Make Poverty History

Introduction

About the issues

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Global Express

White Band Day 5

About the issues

The gap between the world’s rich and poor has never been wider. But poverty isn’t natural; it’s man-made and sustained by an unfair global trade system, enormous financial debts that can’t be repaid, and insufficient and ineffective aid. For these reasons, trade, aid and debt were the three key demands of the Make Poverty History campaign.

Click the buttons below to find out more about the issues. They include a simplified version of the G8 Summit’s main outcomes, Make Poverty History's analysis of the impact that these outcomes will have on poor countries, and information about the UN's eight Millennium Development Goals.

Outcomes of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in July, 2005

	Make Poverty History campaigners at the march in Edinburgh on 2 July 2005. Credit: Kieran Battles/Oxfam

Many teachers and young people took part in Make Poverty History activities, from wearing white wristbands to marching in Edinburgh. The achievements at the G8 in Edinburgh were the first step in a much longer journey, and we all need to keep up the pressure for justice for the poor around the world.

The G8 Communique recorded the promises that the G8 leaders made last year. You may choose to use this as material on which to base classroom discussions about Make Poverty History's demands and the responses of the G8 leaders.

We have also created a summarised version that enables teachers to find just the most relevant items in the G8 Communiqué.

Oxfam has also produced a report which tracks what progress has actually been made on these issues since the G8 leaders met last year.

> Download the full G8 Communiqué (external link)
> Summary of the outcomes of the G8 and Make Poverty History's response (101 KB pdf)
> Download a PDF copy of the report: The View from the Summit – Gleneagles G8 one year on (126KB)