gcap germany: campaigns, impressions, politics 2005-2007
DESCRIPTION
"Deine Stimme gegen Armut" ('Your Voice against Poverty') which is the German platform of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) looks back on the activities in the years 2005-2007. Highlights were the events in run-up to the G8 summit in Gleneagles and Heiligendamm and the global "Stand Up" actions.TRANSCRIPT
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” – A success story
Dr. Claudia Warning Page 4
Not to be ignored... Herbert Groenemeyer about the campaign Page 5
Reactions to the campaign Page 6
I. Campaign highlights
2004/2005: How it all started and the first highlights Page 8
2006: Football fever, yellow Post-its and long banners filled with messages Page 10
2007: The White Band Nights: culture, action and solidarity in one night Page 11
From Flensburg in the North to Freiburg in the South: local action Page 13
The concert – P8 instead of G8 Page 14
Making voices heard: 1.4 million against poverty Page 16
Poor 8: Films and projects from the South Page 16
Further highlights during 2007 Page 17
Reactions to the campaign Page 19
II. The political dimension
Wanted: More German engagement for the MDGs! Page 20
Germany speaks its mind on development policy Page 27
III. Documentation
Online throughout the world Page 28
The television adverts of the campaign Page 29
Being a public inconvenience: adverts and open letters Page 30
Press review Page 32
Celebrities and supporters Page 34
The campaign team Page 35
Editorial board Page 35
2
CONTENTS
3
We need you, we need your voice, because we
need to make a change. So much has happened
over the last three years, which is what the follow-
ing pages are all about. But the world needs more
– give her your courage, your knowledge, your
ideas and your commitment in the fight against
worldwide poverty. The clock is ticking. We need
to get active – why not join us?
Everyone at “Deine Stimme gegen Armut”
“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.”(Nelson Mandela)
HEY, COME CLOSER,
WE WANT TO TELL YOU
SOMETHING
4
“DEINE STIMME GEGEN ARMUT”
A SUCCESS STORYThe campaign has set new standards in the expertise and content of campaign work of German non-govern-
mental organisations.
The campaign was set up at the end of 2004 as the “World-
wide Campaign against Poverty” prior to the G8 Summit in
Gleneagles. But it was only once the title had been changed to
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” (“Your Voice against Poverty”)
that the aim of the campaign became much clearer. The key
was to mobilise people to raise their voice and become active,
thus increasing pressure on the Heads of State and Govern-
ment of the most powerful nations in the world and appeal-
ing to them to engage in pro-development and poverty-ori-
ented policy.
After three years of campaigning, we are extremely proud of
our success:
1.4 m people supported our appeal by signing petitions.
Hundreds of thousands of people went to our concerts and
took part in the White Band Nights and other events.
The press response to our campaign was impressive with 5,000 printed articles in three months in 2007 alone.
With over 100,000 subscribers, our campaign newsletter has become one of the largest list serves for develop-
ment in Germany.
Development in Africa was one of the most important items on the G8 Summit agenda.
In 2007, the Federal Ministry for Development received its highest budgetary increase ever – 670 million
Euro were allocated to the Ministry.
The “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” campaign was especially successful in attracting people, who had until now
never shown an interest in development issues. Particularly the commitment of young people has been
impressive. A representative opinion poll carried out shortly before the G8 Summit revealed that the over-
whelming majority of Germans believe that governments must undertake concrete measures to fight poverty,
hunger and HIV/AIDS.
Without the help of our campaign celebrities, we would not have been able to have mobilised the public so effec-
tively and extensively. The German singer Herbert Groenemeyer was one of our most prominent cooperation
partners, whose commitment and financial support contributed to the diversity and visibility of the cam-
paign. Bono, Bob Geldof and numerous other celebrities, such as Claudia Schiffer or the boxing stars, the
Klitschko brothers, also used their popularity to play a key role in the campaign.
The involvement of our partners from developing countries has legitimised the campaign. Its credibility has
largely to do with on the one hand the experience and expertise of VENRO’s member organisations working in
those countries, and, on the other hand, through the direct cooperation with our partners in the South. As a
result, “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” can be seen as a platform for the formulation of their political demands.
To this end, a number of civil society representatives from eight of the world’s poorest countries took to the
stage at our concert in Rostock, in order to reach out to the G8 Heads of State and Government with their
appeal.
5
NOT TO BE IGNORED …The last three years has seen us raise our voices against pover-
ty… and it’s starting to pay off. Those in power can no longer
ignore us and we have made the first steps in establishing a
new culture in the fight against poverty. This is what is most
important and is for me a great source of motivation to contin-
ue my work for the campaign. As we said, when the campaign
was publicly launched in Berlin in March 2005, a global cul-
ture can only be measured by its weakest. Dependency and
debt have therefore become moral issues. The extreme poverty,
which continues to exist in the world has called our perception
of consideration for others and humanity into question.
The only answer to this is to act – investing our efforts for peo-
ple living in unbearable and unjust situations. Not only are we
one world, we are also a moral universe. We live together in a
global community and are responsible for one another. Togeth-
er, we have the power to change things. And now is the time to act, deliver, stir things up and get the world
turning in a new direction. If we don’t set ourselves this task right now, we will have to live with the shame of
knowing for the rest of our lives, that we didn’t do what could have been done, in order to eliminate poverty,
disease, hunger and death. This is what we will be measured against by future generations, who will ask us:
what did you do?
Together with VENRO, Herbert Groenemeyer is sponsor of the “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” campaign.
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” has proven that poverty eradication is not a side issue, but remains a key topic
at the heart of society. For the first time in many years, development has been thrust into the public spotlight
and has been the subject of intense discussion, leading to a considerable increase in political pressure.
Together as an association, we intend to sustain the momentum we have gained from our campaign work in
order to develop our technical and political work even further and keep up the pressure on the legislature. The
fight against worldwide poverty and the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals remain our
most important tasks.
Dr. Claudia Warning
(VENRO Chair)
“I am here to thank you all for your support in thecampaign against debt and poverty and for fairtrade with Africa. Today, I ask you to raise yourvoices even more to tell the G8: the world can’twait!”Charity Musamba, Researcher in Peace Studies from Zambia, at the Rostock
concert
“The sort of growth, which kills people, plants andanimals, cannot be good. Ghandi showed us, thatwe have to take the future into our own hands, ifwe want to continue to live in this wonderfulworld.”Vandana Shiva, activist for women’s rights and the environment from India, at
the Rostock concert
“The campaign gives us ‘small’ NGOs the opportu-nity to participate actively in ‘large’ events, suchas the Rostock concert. Our Ugandan partnerorganisation’s P8 film on HIV/AIDS was a primeexample of this.”Reinhard Micheel, Executive Director of Aktion Canchanabury e.V., Bochum,
Germany, an association, which supports primarily health projects in Africa
“Our high standard of living has been financed tothe detriment of the world’s poorer countries. Wewant to raise awareness of the fact that it’s time togive something back to them. In my opinion, theRostock concert was the best opportunity to dothis.”Smudo is rapper in the German hip-hop band “Die Fantastischen Vier”
“‘Deine Stimme gegen Armut’ was a good thing.The partnership of non-governmental organisa-tions and celebrities enabled us to raise publicawareness and stimulate debate surrounding theissue of poverty reduction considerably. We mustkeep the momentum going!”Joern Kalinski, Campaigns and PR Director, Oxfam Germany
“Civil society and the UN campaign work hand in hand: in Germany, this form of cooperation has worked magnificently and has effectivelyincreased pressure on the government to stick tothe promises it made back in 2000.”Dr. Renée Ernst, Commissioner for the UN Millennium Campaign in Germany
since February 2005
“The campaign has the same aims as Plan. It hasdone very well in approaching young people inGermany. Girls and boys have engaged actively inthe fight against world poverty, and this is whatmakes this campaign so successful.” May Evers, Officer for Development Studies and Advocacy at the children’s
relief organisation Plan International Germany
“Herbert Groenemeyer said that if I didn’t takepart in ‘Deine Stimme gegen Armut,’ I would go tohell…”Matthias Gruebel wrote the texts for the campaign’s adverts and posters
“It is fantastic that we managed to reach out to somany young people through the ‘Deine Stimmegegen Armut’ campaign. In the future, we shouldalso work together towards living in a fairerworld.”Dr. Iris Schoeninger, Coordinator for Development Policy and Campaigns,
German Agro Action
“Everyone knows today that no-one, whether childor adult, must die of hunger. Everyone can workagainst this. ‘Deine Stimme gegen Armut’ is thecampaign everyone can take part in.”Peter Dietzel, Coordinator at the relief organisation NETZ Bangladesch.
He helped develop the P8 concept
February 2005 March 2005
2004: The United Nations Millennium Declaration had
already been adopted four years earlier. Eight basic devel-
opment goals (the so-called “MDGs”), such as the fight
against extreme poverty, were to be implemented by 2015.
However, not much had happened, and it was obvious that
without pressure from society, nothing would happen. The
UN itself launched a campaign entitled “No Excuse 2015 –
Voices against Poverty,” which seeks to promote the
achievement of the MDGs and supported the formation of
the international “Global Call to Action against Poverty”
(GCAP) campaign. GCAP became the international frame-
work for those activities leading up to the G8 Summit in
Gleneagles. The British campaign “Make Poverty History”
set new standards: thanks to the decisive role of celebrities,
the pro-active British Government under Tony Blair and
professionally managed and intensive PR work, NGOs work-
ing in development were offered a unique platform and
resources. In a short space of time, the campaign became a
worldwide “brand” for the obligations of the G8 governments
to do more to fight the social injustice the world faces. The
British ensured that Africa featured prominently on the G8
agenda. In order to make sure that the G8 governments
would be put
under pressure in
Gleneagles, the
“Make Poverty
History” initiators
looked for power-
ful civil society
actors in each of
the G8 countries.
As it was clear
that the next important G8 Summit would be in Germany
two years later (apart from a low-key stopover in Russia),
Germany’s role was especially significant.
