Frequently Asked Questions
(What The Decisions Of The Final Assembly Meeting Actually Mean)
On 31 January 2006, there was a final meeting of the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY Assembly, at which proposals put forwards by the Coordination Team were discussed and voted for acceptance.
In summary, what did the final Assembly agree?
After much discussion, the proposals put forward in the paper from the Coordination Team were voted for acceptance by the Assembly with only minor amendments. Our fight to make poverty history goes on, but the way we organise ourselves in 2006 will look different from how we organised ourselves in 2005.
It was agreed that collective campaigning would no longer be carried out under a central umbrella campaign called MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY. Instead, the core networks (Trade Justice Movement, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Stop AIDS, UK Aid Network) will lead the way forwards on their areas of work, coordinating together as necessary. Organisations are encouraged to join one or more of these networks.
BOND will support all MPH licensees (whether or not they are members of BOND) by sending out a bimonthly e-newsletter to keep everyone up to date with news and actions from all the core networks. BOND will also run a twice-yearly forum on economic justice campaigning issues, and provide occasional toolkits to support organisations in their campaigning.
So who is 'in charge' of things from here onwards?
The core coalitions and networks - Trade Justice Movement, Jubilee Debt Campaign, UK Aid Network, Stop AIDS Campaign, BOND and the TUC - will coordinate together to support ongoing campaigning. All these organisations are set up to be democratically accountable to their members. In addition BOND will work to enable all MPH licensees, even if they are not members of these networks, to stay involved.
What about the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY name and logo?
Comic Relief will retain legal ownership of the registered trademark and logo and will work with BOND, in coordination with the core coalitions and networks, to manage refreshed guidelines for use of the name and logo, including decisions on any active use of the name and logo for major collective campaigns in the future.
All MPH licensees can use the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY name, but only with reference to the fact that the campaign was located in 2005 and only with reference to the core issues of aid, trade, debt and HIV/AIDS. As was the case in 2005, the name and logo must be used alongside an organisation's own logo.
So, we can only talk about MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY in the past tense?
Yes. The name and logo can only be used by licensees with reference to the fact that the campaign was located in 2005.
e.g. "As a result of MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY in 2005."
So, they could be used in campaigning activity in reference to monitoring the outcomes of the key campaigning and policy events of 2005, such as the G8 meetings in Edinburgh or the WTO meeting in Hong Kong.
They must not be used in a manner that suggests that a central entity called Make Poverty History currently exists or is actively campaigning.
Can we use the phrase at all? What about "making poverty history"?
When not referring to the actual campaign, you are free to use the text "make poverty history" or "making poverty history" in reference to a general objective or aim. This should be treated as a piece of normal text and formatted appropriately.
You should only talk about "Make Poverty History" or "MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY" when referring to the campaign of 2005.
How do I know if my organisation is an 'MPH licensee'?
All the organisations that were members of MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY in 2005 are listed online here: www.makepovertyhistory.org/whoweare
Or you can contact the BOND secretariat on 020 7837 8344 to find out.
We are a local MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY group that has decided to go on working together. Can we use the name and logo?
Local and regional groups that campaigned actively on the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY agenda in 2005 and want to continue to do so may go on using the name and logo within the refreshed guidelines. If they have used MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY as their coalition name, they may continue to use the name in their ongoing work.
However, any organisation using MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY as their name at a national level would be in breach of the guidelines.
Can a local group formed in 2006 use the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY name and logo?
No. Only those that campaigned actively on the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY agenda in 2005 can use the name and logo in their work and as their coalition name.
My church has a large MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY banner. Will there ever be an occasion to use it again and how will we know?
Please do continue to use your banner at campaigning events that take forwards the 2005 agenda. For instance, this could be an event called to hold the government to account on the pledges it made in 2005 on aid, trade, debt and HIV/AIDS.
There will be a month of mobilisation led by the Global Call to Action Against Poverty in September and October 2006, culminating in a global white band day on 17 October. This would be an ideal occasion to use your banner, and all MPH licensees will receive information about this from BOND.
What's happening to the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY website?
The website will remain live for the foreseeable future, both as an archive of 2005 and as an entry point for the public into development campaigning issues. The 'campaign chooser' tool will direct people to the campaigns of specific organisations and the core networks will update the site with any significant news on the policy demands of 2005.
What is happening to the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY email list?
An email list for members of the public who signed up on the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY website will run until the end of July 2006. Subscribers will receive action emails and continued encouragement to use the 'campaign chooser' tool on the website to join an organisation that can support their campaigning over the long term.
All MPH licensees will be sent a new e-newsletter by BOND, which will have updates and actions on trade, debt, aid and HIV/AIDS. This e-newsletter is written for organisations, with the actions designed so that organisations can adapt them and forwards them on to their supporters and constituencies.
Where can I go for support with campaigning now that the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY structures have changed?
You can go directly to one of the campaigning networks -
or go to the BOND website.
BOND is responsible for supporting all MPH licensees (regardless of whether or not they are members of BOND) by sending out a regular campaigning e-newsletter and organising twice-yearly forums for updating and networking on economic justice.
The e-newsletter will contain updates from the networks - the trade content coming from TJM, the debt content from JDC, etc. - and information and updates from the Global Call to Action against Poverty.
A paper about supporting local and regional groups was circulated before the last Assembly meeting. What's happening with this and the suggestions in the paper?
BOND and the networks will ensure that discussion of the paper and ideas raised goes forward, with the involvement of organisations that have local campaigning groups and representatives of the local campaigning groups themselves. It has also been suggested that one of the twice-yearly forums would be a good opportunity to air these ideas more widely.
What about the UK's connection with the Global Call to Action Against Poverty?
The final MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY Assembly decided that BOND will be responsible for ensuring the UK is appropriately represented in the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) and all MPH licensees are kept informed so that the experience of southern campaigning is fed back to the UK.
Now that the future of GCAP is clear, BOND needs to devise a process for the UK to decide how it wants to be represented in GCAP.
What is GCAP's plan to move forwards, and will there be a day of action called for this year?
There was a global meeting of GCAP in Beirut in mid-March 2006 that decided GCAP should continue until the end of December 2007, at which point it would be reviewed again.
A month of joint global mobilisation was decided on for 2006. This will be launched on 16 September (at the time of the annual meetings of the IMF / World Bank) with the momentum culminating in a global White Band Day on 17 October 2006 (UN Day for the eradication of poverty).
What about 2007?
At the Beirut meeting in March it was suggested that the joint global GCAP mobilisation for 2007 is focused around June/July, encompassing 16 June (Day of the African Child in the Africa region), the German G8 Summit and the approximate halfway point for the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015).
What about the white band symbol?
The Assembly agreed to take the lead from the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) on the use of the white band symbol, and supported its ongoing use as a symbol of the struggle against poverty.
The global GACP meeting in Beirut affirmed the continuation of the white band as our symbol of the fight against poverty. It is hoped that the month of mobilisation from 16 September to 17 October 2006 will help us raise awareness of the white band symbol.