Art of Living, UNMC join hands to fight poverty, achieve MDGs

New Delhi, Oct 16 (UNI) The Art of Living and United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) have come together to champion the cause of eradicating poverty.

Under this common cause the Art of Living would mobilise over 4 million people across the globe to support UMNC's 'Stand Up&Speak Out' porgramme against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Art of Living would organise several public events in over 100 countries tomorrow to bring people from all walks of life together and pledge support for poverty eradication and to ensure the achievement of MDGs by the world community.

'' The STAND UP events will be held all over the world -- from New York's Times Square, the busiest square in the world -- to the smallest school in the tsunami-struck Ache province in Indonesia," said event co-ordinator Richa Chopra, from the Art of Living International Centre.

The events will be in different forms such as simple public gatherings, music concerts, group dances, rallies, carnivals, street theatres and satsangs.

'' We are also looking to have the STAND UP pledge included in the routine schedules of the day such as sporting events, film shows, etc apart from engaging schools, colleges, universities, and companies to hold pledge-taking events in their premises," she added.

In Delhi, the STAND UP event will take place at Parliament Street opposite the YWCA where at least 50,000 people would gather between 1500 hrs to 1630 hrs to pledge against Poverty.

The event would be a part of an art exhibition and an Odissi Dance Recital by danseuse Madhumita Rawat at the India Habitat Centre.

Another one lakh people would take the pledge at the Ramlila Grounds on this occasion.

In all these STAND UP events, participants will stand up for two minutes and pledge their support to defeat extreme poverty.

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