In spring 2004, Bono and Bob Geldof met with the German
NGOs. They were joined by German popstar Herbert Groene-
meyer. The following months saw VENRO make the decision
to set up the German GCAP campaign, which would seek to
move forward the now three common demands of both pro-
grammes. Under the motto “Worldwide Campaign against
Poverty”, the campaign began in 2005 and focused themati-
cally on more and better aid, debt relief and fair trade.
These demands were endorsed in July 2004 at a meeting
VENRO had organised, inviting other key players in the
German development NGO scene. At the end of 2004, at
VENRO’s General Assembly, members decided that the cam-
paign should be implemented the following year. In the
meantime, contact to Herbert Groenemeyer had become
closer: in February 2005, an extensive meeting in a hotel in
Hamburg between VENRO and Groenemeyer & Friends
sealed the deal on the common campaign, and the slogan
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” (“Your Voice Against Poverty”)
was born. 2005 was to become a significant year in the fight
against worldwide poverty.
With huge moving placards, German
Finance Minister Hans Eichel was
called upon to “Make Poverty History”
at the G7 Finance Ministers Meeting in
February 2005.
Photo: VENRO/Bildschoen
At the first campaign press
conference, Herbert Groene-
meyer and the VENRO Chair
Reinhard Hermle presents
the television advert featur-
ing a number of celebrities to
the public.
Photo: VENRO/Bildschoen
8
AKTIONSHÖHEPUNKTE 2005
How it all startedand the first highlights
2005 – The campaign yearFrom then on, there was no stopping us. On March 31th,
VENRO and Groenemeyer presented together the main
campaign advert on the premises of the Federal Press Con-
ference. Numerous celebrities from the world of interna-
tional show business warned: “Every three seconds, a child
dies due to the consequences of extreme poverty.” To
ensure the message hit home, all celebrities dramatically
“clicked” their fingers every three seconds, in what would
become the advert’s trademark. Shortly afterwards, another
advert appeared, this time using familiar footballers from
the German Premier League. Both adverts were broadcast
on numerous television stations, in cinemas and at football
stadiums over a number of months. Advertising revenue
gained just from television sponsors reached 1.5 million
Euro. Alongside celebrity support, the activity was also
backed by the German branch of the International Federa-
tion of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). This included the
international music and entertainment business trade fair
POPKOMM in September 2005, at which a further press
conference with Herbert Groenemeyer and VENRO was
held. Seven full-page newspaper adverts and a petition
helped raise awareness of the campaign in a short period of
time significantly, both amongst the public and in political
circles. The campaign reached out to many people, who
would not have otherwise been reached using the tradition-
al methods and channels of development PR and awareness
raising work.
It was the white band that became the symbol of the world-
wide campaign. It was sold hundreds of thousands of times
as a wristband and was used as a banner in many of the
campaign’s activities. The first “White Band Day” held on
July 2nd 2005 – shortly before the G8 Summit in Gleneagles
– saw the Brandenburg Gate and the tower of the Kaiser
Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin being symbolically
enshrouded in a massive white banner. Not only Herbert
Groenemeyer, but also model Claudia Schiffer, actress Nina
Hoss, Bishop Wolfgang Huber (Head of the German Protes-
tant Church) and Cardinal Georg Sterzinsky (Catholic
Archbishop of Berlin) attended the event. On the second
White Band Day on September 9th, a few days before the
UN Summit, 300 activists unfurled an 800-metre white ban-
ner on the lawn in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin
and handed over to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
the signatures of 300,000 people, who had signed a petition
against poverty. The third White Band Day on December
10th saw the campaign send the traditional figure of Saint
Nicholas along with a list of trade policy demands to Devel-
opment Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul.
The Live8 concerts, which had been organised around the
globe by Bob Geldof shortly before the G8 Summit in Gle-
neagles, attracted enormous media coverage. A last-minute
cooperation ensured that “Deine Stimme gegen Armut”
came across as a political message at the huge Live8 con-
cert in Berlin. In mid-December, VENRO decided to extend
the campaign into 2006…
9
May 2005
Hitting home: Federal Development Min-
ister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul signs a
white banner at an event of one of the
European GCAP campaigns. Only those
ministers, whose countries have pledged
to reach the 0.7 percent GNI goal, can
sign this banner. On the same day, EU
ministers pass a step-by-step plan forming a binding agreement for the
increase of resources for development cooperation Brussels, May 24th 2005.
Photo: GCAP
May 2005
The large white banners are pre-
miered in May 2005 at the German
Protestant Kirchentag in Hanover. For
the first time, thousands of people
write messages to the government
on the fabric.
Photo: VENRO/ Andreas Mueller
The campaign’s work in 2006 was very much influenced by
the euphoric atmosphere caused by the Football World
Cup that summer. Using a goal, the campaign raised aware-
ness surrounding the MDGs. What was special about this
goal was the fact that it had eight holes, each one symbolis-
ing one of the MDGs. Inaugurated by Federal Premier
League goalkeeper Stefan Wessels at the VENRO sympo-
sium “Sport and Development” held in May, it was used to
attract voices against poverty for three weeks in June as
part of a stand on the Berlin fan mile.
VENRO member supporters were in charge of the stand and
were able to collect more than 6,000 signatures, including
even that of Berlin’s Mayor, Klaus Wowereit. During the
World Cup, SPIEGEL, one of Germany’s most popular week-
ly news and current affairs magazines, ran a full-page
advert, in which German Chancellor Angela Merkel was
called upon to “Show poverty the red card.”
Prior to the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, the
campaign, together with Action against AIDS
Germany, voiced the NGOs’ expectations of
the G8 Summit at a press conference in
Berlin, especially with regard to the issue
of HIV/AIDS. At the same time as the
campaigns in other G8 states, adverts
appeared in two of Germany’s most well-
known daily newspapers, FAZ and Sueddeutsche
Zeitung. These adverts were characterised by the motif of a
yellow Post-it note, reminding Chancellor Angela Merkel:
“Don’t forget: You are our voice against poverty at the G8
Summit. Fight poverty, hunger and HIV/AIDS.”
During the International GCAP Month of Mobilisation,
which began on September 16th and ended with the “White
Band Day” on October 17th, “Deine Stimme gegen Armut”
launched a fax initiative targeting the federal budget. A day
before cabinet ministers voted on the agenda for the G8
Summit on October 18th, the campaign called on the cabi-
net to raise its voice against poverty in a move that was
clearly visible: a two-seater aeroplane flew across the skies
of Berlin, sporting a long banner on its tail. At the same
time, the campaign appealed to the cabinet through two
adverts in FAZ and SPIEGEL, calling on ministers to put
poverty eradication on the agenda.
Many development organisations and local groups support-
ed the campaign with their own ideas, such as in Eisleben,
Ludwigsburg and Saarbruecken, where people created the
campaign’s name with large home-made letters of the
alphabet.
Germany’s imminent EU Council and G8 dual presidency in
2007 defined political discussion and planning during the
year. The “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” campaign office
moved from Bonn to Berlin and hosted two GCAP meetings
of international activists from Europe and the G8 states in
the autumn.
May 2005 June 2005
At the Protestant Kirchentag in
Hanover on May 27th 2005,
around 3,000 visitors listen in
suspense to Herbert Groene-
meyer as he talks about a trip
to Rwanda. On stage with him:
Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace
Prize holder from Kenya.
Photo: VENRO/ Andreas Mueller
Model Claudia Schiffer and
civil society representatives
from all G7 states look over
the finance ministers’ shoul-
ders at their meeting in Lon-
don. Then Vice-Chair Claudia
Warning also takes part, repre-
senting VENRO.
Photo: James Veysey /Camera Press
10
Football fever, yellow Post-it notesand long banners filled with slogans
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 2006
11
June 2005 July 2005
Bishop Franz Kamphaus and represen-
tatives of the catholic social institutions
in the Main-Taunus district set an exam-
ple in Hofheim on June 27th 2005 and
raise their voices against poverty.
Photo: RMB/Margielsky
White banner at the Kaiser Wil-
helm Memorial Church in
Berlin. “White Band Day,” July
2nd 2005
Photo: VENRO/Bildschoen
In the run-up to the G8 Summit, “Deine Stimme gegen
Armut” set up local events, the so-called “White Band
Nights,” in 19 different towns throughout Germany. Taking
place between April 26th and June 6th 2007, active groups
united to form local event organising committees. In turn,
they organised a plethora of different programmes, ranging
from concerts, film showings and information points to
church services. The aim of all “White Band Nights” was to
increase the number of voices against poverty and provide
information on the issues of poverty reduction, the Millenni-
um Development Goals and the G8 Summit in Heiligen-
damm, Germany. Therefore, providing simple information
on a somewhat unwieldy subject was of paramount impor-
tance: the ultimate goal was to ensure that each and every
person could understand what the campaign was about and
how they could play their own part.
Posters, flyers and announcements in the local press adver-
tised the individual events. Numerous reports in the media
accompanied the preparations and ensured that the public
were aware of the events. Having the events coordinated by
local organisations also enabled the integration of the local
population, as well as the building of linkages between the
various organisations.
The “White Band Nights” took place throughout Germany, in
larger cities, as well as in smaller towns, and displayed the
wealth and variety of ideas the organisations had in devis-
ing the events. Dresden’s event was transformed into a
‘White Band Week’, offering film showings and info events.
Aachen, Duisburg and Essen presented a number of cultur-
al open-air events and in Ostrhauderfehn in Lower Saxony,
young people were treated to information, rounded off by a
street theatre performance and a concert. Following a
church service specially tailored to the MDGs in Hamburg,
a pilgrim was sent on an African cargo bike to the Rostock
concert, picking up further campaign supporters on the
way. On the university campus in Frankfurt am Main,
activists informed students about the campaign during the
day and then held a ‘white party’ in the evening. In Bonn,
hundreds of rollerbladers skated through the town centre in
order to present – as part of a festival on the main market
square – the appeal made by a youth forum for a fairer
world.
