One Voice Of Faith

From April 20th-21st, 2010 religious and interfaith leaders and activists will gather at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, California for One Voice Of Faith: A National Interfaith Conference On Global Poverty.The conference presents an opportunity for participants to network, learn, and advocate towards the fulfillment of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to end global poverty. In addition, the conference seeks to showcase international voices, emphasize women as the solution to poverty in the developing world, highlight the dynamism of young leadership,utilize technology for efficient communication and networking, and provide opportunities for learning and sharing models of education, action, and advocacy.

The objective of the conference is to unite people of faith to put pressure on the US Congress to uphold their promise to help fulfill the MDGs. The US Government had pledged to raise the amount of aid given to the poorest of the poor to 0.7% of the national income by 2015. A realistic goal considering that as a nation, the USA spends 1.5 billion gollars a day for war. To put it in perspective, 1.5 billion dollars would be equal to five years of malaria protection for all of Africa.

The interfaith aspect of the conference is an important and powerful element. As people of faith, the organizers of the conference believe that “our faith traditions emphasize the brotherhood and sisterhood of the human family. When one of us suffers, all suffer. We cannot stand idly by while our sisters and brothers on our planet, especially the children, are dying for the lack of life’s basic necessities.”

The MDGs were set in 2000 at the UN Millennium Summit by 189 world leaders. The MDGs are an eight-point plan with measurable targets and exact deadlines for improving the lives of the world’s poorest people. All of the bellow points were agreed to be accomplished by 2015.

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

The conference will open on April 20th with a breakfast hosted by the Faith Acts Fellows. Other events scheduled for April 20th include a keynote speech by Ruth Messinger (President/CEO, American Jewish World Service) entitled “Global Poverty and the MDGs: Fulfilling the Promise”, a religious leaders panel, a legislative analysis entitled “How To Win Friends And Influence The Law: The Faith Communities’ Role In Shaping Public Policy”, a youth leadership summit, an interfaith prayer service and evening of inspiration, and an after hours party for the participants of the youth leadership summit.

The second day of the conference is dedicated to a day long session entitled “Moving Forward: Strategizing Workshops and Regional Planning”.

For more information, or to register for the conference, please visit their website.

Website: www.imdgc.org