GCAP

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW

The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) is the world's largest civil society alliance, consisting of social movements, international NGOs, trade unions, community groups, women's organizations, faith and youth groups, local associations and campaigners, who work together in more than 100 national campaigns and constituency groups.

Launched as a ‘Call to Action’ in 2005, GCAP has grown in significance, growing its global network and mobilizing hundreds of millions of people – often sighted as one of the most significant expressions of truly ‘global’ civil society.

The movement was born in 2004, following a meeting of African Civil Society leaders convened in Maputo, hosted by Graça Machel. The consensus at the time was that poverty eradication required unprecedented levels of collective action, and a closing of the North-South divide within civil society. GCAP grew from a collection of African based networks and INGO’s including CIVICUS, Oxfam and Action Aid to a scattering of national platforms, culminating with MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY in the UK and historical mass public action around the Gleneagles G8 in 2005, focused on issues of aid, trade and debt cancellation.

Launched as a ‘Call to Action’ in 2005, GCAP has grown in significance, growing its global network and mobilizing hundreds of millions of people – often sighted as one of the most significantexpressions of truly ‘global’ civil society.

The movement was born in 2004, following a meeting of African Civil Society leaders convened in Maputo, hosted by Graça Machel. The consensus at the time was that poverty eradication required unprecedented levels of collective action, and a closing of the North-South divide within civil society. GCAP grew from a collection of African based networks and INGO’s including CIVICUS, Oxfam and Action Aid to a scattering of national platforms, culminating with MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY in the UK and historical mass public action around the Gleneagles G8 in 2005, focused on issues of aid, trade and debt cancellation.

Since its inception in 2005, GCAP has worked actively to; (1) empower citizens and civil society through solidarity and collective actions; (2) Through understanding different social and political contexts, voice local needs at a global level; (3) hold political leaders and governments accountable.GCAP has continued to broaden its networks and engage citizens en masse, in its annual Stand Up Against Poverty mobilization. This Guinness accredited action successfully mobilised 23.5 million people in 2006, growing to 43.5 million in 2007 and 66.7 million in 2008, with 173 million participating in 2009 with actions ranging from millions of trees planted across India, to parliamentary debates and candlelight vigils. In 2010 GCAP focused its mobilization on the UN MDG Summit with 2047 events in 73 countries and major mobilization activities in New York, culminating in a ‘beyond 2015’ dialogue and the 3^rd GCAP Global Assembly.

While mass mobilization has been one of GCAP’s most renowned achievements, it has also built stronger networks across constituency groups, including the women’s movement, trade unions, socially excluded groups and young people.

If poverty eradication and sustainability are to be achieved, GCAP believes that now more than ever, civil society must work together, strengthen its alliances and engage new publics in the fight against poverty, while continuing to seek new ways of inspiring political leadership and action.