Kiwis ambush UN Summit with jandals

Kiwis ambush UN Summit with jandals

Twelve young Kiwis will tackle the poverty pandemic with world leaders and bright footwear at the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Summit in New York next week.

The summit, which focuses on eight goals that aim to halve poverty by the end of 2015, promises to spark debate and refresh discussions of how to help the world’s most vulnerable.

However, to date New Zealand has been pulling far below their weight. The New Zealand Government has promised 0.7% of the Gross National Income to achieve the MDGs, but so far have only given 0.27%. This makes us the sixth lowest aid giver in the developed world.

The P3 Foundation delegation is calling on New Zealanders back home to show their support for the MDGs by adding their name to the roving New Zealand jandal which will be introduced to Helen Clark, Chris Hughes and Jeffrey Sachs.

Divya Dhar, chief executive of the P3 Foundation, says the P3 jandal is a symbol New Zealanders are committed to making an impact and boosting progress.

“I would encourage everyone to get on board and show their support for the cause. The New Zealand jandal will meet some of the most influential people in the world and remind them Kiwis do care and we want to help.”

“We’ve taken to the streets of New York and LA with our jandals in tow to help spread the word of the MDGs and show New Zealand’s support. Americans love our wacky Kiwi style and it’s a good hook to get them interested in the greater issue of poverty,” says Divya.

The team have met with two ex-prime ministers from New Zealand Helen Clark and Mike Moore.

The P3 Foundation is a charitable organisation committed to mobilizing young people to reducing relative poverty within New Zealand and extreme poverty overseas. A newly formed not-for-profit, the P3 delegation to the MDG Summit is just one of the many initiatives targeted at raising awareness of the issue and its related consequences.

New Zealanders can find out more on the interactive P3 Foundation website which features photos and videos from the quirky jandal campaign http://www.p3foundation.org/jandal/.

The eight Millennium Development Goals:

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

ENDS

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