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A group of school children representing a global campaign network � �Action 2015 Ghana� on Wednesday presented a petition to the Minister for Environment Science and Technology demanding improved living standards. The petition demanded that stringent measures should be instituted by the President John Dramani Mahama to end poverty, fight climate change and bridge the inequality gap in the country. The Action/2015 Ghana campaign team, who are students from Mataheko Roman Catholic Junior High School, also presented a Lacoste T-shirt with the inscription action 2015/Ghana and a box containing the voices of 2015 children to bring an end to the identified problems. Master Emmanuel Owuradu, who made the presentation on behalf of his colleagues, said the petition �is calling for a world where justice is ensured, where citizens are able to democratically participate freely and fully in decision making that affects their lives, government, international institutions, private sector, civil society and other power holders are accountable to the community.� He stressed the need to urgently address the challenges posed by economic and political systems that favor the elite and concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a few, the need to transform patterns of production and consumption so that they would not interfere with the lives of people and the planet. Master Owuradu said the government must also guarantee food sovereignty by investing in small-scale sustainable agriculture, enact and fully implement laws to protect women, children without discrimination. He said �2015 is the year of two United Nation�s summits that can bend the course of history, one in September to tackle poverty environmental destruction and inequality and the other in December to set new climate action targets towards a safer planet.� �We stand on behalf of all children of age 15 years today to petition you on the above mention subject in demanding that the President of the Republic of Ghana must put interest of children at the heart of the new post 2015 development framework with targets that promise all children care, support, services which work together for the best start in life..� �By 2030 we will be adults and may have children of our own, our generation might not be the ones making decisions today but we will be the ones to make sure that our leaders take full responsibility for the action they take this year. We ask that you make choices dictated by needs of future generation and not by short term policies,� Master Owuradu added. Master Owuradu noted that the 2015 �marks the end of the set target of the MDGs where all leaders promised to end poverty and thus it offers an opportunity to come together as a country to demand equity from government and ensure that every citizen now and future generations are able to lead good and dignified lives enriched with opportunity�. He said if leaders failed to deliver and build on the growing momentum for ambitious deals at the UN Special summit on sustainable development in September and UN Climate talks in December, the number of people living in extreme poverty could actually increase to 1.2 billion by 2030. The increase, he said, would be the first in a generation since 1993 and almost a billion higher 886 million than if resolute action is taken. The group further called on the President to join hands with other world leaders at the UN General Assembly in September and in December to formulate legal binding framework the issues so that by 2030 the country could meet the sustainable development goal promise that every boy and girl actualised his or her potential. Mr Alexander Kwaning, Director Finance and Administration who received the petition on behalf of the sector Minister, said the petition was re-echoing the ideals of the UN Secretary General adding that �we all must abide ourselves to the aims of the and objectives of the UN�. He urged the children to form a formidable group and grow in their number to include other children from different schools to ensure diversity to enable them serve as representative of other children. Mr Kwaning said the group would need support from other bodies to serve as a catalyst to help them live up to expectation to champion their cause at the UN General Assembly. He said �a lot of children in Africa are living in poverty, a barrier to the development of the continent adding that some of the issues raised by the group are not tackled, some are beyond government and some are within the means of government�. The Director said their concerns would be presented to the Sector Minister for further discussion and feedback. Mr Kenneth Nana Amoateng, Coordinator of action 2015/Ghana said the presentation made today was also being done in all other countries today.