EarthAction

2021 EarthAction Project & Campaign Report

2021 EarthAction Project & Campaign Report

The following projects and campaigns were made possible with your support. Thank You.

2020 Action: Every month, 2020 Action educated and mobilized thousands of US citizens and encouraged them to communicate with US policymakers on critically important peace and environmental issues. Each month, 2020 produced a timely Action Alert with meaningful actions for citizens to take to protect our environment and security—usually to contact a policymaker facing a critical decision. For details, read 2020’s 2020 Action Report at 2020Action.org. 2020 Action just completed its 35^th year!

Strategies to Boost Fair Climate Action in the 2020-2030 Decades: EarthAction sponsored a Side Event at COP 26 UN Climate Conference held in Glasgow, Scotland, November 2021. We collaborated with The Group of Governance on Climate Change - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. They presented an equity-based analysis of the current NDCs; Climate Scorecard reported on efforts to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030, and the Asociación Proteger described real cases of community driven improvement of housing and schools, based on local resources.

The American Friends of the Palestinian House of Friendship: EarthAction helped to raise over $100,000 to support the Palestinian House of Friendship (PHF) in Nablus, Palestine and their programs including: Summer Camps; a Skate Park; after school programs and e-learning for kids who were unable to go to school due to COVID; Girl Scouts (160 members) who served elders, needy families, and orphans in the community; an older women’s chorus and the formation of a younger women’s chorus called Zunnar; the Open Gate Music Studio that produced recordings throughout the year; the creation of a Little Free Library in Nablus; a cultural folklore festival in Asira with music, dance, and hand-crafts displayed which more than 2,000 people attended; and a new program called, “The Green Hands Initiative,” where children learn to love the land and to plant vegetables and fruits.

Support for Indigenous Peoples: In 2021, in collaboration with the Save Our Spirits (S.O.S.) Fund, EarthAction provided over $60,000 in much-needed support for indigenous and ancestral communities around the world. These projects included the following:

The Elders Project (TEP) in Colombia: We continued to work with and to provide assistance to the traditional authorities (Mamos) of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta (SNSM) in Colombia. Rick Harlow, the Project Director, traveled to Colombia in August to distribute a new book of Kogui wisdom, published with TEP funding, to the pueblos of the SNSM. Rick returns to Colombia in December to coordinate the next Black Line Journey for the Kogui, Arhuaco, Wiwa and Kankuamos pueblos. These activities are of great help to the Elders in their efforts to strengthen their spiritual traditional practices.

TEP has also been working with the Hopi Elders.  In October Rick traveled to Arizona to assist the Hopi in realizing a 1,300 mile pilgrimage to 11 sacred sites that define their ancestral territorial boundaries. TEP will continue working with the Hopi in 2022 as they realize another pilgrimage next summer.

The Lalakea Foundation: We provided a grant to their Nā Wāhine ʻĀpapalani, Hawaiian women cultural practitioners who have been conducting ritual and ceremony on Maunakea for many years. They are dedicated to honoring the sacred Piko O Wākea through prayer, chant and ceremony that acknowledge Nā Kānaka o ka Mauna, Deities of the Mountain, and form connectivity with the sacred through space and time. Due to COVID, this project was extended into 2021.

Hopi Community: We provided support to several Hopi communities for their COVID-19 Emergency Response Hopi Contact Tracing Projects. They trained people within the community to carry out contact tracing in a number of Hopi villages that were being hard-hit by the pandemic.

Q’eros Ceremonial Terrace Project in Ecuador: Through the Wiraqocha Foundation, Fredy Flores Machaca & Hannah Rae, received a grant on February 1, 2021 to design and build a terrace as the first phase of creating a museum and center for the preservation of the Q’eros culture. The terrace will be a sacred place for the Q’eros to gather for communal ceremonies.

Restoring Ancestral Connection to the Environment— a Community-Led Project of the Moken People of Koh Surin. The Global Purpose Group, founded and directed by Bodhi Garrett, was the sponsor of this project. In February 2021 they received an S.O.S grant to provide cultural and ecological preservation, education for children, meaningful income for adults, and community empowerment for the Moken community at Koh Surin National Park. The islands are located in the Andaman Sea of Thailand.

