Mandela tells G7 to MAKE POVERTY HISTORY

Nelson Mandela addressed a crowd of thousands in Trafalgar Square, London, the day before the Finance Ministers of the G7 countries meet in the same city, and issued a challenge to those ministers to drop the debt, deliver trade justice, and provide more and better aid.

Mr Mandela had been invited to speak by MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY, a campaign which is urging serious policy change on trade, debt and aid in 2005 in order to combat the devastating poverty and injustice which kills tens of thousands daily. Jubilee Debt Campaign is playing a central role in MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY.

Nearly 10,000 members of the public heard Mr Mandela compare poverty to slavery and apartheid, as something that "can be eradicated by the actions of human beings" and say that failre to act now to put an end to poverty would be a "crime against humanity". Kumi Naidoo, the chair of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty - the international campaign of which MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY is a part - also spoke about the need to right the injustice of poverty and inequality in 2005. Bob Geldof, introducing Nelson Mandela, set a challenge to G7 to take responsibility and act on debt, trade justice and aid.

More: www.makepovertyhistory.org