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Manchester: Chancellor Gordon Brown to speak at CAFOD rally


The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, will give a keynote speech at a CAFOD hosted international development rally this Thursday. The speech, in Manchester, comes nearly a year after Mr Brown first laid out his vision for meeting the challenge for 2005 laid down by the Make Poverty History campaign, in CAFOD's annual Pope Paul VI Memorial lecture. Now CAFOD will challenge him to push for change in the run-up to crucial World Trade Organisation talks in December, following the disappointing advances of the G8 Summit and the low-key United Nations meeting in September. Last year Mr Brown told CAFOD supporters: "You have set a challenge for 2005, with 2005 a make or break year for development, a moment of opportunity for development and debt relief, a challenge Tony Blair, Hilary Benn and I know we must, for the sake of the world's poorest, not squander but must seize. An opportunity to make a breakthrough on debt relief and development, on tackling disease and on delivering the Doha development round on trade. "We must rise to the challenge and we accept that we will be judged by what we achieve." The opening speech will be given by CAFOD's Head of Campaigns, Alison Marshall, who will tell the Chancellor: "While the people roared for a breakthrough on aid, trade and debt, the leaders pledged only to get us half-way there. We brought the voice of the poor to the G8 summit, the leaders heard that voice but did not rise to the challenge of ending poverty in our lifetime. Ms Marshall said: "No-one can deny that the Chancellor speaks with great passion on the scandal of poverty in the developing world. So we are calling on him to do everything within his power to push for monumental change at the WTO talks in December. If the rich countries of the WTO rise to the challenge set by global development campaigners, it could put all developing countries on the road out of poverty. "Before the promises of the G8 summit, a child died every three seconds because they were too poor to live. We now have two scenarios to choose from: one in which even more children die from poverty due to unjust trade rules, the other to help countries work themselves out of poverty. We have made progress but not nearly enough. CAFOD supporters will keep up the pressure for justice at the WTO and then into next year to make sure that this year's promises are kept and pledges delivered." Doors open at 6.30pm for 7pm start, Thursday 17 November for this event at The Sheridan Suite Conference Facility, 371 Oldham Road, Manchester M40 8EA

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