Weekly Action - 19 September 2024 - Summit of the Future
Take action for progress on green and fair economies at the Summit of the Future.
Summit of the Future
This week on Sunday 22 and Monday 23 September, world leaders will be at the UN in New York for the first ever Summit of the Future. This international gathering, part of this year’s UN General Assembly, is an initiative of the UN Secretary General to reinvigorate the commitment of the nations of the world to come together and find common solutions to common problems. It takes place in the face of growing international tensions over Ukraine, Gaza and other conflicts; growing social tension within and between nations and communities; and the failure to take enough action at scale to tackle global problems like climate change and global poverty. The summit will focus on peace, security, human rights and sustainable development. The summit will adopt a Pact for the Future to reaffirm commitments and speed up delivery on existing core agreements such as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Goals.
4 Shifts economics
Amongst the key issues that the summit will consider are the issues of climate change, circular economy, economic development of low-income nations and tax cooperation between nations. These are all key asks of Arise’s 4 Shifts Campaign, which looks at the teaching of the Bible, and examines the lessons from history, to see how we can develop a green and fair global economy fit for the twenty-first century, that creates the jobs and wealth that lift people out of poverty, but does so without relying on fossil fuels and overconsumption which is wrecking our planet. Arise’s 4 Shifts Report finds that 4 essential shifts are needed. 1) Nations need to develop strong and fair national economies to create jobs and wealth. 2) They can then tax these to provide social spending and basic services like healthcare and education, to ensure all benefit, not just the richest in society. 3) Going forward these economies need to be powered by 100% clean renewable energy to avoid global climate change. 4) They also need to be circular economies that reuse precious natural resources rather than overconsume and dump them. In all four of these areas we need to see progress not just in individual nations like the UK, but also in making agreements between nations to cover each of these areas at the international level. These are precisely the kinds of crucial areas which are too big for any individual nation to solve by itself, but where nations can come together through global agreements and take united action of the kind planned at the Summit of the Future.
Take Action
Speak out in advocacy
Contact Prime Minister Keir Starmer via social media. Share the link to the 4 Shifts Report with him. Ask him to promote 4 Shifts economic policies in all his actions at home as Prime Minister, and to instruct his ministers and representatives to do the same when they attend the Summit of the Future and in all international negotiations. Contact him on Twitter at: @Keir_Starmer, on Facebook at: Keir Starmer, on Instagram at: @keirstarmer, or search for him on your favourite social media platform.
Pray
Pray for the UK government and the other governments of the world as they face turbulent economic, social and environmental challenges. Pray that they will adopt approaches like 4 Shifts economics as they respond to these challenges, both in their policies at home and in international agreements.
Give
Give to Christian organisations like CAP or the Trussell Trust who are supporting those living in poverty in the UK who are being failed by our current broken economic system, and to organisations like Christian Aid, Cafod, Tearfund or World Vision who are doing the same for the poorest communities in countries all around the world.
Practical Action
Spread the message further by getting in touch with us at info@ariseuk.org and requesting a speaker from Arise to come and give a talk in your church.
Ethical Consumption
Buy products and services from companies that are already modelling 4 Shifts principles of care for the environment, supporting the poorest and reducing inequality, like those with the Fairtrade or Living Wage marks.
Find out more
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Arise Manifesto – Find out more about this week’s action in the Arise Manifesto, Arise’s big picture, researched, Biblical, holistic and practical vision for a better world.
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