P.H.J. Premasiri, Secretary of Ministry of Skills Development and Public Enterprise Reforms, stood up against poverty with 50 people and national media and demanded youth employment in Colombo. The event, organized by Worldview Sri Lanka and ActionAid, was part of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty's 24 hour global call to demand world leaders to take action to end poverty and inequality (Monday October 16, 2006).

"Young people are the victims of unemployment in Sri Lanka. Government, private sector and non-governmental organizations should come forward together to tackle poverty and youth unemployment,"said P.H.J. Premasiri.

He and 700 people in Galle (supported by Siyath Foundation) and 72 people in Trincomalee (supported by Foundation for Co-Existence and Women & Children Care Organization) joined millions of others in more than 100 countries around the world to put pressure on governments and other decision makers to deliver their promises to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

"Governments and civil society must join hands to make poverty history," said Swairee Rupasinghe, Programme Officer for ActionAid Sri Lanka who co-organized the Colombo event with Worldview Sri Lanka. "We ask our country leaders as well as our world leaders to stand up against poverty."

"n 2000 the Sri Lankan government agreed to work on the MDGs. Unfortunately it's been six years now and we don't see much focus," said Dilanthe Withanage, Executive Director of Worldview Sri Lanka.

"We need a People's movement to fight against poverty in Sri Lanka," he continued. "A strong civil society can pressure the government to fulfill their commitments, pressure rich nations such as the United States to keep their promises to support developing countries, and enable communities to play a role in their own development instead of leaving it solely to governments."

The event in Colombo also featured the launch of the MDG4YOUTH website alongside policy and media initiatives for eradicating poverty through youth employment. Forty percent of those unemployed in Sri Lanka are aged 20 to 24 and most of them have completed A-levels, according to E-Sri Lanka Project ICTA, with no real processes to link degree holders to the real labor market.

The Ministry of Skills Development and Public Enterprise Reforms has started working with a local organization, Youth Employment Network, to draft a youth employment policy that will help to eradicate poverty in Sri Lanka. Creating productive employment opportunities for youth is MDG target #16.

"The world has paid attention to this issue on this same day to look at the problems faced by youth" poverty and unemployment, - said P.H.J. Premasiri, Secretary of the Ministry of Skills Development and Public Enterprise Reforms.

The STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY event helped to open the eyes of leaders around the world to the need to focus on poverty reduction. It made clear that if governments don't keep their promises that the people will take action against them.

NOTES TO EDITOR

For further information please contact:
Dilanthe Withanage - Executive Director, Worldview Sri Lanka - 077 321 8650
Ajith Dharmasekara - Communications Officer, Worldview Sri Lanka - 072 431 8545
Jacobo Quintanilla - Communications Team Leader, ActionAid Sri Lanka - 077 357 6445
Nishantha Mallawaarachi - Communications Officer, ActionAid Sri Lanka - 077 642 1376

The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) is a massive global coalition from more than 100 countries and is made up of a diverse range of community groups, coalitions trade unions, organizations, individuals, faith groups and campaigners, who are all committed to the fight against poverty. These groups have formed country-based coalitions, who use the symbol of the white band to promote GCAP's demands and enable concerned citizens to put pressure on world leaders and decision makers. For more information visit www.whiteband.org

Worldview promotes civil society led initiatives to establish multi stakeholder partnerships and multi level networks to facilitate community based integrated approach to complement the national development program in achieving the MDGs in Sri Lanka. For more information visit www.worldviewsrilanka.net

ActionAid International works with 14 million poor and excluded people in 47 countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas to support them in securing their rights and eradicating poverty. For more information visit www.actionaid.org