Other “White Band Nights” received generous support from
a host of celebrities. The Berlin event was able to boast per-
formances from world stars Angelique Kidjo and Pink Marti-
ni, and in Hanover, Gerald Asamoah, player in the German
The White Band Nights: Culture,action and solidarity in one event
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 2007
national football
team, took a
chance on the
millennium goal
wall. German tele-
vision host Joerg
Pilawa was also at
the Hamburg
event.
Almost all “White
Band Nights”
showed films
about the so-called P8 countries (Poor8: Bangladesh, Zam-
bia, Mozambique, Uganda, Mali, Cambodia, Bolivia and
Nicaragua), as well as an edited version of the Millennium
Spot. Visitors were called upon to raise their voice against
poverty by signing petitions, writing postcards or sending
text messages with their mobile phones. In many towns, visi-
tors had the opportunity to stand in front of the camera and
take part in the Millennium Spot themselves. At the end of
the event, common activities – such as an “11th hour” cam-
paign or a chain of white lights – united all visitors.
Altogether, around 130,000 people of all ages went to the
“White Band Nights,” with almost 50,000 voices against
poverty raised directly at the events. Almost 100 newspaper
articles were published in an array of regional and national
media, not to mention numerous radio and television
reports. One particularly positive effect of these events was
that some local organisations, which worked together
preparing the events but would otherwise not have had
much contact, have since entered into long-term coopera-
tions.
Where the “White Band Nights” tookplace19 towns in Germany played host to local campaigns under
the motto of “Your Voice against Poverty.” The programmes
consisted of interviews, live music, theatre and short films.
More than 100 newspaper reports documented the events.
Dresden (April 26th 2007) Essen (May 18th 2007)
Potsdam (May 18th 2007) Aachen (May 18th 2007)
Bonn (May 19th 2007) Wetzlar (May 19th 2007)
Duisburg (May 24th 2007) Nuremberg (May 25th 2007)
Leipzig (May 25th 2007) Frankfurt/M. (May 25th 2007)
Berlin (May 30th 2007) Neubrandenburg (June 1st 2007)
Hanover (June 1st 2007) Halle/ Saale (June 1st 2007)
Bad Muenstereifel (June 3rd 2007) Ostrhauderfehn,
Eastern Friesland (June 3rd 2007) Hamburg (June 3rd
2007) Rostock (June 6th 2007) Munich (October 17th
2007)
July 2005 July 2005
On the first “White Band
Day”, medical students from
Jena wrap a white band
made out of bed sheets
from the university clinic
around the Prince-Elector
Johann-Friedrich Monument
on the town’s market
square.
Photo: Tobias Schornsheim
Wetzlar’s white band, which was sewn
together by the town’s inhabitants on July
2th 2005, was more than a mile long and
stretched from the cathedral right through
the whole town. It received the 2007 Oeku-
menischer Foerderpreis Eine Welt prize.
Photo: NETZ
12
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 2007
July 2005 July 2005
Employees at the
Welthaus in Bielefeld
affix a white banner to
the building on “White
Band Day” July 2nd
2005.
Photo: Welthaus Bielefeld
More than 300 MEPs in Strasburg
signed a white band between July 4 - 6
2005, thus demonstrating their sup-
port for the worldwide campaign
against poverty.
The band was also signed by British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, EU Devel-
opment Commissioner Louis Michel and the President of the European Par-
liament, Josep Borrell. Afterwards, the band was handed over to Jack Straw,
who took it with him to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles.
Photo: VENRO/ Ulrich Schlenker
13
In 2007, many local groups and committed individuals played
an active public role for “Deine Stimme gegen Armut.” They
collected signatures in pedestrian areas, schools and univer-
sities, organised concerts, had a go at building websites or
recorded films for the Millennium Spot. It was their creativity
and engagement that attracted the attention of so many peo-
ple and ultimately led to such a high number of voices speak-
ing out against poverty.
Six final year school students from Osterburg in Saxony-
Anhalt were a fine example of what could be done: Kitted
out with campaign material and white banners, they trav-
elled in March to Berlin and, accompanied by the press,
helped raise hundreds of voices to speak out against poverty.
Numerous school classes, youth clubs, pre-schools, teams,
music schools and sports clubs got active. It wasn’t just
about collecting voices, but also about the campaign’s mes-
sages on development. School pupils went from classroom to
classroom with a microphone and tape recorder, organised
information days and held class presentations on poverty
reduction.
As part of the competition entitled “Every Voice against
Poverty and a Prize for You“, a jury consisting of VENRO
member organisations awarded prizes to the best local activ-
ities, which had dealt with the main issues of the campaign
in a particularly original way and also raised more than a
thousand voices. The results were staggering and included
ideas such as the blocking off of all roundabouts, building
massive-sized letters of the alphabet or compil-
ing class materials. Posters, photos and videos
testify the level of commitment demonstrat-
ed. The “Zara Sunrise Project,” for example,
raised awareness of the campaign by going
on tour through several towns in the
South German state of Baden-Wuerttem-
berg, complete with campaign materials
and self-composed songs.
The winning project was showcased in
the form of an exhibition during the Protes-
tant Kirchentag in Cologne, as well as at the Ros-
tock concert.
At the Open Air Festival in Staatsforsten and the Film Festi-
val in Muenster in August and September 2007, participants
helped raise voices against poverty and proved that political
engagement can and should be fun.
The ‘Stand Up & Speak Out’ initiatives on World Poverty Day
on October 17th were a further highlight of local activities.
Active young people seized the initiative and came to us
with the own ideas and creative suggestions, thereby mobil-
ising the fight against poverty in a most pro-active way. They
appealed to their fellow pupils to take part and organised
discussion sessions on “child labour,” “fair trade” and “a life
without formal education.”
From Flensburg in the North toFreiburg in the South: Local action
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 2007
July 2005 August 2005
Young people raise their voices
against poverty. This banner hung
in Bensheim for a week, where the
Christoffel Blindenmission and the
Karl Kuebel Foundation beat the
drum for the MDGs between July
13th - 17th 2005.
Photo: CBM
During World Youth Day from
August 15th - 21st 2005, Fed-
eral President Horst Koehler
raised his voice against
poverty and signed a white
banner on the Muensterplatz
in Bonn. The campaign had
three stands in Bonn and Cologne to solicit the support of the international
guests.
Photo: UN Millennium Campaign
14
The concert – P8 instead of G8boxes. Within the concert grounds, VENRO member organisa-
tions also provided information about their work.
Music:
Herbert Groenemeyer Bono Beatsteaks Die Fantastischen
Vier Die Toten Hosen Bob Geldof Seeed Silbermond
Sportfreunde Stiller 2Raumwohnung Mo’Some Big Noise
(Mozambique) Leo Muntu (Zambia) Peter Miles & Menshan
(Uganda) Bangla (Bangladesh) Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
(Mali) Perrozompopo (Nicaragua) Youssou N’Dour (Senegal)
Statements and speeches:
Theary C. Seng (Cambodia) Paulino Guarachi Huanca (Bolivia)
Magret Kawooya (Uganda) Flor Martinez (Nicaragua)
Kumi Naidoo (GCAP, South Africa) Bischof Toribio Porco
Ticona (Bolivia) Charity Musamba (Zambia) Vandana Shiva
(India) Mohammed Yunus (Bangladesh)
Claudia Warning Jan Josef Liefers Michael Mittermeier
Nora Tschirner Wim Wenders
Concert presenters: Sarah Kuttner and Roger Willemsen
A press conference was held prior to the conference and trans-
mitted live by public television station Phoenix. Alongside Herbert
Groenemeyer and Claudia Warning, Bob Geldof and Bono, GCAP
spokesman Kumi Naidoo, Nobel Peace Prize holder Mohammed
Yunus, singers Youssou N´Dour and Anusheh Anadil, as well as
musician Bassekou Kouyate, spoke to the press. The turn out at
both the press conference and the concert was excellent, with 350
journalists and photographers – including 40 camera and video
teams – taking part.
At the same time as the G8 Summit, an alternative Summit, was
held in Rostock, which took a look at issues surrounding develop-
ment and the environment and presented alternative projects
from civil society. VENRO was one of the sponsors of the alterna-
tive Summit and was heavily involved in its preparation. Mixing
the positive PR effects of the concert with the in-depth knowledge
imparted at the alternative Summit has proved to be the best way
of raising awareness amongst the public.
The campaign culminated in the concert “Voices against Pover-
ty,” which took place on June 7th 2007 in Rostock. The peaceful
event took place under the motto “music & messages” and com-
bined entertainment from prominent musicians with messages
from the development field. Tickets prices were kept low, with
each one costing 2.50 Euro to cover organisation costs. Within a
day, the concert was sold out, with 80,000 people storming the
grounds of the IGA park in North Rostock.
More than a million viewers followed the event on Germany’s
public television station ARD. The full six-hour live recording was
shown later that evening on the public television station Phoenix,
as well as on subsequent evenings on various regional public tele-
vision stations. AOL also transmitted the concert as a live stream
on a specially devised website, with videos of the individual
artists remaining available on the website for a month after the
event.
Bands and speakers from Europe and eight chosen developing
countries –as “Voices from the South,” they represented the
poorest countries in the world – appeared at the concert. Along-
side the music was a 2 1/2 hour programme focusing on develop-
ment issues, which also included the short films from the P8
countries (please see page 16 for further information).
