#ACTogether and #SafeHome
As COVID-19 continued to permeate every corner of the world, FIFA pursued its campaign to help encourage equality in global vaccine distribution and protect vulnerable people everywhere during lockdown.
Over the past 12 months, with the pandemic remaining a prominent part of daily life, FIFA – alongside its colleagues and counterparts at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission – continued to build on the momentum created in 2020 through its #SafeHome campaign.
In addition, FIFA and WHO launched #ACTogether, a campaign promoting the need for fair access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.
#SafeHome continues its vital work
Launched by FIFA, WHO and the European Commission in May 2020, the #SafeHome campaign was created to support women and children at risk of domestic violence. The campaign was a joint response from the three institutions to the spikes in reports of domestic violence, as stay-at-home measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have put women and children experiencing abuse at greater risk.
Initially a five-part video awareness campaign featuring 15 past and present footballers, #SafeHome continued its outreach work in 2021 with a further 16-day awareness drive, starting on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November and ending on Human Rights Day on 10 December.
“Violence is never the answer, especially at home, which should be a safe environment for everyone, and particularly for women and children,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “It is FIFA’s statutory obligation to respect all internationally recognised human rights and as an organisation, FIFA shall strive to promote the protection of these rights. The #SafeHome campaign is now in its second year, and FIFA will continue to make football’s voice heard to amplify this message until these acts are no longer part of our society.”
FIFA and WHO #ACTogether to tackle COVID-19
In February 2021, FIFA once again teamed up with WHO to launch the #ACTogether campaign, as the pandemic continued to wreak havoc in less advantaged areas of the world. The message was clear: without showing a will to #ACTogether, the world would never truly be free from the virus.
In conjunction with the FIFA Club World Cup 2020, which was held in Qatar from 4 to 11 February 2021, FIFA and WHO launched a public awareness campaign involving starfootballers, through TV and in-stadium messaging, to further promote the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator initiative launched in April 2020, and to urge people to practise mask wearing, physical distancing and hand hygiene.
“We all have to play our part in the battle against the coronavirus. We are also calling on the international community to #ACTogether to ensure a level playing field in relation to access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests across the globe,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said during a videoconference prior to the kick-off of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The FIFA-WHO collaboration sought to amplify life-saving messages to a global audience with a series of promotional videos being broadcast during the FIFA Club World Cup. In the videos, competing club captains reiterated the key steps for everyone to follow in order to tackle and defeat the coronavirus by focusing on hands, elbows, face, distance, symptoms, masks and opening windows.