YouTube Fights Global Poverty With "In My Name"

YouTube

YouTube on Thursday announced that it’s going to do its part to fight global poverty by launching “In My Name,” a global effort to raise awareness around eight time-bound, measurable goals that the United Nations set back in 2000 to combat global poverty. Known as Millennium Development Goals, the ideas outlined during that session were promises made to the poor to hold world leaders accountable for not doing enough for those that have fallen below the poverty line and force leaders to do more to help them.

YouTube is teaming up with Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, and nonprofit organizations Oxfam, GCAP, Save the Children, and Comic Relief to get the word out that poverty throughout the world needs to be eradicated.

For its part, YouTube has launched a new channel on its site where users can upload a video stating their name, home country, and simple message to their respective government about the need to meet the poverty goals. The company will accept videos until November 1. Once that date has passed, YouTube will create a mash-up of the most powerful submissions from around the world and broadcast it directly to the United Nations General Assembly.