UN open letter demands world leaders to protect “people and planet”

Trisha Shetty, Natalia Vodianova, Emi Mahmoud, and Lily Cole at Davos House

Source: freuds

Alexandra Hill reports on a UN open letter calling world leaders to tackle poverty, inequality, and climate change.

With much talk of division in national and international politics, some reassurance can be found in the alliance of 2,200 campaigners, from a plethora of different backgrounds, all of whom signed an open letter demanding world leaders take decisive action against the myriad of challenges facing “people and the planet”.  

Central to their agenda was tackling the climate crisis; a cause firmly put on the agenda in 2019, in part due to youth activism, figure-headed by the young Swede Greta Thunberg, as well as the often militant campaign strategies of Extinction Rebellion. Politicians, particularly in the UK, did take heed of the urgency of the climate crisis, with the General Election manifestos of all main parties pledging some commitment to net-zero carbon emissions. Nevertheless, many countries — and, crucially, the big economic players — have yet to admit to the scale of the climate emergency or take any decisive and meaningful action.

Alongside climate change, the very real issues of global poverty and inequality, particularly across the developing world, were addressed. Signatories and supporters all emphasised the importance of achieving the UN’s Global Goals (a series of ambitious objectives which 193 leaders committed to in September 2015), with specific reference being made to recent reports, which observed that at least half of the global population cannot access essential health services; and the emergence of a concerning rise in global hunger, despite its prior decline. Equally, with respect to gender inequality, the tragedy that “girls and women are refused an education” and many are still “subjected to discrimination and violence” is also identified as a focal issue at the dawn of the new decade. 

The significance of this letter both lies in the diversity of issues they demand be tackled, and the extensive array of the signatories and supporters, many of whom are not from “conventional” activist backgrounds, but from the worlds of art, culture, and sports. 

In fact, alongside prominent activists, such as Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, are a diverse range of individuals, not in the most part reputed for their activism. For example, the renowned adventurer Bear Grylls as well as celebrity TV chef Jamie Oliver pledged their support, alongside high-profile climate change and equality campaigners.

Natalia Vodianova and Lily Cole at Davos House

Source: freuds

Whilst the emergence of such a public campaign does not constitute the decisive action many of us crave, the open letter does provide more concreteness to what governments need to do in the crucial decade ahead to meet the ambitious Global Goals targets.  

This translated to signatories insisting upon political leadership at the COP26 Glasgow Climate Change conference taking place in November 2020, the UN General Assembly, and the Gender Equality Forums in Mexico and France; as well as calling for public figures “to find the finance” and “to unlock radical solutions” to directly target and address what is described as a state of “emergency” for people and the planet.

The potency of the letter is exacerbated by the simultaneously heart-felt and hard-hitting remarks made by some activists involved in the drafting of the letter. Jaha Dukureh, a Gambian women’s rights activist condemns the “horrific” practice of female genital mutilation, which 6000 women and girls are still subjected to each day. Similarly, Kennedy Odede speaks anecdotally of his experience growing up “in the largest slum in Africa” and the daily challenges that living in poverty presents.

Priyanka Chopra at Davos House

Source: freuds

Speaking more broadly, Jane Goodall emphasised the urgency of the situation, insisting that leaders no longer kick the can down the road by deferring the ambitious Global Goals agenda to next year or 5 years from now, but instead demanding that those in power finally “step up”.

Given the scope and breadth of support of this letter and the dramatic act of global unity it represents, it is clear that global and international activism will continue to be a dominant force in holding our leaders — and indeed individuals — to account over the most pressing issues of our time.