Recorded at | May 21, 2020 |
---|---|
Event | TED2020 |
Duration (min:sec) | 09:47 |
Video Type | TED Stage Talk |
Words per minute | 195.11 fast |
Readability (FK) | 52.54 medium |
Speaker | Colombe Cahen-Salvador |
Official TED page for this talk
Synopsis
We need to think beyond national borders to solve global problems, says activist Colombe Cahen-Salvador. Reimagining the world's fractured systems of governance and calling out their ineffective responses to major issues -- from the coronavirus pandemic to climate change and human rights -- she introduces Atlas, a movement unifying people to create a truly democratic world.
1 | 00:13 | For years, I have been working on a simple idea: | ||
2 | 00:16 | for humanity to take its next leap ahead, | ||
3 | 00:19 | we need to work together across borders to solve global issues. | ||
4 | 00:24 | In the modern world, | ||
5 | 00:25 | no wall or border can protect us from crisis. | ||
6 | 00:28 | We have no other choice but to unite, | ||
7 | 00:31 | and we need to do it fast. | ||
8 | 00:33 | In 2016, I was devastated by the UK's decision | ||
9 | 00:36 | to leave the European Union. | ||
10 | 00:38 | I'm French, and for me, the EU is a symbol of a more open and global society. | ||
11 | 00:43 | But suddenly, my beliefs were shattered. | ||
12 | 00:45 | And I wasn't alone in feeling this way. | ||
13 | 00:48 | My partner, Andrea, who's Italian, | ||
14 | 00:49 | and Damian, a German friend, | ||
15 | 00:51 | also felt the shock of seeing the world turning inward. | ||
16 | 00:55 | We realized that despite being from three different countries, | ||
17 | 00:58 | we witnessed the same challenges: | ||
18 | 01:00 | migration flows being dealt with in an inhuman manner, | ||
19 | 01:03 | climate change | ||
20 | 01:04 | or high youth unemployment. | ||
21 | 01:05 | And we also had the same hopes and dreams in our everyday lives. | ||
22 | 01:09 | We also realized that to solve European issues, | ||
23 | 01:12 | the outdated model of always putting national interests first | ||
24 | 01:15 | had to go. | ||
25 | 01:17 | So we decided to act. | ||
26 | 01:18 | For a few months, we worked on the idea of launching Volt, | ||
27 | 01:22 | the first pan-European political movement. | ||
28 | 01:25 | And then, naturally, we told our Facebook friends, | ||
29 | 01:28 | and a lot of them responded saying they were up for the challenge | ||
30 | 01:31 | and wanted to help. | ||
31 | 01:33 | People started holding small community meetings in parks, | ||
32 | 01:37 | universities and pubs | ||
33 | 01:38 | to discuss their common future | ||
34 | 01:40 | and share their solutions to the continent's biggest problems. | ||
35 | 01:44 | We mobilized tens of thousands of people across 28 European countries | ||
36 | 01:49 | Two years in, | ||
37 | 01:51 | Damian was elected to the European parliament | ||
38 | 01:53 | on the campaign run by volunteers across borders | ||
39 | 01:56 | on the idea that we are stronger together. | ||
40 | 01:59 | We showed that by collaborating across borders, | ||
41 | 02:01 | by uniting and acting as one, | ||
42 | 02:04 | we could start changing how people think. | ||
43 | 02:06 | We were the first ones to attempt something of this scale | ||
44 | 02:09 | and to succeed. | ||
45 | 02:10 | Despite this, | ||
46 | 02:12 | after the European elections in May 2019, | ||
47 | 02:14 | Andrea and I looked into each other's eyes | ||
48 | 02:17 | and asked that frank question that you never want to ask | ||
49 | 02:20 | once you have worked for two years towards something | ||
50 | 02:23 | that actually worked out: | ||
51 | 02:24 | "Is this enough?" | ||
52 | 02:26 | No, it wasn't. | ||
53 | 02:28 | We knew that today's urgent challenges are not just European | ||
54 | 02:31 | but global. | ||
55 | 02:32 | We also knew that we couldn't even attempt to solve them | ||
