Happy Monday 👋

Did you know that more than 50 million people globally are still living in slavery?

And this is just one of the many human rights violations faced by people today, particularly in underdeveloped countries…

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a landmark document that improved our perception and action towards equality around the world. Yet, there is much more to be done.

So, today, I want to share an event with you that raises awareness of fundamental human rights and fights to ensure that everyone is free to live their lives as they wish without prejudice or coercion.

Here are the impactful insights that I have for you today:

• How to stand up for human rights 🫶
• Enabling gardeners to donate produce, collecting ocean plastics, and helping families access books 💚
• The world’s largest court case on climate change 🧑‍⚖️
• The seaweed that can reduce the methane emissions of livestock 🐮
• And more… 💚

🫶 Event of the Week: Human Rights Day

👉 Did you know that tomorrow (December 10) is Human Rights Day? This event was founded as a global celebration to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and advocate for equality around the world. 

1️⃣ The big picture: Human Rights Day was founded in 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly to celebrate the progress we have made toward equality and raise awareness of what still needs to change. The date of December 10 was chosen to commemorate the day in 1948 when the UN’s General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is a common standard of achievements for all people and nations. It is widely regarded as having inspired the adoption of more than 70 human rights treaties applied on a permanent basis across global and regional levels. 

2️⃣ Why is this important: The world is facing a myriad of challenges, most often as a result of human rights violations in underserved and at-risk communities. For example, a record 100 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes, while 50 million people are currently living in modern slavery. Also, in 2023 alone, there were 3,420 death sentences in 48 countries, especially in China, Yemen, and Egypt. What’s more, defending the fundamental freedoms of others can be deadly, as there were 320 fatal attacks recorded against human rights protectors and trade unionists across 35 countries during recent years. 

3️⃣ How can you get involved: You can get involved in Human Rights Day by protecting the rights of vulnerable people in your own community, learning more about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or promoting the importance of human rights on social media by using hashtags such as #HumanRightsDay and #StandUp4HumanRights

You can also consider donating to one or more charities that are fighting for equality around the world:

• 9 Best Charities That Advance Ethics Worldwide
• 9 Best Charities for Women’s Rights
• 9 Best Charities That Fight to End Human Trafficking
• 9 Best Charities That Fight to End Sex Trafficking
• 10 Best Charities That Fight to End Child Labor
• 9 Best Charities That Fight to End Forced Labor

If you are looking for more inspiration, you can find a wider range of charitable causes to support in our charity support blog.

💚 Enabling Gardeners to Donate Produce, Collecting Ocean Plastics, and Helping Families Access Books Thanks to Your Support

We’ve shared so much with you about The Most Impactful Advent Calendar… And now, as we’re in the heart of December, I’d love to share the daily good deeds we’re making possible together with our partners!

DAY 7: You’ve Enabled One Gardener to Start Donating Fresh Produce (together with AmpleHarvest.org)

• Today, you’ve enabled one gardener to start donating fresh produce to their local food pantry. 
• Gardeners often grow more fruit, vegetables, herbs, and nuts than they can use. And while they hate seeing their produce going to waste, they are more than happy to share some with their local food pantry. At least once they’ve been made aware of this opportunity. 
• That’s your good deed for today: you’ve enabled one gardener who has grown too much food to easily connect to their local food pantry.

DAY 8: You’ve Helped Collect & Recycle 1kg of Ocean Plastics (together with Pro Ocean)

• Today, you’ve supported locals to collect and recycle 1kgs of ocean plastics (plastics, ropes and nets, cigarettes, etc.) in the Philippines. 
• This is vital work, as the Philippines still accounts for the largest amount of ocean plastic pollution. 
• And your contribution goes beyond just collecting and recycling, it also helps provide fair working conditions with vital health care for these workers to do this job full-time, as well as environmental education for local children.