Kaibeto Navajo COVID Relief: On the Dine' Nation, Sharon Claw-Watson organized a team of 12 volunteers (Kaibeto Covid Relief Team) that served the communities of Kaibeto, Inscription House, Shonto, Redlake (Tonalea), Navajo Mountain and Rocky Ridge on the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. Our S.O.S. grant helped these communities to receive needed supplies including fresh food, healing herbs, water, medicines, vitamins, and boxes of food to keep the people in these communities, especially the elderly, healthy and safe from exposures to infection. Many of the volunteers used their own vehicles, traveling long rough unpaved roads to deliver supplies. Our grant provided food and needed supplies to 50 to 100 families for one to two months and paid for gas for the delivery vehicles.

Panina Makahiki/Closing Makahiki Ceremony 2021 in Hawaii: the project sponsor, Kohe Mālamalama O Kanaloa-Protect Kahoʻolawe Fund (PKF), received a grant for a closing ceremony in a series of ceremonies called, Makahiki Kaho‘olawe, that brought together their kūpuna (elders), kamaliʻi (children), kumu (experts/teachers) and ʻohana (families) from each island of Hawaiʻi to aide in their re-greening on the island and to secure blessings for Kahoʻolawe for the new year.

The Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Philippines received a grant to assist them with their response to the COVID-19 pandemic including the distribution of food relief consisting of rice, sugar, salt and cooking oil to a total of 500 families of indigenous people among the Ayangan tribe in the province of Ifugao. They also shared information on COVID-19 and held discussions on food security during the relief distribution in communities and conducted psycho-social sessions among vulnerable groups such as farmers, elders, youth, and informal workers.

Grass-Roots Organization for Women (GROW) Ghana: We provided support for Community-based Initiatives to address the impact of the Corona-19 virus in rural indigenous and local communities. They strengthened their outreach to prevent the spread of infection and addressed emerging public health issues that impacted vulnerable populations in rural areas who lacked access to essential services. This project went from June 2020 through May 2021.

NEW PROJECT Indigenous Solidarity Fund (ISF) In May 2021, EarthAction became the sponsor of ISF whose mission is to support elders, leaders, and wisdom-keepers of indigenous groups in Colombia and the Americas in their efforts to preserve and share their cultures and traditional practices. Click here to view a video made in 2021 by ISF Project Director Jesse Stammel of an urgent message from the revered Grandfather, Wisdom Keeper, Land Protector and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Werjayo Berito Kuwaru'wa of the U'Wa people in Colombia

Other Campaigns

Throughout 2021, EarthAction engaged in many other global campaigns for peace, justice and the environment through our website and social media. These included: the global launch of the Green Grids Initiative at the Climate Summit in Glasgow; COVAX, the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines; the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; The launch of the Youth Elders Fusion Initiative; For details visit: www.earthaction.org.

THANK YOU

EarthAction thanks all our Partner Organizations, members, donors and Board members for their ongoing participation and support. Special thanks to the Thomas D. Hormel Trust, the Stewart R. Mott Foundation, the Whatcom Community Foundation and the Save Our Spirits Fund.

Click here if you would like to make a donation to support our ongoing work.

Global Forum for Children and Youth: 7-9 December 2021

Dear colleagues and partners,

On December 7-9, UNICEF and partners will convene the Global Forum for Children and Youth (CY21), which includes leaders, experts, change-makers, and influencers together with children and youth to discuss and accelerate proven and new solutions, inspire commitments to create change and mobilize knowledge and resources to advance child rights to meet the SDGs by 2030. We encourage all our partners to follow the forum online. 
 
Ahead of the event, we would like to request you to please share the CY21 teaser video on your platforms. The video assets (with editable files) and suggested post copy are available to download here. 

The daily agenda during the event are found on the links below.

7 December
8 December
9 December
 
The Global Forum for Children and Youth convenes children and young people themselves, along with leaders across the United Nations, government, business, philanthropy, and civil society, as well as authors, artists, and influencers. You can find the list of speakers here.
 
You may also find other available resources to support you on the links below.

• Please find here Global Forum for Children and Youth top-level folder for multimedia and marketing and social media assets.
• Please find here a communications package, including key messages.

Here is the link to stream the forum online.

See the teaser video here.

United Nations Day Against Nuclear Tests

Climate change and nuclear weapons are two existential threats to human survival that share a number of connections, according to participants at Nuclear Weapons & Climate Change, an intergenerational symposium that was held at Central Hall Westminster in London and online last week (Thursday, 9 September 2021).

