Kathmandu, October 16:

The United Nations and the Art of Living will organise a “Stand Up and Speak Out” programme tomorrow for pressuring governments worldwide to move towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Members of the Art of Living, an organisation that teaches people how to lead a proper lifestyle, will perform devotional songs from 2:00 pm at Basantapur Square tomorrow. After the function, participants will stand up for two minutes to chant pledges for eradicating poverty.

Around 10,000 people are slated to attend the function and the Art of Living has invited all the Nepalis to join in the function.

Shashi Raj Pandey, president of the Art of Living in Nepal, said even though the signatories of the MDGs made various pledges in 2000 for improving human condition, not much progress were made. The eight MDGs range from halving extreme poverty to halting spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education by 2015. All countries of the world and leading development institutions have agreed to the goals.

Pandey said that programmes for pressuring governments are ongoing across the world and the Art of Living decided to support this movement.