September 22, 2009 – On the eve of the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Rev. Amy Gopp, Executive Director of Week of Compassion, will represent the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) among 25 other Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religious leaders at a Faith Leaders Summit pressing for actions—not just words—that will help hungry and poor people lift themselves out of poverty.
“We are seizing this opportunity to raise our voices—as the Church—to advocate for our sisters and brothers who are hungry and living in poverty. At this moment in history, we joyfully remind the world’s most economically vital nations to first feed the hungry and remember the poor.”
Organized by Week of Compassion partner organizations, Bread for the World and the Alliance to End Hunger, the religious leaders will convene to press world leaders to fulfill their promises to help people who have suffered from the global economic recession.
“The most important indicator of economic recovery should be what happens to hungry and poor people – the many families who are struggling in our own country and the tens of millions who have been driven into hunger around the world,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice urging U.S. decision-makers to end hunger at home and abroad.
The worst global recession came on the heels of two years of soaring food prices. Together, these crises have led to dramatic increases in hunger and poverty around the world. For the first time in history, over a billion people are suffering from hunger.
During the week of the G-20 Summit, Sept. 24-25, U.S. administration officials are expected to provide details on a new initiative to reduce hunger and poverty around the world. Faith leaders gathered for the summit will voice their support for the initiative in a press conference on Wednesday, September 23, at 9:00 a.m.
Immediately following the press conference, religious leaders will process to the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, at 320 6th Avenue, where they are slated to meet with representatives of the U.S. delegation to the G-20.
The Group of 20 (G-20), established in 1999, brings together major industrialized and developing economies to discuss global economic issues. Together, these countries account for 90 percent of global gross national product, 80 percent of world trade, and represent two-thirds of the world’s population.