Over 300 legislators, experts, government officials and representatives of civil society organizations from more than 60 countries met with youth leaders in the climate action and nuclear disarmament movements to discuss effective action to address these two existential threats to current and future generations.

The event, held in commemoration of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, was co-organised by Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, the Kazakhstan Embassy to the UK, Nursultan Nazarbayev Foundation and Youth Fusion.

Connections between climate change and nuclear disarmament

The event highlighted that climate change and nuclear weapons, in addition to being the two most serious threats to the survival of human civilization, share other similarities and connections:

• The impacts of climate change emissions and the use of nuclear weapons are trans-border and transgenerational. They cannot be contained in either time nor space – impacting globally and far into the future;
• Neither issue can be resolved solely at national levels, but require international cooperation and the building of common security;
• Climate change stimulates conflicts that could spill over into nuclear conflict, while any use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict would create catastrophic climatic consequences, compounding the current impact of climate change emissions;
• The human and financial resources currently devoted to nuclear weapons are desperately required to instead be invested in assist carbon emission reduction and climate stabilisation.

Effective measures to address the threats of nuclear weapons and climate change

Lord Hannay of Chiswick, Co-Chair of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Security and Non-Proliferation, in his opening keynote address, outlined the key challenges associated with nuclear weapons and climate change.

On the nuclear weapons issue, he called for progress on key measures including adoption of a new START treaty to reduce the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the USA, a renewal of the Iran nuclear deal and a renewed dialogue of the P5 (China, France, UK, Russia and USA) in Strategic Stability which should include consideration of the adoption of no-first-use policies. (For more on no-first-use policies see NoFirstUse Global).

On the climate issue, Lord Hannay highlighted the importance of the COP 26 conference in Glasgow in November this year, and the need to ensure monitoring and implementation of climate agreements, which have been lacking so far.

Most important in both nuclear disarmament and climate protection is building political commitment. “We cannot afford to say that the global challenges outlined today are too many to ask the international community to take on at one time,’ said Lord Hannay. ‘We do not realistically have the choice to address them sequentially. We need to find the political will and the resources to deal with them now.” 

Inter-generational panels

Youth leaders in climate action and nuclear disarmament who spoke in the panel sessions. From left to right: Marie-Claire Graf (Switzerland), Global North Focal Point for YOUNGO, the Children and Youth constituency to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; Aigerim Seitenova (Kazakhstan), Member of OSCE Core Group of Youth Experts; Nicole Ann Ponce(Philippines), Co-Founder of the I am Climate Justice movement, Core Team Member of World's Youth for Climate Action; Kehkashan Basu (UAE/Canada),Founder and CEO of The Green Hope Foundation. Member of the World Future Council. Winner. 2016 Children's International Peace Prize. Winner of the 2020 Voices Youth Gorbachev-Shultz Legacy Award for Nuclear Disarmament.

The event featured four inter-generational panels on the topics Impacts of nuclear weapons testing and use, Nuclear war and climate change, Move the nuclear weapons money and Legal actions to address nuclear weapons and climate change.

For reports on these panels, please see Legislators, experts, officials and youth discuss climate change and nuclear disarmament connections at special London event.

Military carbon footprint - move the nuclear weapons money

Key issues raised in the event related to the negative influence of the nuclear arms industry, high carbon footprint of the military, massive budgets and investments allocated to military purposes including nuclear weapons and the importance of shifting these budgets and investments to addressing climate stabilisation and sustainable development. This framework is also the focus of the global Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign.

Dr Philip Webber, Chair of Scientists for Global Responsibility, compared the global investment required for to stabilise the climate (about $1trillion annually) with the current investments in climate stabilisation (about $400 billion) and the global military budget (about $2 trillion) to demonstrate that the shortfall is about 1/3 of the global military budget. Dr Weber then focused on the UK situation and demonstrated that the UK investments required to meet a net zero 2030 target would be an even smaller percentage of the UK military budget.

He noted that the UK military carbon footprint is about 11 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent – equal to the annual emissions of 6 million cars. In addition, if the UK Trident nuclear weapons were ever used, this would would cause catastrophic climatic consequences. Finally, Dr Webber noted that if funds were re-directed from military to climate action, 5 times as many jobs would be created. (See Dr Webber’s presentation - PDF version or Power point version).

