Avaaz and the EU electionsWe just made history together and it was beautiful. Millions of us joined young people fighting for our future in the biggest climate protests ever seen
We're making history together
Dear Avaazers around the world,
Millions of us joined young people fighting for our future in the biggest climate protests ever seen, and as I watched huge crowds pour onto the streets across the planet, my heart swelled with hope.
But it also broke.
It broke for the places already devastated by climate change. It broke for the Amazon, burning even as the children marched. And it broke for those brave children -- broke that children had to strike at all.
My one-year-old son was with them -- at his first ever protest. I wondered what I will tell him about all this when he’s old enough to understand?? And the answer came in a single word:
Avaaz.
I’ll tell him the story of us -- the millions of people around the globe who have come together across every imaginable barrier to build a better world for our children. That is Avaaz -- it’s all of us uniting to live in harmony with each other and our planet, recognising that we’re not separate from nature, but we ARE nature, unfolding in ever more magical ways.
Here are a few of the stories I’ll tell my son about what our movement did to save the future:
We're going all out for 100% clean energy -- millions in the streets!!
Avaazers have been fighting for a safe, sustainable climate for over a decade -- and Friday’s climate strikes and the UN climate summit were no exception. Together we helped turn out tens of thousands of people to strike all over the world. We also helped ensure momentum in the streets was felt in the halls of power -- days before the climate summit, we pushed Germany to pass a new climate plan. Now 77 countries have committed to ending carbon emissions by 2050, and 130 banks have agreed to align their investments with the Paris Agreement. It’s not yet enough, but climate courage is on the rise everywhere!
We’re defending the Amazon -- 2.4 million+ Avaazers!!
When news of the Amazon fires first broke, we urgently needed to show Brazil’s Congress that there was national and global consensus for stopping illegal deforestation. We released a poll showing even Bolsonaro's supporters wanted action, which was echoed by a viral campaign signed by more than 2 million Avaazers. Then we brought our message directly to Congress -- joined by a chorus of fabulous school children. The fight is far from over, but every week Avaazers are in Congress pressuring key MPs to pass more laws to protect the Amazon and defend against Bolsonaro’s bullying of indigenous communities.
Check out Avaaz staffer Diego Casaes with 38 school kids and key MPs delivering our Amazon protection message right to Congress!!
"Avaaz has been a steady fighter for the Amazon. Your petitions and national polls serve as important advocacy arguments for our work with other MPs and make a real difference." - Alessandro Molon, Brazilian MP
We’re fighting the extinction crisis by protecting HALF the Earth -- 3 Presidents & counting!!
Earlier this year, thousands of us wrote deeply inspired letters to world leaders calling on them to back a plan proposed by scientists to put half the planet under protection to stop the extinction crisis. The letters were turned into beautiful books and are being delivered in person to some of the most powerful people on the planet. Already, we’ve met with Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau, Colombia’s President Duque, Costa Rica’s President Alvarado as well as France’s Environment Minister Élisabeth Borne and Ethiopia’s Environment Minister Fekadu Beyene -- and each of them voiced support for this inspiring plan. Now we need to keep up the pressure ahead of a key summit next year to make sure governments everywhere commit to protecting half the planet.
Avaaz delivers the half earth protection plan to world leaders.
We’ve helped indigenous people defend their lands -- 7 million acres protected!
When the Waorani people of Ecuador sued their government to save their land from being sold to oil companies, Avaazers around the world donated to help fund their legal case. And we won!! Helping to protect 500,000 acres of the Waorani’s land, halting the oil auction of an additional 7 million acres of indigenous lands in Ecuador, and setting a critical legal precedent for indigenous rights across Amazonia. We also brought indigenous leaders from the Amazon to New York to meet with key UN officials, and in Brazil we supported massive marches of indigenous people to stand against Amazon destruction!
Members of the Waorani Nation finding out they'd just won their case protecting their rainforest lands from oil auction.
"When the Ecuadorian government tried to auction off half a million acres of my people's lands to oil companies, we took them to court and asked for your support. Avaaz members responded, giving our fight the visibility and resources needed to win a historic victory for the Waorani people, indigenous rights and the Amazon rainforest." - Nemonte Nenquimo, President of the Waorani Pastaza Organization
We’re fighting the ivory trade -- closing ivory markets everywhere!
Our movement has been leading the charge to save elephants by closing the largest ivory markets. We helped push Hong Kong to shut down their massive ivory trade, and after a major Avaaz campaign, Europe is promising tough new restrictions on ivory. Now we’re focusing on Japan, one of the world's largest remaining ivory markets. Last month, we sent thousands of messages to Japan's leading decision-makers, shared our 1.2 million petition with the Japanese delegation at a key wildlife summit, and ran a hard-hitting full-page ad in the Financial Times across Asia. And the best thing? It’s working -- new statistics show elephant poaching is dropping as ivory markets are being shut down!
Avaaz's full page ad in the Financial Times calling Japan to close its ivory trade during the crucial CITES conference.
And winning protections for giraffes, snow leopards and wildlife everywhere!
That’s not all. Over a million of us helped win new protections for threatened giraffes this year, even when many said it was impossible. Tens of thousands of us chipped in to create a massive snow leopard reserve in Nepal, and to buy and protect a swathe of fragile habitat threatened by development in the Galapagos Islands. And thanks to donations of Avaazers, brave rangers across Africa who put their lives on the line to save our wildlife are getting the best training in the world.
Avaaz-funded rangers receiving training so they can teach their peers how to best protect wildlife in Africa.
"We knew we had to change the game for Rangers on the front-lines of conservation… only thing is we didn’t know who would be willing to fund and support such a game-changing plan. And then Avaaz found us! Already I can hand on heart say it's the best program we’ve ever initiated for Rangers, one that will make a profound impact, and it wouldn't have happened without the Avaaz community getting behind us." - Sean Willmore, Founder and Director of The Thin Green Line Foundation & President of the International Ranger Federation
And that’s to say nothing of our work defending democracy, investigating massive disinformation networks, standing up to far-right politics all over the world, fighting for human rights, and being a global voice for vulnerable minorities when they come under attack.
We’re writing a new story for humanity, one that unites us all and transforms how we live on this planet. And we’re doing it together.
How this story ends is up to each and every one one of us. Hope can flow from heartbreak when we find within ourselves the resolve to act. And that's exactly what we're doing. We’re building the world we dream of -- the world our children deserve.
In deepest gratitude and pride for all of us and what we do,
Bert, and the whole Avaaz team
Avaaz is a 51-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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Check out Avaaz staffer Diego Casaes with 38 school kids and key MPs delivering our Amazon protection message right to Congress!! 
Avaaz delivers the half earth protection plan to world leaders.
Members of the Waorani Nation finding out they'd just won their case protecting their rainforest lands from oil auction. 
Avaaz's full page ad in the Financial Times calling Japan to close its ivory trade during the crucial CITES conference.
Avaaz-funded rangers receiving training so they can teach their peers how to best protect wildlife in Africa.