DAY 9: You’ve Symbolically Helped One Family Access High-Quality Books for Their Child (together with Worldreader)

• Today, you’ve symbolically helped one family access high-quality books that improve their child’s reading comprehension. 
• The family you’ve supported can now access an online library of more than 2,700 children’s books in various major and local languages—from primers that teach early literacy concepts and stories that support social-emotional learning to books that champion climate action and the empowerment of women and girls.
• This is part of a broader program, called BookSmart, that helps get children reading around the world and for which the contribution of your good deed will be used. And the best thing: 99.6% of parents said that they read more with their children because of it.

Related: You can still support all good deeds of The Most Impactful Advent Calendar here and get your very own calendar—and if you choose the digital version, then you’ll directly get the details from all our previous good deeds into your inbox!

📢 Three Good News

🧑‍⚖️ The world’s largest legal case on climate change has officially begun:

• Starting on December 2, 2024, and expected to last two weeks, The International Court of Justice is due to hear arguments from 98 states and 12 international organizations on what states should be legally required to do to combat climate change.
• The proceedings came just a week after developing nations denounced a deal at COP29 to provide $300 billion annually in climate finance by 2035 to help poorer countries cope with climate change as insufficient. 
• The hearings are taking place at The Hague in the Netherlands with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) expected to deliver an advisory opinion in 2025.  

🧑‍💻 The European Commission aims to govern the environmental impact of AI:

• The European Commission aims to issue special rules governing the environmental impact of artificial intelligence systems through secondary legislation under the AI Act.
• The AI Act, which entered into force last August, aims to regulate the systems according to a risk-based and human-centric approach. The rules for providers of GPAI models will become effective in August 2025.
• In the current AI Act, GPAI providers have very few obligations in regards to their energy consumption. As a starting point to the new legislation, The European Commission is asking providers to track how much energy is involved in their training, with the aim of expanding these requests in the coming years. 

🐮 Study finds that feeding cattle seaweed cuts methane gas emissions by 40%:

• Scientists from the University of California, Davis, found that feeding grazing beef cattle a seaweed supplement in pellet form reduced their methane gas emissions by almost 40%, without affecting their weight or health. 
• Livestock currently accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, grazing cattle produce more methane than their feedlot and dairy cow counterparts because they eat more fiber from grass.
• This study followed previous studies that showed seaweed cut methane emissions 82% in feedlot cattle and more than 50% in dairy cows.

🤝 Three More Important Awareness Events

🏛️ December 9, International Anti-Corruption Day:

• On International Anti-Corruption Day, we raise awareness about different corrupting forces around the world and those affected by them. 
• Corruption is closely linked with instability and social inequality and preventing it is essential for an ethical world. 

🐷 December 10, International Animal Rights Day:

• International Animal Rights Day is a time to call on everyone to be compassionate toward animals. And to treat animals as the sentinel beings they are, knowing that they can also experience pain (and joy).
• Animal rights activism generally focuses on stopping or lessening animal exploitation, especially in the food system or for research purposes. 
• On this day, we also celebrate the animal sentience laws, which lay the framework for humane policies and encourage a societal shift towards ethical treatment.

 🏅 December 10, Nobel Prize Day:

• Coinciding with the awarding of the Nobel Prize, Nobel Prize Day celebrates the values of the organization. 
• Many important people in science, literature, and human rights have been honored by this prestigious prize.

Related: You can discover all the 47 most important awareness events (for the month, days, weeks) in our awareness calendar for December 2024!

📜 These Days in History

💉 December 9, 1979: Smallpox was officially declared eradicated, roughly 10 years after the World Health Organization launched a global vaccination program for the disease. 

✍️ December 9, 1608: British Poet John Milton (1608-1674) was born in London. Considered second only to William Shakespeare in significance, Milton’s influential works included The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates and Paradise Lost.

📚 December 10, 1768: The first part of the first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica was initially published and advertised for sale in Edinburgh, UK. The iconic encyclopedia set is the oldest continuously published and revised work in the English language. 

💭 Quote of the Day

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”

John Milton, English poet

Share the news with your friends to make a bigger positive impact on the world and society together!

Stay impactful 💚