AEGiS-UNAIDS: Stand up and speak out

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Stand up and speak out

UNAIDS Press Release - October 17, 2007

UNAIDS Secretariat staff in Geneva joined the STAND UP and SPEAK OUT events taking place across the globe, calling for leaders to take action against poverty and inequality and to achieve and exceed the Millennium Development Goals.

Expressing themselves through written messages on a billboard, UNAIDS staff underlined the critical need to scale up the response to AIDS in the drive to reach the Millennium Development Goals. As part of the messages, UNAIDS Executive Director, Dr Peter Piot called for everyone to "Act everyday against poverty" while his Deputy, Deborah Landey urged the world to "Fight AIDS, end poverty".

Last year, more than 23 million people took part in similar STAND UP and SPEAK OUT events and set a new Guinness World Record. This year, the organizers expect to break this record so the message rings even louder.

As part of the messages, UNAIDS Executive Director, Dr Peter Piot called for everyone to "Act everyday against poverty".

In 2000, leaders of 189 countries signed up to the Millennium Development Goals, a global plan to halve extreme poverty by 2015. Yet, every day, 50,000 people die as a result of extreme poverty and the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. The STAND UP and SPEAK OUT initiative aims at making governments honor their commitments on more and better aid, debt cancellation, trade justice, gender equality and public accountability by showing them that more and more people are taking a stand.

Co-founders of the initiative-The Global Call to Action against Poverty and the United Nations Millennium Campaign-are working with a large number of national and local partners from schools and universities to local community groups and women's groups, choirs and sporting clubs to faith groups, trade unions to corporations and many more. Entertaining and engaging events are being organized in around the world.

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