CivicActions

We stand for world peace and the resolution of conflicts through nonviolent means. To us, world peace is a future ideal of freedom, peace and happiness among and within all nations.

Whether world peace is achievable or not depends on what exactly we mean by it. Of course, many would argue this is highly improbable, due to the wide range of behaviour and personal circumstances that exist.

Even if world peace (in whatever sense it is taken) is unachievable, this does not imply that striving for it is not a worthy goal. In this sense we are standing for a future of collective peace and harmony.

We are all enriched when individuals of diverse backgrounds interact. Diversity includes the traditional categories of race, gender, age, ability, religion, sexual orientation, life-style, social class, and even geography, but diversity is also about openness, shared energy, and going beyond tolerance to embracing similarities and differences. Within our framework of shared values, we reach for diversity in our team and our clients.

It is estimated that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. That's roughly 100 times as many as those who actually die from these causes each year.

About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. This is down from 35,000 ten years ago, and 41,000 twenty years ago. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five.

Famine and wars cause about 10% of hunger deaths, although these tend to be the ones you hear about most often. The majority of hunger deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. Families facing extreme poverty are simply unable to get enough food to eat.

In 1999, a year marked by good economic news, 31 million Americans were food insecure, meaning they were either hungry or unsure of where their next meal would come from. Of these Americans, 12 million were children. The Hunger Site began on June 1, 1999.

From Hunger Site : http://www.thehungersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites

As described in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we believe:

* Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

* Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

* Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Reference: http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/eng.htm

We support Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). We envision a world where companies have an obligation to be sensitive to the needs of all of the stakeholders in their business operations. The principle is closely linked with the imperative of ensuring that these operations are "sustainable" i.e. that it is recognised that it is necessary to take account not only of the financial/economic dimension in decision making also the social and environmental consequences "Sustainable Development".

See wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility

The United States spends far more on health care than any other country in the world, but ranks only 37th in the overall quality of health care it provides, according to the World Health Organization. The U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not provide universal health care. More than 44.3 million Americans have no health insurance, and tens of millions more are underinsured. Private corporations pay less than 20% of health costs. Thus, even if you have insurance, you may not be able to afford the care you need, and some treatments may not be covered at all.

For a family living on the edge financially and facing the onset of a serious illness or disabling injury, a lack of health insurance can trigger bankruptcy or even homelessness. Homelessness only leads to more health care problems—a world of inadequate hygiene, communicable diseases, exposure to the elements, violence, and emotional trauma. Studies by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine find that the homeless are far more likely to suffer from chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and asthma.

The U.S. health care system has many grave faults that could be remedied by a system of universal coverage, including serious gaps in coverage for: prescription drugs and medical supplies; dental, vision, and hearing care; long-term care; mental health care; preventive care for children; and treatment for substance abuse. A recent study by National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine estimates that 18,000 25- to 64-year-old Americans die every year as a result of lack of coverage. That is 18,000 human beings every year, not counting younger Americans.

From Nader Website : http://www.votenader.org/issues/index.php?cid=4

We support The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty that requires countries around the world to cut greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. We envision a world of innovative energy technologies. Solutions include phasing out coal plants, expanding renewable energy sources and public transit, and creating new efficiency standards for vehicles and buildings.

"Progressive" seems to pop up everywhere these days when categorizing people or groups on a political spectrum, but what exactly does it mean? To us it means reform minded, justice oriented, socially responsible, liberal and fair. In many ways, "progressive" is defined by the rest of our values and vision.

It is now 2012. We live in a world where all people have full freedom of thought. All people have liberty of conscience as it affects social relationships on the grounds of religion, philosophy, and morality. All people of the world have political liberties (e.g. representative democratic institutions, freedom of speech and the press, and freedom of assembly. Everyone has full freedom of association. All people have the freedoms necessary for the liberty and integrity of each persion (viz: freedom from slavery, freedom of movement and a reasonable degree of freedom to choose one's occupation). Finally, all people of the world have rights and liberties covered by the rule of law.

This is the socially just world that we envision, and we are excited to be working, from now forward, with organizations who are moving us closer to realizing this vision.

We believe that media has a responsibility to society above shareholders.

We envision a strong democracy and are comitted to supporting media that are "of, by and for the people" - genuinely informative and broadly participatory. We believe that we need to remove the barriers and distortions of the modern information environment that stem from government and corporate-dominated, hierarchical media.

see: http://www.prwatch.org/cmd/index.html

We are committed to transforming the international financial institutions' policies and practices, to ending the outside imposition of neo-liberal economic programs, and to making the development process democratic and accountable.