A call to action.

Nelson Mandela went to Britain's capital, London, in February 2005 to give a speech about poverty in the developing world.

On a raw, winter day he drew a crowd of 22,000 people to Trafalgar Square.

The location is a place of great significance for Mr. Mandela. Trafalgar Square was where massive rallies in the 1980s were held demanding an end to the South African government's policy of apartheid, which forced the separation of races by skin colour.

Black Africans, such as Mr. Mandela, were denied quality education and forced to live in crowded townships with minimal public services. They were restricted from all but menial jobs at low wages. Nelson Mandela spent 28 years in jail for his opposition to apartheid.

Enormous world pressure forced South Africa to end its racist policy. In 1990, Mr. Mandela was released from prison and later became his country's president. Now retired, he is a hero to the world's poor and oppressed peoples.

"Massive poverty and obscene inequality are such terrible scourges of our times," he told his London audience, "... that they have to rank alongside slavery and apartheid as social evils."

It was the work of individuals that defeated slavery and apartheid; Mr. Mandela said it is now time to mobilize the same effort to defeat world poverty.

"Through your will and passion, you assisted in consigning that evil system [apartheid] forever to history. But, in this new century, millions of people in the world's poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved, and in chains.

"They are trapped in the prison of poverty. It is time to set them free.

"Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.

"And, overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.

"While poverty persists, there is no true freedom."

Mr. Mandela's speech was timed to attract the attention of a group of people in a position to do more to end poverty than most. A couple of days later, the finance ministers of the world's biggest economies met in London, England.

The Group of Seven (G7), of which Canada is a member, is the economic powerhouse of the global economy. Nothing much of significance can happen on trade, investment, or poverty reduction without the G7's stamp of approval.

Mr. Mandela was invited to speak to the G7 ministers.

He restated his three-part solution to world poverty that he told the Trafalgar Square rally about.

"The steps that are needed from the developed nations are clear. The first is ensuring trade justice.

"I have said before that trade justice is a truly meaningful way for the developed countries to show commitment to bringing about an end to global poverty.

"The second is an end to the debt crisis for the poorest countries. The third is to deliver much more aid and make sure it is of the highest quality.

"In 2005, there is a unique opportunity for making an impact."