Martin Luther King: I Have a Dream

Martin Luther King, Speech made 28th of August 1963, Lincoln Memorial Washington DC.

Call for racial equality and an end to discrimination.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:
‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be
judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of
former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.”

“With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to
jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”

“Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of
brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”
STOP THE KILLINGS! STAND AGAINST TYRANNY!

We, student councils, student publications, youth formations and individuals under Youth Act Now
Against Tyranny, stand united to counter the increasing fascism and the tyrannical, militarist rule of the
Duterte government.Since last year, President Duterte has waged three wars against the Filipino people
under thebanner of promoting peace and order in the country. Primarily, he unleashed police and police-
backed death squads in a brutal and murderous “war on drugs” that has victimized thousands of mostly
poor, small-time drug users and pushers. Not less than 12,000 citizens have already beenkilled in the
name of the anti-drug campaign. Public outrage peaked when fellow student and youth, Kian Loyd Delos
Santos, was mercilessly gunned down by police officers in Caloocan City. Second, in his rush to end
armed conflicts with the BangsaMoro and the CPP-NPA-NDFP and with the maneuvers of the imperialist
US government, he has imposed Martial Law and suspended the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao. He
has unleashed the full might of the military to bomb civilian communities, causing over a thousand
civilian deaths, massive destruction of property and loss oflivelihood in Marawi City and the rest of
Mindanao. Around 400,000 people have already fled from their own communities for safety, while
Lumad schools built by the national minorities themselves have closed due to intense military occupation
and threats by Duterte to bomb the schools. Lastly, upon declaring all-out war against the people, state
forces have been on the loose tothreaten, kill and illegally arrest those he considers as “enemies of the
state”. His regime hascontinued the practice of filing trumped-up charges against activists and
government critics, thusaccumulating political prisoners. He continues to incite state security forces to
commit willfulviolence against the people while assuring them of protection from investigation,
prosecution andpunishment.Instead of concretely addressing the demands of the Filipino people and
discussing the socio-economic roots of armed conflict through the peace talks, President Duterte has
employed a combination of palliative reforms and fascist schemes to hide the inability of the ruling
system to free the people from poverty, joblessness and landlessness.
ENDING CHILD POVERTY

