Rome, July 7, 2009: On the eve of the G-8 Summit, the United Nations Millennium Campaign and Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in Italy organized a stunt in Piazza del Popolo in Rome in order to grab the attention of G-8 leaders. The stunt was part of the “Press the 8” campaign which encourages citizens to pressure G-8 leaders to deliver on their promises at this week’s summit.

The United Nations Millennium Campaign is warning that the ongoing economic crisis is likely to bring the economies of many developing countries to the brink of collapse and threatens the very survival of their citizens. According to the African Development Bank, countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya could run out of foreign reserves to purchase goods necessary for survival in a matter of weeks. At the same time, countries including Laos, Senegal, Uganda, Cape Verde and Sudan are cutting expenditures on poverty alleviation for desperately poor citizens.