Slide from presentation of Dr Webber comparing UK military spending with the funding required to achieve net zero carbon by 2050, or more ambitiously by 2030.

Slide from Dr Weber's presentation explaining why nuclear-armed countries continue to increase their spending on nuclear weapons despite these funds being required to address the climate crisis.

Closing remarks: action to protect people and the planet

In his closing remarks, Ambassador Idrissov reminded the audience of the significance of Central Hall Westminster, the venue for this event. “In this very premises in January 1946, the very first session of the United Nations General Assembly took place,” said Ambassador Idrissov. ‘And the very first resolution adopted by this UN session established a special commission of the Security Council to ensure the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. It is sad that 75 years later, we are still struggling to implement this resolution.”

One of the initiatives of Kazakhstan has been a call on the UN and its member states to commit to achieving the goal of nuclear weapons elimination no later than 2045, the 100^thanniversary of the UN. Civil society is supporting this call, and other more immediate nuclear disarmament measures, with Protect People and the Planet: Appeal for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World (still open for endorsement).

A civil society appeal to prevent nuclear war, eliminate nuclear weapons and redirect nuclear weapons budgets and investments to instead support public health, COVID-19 recovery, the climate and sustainable development. Open for endorsement.

Peace is not everything, but everything is nothing without peace. No to war, militarism, and violence

The Doomsday Clock has moved for the first time in history to just 100 seconds to midnight. The
Nobel prize winners “The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" justify this move by citing the
dangers of atomic war and the consequences of climate change. The dangers of a great
cataclysmic war have increased in view of the rivalries of the great powers, as have the quantity
and quality of regional conflicts and wars over resources and as consequences of climate
change. Wars are inseparable components of the "new normal."

Peace is not only the absence of war; it covers all dimensions of human existence and the
existence of nature. Peace means global justice and always includes climate justice. This is the
struggle for peace that the World Social Forum has waged since its conception, particularly
related to US interventionism. It is also a struggle against military confrontations wherever they
exist.

For these reasons we are planning on the one hand several public online discussions on the
ongoing military conflicts in West Asia (Yemen, Syria and Palestine) as well as on the
involvement of NATO in Eastern European countries like Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan. On
the other hand, we are going to deal with the militarization of internal political conflicts,
especially in countries where the pandemic has led to an extreme polarization between
authoritarian regimes and its peoples. Some further notes:

1. Anti-militarism today is a rejection of and pressure against the biggest military alliance in
   the world: NATO and its ∼1000 military bases.
2. Special attention should be given to the economic and ecological reasons as well as the
   humanitarian consequences of the ongoing militarization processes in regards to
   repression, human rights violations, and the forced migration of millions of people.
3. Central to militarism is the gross excess of spending on military arms. 2 trillion US dollars
   per year cause deaths on a daily basis are partly responsible for poverty and hunger
   around the world. Disarmament is a central challenge for peace engagement and just
   shaping of the future.
4. Militaristic structures in individual countries and internationally also destroy democracy
   and participation; anti-militarism is therefore always also a struggle for democracy.
5. Small arms are the "weapons of mass destruction" of the 21st century. The daily killing
   and murdering with such weapons demand peace-based political and social responses
   and an international ban.

In all these panel discussions, the audience should be given the opportunity to deliberate the
strategies and mobilizations which not only engage the traditional peace movement, but also
activists, experts, and opinion leaders from other thematic areas like global justice, cultural
diversity, and climate change.

The 24th of January should reflect the diversity of these issues and the central challenge for
peace and global justice.

Reiner Braun, International Peace Bureau; Leo Gabriel, Prague Spring 2, network against far-
right extremism and populism; Kristine Karch, International network ‘No to war - No-to-NATO’.

Read more here

2020 EarthAction Report

2020 EarthAction Report

A Brief Overview of EarthAction’s Projects & Campaigns

2020 Action

Every month, 2020 Action and the 2020 Action Education Fund, both projects of EarthAction, educate and mobilize thousands of US citizens encouraging them to communicate with US policymakers on critically important peace and environmental issues. Each month, 2020 produces a timely Action Alert with meaningful actions for citizens to take to protect our environment and security—usually to contact a policymaker facing a critical decision. For details, read 2020’s 2020 Action Report at 2020Action.org. This is 2020 Action’s 35^th year!

