In October 2006, 23.5 million people around the world joined a global call to action against poverty and set a new Guinness World Record as the largest ever single co-ordinated movement of people to stand up against poverty.
This year that record was smashed!
The Guinness Book of Records confirmed that in fact 43.7 million people took action on World Poverty Day this year. Many of you helped to make this happen. You were there standing up in your homes, schools and in the streets. You made sure that world leaders heard the call to end poverty now.
This year's Stand Up was an unprecedented success, with people from more than 127 countries taking action and calling for an end to poverty and inequality. Seven million people Stood Up and Spoke Out across Africa, and seven million more in Asia. It truly was a record breaker!
Meet some of the people from around the world who made this a moment to remember.
Despite this unprecedented call for action, the pressure is still on world leaders to deliver on all their promises on debt, aid and trade and to ensure a breakthrough on poverty.
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Every day 50,000 people die of extreme poverty
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More than 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day
Stand Up and Speak Out
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- Children in Uganda stand on their school tables, as part of the global action to Stand Up Against Poverty. Credit: Oxfam
Some highlights:
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Activists in Pakistan have made a white banner currently more than 5km long, which they hoped to wrap around the Parliament building.
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Across Africa, actions are happening everywhere including prisons across Kenya and at concerts in Ghana and Johannesburg. In Somalia the coalition presented policy demands to the head of the transitional government creating a rare space for civil society to be heard in that country.
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Meanwhile, one million Palestinian children throughout the occupied West Bank and Gaza raised banners, released white balloons and spoke out against poverty in their region.
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In The Hague, the national campaign displayed 200 uniquely created life-size ‘Avatars’ representing members of the public from across the Netherlands, while in London, trade union representatives, students and the UN Deputy Secretary General used the white band symbol of the global anti-poverty campaign to call for renewed commitments from rich countries.
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Speaking out through song by taking part in the Poverty Requiem - a piece of music written especially for Whiteband Day and which was sung in at least 23 countries and 5 continents!
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Creating giant Banners Against Poverty to creatively express their demand for the world to take action
Find out more
Visit the Stand Up and Speak Out website and see how people everywhere joined the call to action against poverty.
Find out what happened in your country on the Global Call to Action against Poverty website.
Learn more about Oxfam's campaigns.
