Avaaz is a U.S. based civic organization launched in January 2007 that promotes global activism on issues such as climate change, human rights, animal rights, corruption, poverty, and conflict. The Guardian considers it "the globe's largest and most powerful online activist network". The name chosen for the community is a loanword from Persian meaning "Voice" or "Song". The word with similar meaning also appears in other languages which have had long historical contact with Persian, particularly in Urdu, Bengali, Hindi, Turkish, Dari, some dialects of Arabic and Pashto.