Our priorities for the 2021 Scottish Parliament Election

Every child has a right to a decent standard of living that meets their physical and social needs and
supports their development. We believe all children should be safe, warm, fed, and able to play and learn
during this crisis and beyond. Yet not all families have an adequate income to meet these needs. Poverty
is fundamentally about a lack of money and living on a low income, in effect, it excludes children from
the everyday activities and opportunities that their better-off peers enjoy. We have welcomed the Scottish
Parliament’s consensus on the need to tackle child poverty and the unanimous support for the Child
Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017, which established statutory targets to eradicate child poverty. The continued
prioritisation of the Scottish Child Payment is also very welcome; this game-changing benefit will lift
tens of thousands of children out of poverty. Even before Covid-19 hit, however, child poverty rates were
high and projected to rise further. By May 2021, we are likely to see increased unemployment and more
children experiencing the effects of poverty. We recognise that the next Scottish Government will be
contending with tight budgets, challenges around the pandemic and its impact on the economy. But we
will need to see decisive action across the different drivers of child poverty if we are to meet the interim
child poverty targets (2023/24), which fall within the next parliamentary term. Our goal is to secure
policy change that raises family incomes, strengthens financial security for all families, and prevents and
ends child poverty in Scotland. To achieve this, all political parties in Scotland must ensure their
manifestos set out their strategy for meeting the interim and 2030 statutory child poverty targets. We must
see bold steps taken in the next Scottish Parliament session (2021 – 2026) to significantly reduce child
poverty and ensure a strong and fair social and economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our key calls: 1. Build on the Scottish Child Payment 2. Bolster current support provided to children in
low income households 3. Ensure crisis support is adequate and accessible 4. Guarantee holistic whole
family support – including practical, emotional and financial support – is available to all families needing
help 5. Support migrant children and caregivers 6. Set out a child poverty focused labour market policy
Child poverty: A deepening crisis Even before Covid-19, nearly one in four children in Scotland were
growing up in poverty.1 The pandemic has hit low-income families disproportionately hard; deepening
poverty and dragging more families into financial insecurity.2 Women are at particular risk of Covid-19
job disruption, including unemployment and enforced reduction of hours, which will have direct results
for women’s poverty rates, and subsequently child poverty rates.3 Children and families that End Child
Poverty members work alongside are telling us about severe and increasing levels of need.4 Almost half
of families on Universal Credit and Child Tax Credits surveyed in Scotland by Save the Children and the
JRF reported a reduction in income since March despite 86% reporting rising household costs5, while
analysis by IPPR found that nearly half of families with children in Scotland were in serious financial
difficulty or struggling to make ends meet.6 Families are reaching out to us with bare cupboards and
fridges, struggling to cope with the impact of income loss, and forced to make increasingly difficult
choices. There has been a sharp rise in the number of people, in particular families with children,
accessing emergency food aid7 with food insecurity being driven by acute income crises8. The return to
blended learning approaches and further school and nursery closures present additional issues for women
in balancing paid work and unpaid care, leading to some women reducing their hours or leaving work
altogether in order to provide care for friends and relatives and childcare. The income crisis is being
disproportionately experienced by the very priority groups most in need, as set out in the Tackling Child
Poverty Delivery Plan: Black and minority ethnic (BME) families, women9, lone parents, families with a
disabled adult or child, young mothers, families with a child under one, and larger families. Scotland has
ambitious child poverty targets and as the 2020 progress report on tackling child poverty shows, there is
no question that important and welcome action has been taken on child poverty in Scotland. Yet it is also
crystal clear that even before the Covid-19 crisis this wasn’t enough to meet the child poverty targets
unanimously agreed by the Scottish Parliament. Analysis suggests the number of children impacted by
poverty will soar over the next few years, unless we act decisively.10 Child poverty rises or falls because
of the policies that a government implements. We can - and must - tackle child poverty. Why urgent
change is needed The Scottish Parliament has united in its commitment to tackle child poverty and the
current Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan outlines the measures the Scottish Government is taking
toward meeting the child poverty targets. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has created ever greater
financial uncertainty for low income families across Scotland. The most recent evidence points to
Scotland missing the interim child poverty targets within the next three years without further action.11
Articles 26 and 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) assert that it is
a State’s obligation to ensure a child’s right to benefit from financial assistance and to an adequate
standard of living. If the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill is passed by the end of this
parliamentary term, Scottish Government will be required to review how these rights will be met.
Crucially, the implementation of the recommendations of The Promise12 and other forms of family
support will only be successful if accompanied by a concurrent focus on alleviating child poverty and
addressing urgent financial needs. Family support, without ensuring that families have the means to bring
up their children, is not sufficient. The Promise, for instance, is clear that “when a family lacks financial
resources, when they face sub-standard service provision, when the streets they walk are less safe than in
other parts of town, when homes are cramped and when keeping food on the table is a struggle, meeting
all the needs of a child can be challenging.”13 Sustained action is needed to address the systemic causes
of low income for families, including low wages, welfare cuts and rising costs, as part of a step-change in
how we value all those with caring responsibilities, including those looking after children. All children
have the right to be safe, warm, fed and to be able to play and learn. We must ensure children’s right to an
adequate standard of living is met now, and for good. Every tool at Scotland’s disposal must be used to
that end. Families should also have financial security. That means having an adequate income that meets
material needs and enables participation in society, an income that is secure and reliable, ensures costs for
essentials are manageable, families are supported to manage shocks to their income and have autonomy to
make their own financial decisions.14 Experiencing poverty means living on a low income, so we must
see a cash first response for families now and in the long-term. This must include targeted support for
children and those who care for them. Families need predictable, consistent, and sustainable incomes.
Where any level of government can do more to loosen the grip of poverty then it must. We can end child
poverty – for good.
Manifesto against climate change
17/11/2007 | English | Otras versiones:

Castellano

The Earth's climate is changing. The effects of the global increase of temperature are already
evident all over the planet, and are even worst than what scientific community foresaw in the
beginning. There are no doubts: climate change is, nowadays, the biggest environmental problem
that the humanity faces this century.

