When Sam Daley-Harris founded RESULTS in the US back in the 1980s, he could not have known that this movement would cross borders and oceans to become an impactful global force. This year, as both Results UK and Results Canada celebrate our 40th anniversaries, Sam’s simple but powerful idea – that ordinary people using their voices together could change the world – feels just as hopeful, and necessary, as ever.
This is so clear by how you are celebrating this milestone today: with advocacy and a party. We need both hard work and joy to meet the moment.
40 years of accomplishments
Since 1986, you’ve helped prove that advocacy works. Lives have been saved because people like you chose to act. I want to congratulate you on just a few of those actions:
- You have ensured that the voices of people living in poverty are at the heart of your advocacy. From recognising the need to tackle stigma as well as treating disease to celebrating the advocacy of TB survivors in your Champions of Change report.
- You have helped to solidify the UK’s commitment to global education at a time when there was talk of this fundamental work being deprioritised, by pushing for continued government support of Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education.
- Your advocacy has played a key role in saving lives. From maintaining the United Kingdom as the largest sovereign donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to helping secure the £850 million pledge from the UK Government to the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria.
- You haven’t shied away from the difficult issues in international development, from challenging racist narratives to the way that debt and illicit financial flows prevent low and middle income countries from investing in their own health and education systems.
- And just this past May, you published a crucial report on equitable vaccine access that was inspiring to read through, and we made sure to get in front of Canadian parliamentarians.
a shared journey
At Results Canada, we feel deeply connected to your journey because it is also our journey. We are united by the belief that a more just and equitable world is possible. And that everyday people have the power to build it.
Our movement has never depended on wealth, status, or political power. It depends on the courage of individuals who decide that silence is not an option. You inspire us, and we are proud to stand up and speak up alongside you.
this moment matters
While anniversaries are a chance to celebrate, they are also a reminder that our work is far from finished. While there has been monumental global health and development progress since our organisations were founded, it is now at great risk of being rolled back as we face enormous global challenges, from rising inequality to conflict to sweeping cuts to international assistance. It can sometimes feel overwhelming.
But if the last 40 years have taught us anything, it is that progress is possible when people come together with determination and hope.
That is why this moment matters. Not just as a celebration of what Results UK and Results Canada have accomplished, but as a reaffirmation of what we still believe: that extreme poverty can end within our lifetimes if we continue building political will together.
so much gratitude
To every Results UK volunteer and staff member reading this: thank you for your leadership, your compassion, and your persistence. Thank you for showing what collective advocacy can achieve. We are honoured to be your partners in this global movement, and excited for what we will accomplish together in the decades ahead.
Happy 40th anniversary from all of us at Results Canada. Here’s to the next chapter of raising our voices, together.
Taryn Russell
Executive Director, Results Canada