Under blue skies and brilliant sunshine, concert goers were treat-
ed not just to well-known German bands such as Die Toten
Hosen or Die Fantastischen Vier, but also music from bands from
the South, such as Bangla from Bangladesh, Perrozompopo from
Nicaragua and Youssou N’Dour from Senegal. Statements came
from various celebrities, such as German actor and musician Jan
Josef Liefers and film director Wim Wenders, who worked on a
film about the MDGs. VENRO Chair Claudia Warning spoke on
behalf of the development organisations. Even Nobel Peace Prize
holder Mohammed Yunus addressed the German public. The final
moments of the event saw VENRO member organisation employ-
ees coming on stage, carrying all the petitions, which had been
signed over the course of the campaign in transparent plastic
AKTIONSHÖHEPUNKTE 2007
The idea of the “participatory video” was also one of the
forces behind the project. Who, if not the people living in
the South themselves, knows best what it is like to live
there?! These short films aimed to give those people from
the South a voice and portray life through their eyes. The
decision therefore, not to have professional directors and
cameramen as film makers was a conscious one. No prior
specifications regarding content were made, with ActionAid
International, Aktion Canchanabury, Care International
Germany, Inkota, Oxfam and World Vision providing the
necessary technical equipment. The results show moving
accounts of everyday life and testify of the courage and
strength of the resistance against inhumane conditions.
Filming took place, in three continents, in the Poor 8 coun-
tries of Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, Uganda, Mali,
One of the closing highlights of the concert in Rostock was
when VENRO members, together with Herbert Groenemey-
er and Bono, symbolically handed over the 1.4 million
signatures of those people who had raised their voices
against poverty to the Federal Government. The sig-
natures were piled into 100 boxes covered in the
organisations’ logos which were then stacked up
on the stage. 800,000 people from Germany and
600,000 people from other G8 states, especially the UK,
had signed letters addressed to Chancellor Angela Merkel
appealing to her to undertake concrete measures for world-
wide poverty reduction.
In Germany, 330,000 campaign supporters signed the letter
online via the campaign website, with almost a further
100,000 pledging their support via text message. The most sig-
natures were gathered via petitions and postcards. The dieGe-
sellschafter.de project, implemented by the German social
organisation Aktion Mensch, disseminated 600,000 postcards
in pubs and bars throughout Germany, and the German
branch of the International Federation for the Phonographic
Industry (IFPI) ensured that many thousands of cards were
distributed to large household electrical goods stores and
department stores throughout the country.
The “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” partner NGOs collected sig-
natures in various ways, ranging from putting petition signa-
ture lists in publications, as well as sending them to other
members and donors. Kolping International raised awareness
intensively in the South and managed to raise thousands of
voices from Peru and Bolivia. Oxfam, German Agro Action and
the One World Network North-Rhine Westphalia set up web-
sites or text messaging services especially for the campaign.
16
Poor 8:Films and projects from the South
Making voices heard: 1.4 million against poverty
September 2005 September 2005
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” and Rolf
Stahlhofen, former singer with German music
collective Soehne Mannheims hosted the offi-
cial opening of the SAP arena in Mannheim on
September 3rd 2005. Around 10,000 people
came to see top German acts, such as Sasha,
Silbermond and Badesalz. Stahlhofen appealed
to concertgoers a number of times to raise
their voices against poverty.
Photo: VENRO/Ruediger Dunker
Customers at the second-
hand shop ADRA Culture in
Weiterstadt, near Darmstadt,
Hesse, raised their voices
against poverty between
September 7th - 15th, tying a
band of fabric to the fence of
the premises.
Photo: ADRA
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 2007
To mark the opening of the music and
entertainment trade fair Popkomm on
September 14th 2005, the German
music industry pledged at a press con-
ference together with Herbert Groene-
meyer its support for “Deine Stimme
gegen Armut.” Chair of the German branch of the International Federation for the
Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Gerd Gebhardt, said that poverty reduction required
commitment and solidarity.
Photo: Karen Massine
Throughout December, a
large poster in the heart of
Berlin sought to raise
awareness for “Deine
Stimme gegen Armut.“
Anyone near Zoologischer
Garten railway station
would have been able to read: “Poverty is a scandal – here and throughout
the world. Chancellor Merkel, it’s time to act!”
Photo: VENRO/ Andreas Meichsner
17
September 2005 December 2005
Mozambique, Nicaragua and Zambia. These countries
serve as an example for all developing countries. They may
be poor, but have a real chance for positive change, thanks
chiefly to democratic influences and support from civil soci-
ety, such as projects implemented by VENRO’s member
organisations.
Since spring 2007, the “P8 films” have become an integral
part of the campaign’s events. Each film shows what poverty
Further highlights during 2007Apart from the two major highlights of the Rostock con-
cert and the local “White Band Nights,” the campaign also
carried out other activities, which focused on the achieve-
ment of the MDGs and the promises made at G8. In Janu-
ary, and together with Action against AIDS Germany, the
campaign sent a New Year’s card to around 150 political
decision makers, appealing to them to strengthen the
importance of health and MDG issues in the G8 process.
On February 9th in Essen and ahead of the first G7 Finance
Ministers meeting, fake finance ministers appealed for real
help for poor countries. In a joint initiative, “Deine Stimme
gegen Armut,” Action against AIDS Germany and the debt
relief campaign erlassjahr.de sent activists disguised as
finance ministers to the meeting’s press centre.
Since March 2007, the Millennium-Spot has provided an
ingenious service for those wanting to get involved in the
campaign. Anyone wanting to participate in the longest “fin-
ger clicking advert in the world” can now do so and have his
or her video or photograph appear alongside celebrity sup-
porters. “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” sent a mobile film
studio to a series of events. Supporters in North-Rhine
Westphalia were particularly active, who in the meantime
have managed to string together more than 1,100 three-sec-
ond adverts, resulting in a film that lasts almost an hour.
Several dozen celebrities from the music and show business
scene raised their voice against poverty at the ECHO Music
Prize award ceremony on February 25th in Berlin. U2 singer
Bono, who also received an ECHO special achievement
prize, presented the campaign’s new television advert,
which was shown for the first time at the event.
actually means, what success with regard to the Millennium
Development Goals looks like and how civil society can help
in achieving this success.
The films and a selection of exemplary projects in these
countries can be found on the campaign website,
www.deine-stimme-gegen-armut.de.
May 2006
As part of the
VENRO sympo-
sium “Sport and
Development” on
May 4th, Stefan Wessels, goalkeeper with
1. FC Cologne, raised his voice against
poverty (with VENRO board member Juergen
Lieser, right).
Photo: VENRO
18
During the Forum for Civil G8 Dialogue in Bonn’s
Beethovenhalle on April 26th, where government represen-
tatives from the G8 states met with German and interna-
tional civil society representatives to discuss G8 issues, the
campaign, together with the UN Millennium Campaign,
raised awareness surrounding the MDGs on a white band.
The band stretched for several hundred metres along the
banks of the river Rhine.
Two workshops for journalists managed to direct media
attention towards the campaign’s issues and messages. The
workshop in May in Rostock, in cooperation with the UN
Millennium Campaign,
focused on the G8 Sum-
mit. The second work-
shop took place imme-
diately before the Sec-
ond Replenishment
Meeting of the Global
Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and
Malaria, and thus
focused chiefly on glob-
al health issues.
Together with Action
against AIDS Germany, NGO representatives from the North
and the South explained to the journalists the situations of
civil society in this international funding initiative.
On the International Day of Action on October 17th, “Deine
Stimme gegen Armut” mobilised the masses to take part in
an attempt to break a world record. The “Stand up & Speak
Out” initiative, set up by the “Global Call to Action against
Poverty” (GCAP) and the UN Millennium Campaign, aimed
at getting as many people as possible to stand up against
worldwide poverty and thus set an impressive example. A
radio advert, radio interviews and a video with the Berlin
rock band Beatsteaks ultimately helped motivate 43.7 mil-
lion people in 127 countries stand up on White Band Day
against poverty – a new world record! In Germany, more
than 66,000 people at 328 events in towns, schools and busi-
nesses participated in such “standing up” activities.
The campaign’s main event was the “White Band Night”
in Munich. 5,000 party goers experienced a thrilling
evening of live music from bands such as my new zoo, Zoe
and The Busters, as well as interviews, information stands
and the broadcast of the Germany-Czech Republic football
match. German television presenter and football reporter
Guenther Koch spoke to Charity Musamba from Zambia
about the fight against poverty in Africa – as well as the
forthcoming football World Cup in South Africa. Ondrej
Kopecny also reported on the anti-poverty campaign in the
Czech Republic.
March 2006
On the third
White Band Day
on December
10th, the stu-
dent-run devel-
opment organi-
sation Commit managed to collect almost 3,000
voices against poverty. Representatives also hung
up white bands throughout Munich.
Photo: Linda Neumann
The protestant
youth fellow-
ship from
Eisleben
showed its
commitment to
the MDGs on
March 7th 2006 by creating massive letters. The
polystyrene sheets were donated by a local DIY store.
Photo: Juergen Lukaschek
December 2005
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 2007
“We cannot just sit back and say that it’s pointless.It’s at those moments when masses of people getinvolved in the fight against poverty and celebri-ties support the cause that the effects can be seen.”Nia Kuenzer was part of the winning team in the 2003 women’s football
world cup and shot the decisive golden goal in the final.
“We are getting closer towards our goal of cuttingpoverty in half. Many people now know what theyhave to do. This campaign has created a commu-nity and gives us the strength to fulfil the MDGs by 2015.”Frank Mischo works in the Campaign and PR department of Kindernothilfe
“In North-Rhine Westphalia, we recorded more than7,000 “clicking finger” adverts and used more than1,000 advertising spaces at railway stations through-out the state to raise awareness for the campaign.This may have been a new PR experience for us, but itdefinitely contributed to the success of the campaign.”Vera Dittgen designed the campaign for the state of North-Rhine Westphalia.
Under the slogan “Deine Stimme gegen Armut – Do your bit in NRW!” she
coordinated the campaign in the first few months before handing the baton
over to Monika Duelge.
“‘Deine Stimme gegen Armut’ can serve as an exam-ple for other campaigns. We want to make greatchanges next year and I would be happy if everyoneshowed the same amount of commitment to endingpoverty and inequality as ‘Deine Stimme gegenArmut’ has done. Well done for everything you haveachieved in 2007 and I wish you every success forthe German campaign in 2008!”Kumi Naidoo is spokesman of the worldwide “Global Call to Action against
Poverty” campaign.
