The Action 2015 planned campaign has kick-started in The Gambia in an all-inclusive forum with people from all walks of life.
The campaign would include youth groups, the government, organizations, NGOs and civil society representatives, said TANGO officials at a meeting held on Friday at TANGO head office in Kanifing.
Action 2015 is a coalition of thousands of organizations around the world calling on local and world leaders to take urgent action to halt man-made climate change to eradicate poverty and address inequality.
The initiative hopes to tackle climate change and environmental issues as captured in the Millennium Development Goals.
In The Gambia, TANGO and the Children and Community Initiative for Development (CAID) are coordinating for the campaign, which will be done in various forms of activities like national forum, drama competition and poetry by schools, TV documentary and press conferences, said Ibrahim Ceesay of CAID, adding that around the world countries will take to the streets in rallies and marches to demand action.
Speaking at the forum, the permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mod Ceesay, said: “Action 2015 is raising the voices of people we represent and two crucial United Nations Summits will take place this year the first in September where the world must agree on new decisions.
He said the voices and decisions by the people can be taken into consideration by the government to be delivered at the UN Summit this year.
“The great news is that 2015 will mark a historic chance in the lives of people around the world,” he added.
He assured of his Ministry and the Gambian Government’s support towards the campaign - Action 2015.
He also urged people to participate by coming up with grand new decisions that can be taken into consideration by the government to be delivered at the summit this year.
In her keynote address, the President of the Children Advocacy Network (CAN), Ya Ndey, said she and her age mates anticipate a better future.
She said: “2015 is a year in which potentially transformative decisions will be made and these decisions to a greater way will have a lot of impacts on their lives.”
She said there will be a set of goals that will in time bend the course of history.
She also thanked the Gambian government for providing the enabling environment for them to operate.
“This year provides the beginning of a huge opportunity and I am calling on you to join me and commit yourselves to Action 2015,” Ndey said.
The programme director of TANGO, Madi Jorbateh, disclosed that Action 2015 will go a long way in measuring our leaders’ ambition in seeing a better future.
He urged people to take the responsibility of tasking leaders of goverments but also demanding from them to set the future right.
“Action 2015 is here to give us the opportunity to voice out what we want for the future,” Mr Jobarteh said, calling all and sundry to fully participate in the event.
