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The Campaign

The Campaign has its roots in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. In September 2000, 189 Heads of Nations came together to commit to work together to end poverty (learn more) and to build a safer, more prosperous and equitable world for all by 2015 at the United Nations Millennium Summit, which gave birth to the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG's).

These goals are supported and reinforced by the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC). Launched in 2002, the UNMC is a U.N. initiative to support and encourage people’s involvement and actions to realize the eight MDG's and hold their government accountable for the millennium promise. It supports and inspires people to be part of the generation that puts an end to poverty.

The Stand up & Speak Out Challenge was launched in 2006 as a part of the UNMC. It is organised around the world by governments and NGOs, in a symbolic gesture of getting civilians to stand up on designated dates in support of the MDGs. Though small, this symbolic gesture is a way that ordinary people - of all nationalities, ages and social categories - urge their leaders to respect their commitment to the MDG's.

For 2008, the UNMC invited governments and NGOs coordinating the campaign locally to focus on the development goal of their choice (any one of the eight) and encourage their participants to not just stand up and speak out, but also Take Action in support of that goal. Three days were allocated for this challenge: October 17th, 18th and 19th, 2008.

Did you know... the Stand Up campaign aims at breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest number of people standing up altogether in support of a cause! So far it has been very successful.