Human activities are the main cause of the increase of greenhouse gas concentration in the
atmosphere. CO2 is the main responsible for climate change, and it is originated mainly by the
burn of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) to produce energy and for the transport that the
industrialised countries» current development model maintains, and that is being adopted as
reference by many countries.

The latest reports presented by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that, if
we do not take actions soon and decisively, climate change will have very serious effects on the
basic elements that support human life all over the world and will also have serious economic
repercussions, causing a massive extinction of species, the spreading of illnesses that were
relegated to tropical zones, serious sea-level rises and a biggest risk and intensity of droughts,
heat waves, floods and hurricanes. Those impacts will fall, in a more pressing and
disproportionate way, on the most impoverished countries and the less favoured populations,
increasing even more the inequalities with regard to health, the risk of suffering from famine, the
access to drinking water and other resources essential to its survival.

Spain is also highly vulnerable to the climate change impacts. The last century, its average
temperature increased twice as much as the global average, and its circumstances are already
been perceptible: more frequent heat waves and droughts, drastic reduction of its glaciers
extension, severe agricultural losses or changes in tourism and biodiversity. However,
paradoxically, it keeps being the country with fewer possibilities to fulfil its Kyoto Protocol
commitments.

For all this, we, the undersigned environmental, local and consumer associations, trade unions,
civic platforms, social and development organisations, call to all private and public institutions to
adopt active, coordinated, effective and urgent policies to stop greenhouse gas emissions. We ask
 all of them to assume its responsibility to revert this serious environmental threat. In this sense,
we ask them to urgently tackle the following actions, among others:

 To adopt ambitious CO2 emissions reduction targets of 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050, in the
industrialised countries.

 To strongly support saving, energy efficiency and renewable energies, by replacing the use of
fossil and nuclear fuels and by avoiding the construction of new power plants and refineries of
this kind.

 To pass a green fiscal reform, that taxes dirty energies and recognises the real social and
environmental cost of conventional energies and the current production and consume model.

 To increase and improve the quality of aids to mitigate and prevent the effects of climate change
in the impoverished countries and to favour more fair trade rules.

 To strengthen the protection of the natural resources that are being more affected by climate
change.
Manifesto for the Protection of Anti-Corruption Officials

The Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group (ACTWG) recognizes the important role of anti-
corruption officials in the detection, investigation, prosecution and prevention of corrupt activities. The
ACTWG thus issues this collective call to APEC Member-Economies to take all measures necessary to
protect anti-corruption officials at the domestic and international fronts. Looking back at past and recent
events, ACTWG reflects on the delicate and dangerous situations that those actively involved in the fight
against corruption are faced with especially in the Asia Pacific region. The ACTWG further calls on
Member-Economies to offer adequate protection to anticorruption officials and ensure that thorough
investigations are undertaken in acts of violence against them and that the full force of the law is
implemented on perpetrators. MemberEconomies must fulfill the duty incumbent upon them to prevent
crimes and unlawful harassment against these anti-corruption officials and see to it that they are able to
operate in a secure and independent environment that respect the rule of law. Finally, the ACTWG
expresses its solidarity with anti-corruption officials who have demonstrated admirable courage and
unwavering determination by taking action against corrupt practices. It urges APEC leaders to exert more
pressure on their respective governments to support their work in the fight against corruption.
My Personal Manifesto

Joann Farrell QuinnJoann Farrell Quinn

Author, faculty, researcher, and speaker focused on emotional intelligence and leadership

Published Nov 15, 2017

“I believe that we all deserve an opportunity to accomplish our goals, and sometimes we might need to
create that opportunity. I believe that we should be grateful for our experiences, opportunities and those
who support us. I believe we should all strive to be mindful—to be present in the moment with ourselves
and with others, and not be afraid to pause to reset when needed. I believe we should focus on good and
acceptance and understanding, especially where we differ from others.

I believe in seeking the balance that is needed between work and play and putting yourself first, and your
family (and friends that feel like family) as a close second. I believe that inspiration and influence can be
found in unexpected places and in subtle ways and we must be prepared for them.

I believe we need to always have an eye where we are going, actively reflect upon how we are going to
get there and where we came from, and keep hope in our life every day, week and month of the year. I
believe we should recognize when enough is enough with anything.

