How your support made a difference at the G20
Last week, I was in Cannes at the G20 summit. As you know, media coverage of the meeting was full of the eurozone and Greece, and you might be forgiven for thinking that’s all they discussed. But behind the headlines, something else really important happened. G20 leaders heard your voice, and the voices of more than 400,000 others who backed our Hungry No More campaign.
What’s more, they committed themselves to a number of the short and long-term agricultural solutions we’ve been pushing for to break the cycle of famine. With over 13 million people still in crisis in the Horn of Africa, I wanted to let you know what the G20 have pledged, how you helped achieve this, and what we need to do next.
In their final declaration, the G20 agreed that there is an urgent need to strengthen emergency and long-term responses to food insecurity and that responsible investment in long-term agricultural solutions in the poorest countries is “essential to promote food security and foster sustainable economic growth,” especially when focused on smallholder farmers.
They also pledged to reduce the dangerous impacts of food price volatility and improve the transparency of agricultural commodity markets. That could make a world of difference. Some of the poorest families have to spend as much as 80% of their household budgets on food, so sudden price rises mean real hardship.
More good news is that President Calderon of Mexico – the next Chair of the G20 – announced in Cannes that food security will be one of the G20’s major priorities in 2012. The G20 has made a good start on a framework to fight poverty through agriculture, and now is the time for countries to step up and turn it into reality.
As a ONE member, you are one of our strongest advocates, and we owe you a big thank you. This campaign was just 30 days long, and here’s a snapshot of what you helped achieve globally:
- 409,000 people signed our petition urging G20 leaders to act, and more than 700,000 viewed our ‘F-word’ TV ad on YouTube
- In just one week in the UK, nearly 500 members searched for their Member of Parliament using our new toolkit, leading to a burst of tweets, personalised emails and meetings with MPs. A few members also represented ONE at Downing Street, and handed in our petition
- ONE members in France joined our Paris team to project our campaign videos and a list of petition signers’ names onto the face of the historic Hôtel de Ville
- In Germany, members’ tweets provoked a response from a Government spokesperson assuring that they considered agriculture, food prices and food security important at the G20
- ONE members in the US handed in our petition on Capitol Hill, taking our message right to the heart of the US government.
But this isn’t the end of our Hungry No More campaign. Although we saw progress, the G20 still have a long way to go to make sure these promises are more than just warm words. We didn’t hear enough urgency or commitment to implementation, and the focus could too easily move away from this crucial issue.
Our job is to stop that from happening, and keep up the pressure. So when the smaller G8 meet in Chicago next year, and when the G20 gather again in Mexico, we will need your support to push for concrete results that make world leaders accountable to their commitments.
We’ll be in touch to let you know how you can help, but for now I simply wanted to say: thank you.
Together as ONE, we are making a difference.
PS. If you haven’t seen our Tigray: Then and Now documentary, then please do take a look and share. This is what your support is helping work towards.
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About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
12/11/2011 at 6:42 am
I see people may be awakening..the more people gets aware the less politicians will be able to keep lieing and cheating.
i totally agree with kris minten comment.
thank you Adrian for what you do, for all of us.
12/11/2011 at 7:38 am
Population on our beautiful earth reached 7 milliards, it will doubled within coming 50 years, I think we should have our FUTUR ENGINEERING project to save the planet for new generation.
Thanks a lot.
12/11/2011 at 10:09 am
All we can do will be enough to awake such indifference en the world about this problem in Africa, count on me whateever you required in the future , every single help counts. God Bless you
12/11/2011 at 10:16 am
I’m Portuguese Support your cause I’m with you by the world justice Congratulations ONE
12/11/2011 at 11:23 am
I congratulate ONE and support!
12/11/2011 at 12:08 pm
Thank you Adrian for what you do. I support ONE
12/11/2011 at 1:30 pm
We are getting important successes, hoping to have many more thanks to all!
One member
12/11/2011 at 3:10 pm
We’ve come a long way. From zero to ONE. F no more!!!
12/11/2011 at 3:48 pm
Thnak you for what you do. I support ONE
12/11/2011 at 4:43 pm
Im totally agree with all of you, I support ONE from here till the end. Just remember that if we work together we can really make the difference. “A big difference”
12/11/2011 at 9:47 pm
I thank all those who in any way support the ONE campaign. It’s important that we speak out loud about what’s happening in the world.. about hunger, pain, suffering.. Thank you all for your support and I hope that our little help make big things happen:)
12/11/2011 at 10:28 pm
Recently a BBC documentary revealed to the British people just how much waste is incurred from fishing for specific quotas. Huge numbers of perfectly edible fish are caught then thrown overboard because they are not wanted by the commercial interests who often own the fishing fleets. i don’t care how this is organized but it needs researching and the practice stopped. Are we completely mad and believe this source of food is ever plentiful. have people forgotten about the destruction of the cod fishing grounds off New Foundland?
13/11/2011 at 1:38 am
Global Population Pressure. Not just overpopulation, a political solution. Congrats to those who structured this campaign and made it happen. Congrats to those who joined it.
A United Global Community is our only way forward.
Dunc
13/11/2011 at 2:52 am
What the ONE team do is truly wonderful. It’s amazing to see that people are starting to consider what famine and poverty is doing to the countries people. I hope that everything goes well and that the politicians will stay true to their word.
13/11/2011 at 7:06 pm
its a shame that on 21 century millions of people are dying of …hungry!!
