty in many countries
remains the burden of international debt. For the sins of our forefathers we
are being strangled day in and day out. Politicians have developed a bad
reputation when it comes to international commitments. This is what is moving
us to engage as churches."

Stephen Bradbury, Chair of Micah Network, concluded: "Every person on this
planet is made in the image of God. Our Creator values and loves each one of
us equally. Therefore injustice is a violation of God's own being.

"The Millennium Development Goals are in harmony with the Christian mandate
to give justice to the weak and the orphan, maintain the rights of the
destitute, rescue the weak and needy...we in the Micah Challenge will be
doing all we can to encourage the world's governments to deliver on their
promises."
<br>Ends</br>

Note to Editors:

*	To view a video of the Micah Challenge press conference at the United
Nations go to www.un.org/webcast/PC2004.html
*	Photographs available
*	Transcript of the Archbishop's speech at the United Nations is
available
*	Interviewees available

For more information please contact Keith Ewing on +44 208 943 7779 (office)
07710 573749 (mobile) or Jill Howard +44 (0) 161 493 5031 (office); 07742
717761(mobile). Web info at www.micahchallenge.org

---------------------------------
Henry Hess
Director of Communications
Christian Reformed Church
905-336-2920 ext.236
hessh@crcna.ca

To learn more about the Christian Reformed Church, visit www.crcna.org