I believe that everyone should work hard and put forth their best, as we are only as good as our integrity. I
believe that life is not truly being lived without failure and that we must take what we can from those
failures and incorporate that new knowledge into our future choices.

I believe that living outside of our comfort zone is a good thing and that the best of ourselves comes out
when we push ourselves beyond that point. I believe that happiness should be a goal, defining happiness
is up to the individual, and to allow ourselves to just be happy is the greatest gift we can give ourselves.”
Youth #ForNature to #StopTheSame MANIFESTO

How we see the world

Nature is our home, our food, our comfort, our culture, our health, our medicine, our safety, our
recreation, and our inspiration – it is our life support system. To care for ourselves we must care for
nature. But every day we are stretching the limit of this fabric of life.

Recent scientific and economic reports are raising alarm bells on the degradation of nature. 75% of the
land, 66% of oceans, and 85% of wetlands have been negatively altered by human activity. 1 million
species are facing extinction, many within decades. We are at an existential crossroads — by acting
urgently, now, we can prevent biodiversity, climate, and environmental collapse. Now, more than ever,
nature needs us to pay attention to its warning signs:

In our own economic system: the UNSUSTAINABLE way we extract, produce, consume, and dispose of
things, and the UNEQUAL way the benefits and damages of all these economic activities are distributed.
In our current values and principles that underpin this system, driving unlimited production, unlimited
profit, and unlimited growth which is incompatible with our limited planet. We, the youth, say ‘Enough!’
Enough of behaviour that is harmful to nature. Enough of short-term, quick-fixes that do not address our
deep, systemic societal and environmental struggles.

Nature is our home, our food, our comfort, our culture, our health, our medicine, our safety, our
recreation, and our inspiration – it is our life support system. To care for ourselves we must care for
nature. But every day we are stretching the limit of this fabric of life.

Recent scientific and economic reports are raising alarm bells on the degradation of nature. 75% of the
land, 66% of oceans, and 85% of wetlands have been negatively altered by human activity. 1 million
species are facing extinction, many within decades. We are at an existential crossroads — by acting
urgently, now, we can prevent biodiversity, climate, and environmental collapse. Now, more than ever,
nature needs us to pay attention to its warning signs:
In our own economic system: the UNSUSTAINABLE way we extract, produce, consume, and dispose of
things, and the UNEQUAL way the benefits and damages of all these economic activities are distributed.
In our current values and principles that underpin this system, driving unlimited production, unlimited
profit, and unlimited growth which is incompatible with our limited planet. We, the youth, say ‘Enough!’
Enough of behaviour that is harmful to nature. Enough of short-term, quick-fixes that do not address our
deep, systemic societal and environmental struggles.

A roadmap on how we can build back better. Join us!

Introduction

Today, on International Youth Day 2020, we launch this Open Letter. This Letter outlines priorities that
young people feel must be addressed to set humanity on course for achieving the 2050 vision of “living in
harmony with nature”, agreed by world leaders in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This
letter is part of the Youth #ForNature Initiative led by United Nations Major Group for Children and
Youth (UNMGCY) and linked youth constituencies – UNEP MGCY (Global Youth for Environment),
Global Youth Biodiversity Network, UNCCD Global Youth Caucus, and YOUNGO (Youth for Climate),
including youth movements such as Youth for Our Planet and organizations operating at local, national,
regional, and global levels, with communication and outreach support from UNEP, UNDP, CBD
Secretariat and WWF.

This initiative aims to galvanize greater commitment, ambition, and accountability from our global
leaders in the lead up to the UN General Assembly Biodiversity Summit, UN Environment Assembly
(UNEA)-5, CBD COP15 and Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP26. We would like to deliver a clear
message that we must put nature at the heart of all decision-making processes, drive ambition for
transformative change, and build on tangible steps towards the necessary policy reform and an
accountable Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
We intend to build and deliver this Open Letter to our leaders, including to the United Nations Secretary-
General, at all of the high level global convenings mentioned above.

Preamble

The world has set the years 2020 and 2021 to be Super Years for Nature—years when the world
strengthens its collective commitment towards transformation; to reconnect with nature and to live within
it.

