Development and humanitarian civil society Call to Action


Geneva, 9 September 2020 - 

The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that humanity is placing too much pressure on the natural world and has laid bare profound inequalities in societies. Deforestation, wildlife trade and conversion of land for highly intensive and unsustainable agriculture and livestock production, are destroying ecosystems and increasing interactions between wildlife and humans, opening the door to infectious disease outbreaks.

COVID-19 has hammered home the fundamental interconnectedness of human, planetary and animal health. If you neglect one you diminish all.

Lawrence Haddad, GAIN Executive Director

That is why GAIN is standing alongside the Actionaid, the ActAlliance, EAT, The International Rescue Committee, and Welt Hunger Hilfe to call on the Heads of State ahead of the United National General Assembly 75 (UNGA75) to make bold and ambitious decisions to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and put nature and ecosystems on a path to recovery by 2030.

Deforestation in rainforest

Deforestation, wildlife trade and conversion of land for highly intensive and unsustainable agriculture and livestock production, are destroying ecosystems. © Shutterstock / Rich Carey

GAIN, an organisation that focuses primarily on nutrition outcomes, is such a strong supporter of this call to action.

Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, GAIN

GAIN's Executive Director, Lawrence Haddad, reiterated the message: "Just as with human rights, all of these health goals are indivisible and we proudly stand with our partners in calling on everyone, including GAIN, to rise to the challenge of reversing biodiversity loss and putting nature and ecosystems on a path to recovery by 2030."

The Call to Action is now available for download and open for signatures until 15 September.

The official launch of the Call to Action will be 18 September.