HIGHLIGHTS

Success stories from the Avaaz movement worldwide

AVAAZ
Avaaz is closing the gap between the world we have and the world we want, one campaign at a time

Citizen Journalism

Citizen Journalism

Breaking the Middle East Blackout

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  • March 2011
  • Over 24,000 donors
Funded by donations from almost 30,000 Avaazers, an Avaaz team is working closely with the leadership of democracy movements in Syria, Yemen, Libya and more to get them high-tech phones and satellite internet modems, connect them to the world's top media outlets, and provide communications advice. We've seen the power of this engagement -- where our support to activists has created global media cycles with footage and eyewitness accounts that our team helps distribute to CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera and others. The courage of these activists is unbelievable -- a skype message read 'state security searching the house, my laptop battery dying, if not online tomorrow I'm dead or arrested'. He's ok, and together we're helping to get his and many other voices out to the world.

See more on Breaking the Blackout >

Powerful Voice

Powerful Voice

Huge Win on Hilton Hotels vs the Rape Trade

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  • January 2011
  • 317,000 Petition Signatures
24 hours after 317,000 Avaazers called on the Hilton CEO to sign a code of conduct on the rape trade or face hard-hitting ads in his hometown, we got a frantic call from his vice-president. 'You're going to WHAT?', she asked. Hilton had dragged its feet for months. We gave them four days, and they signed. Now 180,000 hotel employees will be trained to spot and prevent the horror of of sex slavery of women and girls.

See more on Human Rights >

Media Ownership

Media Ownership

People vs Murdoch's Media Monopoly

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  • March 2011
  • 350,000 signatures
Global media kingpin Rupert Murdoch's bid to tighten his stranglehold over the UK press faces a relentless challenge from Avaaz members, who've run adverts, staged public stunts, delivered massive petitions, and organised phone-ins week upon week in an effort to safeguard public debate. An Avaaz-commissioned independent poll found that only 5% of Brits take Murdoch's side -- and new criminal charges for hacking politicians' phones are further eroding the momentum of the Murdoch media machine. The government has been forced to extract concessions from Murdoch, and delayed a decision on the deal -- costing Murdoch billions and giving us more time to stop him for good.

See more on Media Ownership >

Massacre Prevented

Massacre Prevented

UN: Libya No Fly Zone

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  • March 2011
  • Over 1 million messages sent to the UN
Libyan Massacre Prevented with help from one million messages to the Security Council Our messages called for sanctions, asset freezes, and an internationally enforced no-fly zone to protect civilians in Libya. Our voices got through: the UN Ambassador from the US, one of the last hold-outs to back the motion, publicly thanked us for our messages. International action began just as Qaddafi's tanks encircled the rebel-held city of Benghazi -- and is widely credited with preventing a likely massacre of large numbers of civilians.

See more on Libya >

Censorship Defeated

Censorship Defeated

Berlusconi's Censorship Bill, Defeated

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  • March 2011
  • 70,000 Italian signatures
Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, facing souring political winds and a trial for statutory rape expected to coincide with general elections, tried to force a censorship law through parliament that would have silenced his critics on independent TV shows. But Italian Avaaz members fought back -- powering a 70,000-strong petition and thousands of phone calls to parliament at the crucial moment that helped swing the final vote. The law was blocked, in a huge victory for Avaaz members and for the future of Italian democracy and free speech.

See more on Media Censorship >

Anti-Corruption in Spain

Anti-Corruption in Spain

The 'Angel' Tackling Corruption in Spain

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  • March 2011
  • 100,000 Spanish signatures to end corruption
A Spanish newspaper trumpeted Avaaz as its 'Angel of the Day' for battling corruption -- one highlight of a nationwide torrent of media coverage of Avaaz's 100,000-Spaniard petition and theatrical stunts calling for Spanish politicians with records of corruption to be barred from upcoming elections. The rising pressure is fuelling a national debate on corruption, and political parties are feeling the heat.

See more on Corruption >

Amazon Protection

Amazon Protection

Blocking an Amazon-Destroying Mega-Dam

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  • February 2011
  • 600,000 Signature petition
The proposed Belo Monte dam complex, an environmental catastrophe in the making, has been delayed -- thanks in part to the spectacular delivery led by indigenous tribes-people of more than 600,000 petition signatures from Avaazers in Brazil and around the world. The Organization of American States has now joined the opposition to the dam, saying it violates human rights -- and the momentum is building to cancel it and focus on clean renewable energy sources instead.

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Endangered Species

Endangered Species

A Million-Strong Swarm to Save the Bees

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  • January 2011
  • 1.2 million signatures to protect bees
Over a million people, including 200,000 in France, signed an explosive petition to ban pesticides that are mass-killing bees the world over -- and, standing with a team of French beekeepers, delivered the petition to the French Agriculture Minister at a major conference. The campaign continues, building pressure for action in France, the EU, and around the globe.

See more on Bees >

Global reach

Global reach

The Global Climate Wake-up Call

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  • SEPTEMBER 21st 2009
  • 2682 EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD
In 2009, at more than 2600 events in 135 countries across the globe, we joined together to issue a deafening wake-up call to world leaders on climate change. Breathtaking creativity and diversity from Avaaz members and partners was covered by hundreds of major news outlets and conveyed our message to world leaders. Words can't describe it -- but this video gets close.

Check out other Avaaz Climate Change campaigns >