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Siobhan Harper-Nunes - West Midlands
2024 British Local Government Election - Mayor Candidate - May, 2, 2024
Electorate of West Midlands - Green Party - United Kingdom
Who is Siobhan Harper-Nunes?
Siobhan Harper-Nunes is a dedicated community advocate based in Birmingham, who has been actively involved in charity and community organization work for over 20 years. Her career has spanned both the public and third sectors, where she has been instrumental in raising funds and collaborating with a wide array of organizations, including the Institute of Social Enterprise (ISE) and the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), to bolster and enhance community welfare.
Harper-Nunes has successfully secured millions in funding for the sector through her expertise in crafting winning bids and leading fundraising campaigns. Her roles have often required her to manage organizational staff to streamline fundraising efforts, monitoring, and evaluation, providing her with a comprehensive understanding of organizational efficacy.
Throughout her career, Harper-Nunes has supported grassroots organizations across a spectrum of services including equality and human rights, domestic violence prevention, environmental activism, and fitness and wellness initiatives. Her work at Regen WM exemplifies her capacity to foster regional collaboration, having connected major stakeholders from the government, public, and third sectors to promote economic and civic regeneration.
In 2007, Harper-Nunes founded Shakti Women, an organization dedicated to the personal and professional development of women through coaching and training. She also serves as the vice-chair of the Birmingham Race Impact Group, advocating for racial justice in Birmingham.
Harper-Nunes has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by Birmingham's most deprived communities, informed by her extensive work in community-led activities aimed at diverting individuals from crime. This experience has equipped her with valuable insights into the support required for fostering prosperity across the West Midlands.
As the Green Party’s candidate for West Midlands Mayor, Harper-Nunes is committed to giving marginalized communities a stronger voice in regional governance. Her campaign is centered on driving the West Midlands Combined Authority to better serve neglected communities, enhance accountability to residents, and accelerate regional climate action efforts.
Harper-Nunes's vision for the West Midlands includes a critique of the current administration's failure to address underfunding and neglect in certain areas, the perceived disconnect of the West Midlands Combined Authority from the communities it serves, and the urgency for more immediate action on climate change. She advocates for significant interventions, such as initiatives for warmer homes, to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis and ensure residents do not have to choose between basic needs like eating and heating.
What are Siobhan Harper-Nunes's Political Values?
The Green Party stands as a unique political entity that emphasizes an interconnected approach to social, environmental, and economic issues. This manifesto outlines the party’s commitment to transforming society for the betterment of both the planet and its inhabitants.
Social and Environmental Justice:
The party views social, economic, and environmental challenges as interconnected and believes that resolving one requires addressing them all together. Success is not solely measured by economic indicators but also by the quality of life, including personal freedom, social equity, health, and ecosystem health.
Biodiversity and Resource Conservation:
Humanity's survival is dependent on biodiversity and the sustainable use of finite physical resources. Every individual, including future generations and other species, has a right to basic material security.
Voluntary Cooperation:
A healthy society is built on voluntary cooperation among empowered individuals, without discrimination. Decisions should be made as close as possible to the affected individuals to promote accountability and participatory democracy.
Non-violent Conflict Resolution:
The party seeks non-violent solutions that consider minority and future generation interests. Change can be achieved through various methods, including lifestyle changes and direct action, as long as they align with core principles.
Interdependence with Nature:
Humans are part of and depend on the natural world, which has suffered significantly from human activities. Traditional political and economic approaches are seen as destructive, emphasizing the need for a shift from growth-driven policies to those focusing on sustainable well-being.
Diversity and Inclusivity:
Proposes a society where individuals coexist with nature and each other in mutually beneficial ways, stressing empowerment over dominance. Values the diversity of human relationships with each other and the environment, advocating for a balance of various life-enhancing processes.
Sustainable Society:
All policies and actions should aim for sustainability, ensuring that resource use and environmental impacts are within the planet’s capacity to handle indefinitely. Calls for urgent action to address climate change and biodiversity loss, emphasizing ecological and egalitarian solutions.
Economic Restructuring:
Advocates for replacing GDP with indicators that reflect true progress towards ecological sustainability and human well-being.Supports the enhancement of rights and freedoms, balancing individual actions with the health of society and the planet.
Democratic Reform:
Promotes more democratic processes at all levels of government and society to ensure fair and inclusive decision-making. Supports measures to address inequality and ensure all citizens have access to necessary resources without compromising ecological integrity.
Cultural Change:
Encourages a shift in cultural values towards sustainability, cooperation, and respect for diversity. Engages in both global initiatives and local actions to implement its principles, aiming for a broad-based transformation across all sectors of society.
The Green Party's manifesto presents a radical rethinking of political, social, and economic systems, aiming to create a fair, sustainable society that respects the interconnected nature of global challenges. Through a combination of policy reform, cultural change, and grassroots action, the party seeks to redefine progress and ensure a viable future for all inhabitants of the planet.
