Linked with Mohau Pheko – South Africa, with The WDM Death Counter, with The International Gender and Trade Network IGTN, and with New social justice movements in a changing reality.
Also linked with Peter Hardstaff – England.
The World Development Movement WDM (Homepage): Founded in 1970, WDM campaigns to tackle the root causes of poverty. WDM believes that charity is not enough and aims to change the policies that keep the developing world poor. It is a democratic and politically independent organisation with 15,000 supporters and a strong role for its 100 local groups across the UK.
The World Development Movement WDM tackles the underlying causes of poverty. We lobby decision makers to change the policies that keep people poor. We research and promote positive alternatives. We work alongside people in the developing world who are standing up to injustice. The world has the wealth and means to end poverty. Yet nearly half of the world’s population live on less than £1.40 a day. And over 11 million children will die from poverty-related illness this year alone.
Policies of governments and companies are keeping people poor. Policies that ensure global trade benefits the rich, not the poor.The three richest men in the world are wealthier than the 48 poorest countries combined. Policies that give increasing power to multinational companies. For every £1 of aid going into poor countries, multinationals take £1.50 of profits out. The powerful are exploiting the poor to make bigger and bigger profits. Unless we challenge them, we are allowing this injustice to continue. In rich countries like Britain, decisions are made which can make or break the lives of the poor. We can influence those decisions. That’s why our action matters so much.
WDM was a founder of the Fairtrade Foundation, Jubilee 2000 and Make Poverty History.
WDM is currently campaigning to halt water privatisation in developing countries. It is also campaigning for full debt cancellation for the world’s poorest countries, for international trade rules that benefit of developing countries and the environment, for regulation of multinational corporations and for a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the wealthy countries in order to limit the impact of climate change on the developing world.
Contact: Nick Wright press officer 0207 820 4900 or 07711 875 345 or e-mail;
Murray Benham 0207 820 4900 or mobile: 07971 958 938, WDM 66 Offley Road, SW9 0LS 020 7820 4900, website.
A screen grab of WDM’s death counter and Land is available from WDM, and locate WDM’s land in Second Life.