Case for change
Even though we have the resources to alleviate it, everywhere suffering persists. This page details the problems our world faces - and why we badly need change.
Poverty
1 in 10 are living in extreme poverty (on less than $2.15 per day)
The average income of people living in North America is 16 times higher than that of people in sub-Saharan Africa
Hunger
Each day, 828 million people go to bed hungry and 10,000 children die of starvation.
Gender inequality
1 in 3 women experience domestic violence.
2.4 billion do not have the same economic rights as men.
Racial inequality
Extreme inequality levels can be found among nations which historically experienced white settlers’ colonization and extreme forms of racial injustices (such as South Africa).
In America the median black family owns 13% of the wealth of the median white family
LGBT discrimination
69 countries have laws which make it illegal to be gay.
In 6 UN member States, the death penalty is the legally prescribed punishment for consensual same-sex sexual acts.
Democracy
The latest Democracy Index shows that, globally, democracy is in retreat.
Climate Crisis
Climate change has already caused irreversible loss of ecosystems.
It is disrupting food supplies and will likely lead to increased malnutrition and starvation.
Extreme weather is posing a considerable threat to human and environmental health and increasing the risk of flooding and drought.
The latest UN reports state that the world is extremely close to irreversible climate breakdown.
Water
1 in 4 do not have access to clean drinking water.
Over the past 300 years, over 85 per cent of the planet’s wetlands have been lost.
Education
Over 600 million children and adolescents worldwide are unable to attain minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics, even though two thirds of them are in school.
Two in three school-aged children do not have internet connection in their homes.
Access to healthcare
Half the world lacks access to basic healthcare.
100 million people are pushed into poverty every year by the cost of health treatment.
Biodiversity
41,000 species are under threat of extinction including the black rhino, mountain gorillas, and the African jungle elephant.