Article 25 Manifesto

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family." We seek to embody the following principles in our work together:

We are a people's movement for the right to health. We are global citizens organizing to transform our local communities. Working in solidarity across languages and continents, we form a powerful worldwide network united by our common humanity and our commitment to solving the global health crisis.

We strive to build an inclusive and empowering movement. From the local to the international, we are open and receptive to new ideas and initiatives, and empower new leaders to take them on. From faith groups to health workers to schools and more, we work with a diversity of groups and individuals because we urgently need everybody’s ideas and commitment to create the change we need.

We are committed to real action, not just talk. We work quickly and efficiently, and share the work with others; there’s no place for ego in organizing, so we say “yes” as much as possible. We strive to stay flexible, nimble and to do a lot with few resources, so we can focus on taking action to serve our communities.

We think and act to scale with the problem. Thinking big and being ambitious in our campaigns at all levels not only is what is needed to confront the global health crisis, but is also more effective in inspiring people to join us and gaining momentum.

Creativity is the touchstone of our work. Through symbols and creative actions, we help visualize both the problems and the solutions for our communities, the media, and our leaders. Creative ways of communicating often speak more directly to our hearts, and provide a beautiful reminder of what we strive to change.

As organizers, we connect with the heart and soul as much as we connect with the brain. The global health crisis is an ethical issue; taking action in a meaningful way brings moral weight to our work and deepens our commitment to the cause and each other. Through this connection we are better able to imagine the world we want to build.

Any movement that isn’t fun isn’t worth being a part of. We dance, sing, eat, play and tell jokes together because it lifts our spirit, gives us hope, and keeps us motivated for the many challenges (and victories) ahead of us on the road to a more just future.

We creatively use technology to support organizing in the real world. We realize technology is not a replacement for real relationships or time-tested organizing techniques, but it can help catalyze our movement in new and exciting ways if applied creatively, and with a human touch. Technology allows us to see, understand and act in solidarity with each other; we are a community linked by technology.

We’re not experts, but we know enough about the global health crisis to speak the truth. We keep up with the science and the politics as best we can, but we also know we don’t need to know every bit of information to stand up for our future. We recognize that speaking the truth on health inequity is both our responsibility and our most effective strategy.

Stories make our movement powerful, and human. We all have our own compelling stories, and communicate with stories to gain mass media coverage, to multiply our movement, and to reaffirm our common humanity.

We use non-violent means to achieve change. We are committed to nonviolence, inspired by the spirit of peaceful protesters before us. No violence, no property damage. We believe a nonviolent movement is the most effective way of creating a just and equitable world.