Today, in 2020, we face a crisis with no precedents. As the world faces a pandemic which is but one
symptom of the chronic biodiversity and climate crises that have been pushed to the side for too long, it
has become very clear that we can no longer continue as we have been.

We must urgently take concerted, courageous, and truly transformative actions towards repairing the
fabric of life on Earth and our relationship with it. We face the decline of biodiversity at rates faster than
at any time in human history, and no less the existence and well-being of the whole of humanity is at
stake. The ecological and climate crises confronting us deeply undermine the achievement of all
Sustainable Development Goals which all UN member states have pledged to achieve by 2030. As the
fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook has also concluded, there is an alarming gap between the
level of ambition of our targets and the implementation on the ground. We have no other option but to
take urgent collective action to transform our economic, social, political and technological systems and
reprioritize towards a shared future—one that does not benefit only the privileged few.

At this crucial time, the world’s youth are standing together #ForNature. We have the right to a healthy
and flourishing environment and a future in peace and equity, yet face the burden of shouldering many of
the long-term consequences of ecological collapse. We cannot wait any longer. We urge world leaders to
take immediate and inclusive decisions to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies, and to
continue building upon the work that is already being done to this end.
We, young people, representing different causes, constituencies, social backgrounds, ethnicities, genders,
geographies, and languages, from local, regional to global levels, are coming together to call for
unprecedented action with and for Nature.

As COVID-19 continues to strike our health, our livelihoods and our future, we are reaching the very
same conclusion: we must no longer settle for short-term, quick-fixes and shallow solutions to deep
societal struggles. Those in power must immediately mobilise efforts and resources to transform unjust
and unsustainable systems.

We call for unprecedented action #ForNature and demand that our leaders and decision-makers recognize
that:

Nature is our home and the very basis of our survival and well-being. It has not only provided us air,
food, and water but also comfort, culture, health, safety, and inspiration. Biodiversity is the very essence
of our life support system that connects us and keeps us all alive.

We must recreate economic models to ensure a mutually enriching relationship between humanity and the
whole of Nature. The recent IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
exposed, clearer than ever before, the relationship of the ecological and climate crisis with the underlying
inequality and asymmetries that shape our economy and society.

There is a need for the intersectional pursuit of justice. Many of the world’s biggest problems stem from
systemic inequalities with historical roots that continue to the present. These can only be solved through
the unwavering pursuit of social justice. While pandemics, natural hazards, and environmental
degradation can affect anyone indiscriminately, they do not affect everyone equally. These cause
enormous setbacks, deepening pre-existing inequalities and exposing vulnerabilities in social, political
and economic systems. The dramatic erosion of Human Rights during crises calls for a course correction
in global politics
Intergenerational inequalities continue. Our generation is starting to and will in the future face the biggest
impacts of the current biodiversity crisis. Despite this, we remain marginalized, unrecognized, and
underrepresented in decision-making spaces and lack support and resources to work on appropriate
solutions.

Indigenous Peoples and local communities around the world have stewarded nature for generations —
while approximately 5 per cent of the world’s population, they are custodians to as much as 80 per cent of
its biodiversity. Therefore, they are on the frontline of our chances for success in caring for and defending
our natural assets. Their rights to land, territories, resources and to self-determination must be
uncompromisingly upheld.

We demand that our world leaders and decision makers:

1. Declare a Planetary Emergency

Address the severity of the ecological crisis, the necessity to act now, and urge all people to recognize the
biodiversity and climate crises are inextricably linked. The crises have their origin in our mainstream
values and priorities, which are shaping a system that pushes for unlimited and unequitable extraction,
production, consumption and disposal and completely undermines the capacity of our planet to support us
all. If we don’t invest in nature and build a green and sustainable recovery without taking short cuts, we
will jeopardize future benefits from nature and potentially drive us to future pandemics.

2. Change in values, priorities and behaviours

We call for a real transformative change – we call on the whole of society to realign our priorities, values,
behaviours and actions. We urge all governments, the private sector, financial institutions, civil society,
academia and all other people in a position of power to reinvent our systems equitably, and sustainably.