“Despite having 20 acts, the event went off unbe-lievably quietly and peacefully. The atmosphereoutside and back-stage was fantastic; everythingwas just how it should have been. Incidentally, thevoices could be heard even on the other side of theGerman border (well, at least in Austria!)”Rene Kraus is tour producer and directed the concert in Rostock.
He lives and works in Vienna.
What can be done, when the political commitment needed
to fight against worldwide poverty is doomed to come to
nothing, purely due to a lack of political will of the responsi-
ble governments? The answer is simple. Come together, set
up worldwide networks: NGOs with celebrities and other
campaigns. Take the most important political events and use
them to mobilise the masses convincingly and vociferously.
This is how both the Global Call to Action against Poverty
(GCAP) as a worldwide network and “Deine Stimme gegen
Armut” as the German GCAP campaign were set up in 2004.
2005 did not just see the important G8 Summit at Glenea-
gles, it was also time to take stock of the progress made in
implementing MDGs, five years after they were first agreed
upon. The MDGs are the eight global development goals
(Millennium Development Goals), to which all UN members
committed themselves in 2000 on the basis of the UN Mil-
lennium Declaration. In this respect, one of the MDGs
envisaged that the proportion of people living in extreme
poverty – i.e. on less than 1 US Dollar per day – should
decrease by at least half by 2015. However, too little had
happened in the five years since 2000, in order to meet the
original deadline of 2015. The fight against poverty in Sub-
Saharan Africa had even regressed.
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” thus called for more intense
commitment and the keeping of the promises made in 2000.
In an open letter to the then German Chancellor, Gerhard
Schroeder, the campaign appealed, “If you, together with
the other G7/G8 Heads of State and Government, pass an
extensive programme of immediate action to fight poverty,
which also contains measures to provide more and better
aid, fair trade and debt relief, we can still be the generation
that can say ‘We kept our promise,’ the generation that
saved the lives of 50,000 people every day. We ask you to
surprise us. Show the world that Germany feels indebted to
the future of all humanity and acts in this respect.”
In a position paper published by VENRO, this appeal was
broken down into twelve concrete demands:
Poverty reduction must be seen as a basic human right.
Developing countries’ strategies for the fight against
poverty must be strengthened.
German development cooperation must be realigned and
the financial resources available increased in line with
the EU step-by-step plan towards the 0.7 per cent goal.
The effectiveness of German development cooperation
must be increased and better coordinated at internation-
al level.
Commitment to the introduction of innovative funding
instruments must be shown.
Effective action against tax oases must be taken.
Immediate, essential and extensive debt relief, as well as
the establishment of international insolvency proceedings
must be agreed upon.
More equality in world trade must be achieved.
The democratisation of the “Global Governance”
system must be actively promoted.
Crisis prevention as a way of fighting poverty must be
strengthened.
International leadership in the fight against AIDS must
be assumed.
International engagement in the fight against the dangers
of global climate change must be increased.
This catalogue of demands complemented the four general
demands, which all national GCAP campaigns throughout
the world had previously agreed upon:
20
THE POLITICAL DIMENSION
Wanted: More engagement fromGermany for the MDGs!
June 2006
At the Designmarkt Alarm
event on June 6th 2006 in
Cologne, the young designer
Dijana Zoradana Elfadivo from
Subjektiva displayed her way
of supporting the campaign –
by sewing the white bands
onto clothing.
Photo: Dijana Zoradana Elfadivo
June 2006
During the football World Cup in June 2006,
the result was: Development 8, the rest 0.
Using a goal wall with eight holes – each
hole representing one of the MDGs – “Deine
Stimme gegen Armut” attracted further
voices against poverty at the Berlin fan fes-
tival on the “Straße des 17. Juni.”
Photo: VENRO Andreas Meichsner
More and better aid.
Debt cancellation.
Trade justice.
Promote democracy and good governance in developing
countries.
It was always clear that the MDGs could only ever be an
important stage goal, as they relate partially to agreements
made at earlier UN conferences, such as the 1995 World
Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen. Neverthe-
less, the consensus remained that fulfilling the MDGs repre-
sented a huge step on behalf of the poorest of the poor.
There’s something going on in Germany …There has been some remarkable progress made in German
development politics since 2005:
Aid has experienced a trend reversal. After years of
decline, available financial resources started increasing
again in 2005. It now represents 0.36 percent of Germany’s
gross national income.
Furthermore, the German government has reinforced on
numerous occasions its commitment to the EU step-by-
step plan, which commits governments to making further
increases in the years to come.
The German government has introduced, for the first
time, an innovative funding mechanism for development
cooperation. A proportion of the income made from the
auction of emission certificates will be earmarked for
development cooperation.
Numerous high-ranking politicians – including Develop-
ment Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul and Environ-
ment Minister Sigmar Gabriel – have voiced their support
for the introduction of a tax on kerosene or a separate
duty on flight tickets.
In 2005, Germany participated in the Multilateral Debt
Relief Initiative (MDRI) and the extensive relief of debts
that ensued.
Further debt relief is expected as part of the
“Debt2Health” initiative.
Germany is now showing considerably more commitment
to the fight against AIDS, as shown by the remarkable
22
The spokespeople for development from each of the Federal Parliament factions in Berlin, November 30th 2005.
THE POLITICAL DIMENSION
As part of the
MDG campaign
week in
Stuttgart from
September
27th to October
5th 2006, the One World Network DEAB
Baden-Wuerttemberg drummed up further
support for the fight against poverty.
Photo: Birgit Lieber
The One World ini-
tiative in Dessau,
Saxony-Anhalt,
the UNICEF work-
ing group and the
Protestant and
Catholic congregations organised their annual walk
for peace on November 12th 2006 under the motto of
“Every voice counts.“
Photo: VENRO/Ulrich Schlenker
September 2006 November 2006August 2006
In the artist section
at the Highfield
Festival near Erfurt
between August
18th - 20th ,
Dominik Kalies set
up a football table. Not only did it attract musicians
such as German band Seeed, it also encouraged them
to raise their voices against poverty.
Photo: Dominik Kalies
increase in financial resources, also as part of the Second
Replenishment Meeting of the Global Fund in Germany.
Finally, it was the German G8 presidency, which made the
slowing down of climate change one of the top priorities of
the Summit agenda in Heiligendamm.
The G8 Summit 2007 in Heiligendamm“In 2007, Germany is the most important country in the world.”
This statement from one of the campaign’s adverts is deliber-
ately striking. Nevertheless, by holding both EU and G8 presi-
dencies in 2007, Germany has gained considerable political
weight. This chance had to be used, also at international level
to lobby other G8 governments. Making contact with the so-
called sherpas, who prepared the Summit on behalf of their
Heads of Government, was particularly important. This was
implemented on the one hand via VENRO’s national “sister”
platforms in the other G8 countries. In this respect, the corre-
sponding network, “G7 NGO Coalition” published its own posi-
tion paper. On the other hand, this was also achieved via an
important meeting with the sherpas in April 2007, which was
organised jointly by the German NGO Forum on Environment
and Development and VENRO.
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” campaigned extensively to
ensure that both development and poverty reduction could
enjoy a high ranking on the agenda of G8 Summit in Heili-
gendamm. Following on from Gleneagles in 2005 and the
2006 Summit in Russia, “Africa,” alongside world economy
and climate change, was once again the third key issue on
the Summit agenda. The central message “Stand by your
commitments” appeared to hit home with the decision mak-
ers. Both Chancellor Angela Merkel and Development Min-
ister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul ensured ahead of the
Summit, that Germany would keep its word with regard to
development cooperation, its responsibility lying chiefly in
the realisation of the MDGs, as well as the implementation
of the decisions made at the 2005 Summit. At the latter,
the decision was also made to double development aid for
Africa and to strive to provide general access to HIV
prevention and AIDS treatment for all by 2010.
In Heiligendamm, a unique civil society mobilisation never
seen in Germany before ensured through demonstrations,
peaceful blockades and a concert attracting 80,000 visitors
that the campaign’s messages were unmistakeable for the
German and international community at large.
G8 – No great leap, but small steps forwardAfter the Heads of Government had left their large “beach
hut” in Heiligendamm, and the civil society initiatives had
23
February 2007
At the Christmas market in Krefeld on
December 19th 2006, the organisation aktion
medeor photographed supporters wearing
the campaign scarf, in order to send the Ger-
man government a large collage of photos,
reminding it to engage in the fight against
poverty.
Photo: Antje Mangelsdorf
During the G7 Finance
Ministers meeting in
Essen on February 9th
2007, “fake” finance
ministers from “Deine
Stimme gegen Armut,”
erlassjahr.de, and Action
against AIDS Germany
demanded “real help“ for the world’s poor countries.
Photo: Ralf Kraemer
December 2006
As part of the international GCAP campaign, VENRO representatives
Claudia Warning and Ulla Mikota passed on the campaign’s
message to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel as they made their way to the G8 Summit: 1 million
voices, 1 message: Stop poverty now! 8 Heads of Government
must act.”
In her government declaration on the G8 Summit on May 24th
2007, Chancellor Angela Merkel affirmed Germany’s support of
the MDGs: “The Millennium Development Goals for Africa have
been determined. The international state community has com-
pleted the definition of its goals. It’s time to implement them.
Our political credibility is at stake. The far-reaching commit-
ments we have made in recent years, in order to increase our
achievements in the development field, can bear fruit. We will
keep these commitments.”
been successfully completed, it was time to take stock of
what had been achieved: although the G8 Summit had led
to several agreements and announcements in terms of
implementing the MDGs, the necessary leap forward was
not forthcoming.
The commitment to provide an extra US$ 50 billion annual-
ly to developing countries for the fight against poverty,
hunger and diseases by 2010, which had originally been
made in Gleneagles, was once again affirmed. However, no
definite agreement was made on when this goal should be
reached.
