Ten
Ways
We
Delivered Hope
in
2023
1.
We
powered life-saving rescues in
SyriaWhen two shattering
earthquakes left thousands trapped under the
rubble, our movement responded in hours.
We raised over $4 million to fund
emergency care, rescue operations, and
life-saving aid in some of the worst
hit parts of Syria. Our support directly helped
save the lives of 3,000 people in just the first
few days.
2.
We're
supercharging an Amazon
uprisingAs oil drilling invades
the rainforest, we're supporting Indigenous
communities to fight back. They've protected the
Amazon for
millennia --
now
we're helping leaders to plan, march, and
influence global treaties on rainforest
protections. Over 9 million Avaazers
signed the
People's
Declaration for the Amazon, and we took over
the New York skyline to land the
message:
At the Amazon Summit in
Brazil, dozens of us prepared meals and
translated for Indigenous leaders, ensuring they
could speak for the rainforest. In Peru, our
movement united to
help
block a deadly "genocide bill" that
threatened Indigenous communities and the forest
they protect. And this month our community
enabled
dozens of Indigenous leaders to be at the COP28
climate talks, working with Avaaz
campaigners to hold our leaders' feet to the
fire!
"Thanks
to all of you, who helped us get here,
bringing the voice of the youth, of the
Indigenous peoples of Amazonia, to this crucial
place, ensuring that the COP can no longer take
place without our voices at its
core."
- Txai
Suruí
Indigenous warrior of
the Paiter Suruí people
3.
We're
going all-out for peace in
GazaWithin hours of the October
7 attacks, Avaaz was in contact with mediators,
sharing the blueprint of a deal to stop the
violence and secure the release of Palestinian
detainees and Israeli hostages. When it
happened, it was
mediation -- not
missiles -- that created a temporary ceasefire
and freed dozens of people in
captivity.
We also partnered with Amnesty
USA to stage a powerful stunt in front of the
White House calling for an immediate ceasefire.
And,
thanks
to almost 60,000 donors,
we've
already sent over half a million euros in
life-saving aid to Palestine. For many
of us, this campaign is truly personal, and
we
won't stop until there's a permanent
ceasefire, equal rights for the Palestinian
people, and peace for all.
4.
We
funded safe houses for the LGBTQ+
communityIn May, activists in
Uganda sounded the alarm about a vicious new
'anti-gay' law.
The
response from this community was
extraordinary.
As LGBTQ+ people were
being hunted down, our movement stepped in to
fund safe houses, medical care, and legal
support. We're also a major funder in
the ongoing constitutional court challenge to
overturn the horrifying law.
"Avaaz's
support has been pivotal amidst the persistent
legal challenges posed by the anti-homosexuality
act of 2023. Now we're able to respond swiftly,
providing crucial legal aid, safe housing, and
emergency rapid response to community members
facing violence. Your unwavering
commitment shows that there are individuals who
believe in us, and are willing to support our
community. Hope is our currency, and
the generosity of friends like you keeps us
resolute on our path."
- Dr.
Frank Mugisha
Human Rights Defender,
Uganda
5.
We're
supporting brave young people putting the worst
polluters on trialFaced with
the biggest threat to life on Earth, our leaders
are failing.
Now young people in Europe
and the US are taking their governments to
court, and our movement is helping them to
win. We're funding legal costs,
evidence collection, and research to prove key
arguments. Working alongside partner groups,
we're also helping to ensure both cases grab
global headlines,
showing
judges the whole world is watching!
6.
We're
going after PutinWhen we heard
about thousands of children being stolen from
Ukraine,
we
ramped up our campaigning for Putin to be
charged with war crimes. The ICC put out a
warrant for his arrest -- so when Putin planned
on attending an international meeting in South
Africa, Avaaz members funded giant billboards
calling
for him to be arrested.
Putin didn't
dare show up in person, and is now even more
isolated from the global community.
Let’s keep up the pressure, it works.
7.
We're
blowing the whistle on atrocities in
SudanShocked by reports of
extreme violence, Avaaz members united to get
the world's attention. Over 60,000 of us donated
to fund journalists, investigators, and
fact-checkers.
We're helping to increase
global media coverage and ensuring human rights
abuses are documented, forcing
governments to act. This vital work is
ongoing.
8.
We
fought the far-right in
SpainWhen a snap election was
called, Avaaz members went all-out to stop the
politics of hate from entering government.
We put up a giant billboard, and when
the Vox party took us to court, our edited
message got swept through social media.
Our huge media campaign successfully helped to
block the far-right in the elections. Almost
half the world will go to the polls next year --
a major opportunity for us to fight for people
and the planet!
9.
We
helped criminalise the mass destruction of
natureOver
half a million of us called on the EU to make
ecocide a crime, and thousands emailed the
key decision-makers. It worked: after months of
sustained action from Avaazers and partner
organisations, we won! Now we're pushing to get
this law adopted around the world!
10.
We
won an historic battle to make AI
saferAs the creators of AI
warned of an "existential risk" to humanity,
a
quarter million of us pushed the EU to
ensure human rights were protected in its new AI
law.
After 3 years of campaigning by
Avaaz and partner organisations, the EU has
started working on safety regulations
that will have ripple effects across the world!
A lead EU negotiator told us that our work was
instrumental in getting decision-makers to
support the new protections.