3. Develop strategies for effective biodiversity conservation, restoration, and sustainable use

A healthy and sustainable environment is the foundation of an equitable, functioning society and the basis
for prosperity, well-being, security, and stability of human and animal life. We must implement global,
national and subnational policies on the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of
ecosystems, landscapes, and seascapes, including building cities with nature, through locally adapted,
resource-efficient, and just systemic interventions. These must be based on the precautionary principle
and follow a global mitigation hierarchy for nature conservation.

In this context we are urging governments to fully utilise the opportunity presented by the UN Decade on
Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of our ecosystems and
the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in order to build a clear pathway to achieve a world in
harmony with nature.

4. Adopt bold, ambitious and binding environmental global goals

Preventing and reducing pollution, including marine and plastic pollution, reversing forest loss, ensuring
water security, halting and preventing the loss of biodiversity, restoring damaged ecosystems, reaching
land degradation neutrality, are all necessary to combat the environmental crisis and reduce disaster risk.

5. Guarantee rights-based approaches

Human Rights are not separated from Nature Rights and the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crisis
requires a just response centered on human rights, equity, and justice. To succeed, global agreements
must defend human rights, protect environmental defenders, recognize nature’s intrinsic value, and hold
governments and corporations accountable for activities that degrade natural systems or infringe on
peoples’ rights to a safe and healthy environment.

6. Improve participation in environmental governance mechanisms

We must adopt participatory, bottom-up, and inclusive approaches to ensure the voices, wisdom, and
experience of Indigenous peoples and local communities, women, and youth are genuinely included. We
must designate spaces for their political participation and support their initiatives via inclusive financial
schemes. We must also support those on the frontlines who are most vulnerable to environmental
disasters so they ca be empowered and more resilient to address issues of poverty, inequality,
racial/gender discrimination, justice, and human rights

7. Create transformative education

As youth, we believe that a crucial way to achieve Transformative Change is through integrating
Transformative Education on biodiversity, climate change, sustainability and cultural heritage in school
curricula at all levels and promoting it in formal, non-formal and informal education; as well as by
fostering intergenerational learning and interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange. If we better
understand the vast and exciting opportunities that focus on climate education and green jobs, we can
foster a new generation of leaders.

8. Ensure Intergenerational Equity

Beyond the need to achieve equity within generations, actions on sustainability must be based on the
principle of Intergenerational Equity, reflecting justice between generations. We must respect future
generations’ right to a safe, clean, and healthy environment, the same right that we are all entitled to
today.

There is a need to move beyond a tokenistic view of participation toward taking more proactive steps in
ensuring all generations are meaningfully and equally engaged in policy development and formulation so
that intersectional and intergenerational equity can be achieved.

9. Ensure gender-responsiveness

Gender inequalities need to be addressed and eradicated, by fully recognizing women and girls’
contributions and roles in nature conservation and sustainable use; as well as guaranteeing women and
girls rights to land, to health, to a life free of violence, and to full and effective participation in decision-
making processes.

10. Ensure responsible Private Sector involvement

The private sector must take greater responsibility for the power they concentrate and for how their
operations and supply chains can impact the environment and our society. They must reform their
activities to end destructive practices on all levels and processes, from extraction to disposal, to
incorporate more sustainable and nature-friendly practices, as well as increase financial support to
initiatives promoting sustainable lifestyles and the safeguarding of climate and biodiversity.

11. Strong means of implementation and enabling conditions

New global commitments cannot be achieved without strong and long-term political will, strict
compliance mechanisms and appropriate and measurable means of implementation in place such as
targeted capacity-building on all levels, resource mobilization, strategic divestment, elimination of
perverse subsidies and a complete reform of subsidies harmful to both climate and biodiversity.

We urge governments to strengthen institutions, to increase efforts to fight corruption and to boost
contributions to multilateral financial mechanisms, including the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation
Fund, and the Global Environmental Facility, among others, and to also significantly increase domestic
resources.

12. Reform the System of Environmental Governance

Lead an inclusive and just path to Stockholm+50, which addresses gaps in environmental governance and
where a system which is more inclusive by design is built and moves beyond silo-ed approaches in
tackling the planetary crisis.

This Open Letter acknowledges previous calls to action, including global leaders’ renewed efforts and
commitments to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, to support a healthy recovery from the
pandemic in building back better and with nature; and the urgency to acknowledge and address the
growing Climate and Biodiversity emergencies.

