Match Against Poverty
| Founded | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Region | Worldwide |
| Website | Match Against Poverty |
The Match Against Poverty is a friendly football match that has taken place every year since 2003 to raise funds to support specific development projects selected by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The UNDP organized the game with the help of UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo, is supported by both FIFA and UEFA, and raises awareness and mobilizes public opinion for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were created in 2000.
Since 2003, 12 Matches against Poverty have raised nearly US$ 4 million to support UNDP's work, including that on post-earthquake reconstruction in Haiti and Pakistan, Typhoon recovery in the Philippines, post-famine relief in the Horn of Africa and anti-poverty projects in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Adopted in 2000 and re–affirmed by the leaders of 191 countries at the UN Summit in 2005, the Millennium Development Goals seek to halve world poverty by 2015 by setting targets for rolling back hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women. Thus the Match Against Poverty was created in 2003 at the initiative of Zidane and Ronaldo. At the launch of the event, Ronaldo said, ″We use this match as a way to raise funds and to make people aware of the fact that the solution to this problem is in our hands. It is by working together that we will all win the Match against Poverty.″ The first match included the likes of David Beckham, Edwin van der Sar, Samuel Eto'o, Roberto Carlos, Robinho and Rivaldo, with ″Ronaldo & Friends″ defeating ″Zidane & Friends″ 4−3 in front of 30,000 people at St. Jakob-Park. The match raised more than $800,000 for anti-poverty projects in developing countries.
In 2008, Ronaldo and Zidane invited Marta to play in UNDP’s Match Against Poverty in Fez, Morocco, where she became the first woman in the history of football to play in an internationally sanctioned men’s football match.
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