In 2015 world leaders signed historic agreements – the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and the broader 2030 Agenda to push for a more just and sustainable world by 2030. These inter-linked agendas promised to transform the world, to end poverty, to reduce inequality, ensure peace and combat climate change; to set us on a path towards a just transition and a holistic approach to the systems which underpin our economy, society, and environment. So far, delivery has failed to live up to this bold ambition.
Around the world, people are suffering from the overlapping impacts of inequalities, loss of rights, gender injustice, conflict, militarisation, environmental degradation and climate change. The economic, financial and political systems are concentrating power and wealth in the hands of a few, favouring a limited number of individuals, countries and businesses. Nature is our life support system – when it is degraded, polluted and overused there are disastrous impacts for our food security, water supply, air quality and for our economy. Climate change impacts food security, water to irrigate crops and disruption from extreme weather events. Without tackling climate change and loss of biodiversity by protecting and restoring our natural world, we will fail to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
That is why we are standing alongside many others around the world in calling out a state of emergency. Humanity cannot afford to wait, people are demanding transformative change, and we are not willing to accept the current lack of action and ambition from many governments.
We are at a critical turning point – in September 2019, heads of state will meet again to review progress and we demand that they set out a more ambitious roadmap for practical action. This moment has the potential to foster irreversible momentum for greater accountability, enhanced ambition and clear action in the following 10 years to deliver on the promise of a just transition.
In order to deliver this momentum, we are working together across movements and across borders, to push for wider change, amplifying voices of local communities, and sharing the demands for transformational change coming from people from all across the globe.
To ensure that we move towards a just, peaceful and sustainable world by 2030… we stand together with rising movements, such as those led by women and young people for our rights to voice, equality, and climate and environmental justice.
Voice: We call on governments to guarantee the right to freedoms of expression, association and assembly; and to ensure inclusion and participation for all; so that people and community organisations can engage freely in all levels of decision-making processes in an open civic space, without fear of violence or intimidation. We also call on governments to commit to a universal moratorium or reduction of military budgets in order to fund climate and environmental protection and the fight against poverty, hunger and inequality.
Equality: We call on governments to address the multiple dimensions of inequality, deliver on their promise to ‘Leave No One Behind’; and to tackle the root causes of inequality through tax justice and social protection and an end to discrimination against women and girls and the most marginalized communities in every country. We call on all governments, but in particular provider countries, to champion these goals by overhauling their approaches to financing, consistent with both our ambition and agreed development effectiveness principles — to ensure democratic country ownership, a focus on results, inclusivity and mutual accountability.
Environmental & climate justice: We demand that countries honor their commitments by presenting concrete and ambitious plans to protect humanity and human rights; halting biodiversity loss and implementing concrete conservation measures; protection of people and communities at the frontlines of climate change, to build their resilience, support adaptation and address loss and damage; and move towards a just transition to renewables and concerted action to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and to eliminate them altogether by 2050 at the latest; so that we ensure that we limit the global temperature rise to 1.5C degrees.
We are working together for a joint Week of Action on 20–27 September, join us!
Promote this statement with the hashtag #StandTogetherNow on social media.
Your contact details will be used to inform you about actions related to this call to action. Please write to info@action4sd.org for any inquiries.
Organizational signatories as of 12 August (list updated periodically)
A Cry of the African child
Abibiman Foundation
ACT Alliance
Action for Sustainable Developement
Action for Sustainable Development
ActionAid
Africa for SDGS/CEPARD
Africa Young Positives Network
Ageing Nepal
Alberta Council for Global Cooperation
Amis des Étrangers au Togo: ADET
Amnesty International
Another Development Foundation
AO1O-Asamblea sobre Desigualdades
APSD – Asia Civil Society Partnership for Sustainable Development
As an individual Hitesh BHATT-india empirical experience and freelancer.
