2 Days to go until GCF line up / 1000 Days Since Girls Education Banned in Afghanistan / Remembering the Lancastria Tragedy
A lot of key milestones, some good and some challenging. Stay tuned for the latest updates!
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Happy Father's Day to all the dads celebrating today, whether in the US or elsewhere that marks the occasion today! This is my first Father's Day as a dad, and I'm incredibly grateful for this gift from our almost 7-month-old Miki, pictured below.
In other news, we're just two days away from the announcement of this year's lineup for the Global Citizen Festival, so stay tuned on GC’s social media handles or register here to be amongst the first to get the news! With the failure of the recent G7 meetings in Italy, (check out analysis here), this year’s campaign will galvanize citizens to redouble our collective efforts to Defeat Poverty, Defend the Planet and Demand Equity.
Lastly, the wise algorithms of Amazon (however they operate!) have further slashed the price of my new book, From Ideas to Impact, to just $21.70 USD. Plus, if you purchase two copies, you'll get the second one at 50% off. As always, I appreciate all the feedback I've been receiving, including this insightful review from Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta who shared her top 5 takeaways recently for Storyboard18.
This coming Monday, June 17th, marks the 84th anniversary of the sinking of the Lancastria, the largest loss of life in English maritime history. This event holds personal significance for me, as my grand-uncle Colin was among those onboard. Last year, I shared my journey of discovering his story in a podcast, which you can listen to here. You can also read my piece in the US Naval Institute magazine here.
Despite the passage of time, the relatives of those affected continue to connect and share their stories. Recently, I received an email from someone in Canada that deeply moved me:
"I just read your piece about trying to find information about your grand uncle Colin. My father witnessed the sinking of the Lancastria and told me about their efforts to save some of those thrown into the water. He was on a coal boat waiting for nightfall to leave for England and was standing on deck when a German plane flew over and dropped a bomb down the funnel of the Lancastria. I think witnessing such an event stayed vividly in his mind for the rest of his life."
#AfghanGirlsVoices Global Campaign
We are reaching a dark time in women's history. This past Friday marked 1,000 days since Afghani women and girls were officially banned from secondary and tertiary education - an unacceptable denial of their inherent human right to education. Global Citizen has been joining Education Cannot Wait and their #AfghanGirlsVoices campaign in uplifting the voices of Afghan girls and women in condemning the violators of their rights. "Global Citizen stands with Afghan girls and young women, who must not be denied access to education. When women and girls obtain a proper education, it benefits us all. We must ensure this right is restored now." Check out this short video as my contribution to the campaign. This is not about awareness raising. Global citizens have been vigorously advocating for their governments to support Education Cannot Wait, an organization that provides essential funding for education programs in challenging circumstances.
Support Youth Empowerment in Global Decision-making
We are experiencing ongoing conflicts, rising geopolitical tensions and increasing uncertainty. To address these issues and in order to push decision-makers to do the right thing and to hold them accountable for their actions, we must continue to empower youth, not only to raise their voices but also to have a say in those decision making processes. However, we all know how underrepresented young people are, in parliaments, governments and even when it comes to voting. That is why Global Citizen is working with the UN Office on Youth Affairs to call for more and better participation for young people. Ahead of this September’s Summit For The Future GC wants to see better participation and better results for young people, and it supports the Let Youth Lead global campaign, including via the latest Global Action (which I hope you can all take and help us amplify) to gather as many voices as possible join its open letter and ramp up the pressure for young people to be finally allowed to have a proper say in all matters affecting them!
Social Justice Coalition
Social Justice is essential to ending extreme poverty, to achieving equity and to nailing down climate action ensuring just transitions for all. In this vein, since this year Global Citizen is a proud member of the Coalition for Social Justice, led by the International Labor Organization and its current Director General and long-time Global Citizen ally, Gilbert Houngo, and this week in Geneva GC were thrilled to participate in its inaugural launch forum. Within the framework of the Coalition, GC is currently working with ILO in ways we can not only amplify, but more importantly, push Governments, employers and workers organizations to boost social justice action and really move the needle in concrete terms, from living wages, to tackling the worst forms of child labor. The coalition already has garnered a wide array of Members, many of whom are partners of GC’s. Stay tuned for more developments over the coming months!
Book Tour Update
This past week I was thrilled to share insights from my new book, From Ideas To Impact, at #DES2024 this week! We explored whether ethics in business is no longer a "nice to have" and the implications of AI, social media, algorithms, and misinformation. One key takeaway was that business and technology entrepreneurship require a strong interest in policy to be truly beneficial and impactful for society. This aligns perfectly with the themes of my new book, where I delve into these topics in depth.
I also recommend the "Never Too Far Gone" podcast's new 8-part series inspired by my book. Launched last month, it explores the question: "Is Policy the Best Lever for Change?" Finally, From Ideas to Impact was spotted in a bookstore in Carlton, Melbourne this past week. Let me if you see it around the place!
My Weekend Reading List
Japanese Government Decides 1st Policy on Partnership with Global South
New Alliance Promotes Gender-Responsive Recovery Efforts in Ukraine
As always, if you’re enjoying the weekly newsletter format, and want even more, you can subscribe to my Substack here where I publish reviews, lists, and articles regularly.
Til next week,
Mick
PS this coming week is Refugee Week and I was sent this action kit and campaign brochure from a fellow campaigner for those looking for ways they can support!