Support for Indigenous Peoples—Save Our Spirits Fund

In 2020, we expanded our collaboration with the Save Our Spirits (SOS) Fund to provide increased support for indigenous and ancestral communities around the world to help them preserve, strengthen, and pass on the spiritual practices and ceremonies and the wisdom of their elders.

This year, EarthAction made SOS grants to support the work of the following groups:

The Elders Project (TEP) in Colombia: We continued to work with and provide assistance to the traditional authorities (Mamos) of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta (SNSM) in Colombia. Rick Harlow, the Project Director, made trips to Colombia to work directly with the traditional authorities to help strengthen their spiritual and traditional practices.

Indigenous Peoples Healing Fire at Assonet in Massachusetts was held on Saturday, November 28^th. It was organized by members of the Wampanoag Tribe. We hope this will help to lay the foundation for a permanent Indigenous Healing Ceremony Circle in the greater Boston area.

The Lalakea Foundation for their Nā Wāhine ʻĀpapalani, Hawaiian women cultural practitioners who have been conducting ritual and ceremony on Maunakea for many years and who are dedicated to honoring the sacred Piko O Wākea through prayer, chant and ceremony that acknowledge Nā Kānaka o ka Mauna, Deities of the Mountain, and form connectivity with the sacred through space and time. This project will extend into 2021.

Several Villages in the Hopi Community for their COVID-19 Emergency Response: Hopi Contact Tracing Project. This project will extend into 2021 and train people within the community to carry out contact tracing in a number of Hopi villages that are being hard-hit by the pandemic.

The Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Philippines to assist them with their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the distribution of food relief consisting of rice, sugar, salt and cooking oil to a total of 500 families of indigenous people among the Ayangan tribe in the province of Ifugao. They also shared information on COVID-19 and held discussions on food security during the relief distribution in communities and conducted psycho-social sessions among vulnerable groups such as farmers, elders, youth, and informal workers.

Grass-Roots Organization for Women (GROW) in Ghana, for support of their project: Community-based Initiatives to Address the Impact of Corona-19 Virus Pandemic in Rural Indigenous and Local Communities. They are strengthening outreach to prevent the spread of infection and addressing emerging public health issues that impact vulnerable populations in rural areas who lack access to essential services.

Kitanglad Integrated NGOs Inc. (KIN), in Philippines for support of their program: Indigenous Womens Relief Against COVID-19 by Nurturing Culture and Nature. From May through August, KIN provided food and other support to community members, especially women, mothers and youths and their families belonging to the Daraghuyan-Bukidnon Tribe of Dalwangan in Malaybalay City, and the Talaandig Tribe of Songco, Lantapan, and Mt. Nebo, Valencia City. These tribal beneficiaries are partners in forest protection, biodiversity conservation and cultural survival of the tribes of Mts. Kitanglad Range Natural Park and the Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park.

Samdhana Institute, Philippines to assist with a response to the COVID pandemic to provide food relief to Erumanen ne Menuvu tribe (Manobo) in Southern Bukidnon, Philippines. Four hundred selected Menuvu families received food relief, to help them survive through the difficult period of the pandemic until they are able to plant for their own food.

Other Campaigns

Throughout the year, EarthAction engaged in many global campaigns for peace, justice and protection of the environment through our website and social media. For example, working with others, we helped to end the construction of hundreds of dangerous dams in Bosnia & Herzegovina, thus protecting Europe’s last remaining wild rivers! For details visit: www.earthaction.org.

Thank You

EarthAction thanks all our Partner Organizations, individual members, donors and Board members for their ongoing participation and support. Special thanks to the Thomas D. Hormel Trust, the Stewart R. Mott Foundation, and the Save Our Spirits Fund.

Let's Celebrate the TPNW

 

On January 22^nd, the world will celebrate the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear weapons, supported by over 120 states at the UN in July 2017.

 

On this historic day, we call on members of the IPB family, our friends and all peace lovers to celebrate this historical step, and deliver this great news with noise and fun in your countries all across the globe, as the road to a world free of nuclear weapons is now wide open!

 

We invite you to join us for a virtual IPB Zoom party where we will celebrate this milestone toward nuclear disarmament together.

 

During the celebration, we want to pay tribute to generations of activists that have tirelessly raised awareness about the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The victims of these bombings and the survivors, the Hibakusha are in our hearts to celebrate together a new era: nuclear weapons are officially illegal when the TPNW will enter into force.

