Every year, since the year 2000, SOLIDAR organises its Silver Rose Awards in the European Parliament in cooperation with the Socialists & Democrats Group in the European Parliament (S&D), an occasion to celebrate Civil Society Organisations and individuals whose extraordinary struggles contribute greatly to social justice and solidarity throughout the world.  This year, the Silver Rose is organized by SOLIDAR in partnership with the Socialists & Democrats, the Party of European Socialists and the Foundation of European Progressive Studies.

In its 2023 edition, the Silver Rose will celebrate those who work actively towards a just transition towards carbon-neutrality. We seek nominations of individuals or organisations that remind us that with collective action, courage, perseverance, and commitment – we can do, not what is politically reasonable, but what is necessary to put people and the planet first. 

The nomination process is officially open. Deadline to send the nominations is 31st May 2023. 

Time is running out to stop the irreversibility of climate change and its catastrophic effects for our civilization and life on earth as we know it. The latest IPCC report on climate change published in March 2023 unequivocally states that human activities are the primary cause of global warming and highlights the devastating impact that climate change is having and will have on our planet, including rising sea levels, extreme weather events such as droughts, fires and floods, melting glaciers, and biodiversity loss. We are currently continuing to move in the wrong direction. 

It is also clear that there are stark societal inequalities in terms of the impact of climate change. Those who are least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions are the most vulnerable to its consequences in Europe and globally. The Global South is the most exposed to the rapidly changing environment and the least equipped to face its consequences. Moreover, socio-economic inequalities are at the root of climate change and environmental degradation. According to a report by Oxfam, the richest one percent of the world’s population are responsible for more than twice as much carbon pollution as the 3.1 billion people who made up the poorest half of humanity during a critical 25-year period of unprecedented emissions growth. Therefore, trying to “fix” climate change without solving the socio-economic inequalities that pervade our societies would doom the ecological transition to failure.

What scientists, the climate movement, and progressive civil society organizations have been calling for is a wake-up call to governments all around the world to make the necessary political and economic decisions to achieve a more sustainable future. We are far beyond the point where this could be considered a separate issue, it is a matter of survival and of social justice for all.

Nominations are closed!

Read our call below!