One World Week - Get ready to act on the 30th of June

As we build back from the current health crisis, we can choose to tackle climate change and nature’s decline and rebuild a resilient economy that benefits everyone in society.

Although the official dates for One World Week events are 18 - 25 October 2020, we are alerting you in this Newsletter to actions that we can take now that follow up the 2019 theme and that chime with this year’s theme.

Will you add your voice to those calling for a green, fair and healthy future by taking part in this year’s virtual lobby?

The Climate Coalition (TCC) of which OWW is a member, is organising a virtual lobby on 30^th June. This offers an opportunity to talk to your MP about making the world better.

TCC has just released a PLAN FOR A GREEN, FAIR AND HEALTHY RECOVERY - it was launched last week on 15 June 2020 and sent to the Prime Minister. It puts forward a seven-point plan to forge a resilient economy at home and overseas which puts climate action, sustainability and justice at the heart of our recovery. The PLAN has been drawn up, after extensive consultation with TCC’s member organisations (140 organisations with 22 million members) to demonstrate widespread support for action by the Government. It offers lots of ideas to discuss with your MP and TCC provides guidance to help you when you register to take part. (you can register here)

Other actions to take now to promote OWW’s vision:

Demise of DfID ? – We are very concerned that the plan to merge the Department for International Development (DfID) with the Foreign Office, later this year, would damage aid effectiveness and transparency, hinder public scrutiny of development policy, and see aid being used to boost British businesses rather than tackling global inequalities and addressing the needs of the most marginalised communities in the world. (This article from a SOAS academic outlines the issues as does this one from the Guardian.)

The economic turmoil caused by coronavirus is pushing indebted countries deeper into crisis. Please help to stop this.

Jubilee Debt Campaign has shown that economic and health impacts from the COVID 19 pandemic could spell disaster for countries in the global south. The cost of borrowing has gone up dramatically, and they are getting less money for products like copper and coffee, on which their economies depend. Lower-income countries are due to spend $40 billion on debt payments in 2020 alone.

This is just at the time when countries need to be ploughing every spare penny into their health systems – as Tim Jones of the Jubilee Debt Campaign says:

“No country should be forced to choose between paying a debt or providing healthcare in this time of crisis. The UK government can and must urgently pass legislation to prevent any country suspending debt payments due to the coronavirus crisis from being sued in London.

“The UK is the key jurisdiction for international debt contracts. The UK parliament has passed legislation in the past to protect poor countries from being sued by lenders who refuse to participate in internationally agreed debt deals. We need the Government to act now and update the law to prevent this immoral practice.”

This summer, at international meetings, world leaders and finance ministers have the opportunity to protect some of the world’s least well-off countries, by agreeing a new deal for debt cancellation. But that will only happen if we call on them to act.

The UK has a lot of influence at these meetings. So please think about asking the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak to lead the call for debt cancellation. You can sign the petition here: https://jubileedebt.org.uk/actions/stop-coronavirus-debt-disaster

Please share these actions with those in your local networks who normally get involved in OWW – and with any others who might be interested.

Visit OWW’s ‘Take Action’ page regularly to see what other opportunities for action by the organisations we work with or are members of are offering - here

We would love to hear of any ideas you might have about making OWW happen this year. Please contact us.

We are wondering whether you would appreciate, in the absence of a full leaflet this year, an A4 sheet outlining the theme and some suggestions for on line/ social distanced activities that you could send to supporters and local contacts. Please let us know what you think would be useful. (Contact us)

Climate Outreach has some really helpful guidance about how to do this sensitively and avoid the pitfalls. Here you can find an excellent slide presentation (from an earlier webinar) and a downloadable guide. Visit their site here.

Please let us know what you are doing and thinking – it’s really important for the OWW family to share ideas with each other at this time.

With our good wishes for the Recovery Plan lobby and other actions you are undertaking,

The theme for OWW 2020 is:

Will you add your voice to those calling for a green, fair and healthy future by taking part in this year’s virtual lobby?

Other actions to take now to promote OWW’s vision: