Take Action July 3rd!

Use the caption below + share on social!

#WeAreConnected

I’m celebrating **#GlobalInterdependenceDay**
I recognize and celebrate that **#WeAreConnected** as one family. Will you join me in celebrating our togetherness?
Thanks *@account* for nominating me!
I nominate: *@account, @account, @account*
Celebrating our togetherness is important to me because *(include your reasons here).*

**HOW TO:** Take a photo with **#WeAreConnected**; it can be written on your hard, on a piece of paper, created as artwork, etc. Use this caption. Nominate three new accounts. Tag @globalinterdependenceday as a collaborator.
**GlobalInterdependenceDay.org**
@globalinterdependenceday
#MakeGoodTogether

MORE INFO >

A day to celebrate our togetherness.

If there is anything we’ve learned over the past year it is that we are unquestionably connected. There are millions of people across the globe who are taking actions to prioritize the health and well-being of all beings on the one place we all can call home. Global Interdependence Day is a day to celebrate our togetherness, and to elevate the actions of everyone who is trying to create a better tomorrow.

#WeAreConnected

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Together is the only way forward.

There are *challenges we must face now**, as one family.*

Many impacts of the pandemic are an acceleration of existing trends. We’ve tried to distill some of the Human Family’s biggest challenges into categories; not an easy task, nor a perfect list. By calling out these impact areas, we can clearly see how everything is interconnected. These impact areas provide a useful starting point for further engagement and understanding of how we will work together to address them.

References: thebritishacademy.ac.uk | sdgs.un.org/goals

SOCIAL PROTECTION IS NECESSARY.

Poverty relief setback.

The slowing poverty reduction progress since 2015 has been set back further by Covid-19 and the global extreme poverty rate rose in 2020 for the first time in over 20 years. Compounding the threats to poverty eradication posed by climate change and conflict, the pandemic is set to increase the number of poor in 2020 by between 119 and 124 million people, causing extreme poverty rates to rise for the first time in a generation, from 8.4% in 2019 to 9.5% in 2020.

EVERYONE NEEDS ADEQUATE NUTRITION.

Hunger demand unmet.

Even before the pandemic, the number of people going hungry and suffering from food insecurity had been gradually rising since 2014. The pandemic has intensified the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of global food systems, which could add hundreds of millions more people to the chronically undernourished, making the goal of ending hunger a more distant reach.

OUR BODIES ARE VECTORS FOR EVERYTHING WE EXPERIENCE.

Health & Well-being concerns.

Before the pandemic, progress had been made by improving maternal and children health, increasing immunization coverage, and reducing communicable diseases. The disruption caused by the pandemic has now halted or even reversed progress made in many areas of health. There are ongoing health impacts from Long-Covid as well as from delays in care-seeking and reprioritization of resources. Billions of people worldwide still live without safely managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services, which are critical for protecting human health and containing the spread of Covid-19.

MISTREATMENT IS UNACCEPTABLE.

Human Rights regression.

Government response to Covid-19 has impacted different people in different ways based on gender, race, ethnicity, and identity; and has affected social development. Geographic and spatial inequalities have widened. Attending to these inequalities is important because they expose ways in which the combination of geographical location, physical infrastructure and social conditions implies that different priorities may be needed in different places. The socio-economic impacts of Covid-19 have adversely affected progress made in recent years in relation to gender equality: violence against women and girls has intensified; child marriage, on the decline in recent years, is also expected to increase; whilst increased care work at home is affecting women disproportionately. Discriminatory laws and legal gaps continue to prevent women from enjoying their human rights.

VULNERABILITIES SHOULD NOT BE EXPLOITED.

Inequality growing.

The pandemic is exacerbating existing inequalities within and among countries and hitting the most vulnerable people and the poorest countries hardest. There are differential effects within these along dimensions of gender, race and ethnicity and social deprivation which have been both exposed and exacerbated, as well as effects related to social development, relationships and mental health which are all variably affected and interlinked. Local communities have become more important than ever during the pandemic. Local and hyper-local charitable and voluntary organizations have been crucial to the response to Covid-19, but there are inequalities between communities based on the strength of community infrastructures. Capacity to respond to changing circumstances and challenges requires effort to sustain a strong web of communities and community engagement at local levels.

