Oxford WDM Secretary Kevin Meaney said, "After all the effort that people from Oxford put into campaigning to Make Poverty History last year we feel it's important that they know the promises have not been kept. We hope this event will encourage people to demand more action from their elected representatives."

Poverty in the developing world is not going away: in the year since the G8 Summit one child every three seconds has died from poverty, conflict and disease, while one woman every minute has died during pregnancy and childbirth. We now face a situation where most developing countries stand to lose more than they will gain from the agreements made by the G8 last year.

Kevin Meaney said, "The most important promise, that poor countries would be allowed to decide their own economic policies, has been broken. Poor countries are being forced to privatise their water services, cut public services and open up to free trade before they are given the debt cancellation they were promised last year. We need to keep up the pressure on the Government to deliver a fair deal."


ENDS

1. The World Development Movement was founded in 1970. We campaign to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and lobby decision makers to change the policies that keep people poor. We research and promote positive alternatives, working closely with grassroots organisations in the developing world to stand up to injustice.

2. Photocall at 1.20pm.

3. For further information please see:  http://www.wdm.org.uk/campaigns/debtnostrings.htm

Contact:
Jenny Nicholson, Press Officer, Oxford WDM: 07966 744469 or jennynicholson[at]phonecoop.coop