2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony- Beijing, China. | Flickr: U.S. Army
There are just over 7 billion people living on the planet today, spread between 196 (recognized) countries. Within each of these countries are groups of people with different ethnic backgrounds, different religious beliefs, different political beliefs- you get the picture. And it’s because of these differences, you could argue, that the world is plagued by conflict. Given these facts, what hope do we ever have of coming together to work towards a common goal?
That’s one way to look at it. The WRONG way, if you ask me! Sure, we all have our differences, and yes, they do make collaboration more challenging. But history is full of examples of the global community coming together. Whether it’s been to tackle a serious threat, to fight for human rights, or simply to celebrate, we’ve proven that we can work together.
That’s exactly what we need to do this year. 2015 is THE pivotal year for Global Citizens to achieve the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030. We need to make it clear to leaders that in 2015 their citizens are expecting them to raise their ambition for humanity and deliver bold agreements to tackle poverty, inequality and climate change. So as we come together to end extreme poverty, let’s take inspiration from the past. Check out these 10 examples of the international community nailing it.
1. The Olympics
Vancouver Olympic Cauldron. | Flickr: Tom Kelly
Let’s forget the aggressive competition that we all love to watch, and remember the Olympics are a beautiful example of countries putting aside their differences in order to come together to celebrate the world’s best athletes. Like any international event, there have been a few Olympic games that have had their fair share of controversy. But, for the most, they’ve been remarkably peaceful and powerful demonstrations of unity.
2. The creation of the League of Nations
Addresses delivered on the occasion of the 100th session of the council, January 27th, 1938. | Flickr: peacepalacelibrary
Ever heard of the United Nations? Well the League of Nations was the first version of that. It was created in 1920 with the noble goal of securing world peace. It’s basically when all of the “good guys” in the world realized there needed to be a force fighting against international conflict. It went beyond settling international disputes, and focused on issues such as labour conditions, the just treatment of native inhabitants, human and drug trafficking, the arms trade, global health, prisoners of war, and the protection of minorities in Europe. It may have failed in the end (thank you World War II) but it was a noble attempt by world leaders.
3. The Unity Rallies in Paris and elsewhere
A sign at a rally reads “Muslim and I am Charlie.” | Flickr: Romain Lefort
If a terrorist’s biggest weapon is terror, then the terrorists responsible for the attacks that killed 17 people in Paris this past January failed big-time. Following the attacks, more than three million people took part in unity marches across France. Rallies also took place outside of France, with thousands of people gathering in London, Madrid, Washington, Montreal,Berlin and other places.
4. The Creation of the United Nations
United Nations Headquarters. | UN Photo/Joao Araujo Pinto
Following the second world war, the United Nations was formed in 1945 to replace the (ineffective) League of Nations with the goal of promoting international cooperation. Today, the UN has 193 member states, and its objectives include: maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights, fostering social and economic development, protecting the environment, and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict.
5. The creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The children of United Nations staff members got a closer look at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights just two years after it was signed. | Flickr: UN Photo
Now here’s one of my favorite moments in history. Just three years after the UN was formed, the United Nations General Assembly made a bold move. Recognizing that there are certain rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled, they created a document stating each member’s commitment to observing the rights set out in the declaration.
6. The #BringBackOurGirls social media movement
First Lady Michelle Obama joins the movement. | Photo: Wikipedia Commons
The hashtag is a curious thing. It used to be known as the “pound sign” and it’s still frequently used as a “number sign.” But once Twitter entered the game, the “hashtag” overruled all and it’s become a fun way to either sass up your tweet or build a movement. Case in point: in April, 2014, terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 school girls from the Chibok Government Secondary School in Nigeria. With the goal of putting pressure on the Nigerian government to rescue the girls, people from all around the world took a stand using the hashtag #bringbackourgirls. US First Lady Michelle Obama even got involved!
7. Relief after the tsunami in Southeast Asia
Patong Beach, Thailand after the tsunami. | Photo: Wikipedia Commons
I’ve heard people say that people are inherently selfish, but I don’t think that’s true. Just look at the generosity that was shown in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. In December that year, Southeast Asia was hit by a 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami that killed over 280,000 people across 14 nations. Immediately, the international community pledged tens of billions of dollars to assist in recovery. While the money was not used as effectively as it could have been, it was a powerful demonstration of solidarity.
8. The Kyoto Protocol
On September 21, 2014, over 300,000 social justice activists from all over the world marched through midtown Manhattan demanding people's direct action to avert climate catastrophe. | Flickr: Stephen Melkisethian
The Kyoto Protocol is the first agreement between nations to commit to country-by-country reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions in order to combat climate change. Kyoto emerged from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was signed by nearly all nations at the 1992 Earth Summit. The treaty was finalized in 1997, and put into effect in 2005. So, ok, the process didn’t happen overnight, but the protocol still comes out as a win in my book! And this year in Paris, the world has a real chance at the next big step in dealing with climate change. A chance we wouldn’t have without the Kyoto Protocol.
9. Fighting Ebola in West Africa
Health care workers put on Personal Protective Equipment in Monrovia, Liberia. | Flickr: USAID/ Morgana Wingard
To date, the latest Ebola outbreak has a death toll of 9,162. While this is tragic news, it’s been inspiring to see the international community work together to tackle the virus and support the afflicted countries. People from all over the world have come together to donate money and supplies, as well as to volunteer their time. Just remember, as my colleague Taylor Light said, this is encouraging but its definitely not time to declare victory over Ebola yet.
10. The creation of the Millennium Development Goals
A women’s savings club In Nigeria. These clubs allow women to give money or borrow it when needed for medical expenses or business initiatives. Promoting gender equality and empowering women is one of the MDGs. | Flickr: MCHIP / Karen Kasmauski
Last but not least, we have the MDGS. In 2000, world leaders pledged to eradicate global poverty, hunger and disease, all by 2030. To that end, they developed 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to meet by 2015, and we’ve seen tremendous progress. For example, the world has already halved the number of people living in extreme poverty!!
This year, there are two United Nations summits that have the potential to change the world as we know it. In September, the UN will agree on a new set of goals (the Sustainable Development Goals, or the SDGs) that will pick up where left off (the MDGs). Then, in December, the UN Climate Change Conference will set new climate action targets, which are vital in combating climate change.
That’s where Action/2015 comes in. Action/2015 is a citizen’s movement of hundreds of organizations around the world demanding truly ambitious agreements on poverty, inequality and climate change in 2015. Global Citizen has joined the movement and we want you to be a part of it.
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