Avaaz Foundation

TO CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN THE WORLD WE HAVE AND THE WORLD MOST PEOPLE EVERYWHERE WANT.

SEE SCHEDULE OGLOBAL COMMUNITY AVAAZ EMPOWERED ITS WORLDWIDE MEMBERSHIP OF ALMOST 70 MILLION IN 2022, 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. CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITYAVAAZ WORKED TO BRING GLOBAL POLITICAL ACTION ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS INTO LINE WITH WHAT SCIENCE TELLS US IS NECESSARY BY ENGAGING AT THE UNFCCC COP27, WHERE WE CAMPAIGNED FOR A GLOBAL TREATY TO MANAGE A JUST PHASE-OUT OF OIL, COAL AND GAS. THIS CAMPAIGN WAS BUILT VIA A PETITION SENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF TUVALU AND SIGNED BY ALMOST ONE MILLION AVAAZ MEMBERS. THROUGH A COMBINATION OF HIGH-LEVEL ADVOCACY, GRASSROOTS YOUTH MOVEMENT SUPPORT AND MEMBER ENGAGEMENT, BOTH IN THE RUN-UP AND DURING THE COP27, AVAAZ HELPED TO SECURE AN ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE EUROPEAN UNION THAT IT WILL INCREASE ITS AMBITION IN REDUCING EMISSIONS. AVAAZ ENGAGED IN HIGH-LEVEL ADVOCACY WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION TO SECURE AN AMBITIOUS CLIMATE PACKAGE WITH STRONG POLICIES, INCLUDING INCREASING ITS EMISSION REDUCTION TARGET TO 65% BY 2030, EMBOLDENING ITS RENEWABLES TARGET, AND COMMITTING TO A COMPLETE PHASE-OUT OF RUSSIAN GAS BY 2025.THROUGH HIGH-LEVEL ADVOCACY, PUBLIC PRESSURE AND MEMBER ENGAGEMENT AHEAD AND DURING KEY INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS ON BIODIVERSITY, AVAAZ RAN A MAJOR GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TO PUT HALF THE PLANET UNDER PROTECTION. THIS INCLUDED DIRECT ENGAGEMENT IN THE BIODIVERSITY NEGOTIATIONS IN GENEVA, NAIROBI AND MONTREAL, ADVOCATING WITH DIPLOMATS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AND THE MEDIA, AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC ACTIONS, CELEBRITY PARTNERSHIPS AND GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING. OUR EFFORTS HELPED SECURE A COMMITMENT TO PROTECT 30% OF THE PLANET BY 2030.SECURING INDIGENOUS RIGHTS AS PART OF OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO SUPPORT INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, AVAAZ MEMBER CROWDFUNDED FOR AN INDIGENOUS-LED ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN, INCLUDING DELEGATIONS OF INDIGENOUS LEADERS TRAVELLING TO JOIN THE NEGOTIATIONS OF THE COP27 OF THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC) IN SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT (NOVEMBER 2022), AND THE COP15 OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD) IN MONTREAL, CANADA (DECEMBER 2022). OVER 1.2 MILLION AVAAZ MEMBERS SIGNED A PETITION AGAINST THE DISPLACEMENT OF MAASAI COMMUNITIES IN NORTHERN TANZANIA. AVAAZ ALSO GRANTED MORE THAN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS TO SUPPORT SEVERAL MAASAI COMMUNITIES TO PROTECT THEIR LAND RIGHTS. ANOTHER PETITION SIGNED BY MORE THAN 680,000 AVAAZ MEMBERS HELPED SUPPORT YANOMAMI COMMUNITIES IN BRAZIL AS THEY FACED MULTIPLE CRISES. COMBATING DISINFORMATIONAVAAZ ALSO CAMPAIGNED TO ENSURE HEALTHY ONLINE SPACES. WE PUBLISHED A REPORT DETAILING THE IMPACT OF DISINFORMATION ON SCIENTISTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND PURSUED HIGH-LEVEL ADVOCACY AT THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO SHAPE THE DIGITAL SERVICE ACT, A STRONG SET OF REGULATIONS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS BY THE EUROPEAN UNION IN APRIL 2022. AVAAZ'S WORK, AS PART OF AN ALLIANCE OF NGOS, LED TO ENFORCEABLE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES FOR ONLINE HARMS INCLUDING HATE SPEECH AND DISINFORMATION. WE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE DRAFTING OF A NEW EU WIDE COMMISSION BACKED CODE OF PRACTICE ON DISINFORMATION.DEFENDING DEMOCRACY DURING THE 2022 ELECTIONS IN BRAZIL, AVAAZ ORGANIZED AROUND 17,000 HIGHLY ENGAGED CITIZENS IN WHATSAPP GROUPS FOR DAILY ACTIONS IN DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY, HELPING THEM MOBILIZE PEOPLE. A POLL SENT JUST AFTER ELECTIONS HELPED US ASSESS IMPACT: OUR NETWORK OF VOLUNTEERS REACHED UP TO 460,000 PEOPLE PER DAY. HUMAN RIGHTS & HUMANITARIAN AIDAVAAZ INITIATED HIGH LEVEL ADVOCACY AT THE EUROPEAN UNION ON THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ACT AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LIABILITY DIRECTIVE AND THE PLATFORM WORKER'S DIRECTIVE (INSOFAR AS IT DEALS WITH PEOPLE MANAGED BY AI). THESE INITIATIVES ARE DESIGNED TO BUILD FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS INTO FUTURE EU REGULATION. WHEN RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE, AVAAZ LAUNCHED A MAJOR CAMPAIGN TO UPHOLD INTERNATIONAL LAW, SEEK ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE CRIME OF AGGRESSION, AND STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE. MORE THAN 2 MILLION PEOPLE SIGNED OUR CAMPAIGN CALLING FOR JUSTICE FOR UKRAINE, AND WE RAISED MONEY TO FUND INVESTIGATIONS INTO WAR CRIMES, WORKING WITH INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS. AVAAZ ALSO WORKED TO SECURE PROGRESS IN EDUCATION FOR GIRLS AROUND THE WORLD. THROUGH HIGH LEVEL ADVOCACY WITH UN OFFICIALS AND A HALF-MILLION-STRONG GLOBAL PETITION SIGNED BY PUBLIC FIGURES SUCH AS MALALA YOUSAFZAI, AVAAZ BUILT MOMENTUM TOWARDS EXPANDING THE RIGHT TO FREE EDUCATION UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW. AVAAZ ALSO SECURED SUPPORT FROM KEY GOVERNMENTS THROUGH BILATERAL MEETINGS AS PART OF COALITION ADVOCACY WORK.AVAAZ MEMBERS DONATED MORE THAN $3 MILLION IN HUMANITARIAN AID TO LOCAL RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN FIGHTING FAMINE, AND MORE THAN $1 MILLION TO FIGHT FAMINE IN EAST AFRICA. AVAAZ MEMBERS ALSO SIGNED GLOBAL PETITIONS TO RAISE THE PROFILE OF LOCAL THREATS TO HUMAN RIGHTS SUCH AS THE EROSION OF ABORTION RIGHTS IN HONDURAS AND THE THREATS TO WOMEN'S AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN.