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A Global Movement, but will it bring lasting change?
Nick Benequista - 20 October 2008
Stand Up and Take Action
Over the weekend, millions of people joined rallies, concerts, sports events and other gatherings as part of the 'Stand up and Take Action' campaign to remind government leaders of their commitment to halve poverty by 2015. To what end?
'On one level, the benefit is the feeling people get of being an empowered citizen,' said Ben Margolis from the Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP), the organisation that promoted the campaign. 'We know from many anecdotal reports that this feeling is enhanced by being part of a global movement and a global moment.'
Hoping to rejuvenate some of the enthusiasm lost since the end of the 2005 Make Poverty History Campaign, the organisers expected that more than 67 million people – or about one per cent of the world’s population – would participate.
No doubt, the campaigns have succeeded in raising the profile of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, but have nonetheless drawn criticism for obscuring the issues with slogan-ism.
The role of citizen action in confronting poverty
These debates aside, the movement serves to remind us that citizen action can play a critical role in confronting poverty and social injustice, but also underscores the fundamental challenge of citizen action: making changes that last long after the crowds have dispersed.
The Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability has taken the opportunity of this massive global movement to look at some past efforts by groups of citizens to make lasting change. The cases comprise a variety of collective actions, though all demonstrate that powerful institutions can be compelled to reform, and to stay reformed.
Indeed, they must be. State agencies, parliaments and justice systems cannot do it alone. Organised citizens play a critical role through articulating their voice, mobilising pressure for change, and monitoring government performance. To read more about these success stories, visit www.ids.ac.uk/go/citizens.
Success stories
• In South Africa, the Treatment Action Campaign led to public recognition of HIV/AIDS issues, to over 60,000 people benefiting from publicly supplied anti-retro viral medicines/
• In Mexico, a campaign to reduce maternal mortality put the issue of maternal health care on the national agenda in an unprecedented way, contributing to important changes in national budget priorities and health delivery mechanisms at the local level.
• In Chile, an NGO-led campaign on child rights led to a new policy framework benefitting children, contributing to a decrease in child poverty.
• In the Philippines, the National Campaign for Land Reform led to the redistribution of half of the country’s farmland to three million poor households, contributing to their economic rights and livelihoods.
• In India, a grassroots-inspired campaign led to the passage of the National Right to Information law in 2005, and further laws in nine Indian states, contributing to greater public accountability.
• In Turkey, a campaign for women’s rights led to a new Penal Code with 35 amendments for the protection of sexual rights.
• In Morocco, the women’s social movement led a successful campaign for reform of the moudawana, the Islamic family law affecting women’s rights.
• In Brazil, the Right to the City campaign established a national framework for citizen participation in urban planning, critical to achieving housing and other social rights.
Lessons for successful change
Not all civil society campaigns are as successful as these, but these eight cases do offer important lessons for how to improve the chances of success, especially for groups facing discrimination, such as women, children, the urban poor or the landless.
Change is possible, but it requires intensive, long-term, organised, collective action to make it happen.
Nick Benequista is a Communications Officer for the Citizenship Development Research Centre and journalist.