Young people around the world are inheriting from our generation an array of challenges that threaten our planet, and all of humankind. The present moment, where we face an unprecedented confluence of urgent crises demands that world leaders act with unprecedented unity. But in reality, a persistent deficit of trust among both governments and those they represent – not helped by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, vaccine hoarding by rich countries, and the brutal realities of climate injustice – has continued to exacerbate, rather than solve, this perfect storm. Traditional philanthropy has an urgent role to play in investing now in the platforms needed to help reverse this calamitous trajectory.
The necessity for unity comes at a perilous moment in history. The 2020s may very well be the most consequential decade facing humanity since the 1930s. For it is in this decade that our actions will determine whether we avoid both catastrophic climate change, and unfathomable levels of conflict between the great powers. Young people everywhere will have to live with the fall out for decades to come. That's why initiatives like the “Global Town Hall: Sustaining Peace and Development in a Divided World” are critical to ensuring the next generation has a seat at the table – particularly ahead of COP27, taking place this year in Egypt, and the embattled yet essential G20 Summit in Bali. As they draw near, it’s absolutely necessary that young activists and advocates, and concerned citizens the world over, keep the pressure on and have an opportunity to lean into the conversation.
Taking place on November 5th, and founded by the Foreign Policy Community Indonesia (FPCI), the 15-hour marathon Global Town Hall is just one example of the type of advocacy initiatives that foundations and philanthropists should be investing in. Through galvanizing and raising the voices of young people around the world, philanthropists can leverage their scarce resources to have an incredible multiplier impact that is not possible through programmatic spending alone. Arguably, only through providing citizens with opportunities to push world leaders with urgency will we ultimately be able to eliminate extreme poverty, take drastic climate action and achieve greater equity. Much like this year’s Global Citizen Festival, investing in movement building ultimately helps create lightning rods for action and attention for the world’s most marginalized populations.
FPCI for its part, the largest foreign policy think tank in Indonesia, has already recruited 100,000 citizen advocates to its network. It is a great example of the types of initiatives needed if we are to empower everyday people to have direct engagement in global affairs and the decisions that are shaping our future. Such engagement needs to be across North-South, East-West lines and cannot stay in the realm of the global elite. In the end, investing in such engagement and movement building to sustain development and peace in a divided world may help to dramatically re-order our leaders’ priorities.
One of the most pressing issues citizen advocates have been trying to push to the top agenda, and one which is critical to both climate and G20 discussions, is the hunger crisis. Today, some 50 million people in 45 nations are in danger of death by starvation. Compounding the problem of hunger is the problem of thirst: some over a billion people worldwide lack access to safe water. The problems of hunger and thirst are both completely resolvable, yet remain persistent existential threats to humankind. Both pressure on policy makers – public and private – and the empowerment of citizens are essential to take the needed actions now.
Global Citizen Hunger Crisis Installation
The devastating effects of climate change are already upon us, and the eyes of the world will be fixed on Egypt and Bali as we hold our breath for a breakthrough, which, in spite of the felt urgency, is not likely to come. Climate change is no longer a distant threat, it is now a stark reality, with extreme weather killing thousands of people every year and displacing millions. Droughts, flash floods, supertyphoons, and firestorms are growing in frequency and severity. Yet the international response to climate change and its impacts has been far from sufficiently robust.
And then of course, there is the enduring need to create, protect and strengthen spaces for the voices and aspirations of the next generation, especially from the Global South, to be heard, channeled and amplified, on all areas of discourse, one the most relevant being the balance between just climate and energy transitions. Again, both CoP27 and the G20 Summit could provide amazing settings for breakthroughs in this area, if only their voices were heard and heeded. Since unfortunately they are not, we are opening new avenues for expression, and the Global Town Hall is one of them.
Put simply, a climate narrative focused on limits to economic growth and future pessimism is fundamentally disconnected from the young citizens’ aspirations and values. Neither does it reflect the huge economic opportunities climate action presents, of which many young people are among the biggest proponents. A global survey by research agency Glocalities in 2021 highlights that contrary to the pessimistic presentation of climate action as a zero-sum economic game by many of their leaders, young people in developing regions tend to be much more positive about their future. Investing in platforms and advocacy initiatives like the Global Town Hall is one way to bring to the fore narratives and stories that speak to this alternative outlook and in turn provide a way to finally move beyond the predominantly polarizing tone of the so-called climate wars.
There is an urgent need to build a new type of global collaboration that is hopeful, energizing, and effective in tackling the systemic barriers that keep multitudes in extreme poverty and achieving fair outcomes for all. Through investing in advocacy, philanthropists and foundations can help address these challenges, and add the voices of the world’s youth to the global conversation ahead of CoP27, the G20 and well beyond.
Registration
****NOTE: To join the Global Town Hall on November 5 please register for free here.****