Is organizations as ONE that the world need,the voice of the poor of the poorest and make a stand in this Summits that one day this can change!!
13/11/2011 at 7:45 pm
If we remain together, we can make a big difference. Thank you all. I support ONE.
13/11/2011 at 7:52 pm
simplicity is a personal way to approach a better world, our piliticians have to learn that way too, the way of simplicity and compassion.
14/11/2011 at 2:00 am
One can always count on me !!
14/11/2011 at 4:25 am
I am grateful to everybody that has signed this necessary campaign.
Step by step and been conscious of the suffering of millions of people it is going to make a change.
I really agree with the words of Clo “the way of simplicity and compassion” is what we all need.
14/11/2011 at 12:54 pm
Come posso cerco di darvi una mano
14/11/2011 at 4:26 pm
I fully support ONE,
I suggest more, lets jump from words to work to prove our believe in what we support. There are more than 400,000 of ONE’s, if each of us contribute 10USD per month imagine what we can do, before officials reach us.
14/11/2011 at 7:02 pm
Good Day!
I have received your letter re: you simply saying “thank you”
well i have to say ” your welcome!” anything to help someone, because you see i really love to help, to do charitable work but the thing is i cant bec i am busy working for my family.
So by supporting ONE you also helping me do what i love and want to do, help others! so i say thank you back to you and together we will make a difference. i fully support ONE and hope to continue the good success of all of your projects.
P.S.
Hope i will do this kind of thing in my country. someday i will send proposals for you for my country as well.
Anyway More power and God Bless us all!!!
ONE.ORG people!!!
14/11/2011 at 7:25 pm
If we eat less meat or rather eat no more meat at all, there will be enough food for every human being on earth. This is an effective solution to eliminate all the hunger in the world. Imagine, to feed all the animals that people eat there must be grown a lot of crops. Let’s awaken!!!! EveryONE can make a difference!
14/11/2011 at 7:31 pm
Good work! Congratulations to the organizers at ONE International! Thank you for your leadership and courage in confronting the problems of poverty- and in holding governments responsible to voice and conscience of the global community. Best Regards, MdM, Vancouver, Canada.
14/11/2011 at 7:44 pm
thankyou, for all thats you are doing,I will stay with you,always.
14/11/2011 at 11:31 pm
Giving thanks back to you, you are the force behind it all..love always <3<3
14/11/2011 at 11:31 pm
I have grave concerns that the G20 will use famine and crisis to push GMOs as the only solution (untrue) and Monsanto will be the only real winner of this campaign. Small farmers will be tied in to using seed that cannot be gathered to be sown the next year. They will have to buy more every year and their poverty will increase.
Reading some of the results of the use of GMOs shows that they are a danger to the health of humans and animals alike. Chec k it out for yourself.
This is a good place to start: http://www.gmwatch.org/links
15/11/2011 at 8:15 am
Congratulations the one by your determination to want a fairer world I would like to raise my voice to scream \look by children throughout the world, seeing in them your children hope the G20 listen and take attitudes will be sampre with you \u000a\u000a\u000a\u000a\u000a
15/11/2011 at 9:08 am
Thanks! Together we can make the world a better place.
15/11/2011 at 10:18 am
Thank you for the great things you do.
god bless this world to become a better place.
15/11/2011 at 5:16 pm
Hi, I’m from southamerica…. I apreciate the oportunity to participate, I think is necesary that the page be in spanish, more people could join it. Bye
15/11/2011 at 6:28 pm
in austria, there is a projekt, its call http://www.global-vision.at and maby you would like to share it with other people
15/11/2011 at 9:08 pm
É um enorme prazer fazer parte da ONE, faz me sentir maior e de fazer atraves da minha voz grandes coisas eu é que agradeço. Deus vos abençoe a todos
16/11/2011 at 1:11 pm
Wonderful!!! I congratulate ONE and support!
16/11/2011 at 3:50 pm
Very happy to hear about the positive developments!!! Well done.
The crisis in the western world affect the poorest countries the first.
This crisis is an invition to grow and improve the world as a whole.
Integrity and true leadership will be able to turn this around.
So to all our true leaders big and small i ask you to stand up and help solve this.
16/11/2011 at 7:46 pm
The grateful am I to be able to be part of this wonderful effort. In the short term I hope to contribute with facts.
Regarding the review of the G20, it was very good and auspicious the presentation made by the president supported by Brazil and Argentina very favorably received by France.
Warmest Regards
16/11/2011 at 7:55 pm
The grateful am I to be able to be part of this wonderful effort. In the short term I hope to contribute with facts.
Regarding the review of the G20, it was very good and auspicious the presentation made by the Argentinean president supported by Brazil and very favorably received by France.
Warmest Regards
16/11/2011 at 8:07 pm
Provide input to the hunger and underdevelopment of some people are eradicated once and imperative duty.
16/11/2011 at 11:55 pm
Congratulations! I´m really happy about the news. We have to keep working on.
Regards to all!
17/11/2011 at 6:49 am
“My Father”All things are possible for you.Take this cup of suffering away from me yet not what I want,but what you want.
17/11/2011 at 9:12 am
Thank you for doing this
17/11/2011 at 11:40 am
Thank you for all you do,it is so inspiring and great!
together we can change this world-change for good!
18/11/2011 at 9:02 pm
Your job can really make the difference in the world.. Thanks for that!
19/11/2011 at 5:52 am
Thank you for warm feeling everyne.
WE can make the world better place ,better day.