THE Bishop of Dover, the Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are among the supporters of a campaign that is calling on the Government to use its position as host of the G7 summit in Cornwall this month to “Crack the Crises” of Covid-19, injustice, climate change, and the environment.
Lauren ChildLauren Child
In an open letter published in the Mirror last Friday, a coalition of 75 UK charities — called Crack the Crises — which includes Christian Aid, Tearfund, and World Vision, urge the Government to show leadership at the G7 by supporting its new campaign, Wave of Hope, for a “better, fairer world” for everyone.
Signatories also include the environmental activist Greta Thunberg, and the anthropologist and Templeton Prizewinner (News, 28 May), Dr Jane Goodall.
They write: “Everyone wants life to get back to normal. We believe we can do better than back to normal. We believe people in the UK can use the spirit of togetherness that has been helping us through the Covid crisis to now tackle Covid globally and also help crack the crises of climate, equality and nature.”
As part of the campaign, children’s illustrators, including Quentin Blake, have created drawings of some of their most popular characters waving. Postcards of the drawings are available for free in all UK Waterstones stores to encourage people to display them in windows in support of the Wave of Hope campaign.
The executive director of policy, advocacy, and campaigns at Save the Children UK, Kirsty McNeill, said on behalf of the coalition: “Crack the Crises wants leaders at G7 to commit to delivering vaccines and healthcare for all, fighting poverty and injustice, and ending the climate and nature crises.
“This means ensuring the fair distribution of Covid tests, treatments, and vaccines, offering universal health coverage, and adequate pay and protection for healthcare workers. It means empowering people and giving them access to healthy food, clean water, a home, and an education. It means tackling climate change now, and putting nature into recovery to build a healthier planet.”