 

Our party will start at 1 p.m. CET and last approximately until 3 p.m. CET on Friday the 22^nd of January.

 

You can look forward to drinking one (or many) of our delicious signature TPNW cocktails in the company of fellow supporters of peace and disarmament.  We have a couple of surprise virtual guests and activities prepared for you but you will have to come and see by yourself!

 

You can attend by signing up to the event here: https://bit.ly/ipbprt

Thank You John

The world has lost a legend.

In the statement President Obama released in light of the heartbreaking news of Representative John Lewis’ passing, he describes an inspiring conversation they had after their last public appearance together:

“It’s fitting that the last time John and I shared a public forum was at a virtual town hall with a gathering of young activists who were helping to lead this summer’s demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Afterwards, I spoke to him privately, and he could not have been prouder of their efforts—of a new generation standing up for freedom and equality, a new generation intent on voting and protecting the right to vote, a new generation running for political office. I told him that all those young people—of every race, from every background and gender and sexual orientation—they were his children. They had learned from his example, even if they didn’t know it. They had understood through him what American citizenship requires, even if they had heard of his courage only through history books.” 

Their conversation happened just six weeks ago, following a town hall hosted by the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance that focused on the mental toll racism takes on people of color. Rep. Lewis and President Obama, along with founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson, writer and survivor of police brutality Leon Ford, Jr., youth leader LeQuan Muhammad, and activist and author Darnell Moore, highlighted the importance of mental health and wellness for young leaders pushing for change. 

In a powerful moment, Rep. Lewis describes the courage he found in his faith and how this act of self-care allowed him to summon the strength he needed to keep fighting. It’s a testament to how he lived his life—and the example he set for future generations.

work is to inspire the next generation of leaders so that they can create a better world. Rep. John Lewis embodied that mission throughout his eighty years, and though we mourn his loss, we are lifted by his legacy—empowering young people to take up the baton of justice for years to come.

Rest in power. 

From the Obama Foundation. Read more here.

UN Day of Diplomacy for Peace: April 24

The United Nations General Assembly decided in 2018 to establish an International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace to be held annually on April 24. (Click here for the UNGA resolution).
 
Although not as well-known as Earth Day (April 22), the day is very important in promoting international peace and an end to war through the use of diplomacy, international agreements and multilateral mechanisms.

The core objective of the day is to promote and advance the principle aim of the United Nations to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,’ and to achieve this through the ‘settlement of disputes through peaceful means.’
 
Multilateral mechanisms which can be used to assist this include the UN mediation service, UN special envoys, International Court of Justice, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and other dispute resolution bodies established by multilateral treaties such as the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Actions you can take:

1. Endorse the EarthDay 2020 statement.
   The Abolition 2000 statement for EarthDay specifically calls for ‘better implementation of the UN Charter prohibition on war and the utilisation of diplomacy and law to resolve international disputes,’ and calls for multilateral action to address ‘the triple threats of climate change, virus pandemic and nuclear oblivion.’ Click hereto endorse.
    
2. Replace law of force with the force of law. 
   Call on your country to accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (for international disputes unable to be resolved through diplomacy). Click here to see if your country has already accepted jurisdiction of the ICJ.
    
3. Take the Cooperative Security Initiative survey. 
   The Cooperative Security Initiative was established in June 2019 to generate ideas and shift momentum for cooperative security and multilateralism through the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Their survey seeks your thoughts on how to advance diplomacy and achieve security, including in the new political environment arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
    
4. Support the UN Secretary-General’s initiative for a global ceasefire. 
   70 governments and over 2 million people have supported so far. UN Special Envoys in conflict zones are liaising with warring parties to advance the initiative. A number of warring parties have already laid down their arms in response, but others are yet to do so. Click here to endorse.

For more information see UN Secretary-General urges global ceasefire to enable management of coronavirus pandemic and Coronavirus: UN says warring countries have responded to ceasefire call.

Learn more at UNFOLD ZERO

Country Climate Commitments Update

Dear Friends,

 

Climate Scorecard’s Country Commitment Tracking Update is intended to provide information on the degree to which 22 leading greenhouse gas emitting countries* are making commitments to near-term (2030) and more long-term (2040-2050) emission reduction goals.