Germany committed to increasing its funding for public
development cooperation in 2008 by 750 million Euro, a
promise that was indeed kept. With an increase of more
than 14 percent, the development budget has gone up more
sharply than all other sectors of the federal budget. Expen-
diture from Germany for Overseas Development Assistance
(ODA) will increase in the coming year to 9 billion Euro.
Nevertheless, Germany remains a long way off from fulfill-
ing the aims of the EU step-by-step plan – an increase
of at least 1.2 billion Euro per year until 2010 would
be necessary to achieve this. The German G8 pres-
idency also failed to initiate a “bidding race” and
to persuade other G8 members to commit to
increasing their development aid. Innovative
funding mechanisms such as a flight ticket
duty or a kerosene and exchange turnover
tax, which would have represented a huge
contribution towards meeting the financial
challenges, hardly played a role in Heiligen-
damm.
Africa was one of the key issues at the G8 Sum-
mit, and for good reason. The Heads of Government
passed a range of initiatives in order to improve
Africa’s investment climate and thus create incentives for
social and ecological investments in the economy. This
included, for example, new micro-financing mechanisms to
facilitate access to credits for poorer population groups.
24
THE POLITICAL DIMENSION
February 2007 March 2007
The campaign’s spot on the G8
Summit. 21 German and inter-
national celebrities, such as
the boxers Vladimir and Vitali
Klitschko, appeal to viewers
to raise their voices against
poverty.
In March 2007, the Millennium Spot provided
an ingenious service for those wanting to get
involved in the campaign. Anyone wanting to
participate in the longest “finger clicking
advert in the world” can now do so and have
his or her video or photograph appear along-
side celebrity supporters, such as the Berlin
girl band “The Teaserettes.”
Photo: VENRO/Ulrich Schlenker
Eight Millennium
DevelopmentGoals
Eradicate extremepoverty andhunger
Achieve universal primary education
Promote gender equality and empower women
Improve maternal health
Combat HIV/AIDS,malaria and otherdiseases
Ensure environ-mental sustainability
Develop a Glob-al Partnershipfor Develop-ment
Reduce child mortality
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Nobel Peace Prize holder Mohammed Yunus at the concert in Rostock
Sustainable investments in the economy are without doubt
indispensable in the fight against poverty, for the creation
of jobs and a stable income. The dismantling of trade
restrictions, which hinder Africa’s economic development, is
also of central importance. Nevertheless, these issues are
only mentioned in the Summit’s proceedings in the form of
an unbinding declaration of intent.
In Heiligendamm, the G8 states announced a comprehen-
sive package for the fight against HIV/AIDS totalling 44 bil-
lion Euro. Germany intends to contribute 500 million Euro
every year until 2015 to this initiative. Although this is a
necessary and welcome step, many questions regarding
implementation remain open and there is a real fear that
the commitment made in Gleneagles to secure universal
access to essential AIDS medication by 2010, cannot be
met.
Other important global challenges were either not open to
debate or were discussed fleetingly. If the G8 countries
(which are responsible for 85 per cent of all greenhouse gas
emissions no less) only plan to “consider seriously” reducing
CO2 emissions by half by 2050, then these Heads of the
world’s greatest environmental contaminators cannot be
considered as taking their responsibilities seriously.
The issue of foreign debt hardly featured on the agenda in
Heiligendamm and the World Trade Round blockade could
also not be lifted. In some areas, the results of the Summit
can even be seen as being counterproductive for develop-
ment and poverty reduction. The decision on intellectual
property and patent law can only be viewed with criticism.
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” had spoken out ahead of the
Summit in favour of relaxing patenting laws on essential
medicines, so that poorer patients can be treated with
affordable generic drugs. The Summit’s decision to
strengthen patenting laws, however, goes in completely the
wrong direction: poor patients will continue to be denied
access to affordable medication; patents will continue to
cost lives.
On the other hand, a positive outcome of the Summit is, as
documented in the G8 proceedings, the emphasis on the
social dimension of globalisation, as well as the importance
of the ILO’s strategic objectives and the OECD Guidelines
for Multinational Enterprises. The G8 countries commit
themselves to respecting the fundamental principals of the
ILO (International Labour Organisation) in bilateral trade
agreements and promote them further multilaterally. The
sensitive issue of the use of raw materials resulted in posi-
tive discussions in relation to the international Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Whether these
are more than just declarations of intent, remains to be
seen. That G8 continues to reach out to important emerging
countries, such as India, Brazil, Mexico, China and South
Africa, which should play an active role in the future of G8,
can be seen as a positive development.
All in all, the successes of the Summit in Heiligendamm
were limited. Had it not been for the massive, imaginative
and well accepted “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” campaign,
the successes, such as the considerable increase in
resources for development cooperation in 2008, would not
25
April 2007 May 2007
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut”
raised awareness about the MDGs
on the banks of the Rhine in Bonn
using a white band that was
almost 1km long. At the same
time, civil society representatives
met Summit representatives from
the G8 states in the Beethovenhalle and discussed the main issues of the G8 Summit in
June.
Photo: VENRO/Lena Horlemann
460 voices against poverty were raised on May 4th 2007 during a
day of action at the community pre-school and the primary school
in Kochel am See, Upper Bavaria. 250 children took part in the
event, which was one of the “Every Voice against Poverty and a
Prize for You” competition holders. Photo: Judith Stolz
have been achieved. The profile of the MDGs has been
raised, support for them has increased and the importance
of poverty reduction has broken out of the NGO sector into
the political and social mainstream. Even Development
Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul noted the importance
of the civil society in the G8 process: “Your commitment has
paid off. We have made significant process and your support
has give me courage.”
Regardless of how much progress has been made, whether
or not the MDGs can be fulfilled, and whether Germany can
demonstrate the necessary commitment to contribute to
this, remains an unanswered question at the end of 2007.
Nevertheless, the chances have increased. Seven years after
the UN Millennium Conference, the MDGs have grown in
political relevance – poverty reduction moves more people
than ever before. And the Federal Government has also
learnt a lesson: a critical civil society, that is prepared to
fight, will go to great lengths to ensure that poverty reduc-
tion and the MDGs remain on the agenda and that politi-
cians honour their commitments for a fairer global society
in terms of the poorest countries in this world.
26
Eveline Herfkens, the UN Secretary General’s Executive Coor-
dinator to the Millennium Development Goals Campaign wrote
to VENRO Chair Claudia Warning on September 13th 2007:
"I do want to reiterate that I am convinced that the German
Campaign, "Deine Stimme gegen Armut," was absolutely nec-
essary and crucial in order to bring the development topic on
to the G8 agenda. Without the immens mobilization of the civil
society sector, Angela Merkel would have never felt the pres-
sure to discuss Africa and development issues in Heiligen-
damm, nor would the topic have gained such a high political
priority."
THE POLITICAL DIMENSION
May 2007 May 2007
At the same time as the G8
Finance Minister meeting
on May 18th 2007 in Pots-
dam, regional state net-
work VENROB organised
together with other local
groups a “White Band
Night” on the Luisenplatz. Alongside interviews with German and
international activists, the event also had a variety of short films
and music. Pictured here is the Pitch Pipe Project.
Photo: Amélie Losier
Prior to his concert on May 31st 2007 in
Berlin, the social justice organisation
Bread for the World handed over 7,500
signatures against poverty to Herbert
Groenemeyer, which he then took with
him to Rostock. The signatures had been
collected as part of the campaign for
food safety.
Photo: Brot fuer die Welt
Civil society press conference as the G8 Summit comes to a close, Heiligendamm press centre, June 8th 2007.
27
Germany speaks its mind on development policy
In your opinion, does the German Government spendtoo much, too little or exactly the right amount ofmoney for development assistance?
In your opinion, how important are further and con-crete measures by the German Government to fightpoverty and poverty related consequences especiallyin Africa?
Do you think the implementation of a kerosene tax oran airticket levy for development assistance is …
Keeping promises on development issues by the German Government is…
Don’t know:Too much:
Too little: 33.3 %
36.2 %23.4 %
7.2 %
Very reasonable:Extremely reasonable:
No answer:
Reasonable:Rather not reasonable:Unreasonable: 13 %
19 %36 %
15,5 %14.2 %
2.2 %
29.2 %35.2 %
28.5 %
4.7 %1.7 %
0.7 %
Not that important:Of no importance:No answer:
Important:Very important:Extremely important:
20.2 %
35.4 %
34.7 %7,2 %
2.3 %0.1 %
Not that important:Of no importance:No answer:
Important:Very important:Extremely important:
I have heard about the Millennium Development Goals
68.7 %
50.7 %October 2007May 2007
I can name a Millennium Development Goals
12 %
7.2 %October 2007May 2007
Shortly before the G8 Summit, TNS-Infratest carried out a
representative opinion poll on development on behalf of
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut.” This poll was then repeated
with slight variations in October, in order to find out
whether the statements made and trends ascertained in the
first poll could be backed up. The results are remarkable:
The German population lays great importance on the issues
of health service provision and education in poor countries.
The public simultaneously appeals to the Federal govern-
ment to keep its promises and international commitments –
many are even prepared to make their own personal contri-
butions, for example in the form of paying an extra duty on
flight tickets. The results also reveal that although, at this
half-way stage on the road to 2015, the public is more aware
of the existence of the MDGs than before, still too many
people know nothing about them.
June 2007
At the “White Band
Night” in Hanover on
June 1st 2007, a
group of six local
organisations hosted a
mix of dance, music,
information and voices
from Africa. The event, which took place at Steintorplatz in the city
centre, boasted acts such as Freestyle-Rapper Spax & Kid Cut.
Photos: DSW/Ralf Orlowski
May 2007
On May 31st 2007, only a few days
before the G8 Summit, NETZ, the
development organisation focusing
on development cooperation in
Bangladesh, called for an online
demonstration via the online com-
munity “Second Life.”
