12/03/10
By Andrew Holt
At Lambeth Palace on Wednesday afternoon, multi-faith leaders came together to share a vision with the Global Poverty Project: a vision of a world without extreme poverty within our lifetimes.
The Global Poverty Project's presentation, 1.4 Billion Reasons, launched at a high-level UN summit in 2008, was co-delivered by Elisha London, expert in International Development and UK country manager of the Global Poverty Project and senior development education coordinator for Islamic Relief, Samia Ahmed.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, gave an introduction where he said: "All great faiths share the idea that human dignity is inalienable, and human dignity requires that people have control over the circumstances in which they live so that they can shape meaningful lives with constructive relationships.
"The Global Poverty Project has very clearly defined aims, aims that are directed at our own societies, the wealthier parts of the world, to challenge themselves to do what they can to realise that dignity, that destiny, of others."
Working with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation on this multi-faith launch, the Global Poverty Project appealed to all faiths, asking them to seek to activate their own communities, as fully as possible, in the fight against extreme poverty.
1.4 Billion Reasons urges viewers to look beyond stereotyped views of trade and aid to help the 1.4 billion people who are still living on less than $1.25 per day.
Elisha London drew attention to the UN Millennium Development Goals and warned that, despite pledges on the issue, the global community is in danger of falling considerably short of the objectives by 2015.
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