18th Jun 2024 Gemini 1.5 Pro
Oscar Soria is the Campaign Director at Avaaz, a global movement with 70 million members working to "close the gap between the world that we have and the world that we want." He has been involved in environmental and social justice work for over 30 years, starting as a teenager in Argentina with an NGO supporting indigenous communities.
Avaaz operates by mobilizing its members to take online action, applying pressure to governments and corporations to fulfill their commitments on issues like human rights, the ecological crisis, and economic injustice. Soria emphasizes the importance of speaking truth to power, moving away from a model of "persuasive advocacy" that he believes has proven ineffective.
Soria argues that the current approach to environmental and social issues is failing, pointing to the lack of progress on even the "low bar" targets set by governments. He believes that radical change is necessary and that science supports this view. He criticizes the tendency for NGOs and activists to shy away from radicalism, arguing that the urgency of the situation demands bolder action.
So I just feel that this is the time just to move from this persuasive advocacy or friendly advocacy into a truth-teller advocacy where you just tell it the same story Just really bring back the authenticity of our demands, of our work, of what we believe the world should be, because somehow we just got framed in this sort of revivalist idea, right? Right? Rather than just thriving.
Soria sees the growing recognition of the interconnectedness of global crises, like climate change, economic inequality, and the debt crisis, as a positive development. He believes this understanding could lead to more significant systemic changes.
Soria highlights the importance of debt restructuring, particularly "debt swaps for nature," as a crucial financial reform. He emphasizes that this approach recognizes the ecological debt owed by developed countries to the Global South.
I would also go more for a philosophical way, which is also countries has an ecological debt. So what we're here looking is basically a clearing of debts. So countries has some financial debts or the country has environmental debts. If we talk about for instance, the footprint of some countries.
He advocates for a debt justice framework that considers the historical context of these financial relationships. He sees the growing interest in debt swaps, even from institutions like the International Monetary Fund, as a promising sign.
Soria played a significant role in advocating for the recognition of Indigenous rights within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. He describes the years of effort and challenges faced in securing language that explicitly acknowledges Indigenous contributions, rights, and knowledge systems.
And so it was a fight just to recognize just the right to be, and also to understand that there are many other ways in which indigenous peoples actually are contributing already, even despite the economic practices and so on.
He sees the agreement as a significant victory but emphasizes that the fight for direct funding and genuine implementation is ongoing. Soria stresses the need for governments to back their commitments with concrete actions and resources.
Soria reflects on the resilience and hope he has witnessed firsthand among indigenous communities facing immense challenges. He shares an anecdote about an indigenous leader in the Amazon who, despite the dire circumstances, maintained her faith in the future.
So it's just like that moment basically made me realize that hope is not an entitlement. It's not a right, but it's a duty.
This experience profoundly impacted Soria's perspective, leading him to embrace hope as a necessary force for driving change. He emphasizes that hope is not passive optimism but a commitment to action and a belief in the possibility of a better future.
Airtable