Project Five-O in the MDG3 Global Call to Action Campaign

 “Half way to 2015 we are far from achieving the Millennium Development Goals launched by world leaders in 2000. We need to get on track. All actors in the global community have responsibility to ensure our joint success.”

 This is the appeal that Ms Ulla Tørnæs, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, sent to all actors on the global stage working for the improvement of the life conditions of the world’s poor.

Her particular concern is women, gender equality and women’s empowerment. Therefore she urges all actors to accelerate progress on MDG3 which addresses women’s issues and gender disparity. For this purpose she launched in March 2008 the MDG3 Global Call to Action Campaign. One element of the campaign was to launch a Global MDG3 Champion Torch. One hundred MDG3 torches would  be given to representatives of governments, the private sector, civil society, the media, individuals, and international organisations who would commit to “Do Something Extra” in support of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

As a very active contributor to Empowerment of Women Worldwide and concerned about the fulfilment of Goal number 3 in the Millennium Development Goals, which pledges to eliminate gender disparity by 2015, Project Five-O found it natural to contribute to this Danish initiative.

Project Five-O has no members in Afghanistan and therefore cannot set up a traditional Five-O project there. But since 2002 UNIFEM has been active in helping women in this war-torn country to become acquainted with their human rights, to get training in literacy, health, education, and business skills. So far UNIFEM has set up 11 Women’s Centres where women can come for councelling, training and education. They may be given microcredit to start an income-generating activity, such as fruit drying, food preservation, handicraft production and shoe making, and even computer courses.

This UNIFEM project in Afghanistan is the “Something Extra” that Project Five-O would commit to do as its contribution to the MDG Global Call to Action Campaign.

On 1 July Johanne Sørensen, Project Five-O Coordinator, received an MDG3 Torch in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pledging that Project Five-O ‘s “Something Extra” would be a financial donation of USD20,000 to the UNIFEM project in Afghanistan.

On 25 September 2008, at the MDG session during the UN General Assembly, Ms Ulla Tørnæs will hand over torch no. 100 to the Secretary-General, together with a book containing the commitments of the 99 torch bearers who by then will have pledged their commitment to “Do Something Extra”.

However, the Minister is anxious that the campaign does not stop there. Each torch bearer is encouraged to pass on his/her torch to other actors who wish to contribute to the fulfilment of Goal no. 3. The Five-O torch will hopefully be travelling the world to contribute to this. Contact jmsorensen@city.dk if you wish to receive the torch and commit “to Do Something Extra”.

 All torch bearers’ commitments are registered at the Campaign website www.um.dk.

PRESS RELEASE: UN SECRETARY-GENERAL JOINS DENMARK’S CALL TO ACTION FOR GENDER EQUALITY

Secretary-General calls for greater resources to promote gender equalityin remarks at event on empowerment of women