PressenzaOsanbashi, 25/12/09Welcoming in the New Year shortly after departure, Peace Boat sees 2010 as an important and symbolic year for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with just five years remaining before the achievement deadline expires. The eight goals that make up the MDGs aim to eradicate poverty by 2015 and include targets such as halving the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day. To highlight the MDGs campaign, Peace Boat will carry out two youth projects on board the 68th Global Voyage. The projects are as follows:

African Youth MDGs Forum In late January, as the ship embarks on its African leg of the voyage, Peace Boat will welcome on board a group of 12 youth to carry out the 'African Youth MDGs Forum'. The 12 youth, representing 10 countries including South Africa, Ghana, Malawi and Kenya will join with young people from Japan to discuss what they as youth can do to end poverty. The onboard forum is being organised in cooperation with the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) Africa. At the conclusion of the forum a youth action agenda will be created, to be brought to governments in Africa and Japan.

MDGs Dance Project In ports throughout the voyage a group will be performing the ‘MDGs Dance’, a dance choreographed to raise awareness of the MDGs. The group, consisting of around 30 youth from across Japan, created the project in an effort to highlight and inspire action towards the eradication of poverty. While performing in each port, they will collect messages of support for the achievement of the MDGs. Note: A section of the dance will be performed at the departure ceremony press conference on December 28.

Where: Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal (7 mins walk from Nihon Odori Stn., Minato Mirai Line) www.osanbashi.com

When: Monday, 28 December 2009 10:30 Press Conference 11:00 MDGs Dance Performance (on Terminal deck) 12:30 68th Global Voyage Departure Ceremony (on Terminal deck)

Who: Ms Nthabiseng MALEFANE, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of South Africa H.E. Mr Kwame A. TENKORANG, Ambassador, Embassy of Ghana H.E. Mr Roosevelt GONDWE, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Malawi Representative from the United Nations Development Programme (to be confirmed) KIM Hee Chon, Peace Boat participant, MDGs Dance Team Leader YOSHIOKA Tatsuya, Co-Founder and Director, Peace Boat

Contact Person: Takayama Yoko, Peace Boat (03-3363-7561 / 090-3426-1991) (English/Japanese)

Peace Boat MDGs Campaign blog: http://peaceboatmdgs.wordpress.com/

Peace Boat is a Japan-based international non-governmental and non-profit organization that works to promote peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment. Peace Boat carries out its main activities through a chartered passenger ship that travels the world on peace voyages. For more information: http://www.peaceboat.org