Asia Dalit Rights Forum
Asia Development Alliance
Associated Country Women of the World
Association for Promotion Sustainable development
Association for Rural Social Welfare Nepal (ARSOW Nepal)
Association of Dalit Women Advancement of Nepal
Athanasia
AwazCDS/Pakistan
Be the Change
Blue Banner NGO, Mongolia
Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
Burundi Child Rights Coalition
CADIRE CAMEROON ASSOCIATION
CAFSO-WRAG for Development
Campaign for Good Governance
CAN
Canadian Council for International Co-operation
Cecilia Fagerberg
Center for Development of International Law
Center for Human Rights & Development (CHRD)
Centre for Environmental Justice
Citizen
CIVICUS
Civil Society Coalition on Sustainable Development
Civil Society or Non-Governmental Organisation
Civil Society Platform on Sustainable Energy for All (CSPSEA)
Climate Watch Thailand
CODE-NGO
CommonwealthYouth PAN
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd
Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC)
Cooperation for Peace and Development (CPD)
CPDE
CSYM HUDUMA TANZANIA -Christian Spiritual Youth Ministry
Development Alliance
EcoHimal Nepal
Economy for the Common Good Ecogood.org
Edmund Rice international
EL-Aged Care Ltd/Gte
Emonyo Yefwe International
End Water Poverty
FAWCO/NGO Committee on the Status of Women Vienna
Feminist League
Fff Södertälje Sweden
Forus
Fundamental human Rights & Rural Development Association FHRRDA
Futuro en Común, Spanish cross-sectorial CSOs platform
Gatef organization
GCAP
GCAP SENEGAL
GCAP-Burundi
Geospatial Tanzania
German NGO Forum on Environment and Development
Gestos – Soropositivity, Communication and Gender
Global Call To Action Against Poverty (GCAP)
Global Network of Women Peacebuilders
Global Policy Forum
Gray Panthers
Greenpeace
Grupo FARO
Gulshan-e-John
Hábitat para la Humanidad México A.C.
Hague Appeal for Peace
HaritaDhara Research Development and Education Foundation
Hellenic Platform for Development
Honorary President, Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU)
Housing and Land Rights Network – Habitat International Coalition
Human Health Aid Burundi
human rights solidarity movement
Human Rights Support Society
humanrights.ch
IFOAM – Organics International
Indian Ocean Peace Council (IOPC)
INFID – Indonesia
Initiative zur Förderung der Wirtschfatskompetenz im Sinne der Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung e.V.
International Academy of Science, Health & Ecology (Correpondent Member)
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
International Movement ATD Fourth World
International Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (IN-CSR)
International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID)
International Youth Alliance for Family Planning
Jeunes volontaires pour l’environnement
Justice, Development & Peace Commission, Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria
Kaengesa environmental conservation society
Karlstad Sweden
Kenana Association
Kenans Associstion
Kikandwa Environmental Association
Kindness Collective
kkr ks charitable trust
Klimataktion
Korea Federation for Environmental Movement
Krisoker Sor (Farmers’ Voice)
League of Professional Women
Let There Be Light International
Make Mothers Matter (MMM)
Malawi Handcart Project
Maldives Association of Persons with Disabilities
Maria Ebun Foundation
Medical Mission Sisters
medicusmundi spain
meerkat foundation
Migrant Forum in Asia
Mills College/ Global Women’s Justice and Peace
Ministerio de la Producción
Miriam College
NABU e.V. (Birdlife Germany)
National Campaign For Sustainable Development-Nepal
National Dalit Movement for Justice-National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights
Neo-Africa Leaderahip Organisation
NET Africa
NGO Carbone Guinée
NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN)
ONG ADOKA
ONG PADJENA
Open Briefing
Organismo indígena Naleb’
Oxfam
PAHEL Pakistan
Pakistan Development Alliance
Peace Hope Pakistan
People Empowerment Foundation
Peoples Federation for National Peace and Development (PEFENAP)
Permaculture Association (Britain)
Pesticide Action Network
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement
PNND Co-Convenor
POSCO Agenda 2030
POVOD, Slovenia
Preserve Rural Orange
president Center for Development of International Law
Pro Natura – Friends of the Earth Switzerland
RACI – Argentine Network for International Cooperation
Rapad Maroc
Reacción Climática
Red Dot Foundation
Red para el Desarrollo Comunitario / Cemefi
Réseau des Organisations de Développement et Associations de Défense de Droits de l’homme et de la Démocratie (RODADDHD)
RESET.org – Digital for Good
Restless Development
Rhamna Women & youth
SAIEVAC (South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children
Sanaeya Vandrewala
Schools without Borders
Scotland’s International Development Alliance
SDG Action Alliance Bangladesh
Smiles Africa International Youth Development Initiative
Social Democrats Germany
Success Capital Organisation
Sugur Development Agency (SUDA)
Sustainable Development Council
Think Centre
Transparency International-Mongolia
Treesisters
UDYAMA
UNA-Germany
UNA-Ghana
Unanima Internstional
Vaagdhara
Vienna Ecosocial Forum
Volunteer Groups Alliance
WASH-Net Sierra Leone
WaterAid
WECF e.V. Women Engage for a Common Future
Women Coalition for Agenda 2030
Women for Equal Chances-Congo
Women’s Rights Action Group
World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy
Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Youth for Peace International
Youth in Action for development
Youth in Technology and Arts Network (YOTAN)
Youth Partnership for Peace and Development
Original petition
Image: Climate march in Montevideo (Uruguay), March 2019. Source: Inés Pousadela.
