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By Ingo Ritz, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)
On 25 September, a million people in 1,248 cities & communities in 143 countries came together in 1,666 actions across the world for the Global Day of Action 2018 – Act4SDGs to mark the anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2030.
Globally, the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) organised this Global Day of Action in partnership with Action for Sustainable Development (A4SD) and the UN SDG Action Campaign.
There were actions across Europe. In Brussels, SDG Watch Europe and a coalition of civil society organisations launched the Manifesto for a Sustainable Europe for its Citizens with core demands for the new political leadership of the EU and the candidates in the European Parliament Elections 2019. We believe the 2030 Agenda should be the compass for all European policies – and provides a positive vision for the people of Europe for a sustainable future.
In the past month, we’ve also mobilized together on 17 October 2018 – the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The number of people living in poverty remains very high – even while the percentage of people living in extreme poverty is decreasing. The latest numbers show that the target of SDG 1 to eradicate poverty by 2030 will not be achieved.
In the EU 23.5% or 118 million people are living at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN). The number of people suffering from hunger globally increased again in 2017 – to 821 million people says the FAO. The World Hunger Index notes that based on the current trends there will be hunger in 50 countries in 2030. All this represents a failure of our political and economic systems
The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development is meant to reverse these trends and create the transformation to end poverty, hunger and inequalities within the planetary boundaries by 2030.
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The dangers of a growing global divergence on human rights, with the rise of authoritarian powers, might be avoided by embracing the global consensus of rights-based development encompassed in the SDGs.
On balance, the international agenda for human rights is in deep trouble. From a geopolitical standpoint, the United States has slid further away from leading the post-World War II international liberal order, accelerating a great contest for regional and global influence, with China and Russia leading the pack. The UN Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030, which represent a rare global consensus in favor of rights-based development, offer a path out of this morass.
China is becoming more assertive in undermining universal human rights norms at the United Nations. This includes a new effort to champion the perennially controversial right to development and to introduce concepts like “mutually beneficial cooperation” as a way to undermine country-specific scrutiny.
Russia is playing the troublemaker role in both traditional fora like the UN Security Council, where it continues to veto resolutions on Syria and its use of banned chemical weapons, and in its use of cyberwarfare and propaganda campaigns.
Democratic middle powers, meanwhile, are unable or unwilling to mount an effective and coordinated strategy of their own to keep the international order on track.
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The General Assembly of the European Anti-Poverty Network met in Vienna, just one week after the Post-growth Conference at the European Parliament and two weeks after President Juncker’s State of the Union address. The meeting took place at a time of rapid political and social change, with the coming European Parliamentary Elections in 2019, a year which will see a new President of a new Commission, and the appointment of a new president of the European Council. Other factors such as rising far right populism, climate change, and the UK’s departure from the EU – which is symptomatic of disaffection with political institutions and the prevailing economic model – also provide significant and shifting challenges.
We know that change is possible, at local, national and European levels. We see important political commitments to tackling poverty, via the Europe 2020 targets, via the Sustainable Development Goals, and via the Social Pillar – although these are not visible enough at national and local levels. What we need most in 2019 is the transformative implementation of these high-level political commitments, to ensure meaningful changes to the lives of people experiencing poverty on the ground.
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By Asociación La Bolina
Ibriham Sow, asylum seeker from Guinea Conakry, asked this question during a video co-creation workshop on SDG #10 Reduced Inequalities; which inspired 20 migrants, refugees and locals to make a film on fighting prejudice and celebrating diversity in Granada, Spain.
This was one of the 12 activities in Refugee Week Granada June 2018 - designed to raise awareness and inspire action around the Sustainable Development Goals through activities such as theatre, sports, a symposium and a giant picnic with ecological food grown and prepared by refugees. The week was enjoyed by more than 400 people across the city, newcomers and locals alike and proved that refugees and migrants are contributing positively to the city and to the SDGs.
Refugee Week was supported by the EU funded project Make Europe Sustainable for All and coordinated by Association La Bolina who integrate refugees, migrants and locals, regenerate land, lives and cultures and create sustainable livelihoods, economies and communities.
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By Hellenic Platform for Development
From September 14th to 30th September, the Hellenic Platform for Development coordinated the largest raising awareness campaign in Greece for the Global Goals, on the occasion of the completion of the three years since their adoption and within the framework of the project Make Europe Sustainable for All.
More than 360,000 citizens were informed about the Global Goals through the campaign #17days17goalsgr, involving 41 civil society organizations, institutions and schools, that implemented 34 actions, among others: children’s workshops, theatrical events, public events, cinema nights, informative workshops, discussions and exhibitions, promoting ideas to integrate the Goals into our everyday lives and local changes in 9 cities in Greece: Athens, Veria, Thessaloniki, Kalamata, Katerini, Larissa, Rhodes, Serres and Chalkidiki.
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By NGO Diversity Development Group (DDG)
Localizing SDGs through Capacity Building (LoCaB) project was implemented from June – October 2018 in Lithuania. The underlying aim of the LoCab project was to raise awareness on links between inequalities with cross-cutting approach on international migration and encourage local actors to localize SDGs.
The main course of action for awareness raising and building the capacity of local actors consisted of: 4 workshops were held in municipalities of largest Lithuanian cities (Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys) with the focus on inequalities and cross-cutting topic of international migration. Each workshop targeted 10 – 15 local actors (members of local communities, NGOs, education institutions, municipal workers from different departments, youth organizations, social workers and etc.) with 6 hours engagements.
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EU Green Week is the key event in the EU environment policy calendar. This annual opportunity to debate and discuss European environmental policy attracts policymakers, leading environmentalists, stakeholders and other interested parties from across Europe and the globe. In 2019, it will take place from 13 to 17 May 2019, focusing on the implementation of EU environmental legislation, highlighting the benefit of EU environmental policies and showing their benefits for citizens. To mobilise involvement and contribution from all sectors, in addition to the high level conference in Brussels organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment, a series of events organised by partner organisations from across Europe will feature officially in the Week's programme. The official opening has a particular prominence and plays a special role in setting the tone for debates
Applications must be submitted using the form provided on the website. The deadline for submission is 31 October at 17:00 (Brussels time).
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