AVAAZ FOUNDATION

GLOBAL COMMUNITY AVAAZ EMPOWERED ITS WORLDWIDE MEMBERSHIP OF ALMOST 70 MILLION IN 2023, BUILDING GLOBAL CAMPAIGNS ON ISSUES OF PUBLIC CONCERN WITH SUPPORTING ACTIONS INCLUDING PETITION SIGNATURES AND DELIVERIES, MESSAGES AND CALLS TO POLITICAL LEADERS AND POLICYMAKERS, AND DONATIONS. BIODIVERSITY AND THE AMAZONAVAAZ'S ONGOING BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGNING HAS HELPED SECURE LONG-TERM SAFEGUARDS FOR THE AMAZON AND PROVIDED SUPPORT TO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS.IN 2023, AVAAZ ORGANIZED MEMBERS IN BRAZIL VIA A NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN THAT CONTRIBUTED TO PRESIDENT LULA'S DECISION TO VETO A BILL LIMITING RECOGNITION OF INDIGENOUS LANDS, AND TO INCREASE LAND PROTECTION GUARANTEES AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES. AVAAZ WAS INFLUENTIAL IN SECURING THE COMMITMENT TO PROTECT 80% OF COLOMBIA'S FORESTS BY 2025. IN PERU, WE HELPED BLOCK A BILL THAT WOULD HAVE OPENED PART OF THE AMAZON TO MINING AND CATTLE RANCHING. AVAAZ FUNDED AND PROVIDED STRATEGIC SUPPORT TO INDIGENOUS LEADERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE AMAZON COOPERATION TREATY ORGANIZATION SUMMIT IN BELEM IN AUGUST AND AT COP 28 IN DUBAI IN NOVEMBER, PAVING THE WAY FOR THE CREATION OF AN INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS COMMISSION.AVAAZ ALSO HELPED ORGANIZE CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) WATER CONFERENCE THAT TOOK PLACE IN MARCH IN NEW YORK, INCLUDING SUPPORT FOR RENOWNED ACTIVIST MARCELA OLIVERA'S PRESENTATION AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY WITH CIVIL SOCIETY'S DEMANDS TO GOVERNMENTS TO ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE FRESH WATER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY.ECONOMIC JUSTICEAVAAZ WORKED TO ADDRESS THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL IMBALANCES THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TO ECONOMIC INJUSTICE AS WELL AS THE CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS. WE CONDUCTED HIGH-LEVEL ADVOCACY MEETINGS AROUND THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK FUND (GBFF) THAT HELPED ENSURE 20% OF THE FUNDS ARE SET ASIDE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES. WE ORGANIZED AVAAZ MEMBERS AROUND A GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TO FINANCE THE FIGHT AGAINST INEQUALITY AND INCREASE TAXES ON THE MEGA-RICH, ADVOCATING TO KEY MEMBERS OF THE US SENATE AND WHITE HOUSE ADMINISTRATION AND TO DOWNING STREET IN THE UK WE ALSO PRESENTED OUR CAMPAIGN ASKS TO THE BRAZILIAN CONGRESS, AHEAD OF THEIR APPROVAL OF NEW FISCAL LEGISLATION TO TAX OFFSHORE INVESTMENTS AND EXCLUSIVE FUNDS, AND LED A PUBLIC ACTION AHEAD OF THE LATIN AMERICAN FINANCE MINISTERS SUMMIT. CLIMATEAT THE DAVOS WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, OVER 1 MILLION MEMBERS JOINED A "CEASE AND DESIST" CAMPAIGN TARGETED AT FOSSIL FUEL CEOS CALLING FOR AN END TO FOSSIL FUEL EXPANSION, WHICH WAS DELIVERED TO INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY CHIEF FATIH BIROL BY LEADING CLIMATE ACTIVIST GRETA THUNBERG AND GENERATED HUNDREDS OF PRESS ARTICLES. 