Hi John,
To say it’s been a turbulent year is probably an understatement.
2019 was marked by tension and uncertainty around Brexit, culminating in a general election and a new government. We campaigned hard against the looming toxic US-UK trade deal, the lack of action on the climate crisis, and the government’s approach to aid spending.
But whilst this year felt like a rollercoaster ride, along the way there were a lot of reasons to be hopeful. With your help we managed to get our issues on the political agenda and made waves in the media, holding the powerful to account. Together, we’ve laid strong foundations to continue resisting policies that would increase injustices here and around the world, and providing alternative approaches that work for people and planet.
None of this would have happened without your continued support, amplifying our collective voice and helping us to plan our campaigns with confidence. And that’s why we wanted to say a big thank you and share some of this year’s highlights of what we’ve achieved together.
- We called on prime minister Boris Johnson to release documents outlining the trade talks between the UK government and the Trump administration, in advance of the general election on 12 December. We brought the redacted minutes, and later the leaked unredacted documents to public attention, raising awareness of how British negotiators are being bullied by Trump’s administration into agreeing on what’s best for US corporations.
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- Just before the unredacted papers were leaked, we released a new report explaining why drugs prices are on the table in a Trump trade deal. And how a powerful pharmaceutical industry would ultimately decide public health needs. Our report made front page news.
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- We took the government to court over its failure to release full details of dozens of post-Brexit trade talks and demanded that the government release details of trade meetings which have taken place with 21 countries including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China and India. The case will continue in February next year.
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- Together with European and global trade campaigners we launched our campaign to oppose corporate courts. We helped form the UK Stop ISDS coalition and our joint petition currently stands at over 64,000 signatures. We are going to hand the petition in to the Department for International Trade in January.
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- We went to Armenia to support activists fighting against Jersey-registered mining company, Lydian International, threatening the Armenian government with a $2 billion corporate court lawsuit, by producing a documentary film to tell their story and generate international support for the cause.
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- As a result of our coalition work, the Scottish government declared a climate emergency and Scotland has now set in law a target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, five years earlier than the UK overall. Whilst this is a step in the right direction we’ll push for reaching this target earlier in the run up to the UN climate change summit (COP) in Glasgow next year.
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- Our petition calling on the Home Office to stop its mistreatment of immigrants in the UK by putting an end to the ‘hostile environment’ policy for good reached more than 30,000 signatures.
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- We hosted fantastic events featuring speakers such as Gary Younge, Jason Hickel and Walden Bello to inspire new and existing supporters to engage in and take action on social justice issues. And we held our national youth network gathering “We Rise” focusing on climate justice and freedom of movement.
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- The Labour Party adopted our ideas for a progressive international development policy, including support for food sovereignty, climate justice and a binding UN treaty on transnational corporations and human rights.
- We also made a significant breakthrough with the Labour Party announcing a range of policies we have long been campaigning for to tackle the failings in the pharmaceutical sector, including helping developing countries to break the special powers of Big Pharma and produce cheaper, essential generic drugs. Our international allies commented that this has provided a significant boost for the global movement by building credibility and global support for ideas that campaigners around the world have been fighting for for decades.
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Next year is not going to be easy, but I can promise you that we’re ready to keep on campaigning for what we believe in. It’s through organisations like Global Justice Now that we can come together and take action for a better world.
On behalf of all of us here at Global Justice Now, thank you for support.
With season’s greetings,
Malise Rosbech
Global Justice Now
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