Strive for change in 2019
As 2018 comes to a close, it is a time to look forward and plan for the future. Over this last year, there have been highs, but also many lows across the world. What is important now, is to work together to create meaningful change in the year ahead.
So in 2019 there are five key actions I believe we need to pursue to achieve peace and equality across the world.
Respect - Ensure all people are treated with the respect they deserve. In these time of mass displacement when thousands have fled their homes and are seeking refuge, we must ensure that all are treated with the respect they deserve.
Equality - All people were created equal and need to be treated that way. We must always look for ways to find our similarities, not our differences.
Liberty - We need to seek liberty across the globe, continue to fight for those that cannot themselves. No one should be stripped of their rights or voice.
Tolerance - We are a world of variety and we must celebrate this, rather than find issues with it. Our differences are what make us strong.
Working together - Change can only be achieved if all parties work together. This particularly means making sure that both men and women are always at the peace table, ensuring the right long-term decisions are made.
None of these actions are simple or will be achieved overnight, but all each one of us can do is try every day to commit to these actions and encourage those around us to do the same.
I wish you a happy and prosperous new year. As always I include below a number of key reads from the last few months. As the year closes I hope you can take some time to read these, share them and think about how you too can work towards a more equitable world.
Best wishes,
Baroness Goudie
Fearless Girl joins Fearless Club!
By Gillian Harford, Country Executive 30% Club Ireland
The final 30% Club Ireland Council Meeting for 2018 was a real showstopper, with the appearance of a very special new member ‘Fearless Girl’, sculpted by Kristen Visbal; commissioned by State Street Global Advisors. Hosted by our new members, Bank of Ireland, we had a packed house for the theme ‘Investing in Me’. Francesca McDonagh, CEO Bank of Ireland gave her personal advice to seek out mentors, look for genuine and honest feedback, and move out of our comfort zone, but never to lose our real self. Brigid Roche gave us an update on new employee resource groups in Bank of Ireland and the importance of empowering your employees for change. We learned more about the story behind Fearless Girl from Ann Prendergast and the advocacy for improved gender representation being led out by State Street GA across the Russell 3,000 companies where sadly 25% still have no female representation at Board level.
A great panel discussion, led out by our steering member Darina Barrett, included Kingsley Aikins, The Networking Institute, who gave great networking top tips on genuinely listening to others, tapping into serendipity, learning how to use technology, building a wide array of connections, and having a plan to build strong and diverse networks. Andrew Keating, BoI had some wise words on the fact that it’s not about who you know but about who knows you! and Liz Cunningham, Google talked about the importance of internal networking and that you can’t do your job without understanding the business, and to do that you need to engage internally. During the event, the Bank of Ireland team also presented Carol Andrews, country lead, with the gift of a gold sovereign, in recognition of the contribution of the 30% Club to Diversity and Irish society.
Finally, in my role as Country Executive 30% Club Ireland, I gave an update on What’s New in the 30% Club, details to follow. If you’d like to learn more about the 30% Club and how we operate, follow us on LinkedIn, 30% Club Ireland, and Twitter @30percentclubIE.
UK must not fail the people of South Sudan
The Guardian
On the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict, 27 parliamentarians call on the UK government to redouble its efforts to bring about peace.
Read more
Nobel Peace Prize winners: Their plea to the world
Sky News
Former Yazidi sex slave Nadia Murad says the world's conscience should be awakened to the suffering of sexual violence victims.
Read more
New nutrition analysis confirms children are being starved in Yemen
The IRC has increased its nutrition work in the country, reaching more than 110,000 people in the last 12 months
New integrated food security and classification (IPC) report shows 240,000 Yemeni civilians facing famine conditions
The number of districts experiencing critical levels of acute malnutrition has doubled since the start of the war
Near the frontlines of the war, the IRC is seeing a global acute malnutrition rate (GAM) of 27%, close to double the global emergency threshold of 15%
Is this the ocean of the future?
Greenpeace UK