Exactly the right amount:
The internet is
absolutely essential
for a campaign of this
size. The activities,
which took place
online developed over
the course of 2007
into a mainstay of our work. The campaign website
www.deine-stimme-gegen-armut.de registered more than
1.6 million visits in this year alone. The website provides all
important information surrounding the campaign, including
the issues at stake, how to get involved and campaign mate-
rials. The online calendar and photo gallery present and
document local campaign activities.
Only a few mouse clicks are required to raise your voice
against poverty. Shortly after the G8 Summit, the campaign
letter to the Federal government, containing the campaign’s
demands and messages, was signed online for the 300,000th
time. And these supporters did not just come from Ger-
many: thousands signed one of the eight appeal letters that
had been translated into another language. One supporter
even translated the letter into Indonesian: Suara Anda
melawan kemiskinan!
Since January 2007, the campaign’s blog has informed web-
site visitors in a series of 120 postings about the latest
developments in politics and the work of the campaign.
More than 65,000 visitors had read articles by
the end of October, with the analysis of the
G8 Summit (7,300 visits) and the posting
about bidding for concert t-shirts on eBay
(6,000 visits) being the most popular. Web
surfers were able to make use of the com-
ment function to convey their opinions about
the postings. It was used around 600 times, most often on
the posting about the campaign concert in Rostock. As one
reader wrote, “For me, it’s not just about the music, I also
want to be one of 70,000 people, who raise their voice
against poverty.”
After 25 issues, the campaign newsletter updates more than
100,000 subscribers with the latest information on develop-
ment. One reader reached the following conclusion: “…the
newsletter really stands out in a crowd! It sums up every-
thing well, the articles are not too long and also explain the
various abbreviations, which ensures that the newsletter
also appeals to non-experts!”
In the shape of the Millennium Spot (www.millennium-
spot.org) “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” developed an inno-
vative online tool: anyone who so wishes can lend his/her
face to the campaign, by uploading a photo or video. Along-
28
DOCUMENTATION
Suara Anda melawan kemiskinan! Online throughout the world
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” – onlinewww.deine-stimme-gegen-armut.de – Official campaignwebsite
www.deine-stimme-gegen-armut.de/aktiv-werden/online.html– Banners and information on how to support the campaignonline
www.millennium-spot.org/en – Give your face to the cam-paign. The longest “finger clicking” advert in the world.
www.myspace.com/deinestimmegegenarmut – MySpacecampaign profile
www.myvideo.de/mitglieder/DeineStimmegegenArmut – Cam-paign videos hosted by MyVideo
www.dailymotion.com/deinestimmegegenarmut – Campaignvideos hosted by Dailymotion
Furthermore, both www.studivz.net and www.facebook.comhave “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” groups.
June 2007
At the “Voices
against Poverty”
concert in Rostock
on June 7th 2007,
development organ-
isations, such as
Misereor and the
European Cidse net-
work, presented their work to the concertgoers.
Photo: Anika May
June 2007
Around 80 employees from organisations
that had helped raise voices against
poverty, carry 1.4 million signatures on to
the stage as part of a symbolic handover
at the Rostock concert on June 7th 2007.
Photo: Matthias Muehlbradt
side our own website, we also surf the virtual community,
going to those places where supporters can be found. Our pro-
file on the online community MySpace (www.myspace.com/
deinestimmegegenarmut) has been especially successful:
since March 2007, more than 8,300 users have become cam-
paign “friends” within six months. Amongst almost 800 com-
ments, one from “Manon” can be found: “I am proud to be
able to participate in this campaign and say ‘You have my
voice.’” The campaign videos hosted by MySpace have now
been viewed more than 78,000 times, with around 50,000
users having viewed the campaign’s video clips hosted by
the video community MyVideo.de (www.myvideo.de/mit-
glieder/DeineStimmegegenArmut).
The campaign also offers a wide range of website banners
for those, who want to decorate their website with the cam-
paign’s website. The diagonal white band in the top corner
turned out to be the biggest hit, appearing on popular web-
sites such as tvtv.de and harrypotterbuch.de. The various
television adverts of the campaign can also be integrated
into other websites.
29
June 2007
Kumi Naidoo’s blazing speech at the
concert in Rostock on June 7th 2007
made the global dimension of the cam-
paign abundantly clear. Naidoo is
spokesman for the Global Call to Action
against Poverty (GCAP).
Photo: Matthias Muehlbradt
July 2007
In Neu Wulmstorf near
Buxtehude, year 11 and
12 pupils from the local
grammar school pre-
sented “Deine Stimme
gegen Armut” on the
Rathausplatz in the
form of large letters.
Photo: Jana Maslonka
In various television and cinema adverts, numerous Ger-
man and international celebrities appealed to viewers to
raise their voices against poverty. The 2005 advert shows
actors, models, artists and top athletes clicking their fin-
gers, demonstrating that a child dies every three seconds
due to the consequences of extreme poverty.
“You can make the world a better place! Your voice can
make a change!” This was the opinion of 21 German and
international celebrities. They appealed to the public to
The television adverts of the campaignsend letters, emails and text messages galore to the Federal
government and remind the G8 states ahead of the Summit
of their commitment to the fight against poverty. To ensure
that they can be understood, all celebrities speak German,
from Antonio Banderas to Penelope Cruz to Matt Damon.
The adverts were broadcast by all relevant private televi-
sion stations free of charge and seen in 2007 by more than
40 million viewers.
A campaign cannot survive without some sort of “advertis-
ing.” Time and again, “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” has
reminded the Federal government of its promises and has
appealed through open letters and adverts in newspapers
and journals for more engagement in the field of develop-
ment. Here is a selection of the campaign’s advertising:
December 2007: Advert quoting Chancellor Angela Merkel
appears in Sueddeutsche Zeitung and FAZ on the occasion
of World AIDS Day on December 1st.
July 2007: Advert on the outcomes of
the G8 is published in SPIEGEL, in which
they are criticised for not having done
enough for development.
As part of a large advertising campaign in
May 2007, we spotlight the obligation of
the G8 states to make good their commit-
ments and appeal to them to raise their
voices against poverty. Whereas Vanity
Fair, Focus, Gala, Welt am Sonntag and
the music magazine Visions highlight the
poverty situation using figure pairs, two
adverts quoting Chancellor Angela
Merkel appear in SPIEGEL. The adverts are printed more
than 7 million times.
May 2007: In an open letter, university professors, intellec-
tuals and Nobel Prize holders appeal to the G8 Finance min-
isters to keep their promise to increase development aid.
October 2006: Advert appears in SPIEGEL on the Cabinet’s
decision regarding the G8 Summit agenda.
July 2006: Using yellow Post-it notes in Sueddeutsche
Zeitung and FAZ, the campaign sends the following
reminder ahead of the G8 Summit in Russia to Chancellor
Angela Merkel: “Don’t forget: You are our voice against
poverty at the G8 Summit. Fight poverty, hunger and
HIV/AIDS.”
June 2006: In SPIEGEL, “Deine Stimme gegen Armut”
appeals during the football World Cup to the Federal gov-
ernment to “Show poverty the red card!”
June 2005: In SPIEGEL, Stern and Frankfurter Allgemeine
Sonntagszeitung, “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” publishes a
draft letter, which readers can send to Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder ahead of the G8 Summit in Scotland.
May 2005: FAZ publishes on May 31st an advert with the
photos of the celebrities and text from the campaign’s tele-
vision advert.
June 2005: Ahead of the EU Finance ministers and G7
Finance ministers meetings, celebrities appeal to Federal
Finance Minister Hans Eichel to make history and raise his
voice against poverty. The appeal appears as a newspaper
advert and as an email in FAZ, Stern and SPIEGEL.
April 2005: “We have Pitt’s. We have Clooney’s. We have
Groenemeyer’s. We have Schiffer’s” announces a full-page
advert in Sueddeutsche Zeitung and appeals to readers to
raise their own voices.
December 2004: An open letter in Sueddeutsche Zeitung
and in SPIEGEL signed by a number of German celebrities
and VENRO’s Board regarding a “matter of life or death” is
the campaign’s first advert.
30
Being a public nuisance
DOCUMENTATION
August 2007
In front of the Vil-
la Hammer-
schmidt in Bonn,
visitors learn
more about the
MDGs in a playful
manner.
International Quarter open day, August 19th 2007
Photo: Dirk Bange
Civil society perspectives with regard to
the Global Fund’s replenishment confer-
ence formed the main focus of the journal-
ist workshop in Berlin on September 26th
2007. Anandi Yuyaraj (left) works in India
for a programme focusing on AIDS preven-
tion. Francoise Ndayishimiye from Burundi
represents the NGO in the Global Fund’s Board.
Photo: VENRO/ Stefan Kreutzberger
September 2007
31
43.7 million people stood
up on October 17th as part
of the record breaking
“Stand up & Speak Out”
event and raised their voic-
es against poverty. Even the
Altes Rathaus in Wilster,
Schleswig-Holstein took
part in the action.
Photo: Carsten Doehler
At the “White Band Night”
in Munich on October 17th,
the main theme was “foot-
ball, music and messages”.
Whilst Germany played the
Czech Republic at football,
football reporter Guenther Koch interviewed Ondrej Kopecny, repre-
sentative of the Czech sister campaign “Cesko proti chudobe”.
Photo: VENRO/ Johannes Rosenstein
October 2007 October 2007
Between March 1st and June 15th 2007, more than 5,000
articles appeared in the print media under the heading of
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut,” which corresponds to a dis-
seminated print run of 154 million. During the same period,
109 television reports were broadcast, reaching 86 million
viewers. All of the main daily national newspapers, includ-
ing BILD-Zeitung reported on the cam-
paign, taking up the issue of poverty eradi-
cation in Africa. Magazines, such as
SPIEGEL, Stern, Galore and even Playboy
ran interviews and reports on Herbert
Groenemeyer’s commitment. One particu-
lar issue of Vanity Fair, which was pub-
lished around the time of the G8 Summit
even had eight different front covers, with each cover fea-
turing a different celebrity who had pledged his/her support
to the campaign. The concert on June 7th was the media
highlight of the year. More than 350 journalists and photog-
raphers and 40 television and video teams came to the con-
cert and main press conference alone. Even the local events
– especially the “White Band Nights” – attracted much
interest in the local press.