WE CANNOT INHABIT A DAMAGED PLANET.

Environmental neglect.

Despite setbacks from Covid-19, preliminary data show global greenhouse gas emissions increased in 2020. Global efforts need to reach net zero CO2 emissions globally around 2050, in order to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial level. The vast oceans, seas and marine resources are under continual threat from pollution, warming and acidification that are disrupting marine ecosystems and the communities they support. Deforestation and forest degradation, continued biodiversity loss, and the ongoing degradation of ecosystems, are having profound consequences for human wellbeing and survival. The pandemic and the vast subsequent harms to human and economic well-being have starkly illustrated the potential global impact of zoonotic diseases, for which wildlife trade – both legal and illegal - is a potential vector.

ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE IS NOT GUARANTEED.

Education decline.

One year into the Covid-19 crisis, 2 in 3 students worldwide are still affected by full or partial school closures. The most vulnerable children and those unable to access remote learning are at an increased risk of never returning to school, and even being forced into child marriage or child labor. The consequences of lost access to education at all levels, coupled with changes to assessments, will be felt for years to come, and wholly recovering lost education is unfeasible. This has exacerbated existing socioeconomic inequalities in attainment and highlighted digital inequality. Because a high-skill economy will be essential for future prosperity and for society to thrive, it will be vital to consider whether lifelong educational opportunities are sufficiently comprehensive, diverse and flexible.

HARD WORK AND LESS PAY.

Economic injustice.

Before the pandemic hit in 2020, average growth of the economy had already slowed. The pandemic has caused the worst global economic recession since the Great Depression and massive damage to working time and income. The global economy is slowly recovering, although it may remain below pre-pandemic trends for a prolonged period. There are likely to be additional pressures on government spending in the medium to long term, as a result of increasing levels of debt and possible falling tax revenues due to risks around unemployment, failing businesses, decreased consumption and significant shifts in the structure of the economy. This will lead to an increased dependency on social security, which the current system may be ill equipped to deal with effectively.

MENTAL HEALTH IS VITAL.

Mental Health instability.

The pandemic and various measures taken to address it, have resulted in differential mental health outcomes. Access to support for new cases and for those with pre-existing conditions has also been disrupted, in addition to services for children and young people. Long-term mental health impacts for particular groups are imminent, if there is not a renewed focus on the causes and solutions for sustaining mental health across society, including by tackling the structural and root causes of inequality.

GDP FLOW DISRUPTED.

Innovation decrease.

The year before Covid-19 triggered the greatest economic crisis in decades, manufacturing value added had seen the slowest year-on-year growth rate since 2012. The pandemic has hit the manufacturing and transport industries hard, causing job losses and declining incomes for workers in these sectors. The crisis poses unprecedented challenges to global value chains by disrupting both the supply of goods and the demand for them. Small-scale industries have been severely affected by the pandemic and many continue to face existential challenges.

THE FUTURE IS NOW.

Sustainability unpreparedness.

For decades, scientists have been laying out how humanity is driving the three planetary crises: the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, and the pollution crisis, all linked to unsustainable production and consumption. Changes in consumption and production patterns can help promote decoupling of economic growth and human well-being from resource use and environmental impacts. It can also trigger the transformations envisaged by global commitments on biodiversity, climate and sustainable development at large.

EMPATHY BENEFITS EVERYONE.

Inclusivity threatened.

The world is still a long way off from achieving the goal of peaceful, just and inclusive societies. Millions of people are still living in fragile and conflict affected states. The pandemic has exposed inequalities, discrimination and has tested, weakened and even led to shattered rights and protection systems in countries. Given that the multilateral and global partnerships were already challenged due to scarce financial resources, trade tensions, technological obstacles and lack of data, the pandemic has added an unprecedented shock to the global system.