This letter has been developed by UNEP MGCY (Global Youth for Environment), Global Youth
Biodiversity Network, UNCCD Global Youth Caucus, YOUNGO (Youth for Climate) and Youth for Our
Planet with communication and outreach support from UNEP, UNDP, CBD Secretariat and WWF and is
based on consultations carried out by UNEP MGCY on Ecosystem Restoration and GYBN on the Post-
2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and on the position papers listed below:

1. GYBN Position Paper on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

2. Youth Paper on UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

3. Youth Sectoral Paper to the 2020 High Level Political Forum

4. UNEP MGCY Position Paper on Stockholm+50

5. African Youth Declaration on Nature

6. Youth for Our Planet’s demands for world leaders in 2020

7. WHO Manifesto for a Healthy and Green Recovery

We are calling upon individuals and organisations to show their support for the Youth #ForNature
Manifesto and Open Letter.
Minsan ba natanong mo na ang Diyos kung napapangiti mo pa Siya?
Madalas kasi tayong mga tao after tayo lagi sa mga bagay na mag papasaya sa atin.
Sa mga prayers natin puro:
"Lord, gusto ko nito sana ibigay mo na"
"Lord, sana matanggap ako sa trabaho"
"Lord, sana makapasa ako sa exam"
"Lord, sana siya na po"
Kung mapapansin mo lahat ay after sa kaligayahan mo. Pero wait, hindi ko sinasabing mali ang mga
ito -- there's nothing wrong with that okay.
Pero minsan ba sumagi na sa isip mo na sabihin sa Panginoon ang mga bagay na ito?
"Lord, doon ako sa gusto at will Mo sa buhay ko"
"Lord, susunod ako sa lahat ng sasabihin Mo"
"Lord, gusto kita mapangiti. Kaya do whatever you want in my life"
I guess hindi lahat ganito ang panalangin. But I hope dumating ka sa point ng buhay mo na gusto mo
naman mapasaya at mapangiti ang Panginoon.
Sa dami ng ginawa ng Diyos sa atin, sana gustuhin mo naman na mapangiti Siya. Sana gustuhin natin
ang mga bagay na gusto Niya para sa atin.
You know what, He's not KJ. Sa totoo lang gustong-gusto ng Diyos na makita kang masaya. Pero
sana gustuhin mo rin mapasaya Siya.
Hindi naman kailangan bongga. Yung umupo ka lang at mag bigay ng oras sa Kaniya, for Him
ENOUGH na yun. Makasama ka lang Niya kahit ilang minuto o kahit isang oras masayang-masaya
na Siya. Buksan mo lang ang Bible mo, basahin at aralin ito masayang-masaya na Siya.
Hindi kailangan ni Lord ng matitinding gift or efforts to make Him smile.
Ang nais ng Diyos ay simple lang:
- Oras mo at puso mo.
Yung kahit sobrang busy ka pero nag bigay ka ng oras sa Kaniya believe me, NAPANGITI MO
ANG DIYOS non.
At alam mo ang pinaka the best sa Panginoon kapag ginawa mo ito, pasasayahin ka rin Niya. Yung
joy na sa Kaniya mo lang matatagpuan.
Kapatid, iba kapag napangiti mo ang Diyos.
Iba kapag na-please mo Siya. Iba kapag sumunod at nakinig ka sa Kaniya. I-B-A, Dahil iba rin Siya
mag pasaya.
Kaya sana at the end of the day ang maging goal mo ay MAPANGITI ang Panginoon. :))
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"Lord? Napapangiti pa ba kita? Kasi kung hindi na IBALIK MO AKO sa umpisa. Mas gugustuhin
kong bumalik sa umpisa kaysa mag patuloy ng hindi kana napapasaya"
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Note: This post is not about doing good works to please God. Because we, as humans, are incapable
of doing so. It's only through the finished work of Jesus Christ. This is just about desiring to make
him happy because of his goodness and faithfulness in our lives. May gawin ka man o wala, hindi
mag babago ang pag-ibig ng Diyos sayo dahil sa ginawa ni Kristo sa cross. But God appreciates you
when you desire to make Him happy (because again, you experience His goodness and faithfulness)

God bless. Shalom.