On the whole, the cam-
paign was represented
positively in the media,
even if at times shortened
to little more than a few
political statements. It
was the pop stars, howev-
er, that formed the main
attraction. Groenemeyer’s
and Bono’s statements
defined a major part of the content-related messages. The
new concert concept of “music & messages” only partially
bore fruit, as far as the media were concerned. The mes-
sages lagged somewhat behind
the concert announcement,
the musical highlights and the
questions to the organisations.
The live recording of the concert,
broadcast on Germany’s first pub-
lic television channel, ARD, was
almost completely focused on the
musical acts instead of the develop-
ment messages. This nevertheless
seemed not to affect the public nor
printed articles: the key messages cer-
tainly seem to have hit home there
(politics should make commitments, reducing poverty by
half as one of the MDGs, Poor8 concept).
32
Press review
DOCUMENTATION
“The atmosphere is
great, the mes-
sages appear to be
coming through.”
(SPIEGEL Online,
07.06.07 reporting
on the concert)
“The concertgoers, most of
whom ranged from the young
to the fairly young, were treat-
ed to an unusually varied con-
cert with exceptionally com-
mitted musicians from Africa
and Europe.”
(FOCUS Online, 08.06.07
reporting on the concert)
Fever pitch: This graph shows the number of press articles in the
online editions of 518 dailies and online news services over the
last six months. Just in this tiny section of the media world, there
has been an overwhelming response, with over 2,500 articles
appearing in this period. It is clear to see the response of the cam-
paign’s main press releases since the end of March, the rapid
increase in the last three weeks before the concert in Rostock and
the press release on the occasion of the MDG halfway mark. This
trend is also representative of the response for print articles and
television reports.
34
“Deine Stimme gegen Armut” is a joint campaign between
VENRO, Herbert Groenemeyer and befriended experts from
the PR and media industry.
Other celebrities and cooperation partners supported the
campaign.
The 2007 G8 Summit television advert includes: Ben Affleck,
Emmanuel Adebayor, Antonio Banderas, Bono, Till Broen-
ner, Penelope Cruz, Matt Damon, Ulrike Folkerts, Bob Geldof,
Herbert Groenemeyer, Thierry Henry, Wladimir and Vitali
Klitschko, Sarah Kuttner, Jens Lehmann, Peter Lohmeyer,
Brad Pitt, Christiane Paul, Claudia Schiffer, Kolo Touré and
Nora Tschirner.
In 2005, the following celebrities clicked their fingers
every three seconds for the television and cinema advert,
because every three seconds, a child dies from the conse-
quences of extreme poverty: Brad Pitt, George Clooney,
Cameron Diaz, Hugh Grant, Herbert Groenemeyer, Kylie
Minogue, Bono, Xavier Naidoo, Claudia Schiffer, P. Diddy,
Justin Timberlake, Jamie Foxx and Anne Will.
The line-up from the 2005 footballer advert, which could be
seen in many of the German Premier League stadiums, is:
Sergej Barbarez, Abder Ramdane, Simon Jentzsch, Robert
Enke, Ingo Hertzsch, Christian Ziege, Andreas Neuendorf,
Lars Ricken, Benjamin Auer and Lukas Podolski.
The following Nobel Prize holders signed the open letter to
the G8 Finance ministers:
George A. Akerlof, 2001 Nobel Prize holder for Economics,
USA; John M. Coetzee, 2003 Nobel Prize holder for Litera-
ture; Clive Granger, 2003 Nobel Prize holder for Economics,
UK; Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize
holder, South Africa; Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Prize
Holder and President of “World Centres of Compassion for
Children International”, UK.
Mohammed Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize holder, attended
the concert in Rostock.
Bishops
Archbishop Cardinal Georg Sterzinsky
Bishop Wolfgang Huber, Head of the German Protestant
Church
Bishop Franz Kamphaus
Bishop Martin Schindehuette
Further celebrities pledged their support for the campaign
by taking part in the “Voices against Poverty” concert on
June 7th 2007, by signing open letters, or in other ways:
Boris Becker, Alfred Biolek, Nina Hoss, Guenther Jauch, Nia
Kuenzer, Jan Josef Liefers, Heike Makatsch, Michael Mitter-
meier, Franka Potente, Rolf Stahlhofen, Wim Wenders,
Roger Willemsen, as well as the following bands: 2Raum-
wohnung, Beatsteaks, Die Fantastischen Vier, Seeed, Silber-
mond, Sportfreunde Stiller, and Die Toten Hosen.
Experts from the PR and media industry, as well as
befriended designers and agents, have made a huge contri-
bution to “Deine Stimme gegen Armut”:
Kaloff Artist Relations - Claudia Kaloff and Team
(Hedi Pottag, Imke Sommerkamp, Marcus ‘Becko’ Beck)
Joerg Heinrich and Frank Bender
21TwentyOne
Matthias Gruebel
Klaus Ulrich and team
Walter Schoenauer and Florian Reichl
Johannes Jagusch
Other cooperation partners have included:
AOL Deutschland
Carmunity GmbH
Damian-Team Eine Welt Versand GmbH
Deutschrock Merchandising
Deutsche Phonoverbaende (IFPI)
DieGesellschafter.de
elephantseven
eventfunk.de
Hastings Music GmbH
InterLake GmbH
Kobalt GmbH
Landjugendverlag GmbH
MVG Medienproduktion und Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH
myspace.com
MyVideo.de
polylog.television
YOC AG
Many of VENRO’s 105 member organisations have played a
very special role in supporting and shaping the campaign
with their own events and extra resources.
Celebrities and supporters
DOCUMENTATION
Last, but by no means least, you have all contributed to making “Deine Stimme gegen Armut”such a success. Thank you!
The campaign teamMany helping hands and bright minds at VENRO have gone to ensure that “Deine Stimme gegen Armut” has always been insafe hands.
The following people made up the campaign team:Ulrich Schlenker (Coordinator since 2006), Stephanie Angermeier (Coordinator in 2005), Bjoern Lampe (White Band NightCoordinator in 2007), Stefan Kreutzberger (Press Officer in 2007), Bodo Ellmers (Policy Officer in 2007), Heike Salvador(Campaign Assistant in 2005), Britta Amorin (Press Officer in 2005), Birte Rodenberg (Policy Officer in 2006) and Kathari-na Philipps (Trainee in 2006). Caroline Jane Kent also of DSW supported the campaign.
The following people were interns and stand-ins during the campaign: Jennifer Braun, Jens Frayer, Timo Herdejost, PeterKuehnhold, Sandy Martens, Bastian Neumann, Caroline Schmidt, Cristina Umani, Katharina Weltecke and Ellen Wiemer.
VENRO’s Board displayed its strong moral sense of political responsibility, especially Dr. Claudia Warning, Ulrich Post, Dr. Juergen Hammelehle, Bernd Pastors (VENRO Board members since 2006) and Reinhard Hermle (Board member in2005), as well as VENRO’s Executive Director Dr. Ulla Mikota. Everyone in VENRO’s offices in Bonn and Berlin pitched inand helped with energy and enthusiasm.
On behalf of Herbert Groenemeyer, the campaign team was supported by Claudia Kaloff (overall organisation), Imke Som-merkamp (2007 concert organisation) and Marcus Beck (P8 films, 2007 concert organisation).
Editorial boardPublisher:Verband Entwicklungspolitik deutscher Nichtregierungsorganisationen e.V. (VENRO)Kaiserstr. 201D-53113 BonnGermanyTel: + 49 (0) 228 94677-0Email: [email protected]: www.venro.org
Campaign team “Deine Stimme gegen Armut”:Chausseestr. 35D-10115 BerlinGermanyTel: +49 (0) 30 2463 2105Email: [email protected]: www.deine-stimme-gegen-armut.de
Concept/Editor-in-chief: Stefan Kreutzberger (medienbuero eco Cologne)
Co-writers: Bodo Ellmers, Stefan Kreutzberger, Bjoern Lampe, Dr. Ulla Mikota, Ulrich Schlenker, Katharina Weltecke
Translation: Thomas Crowe
Design: Wolfgang Scheible, Cologne
Photo Credits (if not otherwise indicated): Front cover: VENRO/ Bildschoen, VENRO/ Ulrich Schlenker, MatthiasMuehlbradt, Ralf Kraemer, Juergen Lukaschek, p. 4: Stefan Kreutzberger, p. 5: Groenemeyer/Deine Stimme gegen Armut,pp. 6/7: VENRO, personal, Stefan Kreutzberger, p. 8: VENRO/Bildschoen, VENRO/Ruediger Dunker, p. 9: VENRO/RuedigerDunker, VENRO/Bildschoen, p. 10: VENRO/Ulrich Schlenker, p. 11: Andreas Seeliger, p.12: VENRO/Bjoern Lampe, p. 13: VENRO/Ulrich Schlenker, p. 15+16: Matthias Muehlbradt, p. 17: Ralf Kraemer, p. 18: Johannes Rosenstein,VENRO/Lena Horlemann, p. 19: personal, SIDI-Sportmanagement, p. 21: Stefan Kreutzberger, DWHH, p. 22: Federal PressOffice, Peter Kuehnlein, p. 24: Matthias Muehlbradt, p. 25: Robert Schulze, p. 26: Stefan Kreutzberger, p. 29: JohannesRosenstein, p. 32: Stefan Kreutzberger, VENRO/Dirk Bange, Back cover: Stefan Kreutzberger, VENRO/Dirk Bange,VENRO/Lena Horlemann, Marcus Beck
Bonn and Berlin, February 2008
35