A pilot programme has been launched in Togo to further development in several areas including poverty, climate change and inequality.

The initiative will run as a trial for three months and will include a series of awareness-raising and educational activities, such as football matches for 15 years-old, also used as gatherings to discuss different topics and to collect recommendations that can be put into practice by government leaders.

A caravan will be touring Togo's five major cities to meet people and further the discussions.

"Years after the UN Millennium Development Goals in 2000, communities in Africa continue to be far from witnessing a positive change in poverty, inequality and climate.

"The economies are still very fragile and people still live in situations of extreme poverty and inequality, " said the former Agriculture Minister Gourdigou Kolani, who welcomed the initiative.

Action 2015
In Togo 'Action 2015' is led by the youth association Jeunes Verts Togo (JVT). The initiative is part of an international movement funded by Civicus: World Alliance for Citizen Participation dedicated to strengthen citizen action and civil society around the world.

Over 1000 organisations in 125 countries will be participating in the initiative, which was launched worldwide yesterday (15 January), to promote sustainable development.

The project is looking to encourage global leaders to propose bold changes later in 2015 at the two international summits that will discuss the issues around poverty, inequality and climate change - the UN Post-2015 in September and Climate Change Conference in Paris in December.

Acción in Venezuela
In Venezuela, a number of associations, including Civil Sinergia, Redsoc, Tierra Viva, el Grupo Social Cesap, Cecodap and Red Venezolana de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo have also joined the initiative.

Higlighting local projects, Sergio Ramírez, a philosopher and teacher involved in the project said: "More than demanding a different type of governance we should make sure that the civil society can find sustainable ways of developing their own programmes to further social development."

In Venezuela, Action 2015 will work to tackle discrimination and poverty and also to promote education and the inclusion of women and children, peace and safety among its different communities and further the protection of ecosystems.

© El Universal