 

View the Update

 

Download the PDF

 

Each month we will provide a summary graphic with supportive text with up-to-date information on how each of the countries we are tracking is answering the following 5 questions:

1. Has the country pledged to update its 2015 Paris Agreement pledge by 2020?
2. Does the updated pledge commit the country to making a 30-50% reduction in emissions by 2030?
3. Has the country submitted a plan for reducing its emissions by 30-50% by 2030?
4. Has the country committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner?
5. Has the country submitted a plan for becoming carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner?

Our goal in developing this tracking system is to publish information that can be used to put pressure on leading greenhouse gas emitting countries to strengthen their commitments to reducing emissions and supporting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

 

We urge you to share our monthly updates with colleagues, and welcome your feedback on how we can improve this presentation by replying to this email.

 

Ron Israel

Director

Climate Scorecard

www.climatescorecard.org

EU and Russia Support UN Call for Global Coronavirus Ceasefire. Cameroon Rebels Announce Ceasefire

In an international appeal issued on Monday March 23, UN Secretary-General (UNSG) António Guterres urged warring parties across the world to observe a ceasefire to assist the battle against COVID-19, which he called ‘the common enemy that is now threatening all of humankind.’ (Click here for his video message).

In addition, Mr Guterres tasked UN Special Envoys in conflict zones to follow up on this appeal. ‘My special envoys will be now working with the parties to the conflict to try to make sure that this global appeal is not only listened to but leads to concrete action, leads to a pause in fighting, creating the conditions for the response to COVID‑19 to be much more effective.’

The appeal appears to be having some impact - although limited so far.

On March 26, a rebel militia in Cameroon, the Southern Cameroons Defence Forces (Socadef), responded by announcing that they would observe a two week long ceasefireso that people could be tested for coronavirus without fear. 

A chief mediator in the Cameroon conflict Mr Alexandre Liebeskind, said that he hoped others would follow Socadef's example, not only in Cameroon but also in other conflicts in Africa. "Sitting in Africa, I am particularly concerned because it's a fragile continent. The economic and social consequences [of coronavirus] could be devastating if it is not quickly contained." 

European Union and Russia support the ceasefire call

Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has supported the UNSG's call for a ceasefire, tweeting: 

'The call for an immediate global ceasefire by UN Secretary General @antonioguterres is more important than ever. Only together and in peace can we overcome the global #coronavirus pandemic. This is the real fight we need to face today. Unity and solidarity are our weapons.' (@JosepBorellF)

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, released a statement on March 25, supporting the ceasefire call and highlighting key conflicts where a ceasefire is especially important.

"Of special concern are the situations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Syria, as well in the Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip. We note separately the risks associated with the possible deterioration of the epidemiological situation in African countries, where there is a persisting armed confrontation. The localities with camps for refugees and internally displaced persons are particularly vulnerable."

Win Without War urges the United States to Support

Win without War, a United States based campaign, has called on the Trump Administration and US Congress to support the ceasefire call.

'The truth is, it’s going to take all of us, everywhere, doing our part. That’s what every doctor says, every scientist and public health official tells us. Yet in far too many corners of the world, some of us are still trying to kill one another on the battlefield. Right now, we need the entirety of the U.S. government fighting this pandemic, not endless wars.'
Win Without War appeal to President Trump and the U.S. Congress.

US residents can add their support at We Demand a Global Ceasefire.

Call to support global ceasefire by ending weapons production

World Beyond War (WBW) and Peace Brigades International (PBI) Canada, another two organisations promoting the UN call for a ceasefire, are urging campaigners in arms-producing countries to support by ending weapons production and arms transfers. See United Nations Calls For Peace During The Coronavirus Pandemic, But War Production Continues.

They note that the weapons industry is keeping factories open to keep making weapons, even in countries like Italy and the USA where many other businesses are having to close during the worst part of the pandemic. Indeed the arms industry has effectively convinced governments that the defence industry be included as "essential services, [which] may remain in operation.”

WBW has launched an online petition calling for the cancellation of Canada' largest arms show, CANSEC, which is scheduled to take place on May 27-28 and has not been cancelled or postponed.

Webinar on an End to War

World Beyond War is holding a webinar on April 7 on the topic Ending War with keynote speaker David Swanson. Click here for details. 

Taken from UNFOLD ZERO