100,000 MEMBERS IN FRANCE CALLED ON A TOP FRENCH BANK TO END FINANCING FOR TOTAL'S FOSSIL FUEL EXPANSION AS PART OF THE EACOP CAMPAIGN. IN PARIS, AT THE CLIMATE FINANCE SUMMIT, AVAAZ COORDINATED A PUBLIC CAMPAIGN TO "END FOSSIL FINANCE" WITH GRETA THUNBERG AND HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS THAT SHAPED HEADLINES IN MAJOR GLOBAL MEDIA. AS A KEY PARTNER OF A MAJOR YOUTH-LED CLIMATE LITIGATION CASE AT THE EUROPEAN HUMAN RIGHTS COURT, AVAAZ BROUGHT OVER 135,000 MEMBER VOICES TO THE GRAND CHAMBER HEARING, WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO RAISE THE PROFILE OF THIS CASE IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA. AVAAZ ALSO PREPARED AND SUBMITTED AN AMICUS BRIEF TO THE INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS, HIGHLIGHTING THE ROLE OF YOUTH CLIMATE ANXIETY AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES' RIGHTS.HUMAN RIGHTS AVAAZ CONTINUED THE WORK INITIATED IN 2022 AFTER THE INVASION OF UKRAINE AIMING TO SEEK ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE CRIME OF AGGRESSION AND WAR CRIMES, AS WELL AS TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE. MORE THAN 600,000 AVAAZ MEMBERS ALSO VOICED THEIR CONCERN ABOUT UKRAINE'S STOLEN CHILDREN, AND MORE THAN 540,000 URGED THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT TO UPHOLD ITS COMMITMENTS UNDER THE ROME STATUTE IN LIGHT OF PRESIDENT PUTIN'S PLANS TO ATTEND A BRICS MEETING IN THE COUNTRY IN AUGUST, 2023.AVAAZ ENGAGED IN HIGH-LEVEL RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY BEFORE THE EU IN ORDER TO PUSH AVAAZ PROPOSALS ON ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF AI ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WORLD'S FIRST AI REGULATION WITH A VIEW TO REDUCING AND MITIGATING THE ADVERSE AND DISCRIMINATORY IMPACTS OF AI. FOCUSED CAMPAIGN INTERVENTIONS BY AVAAZ MEMBERS AT KEY MOMENTS OF THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS CONTRIBUTED TO LARGE PARTS OF THE PROPOSAL BEING ADOPTED. GAZAAFTER THE OCTOBER 7TH, 2023, TERRORIST ATTACKS AND THE START OF THE WAR ON GAZA, AVAAZ STOOD IN SOLIDARITY WITH VICTIMS IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE, WORKING TO AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF THE FAMILIES OF HOSTAGES AND CONNECT THEM TO MEDIATORS. JOINED BY MORE THAN 900,000 MEMBERS AROUND THE WORLD, AVAAZ LAUNCHED A GLOBAL CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE AND CAMPAIGNED FOR KEY REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEADERS TO SECURE AN URGENT CEASEFIRE TO SAVE THE LIVES OF PALESTINIAN CHILDREN BEING TARGETED IN THE WAR. AVAAZ MEMBERS DONATED VIA AN EMERGENCY CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR WELL-RESPECTED AID ORGANIZATIONS TO DELIVER CRUCIAL FOOD AND AID. AVAAZ ALSO CAMPAIGNED FOR A LONGER TERM PATH TO JUSTICE AND PEACE, INCLUDING SUPPORTING THE CALLS FOR AN END TO THE ONGOING HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR WAR-CRIMES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL COURTS. DEFENDING DEMOCRACY AVAAZ WORKED TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DIGITAL SERVICES ACT REGULATING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE EU. AN AVAAZ TEAM CO-LED THE PROCESS OF DEFINING STANDARDS TO MEASURE THE DISSEMINATION OF DISINFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, WHICH WERE THE BASIS FOR SUBSEQUENT REGULATORY INTERVENTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA BRANDS SUCH AS X.DURING THE SPANISH ELECTION CAMPAIGN, AVAAZ HIGHLIGHTED THE PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND THE LGTBQI COMMUNITY THROUGH A PUBLIC CAMPAIGN, INCLUDING LAUNCHING AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN IN THE CENTER OF MADRID THAT RECEIVED MASSIVE MEDIA COVERAGE, WITH HUNDREDS OF MEDIA HITS NATIONWIDE AT A CRUCIAL MOMENT IN THE ELECTION.