RESTORE HOPE — Saving Humanity & Planet Earth

Last year, Professor Richard Falk, Dr Chandra Muzaffar and I, after much discussion and consultation, concluded that our troubled times call for a new, bold global initiative.

We first put out a call last August To All Who Care about Humanity's and the Planet's Future. The opening sentence reads:

Humanity has reached a tipping point. It is time for governments, international institutions and people everywhere to take stock and act with renewed urgency.

The call was endorsed by 45 distinguished intellectuals and practitioners and has since received some 4,000 endorsements. You can access details of the call and the inspiring webinars that have followed at our newly created website.

We have since named the initiative Saving Humanity and Planet Earth (SHAPE). There is much that we can and must now do. Our plans include:

THE CALL: The aim is to publicise it widely and reach 5,000 endorsements by the end of April. You can endorse the call here.

WEBSITE: We have created a new website, but much work has to go into maintaining and developing it as a hub for news, analysis, and exchange of ideas and proposals, as well as audio-visual and other resources. Please visit website here.

WEBINARS: We are planning several more webinars that connect people and issues as one of our primary mobilisation tools. The aim is to establish the connections between the many crises we face: geopolitical rivalries, resistance to various forms of oppression, climate change, loss of biodiversity, pandemics, educational systems that are not fit for purpose, media that misinform and trivialise, and much else.

PUBLICATIONS / MEDIA INTERVENTIONS that inform, raise the level of public awareness, enthuse and energise.

ACTIVE COLLABORATION with a range of projects, networks and organisations whose agendas and philosophies align with ours, with a view to widening the reach and impact of our common efforts.

ESTABLISHMENT OF A CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL that will enable SHAPE to call on the knowledge, insights and contacts of intellectuals and practitioners representing diverse cultural, professional and generational backgrounds. The aim is to create a melting pot of innovative ideas and initiatives that can begin to cut through the morass of current political discourse.

WORKING GROUPS & SKILLING WORKSHOPS: If SHAPE is to make headway, it will need to generate a wide pool of committed volunteers working on different aspects of our program. This will require organisational skills and the tools to ensure effective communication and networking.

To get this ambitious international program under way funds are urgently needed.

We have to pay for the communication tools (both software and hardware), access to a range of services, venue and equipment hire, at least part-time employment of people with relevant skills, and, where necessary, some limited forms of advertising.

We have in mind, in due course, applying to philanthropic bodies for one or two grants., But such applications take time and there is no guarantee of early success.

In the meantime, we have to rely on the goodwill of our supporters. Please contribute as generously as you can to this appeal, and encourage others to do likewise.

Together we can rise to the challenge of our times.