Avaaz activists take part in a climate change protest. Photo: Toni Albir/EPAThere are many disturbing trends in this modern era of globalization, particularly the ease which companies can operate, and the banks move money around, apparently without any democratic parameters of Nations or an international community, which is struggling to keep pace with the rapid liberalisation context. But I have never been part of the movement "anti-globalisation", because there are so many positive aspects of globalization.
The most important are those that are related to the incredible improvements in communication, the world witnessed in the last two or three decades, largely down to the Internet. If Governments and UN fails to hold excesses of private capital and corruption in check, could these new global society to be an important part of the answer.
Some in the United Kingdom would select Michael Buerk broadcast on the famine in Ethiopia as a turning point in their consciousness, but there are many other examples of when people in one part of the world realize the suffering and injustice thousands of miles away is concern them when we cared. Whereas only about the poor and homeless in our own villages, the world is now our village.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in a internet campaigns phenomenon who, in the course of four years has announced a new vision for what kind of world COMMUNITY is possible: Avaaz. When my cousin forwarded me an email from the organization around a year ago, I clicked in support of campaigns, ranging from the ban on cluster munitions, stopping by a woman, be stoned to death in Iran, the protection of the seas and this week, calls on chocolate companies to boycott Ivory Coast until Laurent Gbagbo steps. So I have been busy.
But not busy. The beauty of Avaaz is, of course, how easy it is-you simply click on your support and within days 800 000 people call on the United States and the EUROPEAN UNION to ban a pesticide, you have probably never heard of, but which killer bees, and thus threaten the ecosystem.
Some have criticized this kind of "clicktivism", claiming that it is a shallow form of protest, compared with skakten hands of demonstrators the famous campaigns of the last century. But it is not an either/or situation. All campaigns Avaaz supports depends on firmly committed defenders of their heart, documentation and credibility. But Avaaz gives me and its 6.5 million members worldwide the chance to say we care and. Imagine how much more effective campaigns would have been in the past with this ability to mobilize national, regional or global Pres. Apartheid, Viet Nam, women's rights.
ECPAT is a small British charity fighting for human trafficking and abuse of children. Last year, Avaaz has decided to give a boost to Ecpats pioneering work by focusing on the Hilton hotel chain refuses to sign a code of conduct fundamentals for the training of its staff to complete possible abuse in its hotels. Rather than deliver the petition to the company's headquarters, Avaaz, announced that it would put up billboards in CEO – boldly linking professional responsibility for a solid business with personal responsibility as a member of the human race's home city. Risky, but it worked. One week and 310 000 signatures later, promised to sign the Hilton Group (before billboards went up).
Last year the Brazilian Congress voted on a measure to bar politicians convicted of corruption from standing for office. Most trøde that the vote would fail, like so many of those in Congress itself was corrupted (estimated at 25%). But in the biggest internet campaign in Brazilian history, 2 million people signed a petition supporting the legislation. Passed.
These and many other successes could make a real difference for millions of people. Attractive on the exercises in this manner is that it combines surprising perspectives (not the same old problems) with a sharp understanding of reality in politics. Common theme is ødelæggelsesmaskine in power – one of my favorites was a campaign against Murdoch press takes more of a monopoly grip of British media. This is not about to give, it is about participating. While charity fatigue is a well-known phenomenon, I have not yet encountered solidarity fatigue.
Some have suggested in an age of "accountability", to the small team running Avaaz and send us his latest campaign nifty is rampant. But the key to success is precisely Avåzs its accountability model, one that some of the traditional non-governmental organisations (who will be pleased and more than a little envy as you see this phenomenon) may want to copy. Each potential campaign are trialled on a sample of a few thousand members, before it goes live. If there is low spread, are interrupted. Avaaz reacts to its members, as much as it informs and leads them.
One funky gimmick Avaaz has allows you to see the names of the signatories, which supports a particular campaign. "Jane from Canada, Nikolay from India, Colin from Wales". I have wasted plenty of time to look at these names, as they roll, strangers in another part of the planet demonstrate that they care about things I care about. In real time. In my mind, I think: "Nice one, Jane, nice one Anonymous." Like the neighbourhood watch group operates in my street makes Avaaz you realize that there is a global Community calls for Justice and common sense in our globalising village.
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