A Letter From Our Co-Founder
Dear friends,
We are collectively bearing witness to these times of accelerated change – from exponential growths in technology, to increases in authoritarianism and polarization of world views, to global health crises and climate extremes becoming the norm.
While we have the knowledge and capability to improve the lives of billions of people on our shared planet, we also have the ability to generate fear and separation and cause great harm to each other.
We must make better choices for the future we want – not just for our time now, but for thriving future generations. These choices are based on prioritized values and principles. As our priorities dictate our behavior and the decisions we make, they must align with values that support collective human rights and protection of the most vulnerable. In our deeply interconnected world, actions in one part of our shared planet have an impact elsewhere. Consequences of unaligned values, decoupled from economic and governance systems, are also more visible today.
We created Humanity United to help develop and support new solutions to some of the most persistent global problems facing mankind. We are focused on cultivating the conditions that transform human exploitation and violent conflict to enduring peace and freedom. We’ve been working on these problems for more than 20 years, and although we still have much more to learn, we have gained an understanding that has shaped our work and are committed to learning in relationship with those to whom we are in service.
In the years ahead, we will continue to work with committed individuals and organizations, with governments, the media and the private sector; using grantmaking, education, advocacy, and strategic communications to help shift mindsets and help create tools, policies, and norms that will support those most impacted by exploitation and conflict. This work requires the engagement of everyone, regardless of age, nationality, or distance from crimes against our shared humanity. We need more awareness of how our actions and words might impact someone we will never meet, more empathy for the lives of our fellow humans, and more action to ensure that everyone is afforded the peace and dignity they deserve.
HU was founded in the belief that we are all united by our shared humanity. Every person on our planet shares the same air, the same earth, and the same oceans. We are not so different. We share the deeply human wish to be happy and have our children flourish. And while we cannot prevent the devastation of earthquakes or a tsunami, we can work to prevent the worst of what mankind can do to each other.
We believe in the ability and agency of all people to bring about extraordinary change. When humanity is united, we can act together to create a powerful force for humans thriving in mutual stewardship with each other and our planet that our descendants will experience too.
Sincerely,
Pam Omidyar