56 | 02:35 | by only focusing on Europe, | ||
57 | 02:37 | a continent that represents less than 10 percent of the world population. | ||
58 | 02:41 | The underlying issue is that the way we see the world | ||
59 | 02:44 | and the way the world works | ||
60 | 02:45 | are fundamentally wrong. | ||
61 | 02:47 | In the span of two generations, | ||
62 | 02:49 | the world has changed more than in the previous 20,000 years. | ||
63 | 02:52 | We can land on the moon, | ||
64 | 02:54 | we can wake up in Shanghai and go to bed in New York. | ||
65 | 02:57 | We have access to a huge amount of information all the time, everywhere. | ||
66 | 03:01 | But we still see the world as our immediate vicinity. | ||
67 | 03:05 | But issues like COVID-19, climate change, migration, | ||
68 | 03:09 | fiscal justice or human rights | ||
69 | 03:11 | mean that we need to think and unite beyond national borders. | ||
70 | 03:15 | A global approach is needed to solve them. | ||
71 | 03:17 | Countries need to collaborate, | ||
72 | 03:19 | share resources, information and solutions. | ||
73 | 03:22 | It's not just the right thing to do | ||
74 | 03:24 | but it's also the smart one. | ||
75 | 03:26 | So in the weeks following Damian's election, | ||
76 | 03:28 | Andrea and I decided that we would create a global movement | ||
77 | 03:32 | to unite people beyond borders | ||
78 | 03:34 | and solve those issues that concern us all. | ||
79 | 03:36 | We called it NOW! because we're not very creative, | ||
80 | 03:39 | and because it needs to happen now. | ||
81 | 03:41 | So I know that going beyond national borders is not the easiest thing to do, | ||
82 | 03:44 | so here's the framework that has been guiding our work. | ||
83 | 03:47 | I call it "think, unite and leap forward." | ||
84 | 03:51 | First, we need to change the way we think about the world. | ||
85 | 03:54 | Whether we like it or not, | ||
86 | 03:55 | we already live in a globalized world. | ||
87 | 03:57 | We need to stop thinking within national frameworks | ||
88 | 03:59 | and start thinking globally. | ||
89 | 04:01 | Take, for example, how we think about taxation. | ||
90 | 04:04 | Multinational companies like Facebook or Amazon | ||
91 | 04:07 | already operate across borders, | ||
92 | 04:10 | but they pay very little taxes in very few countries | ||
93 | 04:13 | because we think of them within national frameworks. | ||
94 | 04:16 | And as a result, | ||
95 | 04:17 | we lack a global tax system. | ||
96 | 04:19 | Due to this, | ||
97 | 04:21 | countries are deprived of at least 500 billion dollars annually. | ||
98 | 04:25 | Five hundred billion dollars. | ||
99 | 04:28 | To put it in perspective: | ||
100 | 04:29 | with half of that amount of money, | ||
101 | 04:31 | we could put an end to global hunger for one year. | ||
102 | 04:34 | But we don't, | ||
103 | 04:35 | because of the way we think about the world. | ||
104 | 04:39 | At NOW! we want to change this. | ||
105 | 04:41 | We connect people from all across the world | ||
106 | 04:43 | who discuss, work together and understand | ||
107 | 04:46 | that global is the new normal | ||
108 | 04:48 | and that they have more in common than what separates them. | ||
109 | 04:51 | We host weekly events | ||
110 | 04:52 | in which we discuss topics such as LGBT rights, | ||
111 | 04:56 | pandemics, | ||
112 | 04:57 | fiscal justice | ||
113 | 04:58 | or mental health. | ||
114 | 05:00 | We break down those global challenges | ||
115 | 05:02 | to see how they impact people in various parts of the world. | ||
116 | 05:05 | And our members have already shown a global thinking, | ||
117 | 05:08 | actively rallying their governments to solve those issues, | ||
118 | 05:11 | like ensuring a fair distribution of vaccines across the world. | ||
119 | 05:15 | Second, after changing the way we think, | ||
120 | 05:17 | we need to unite beyond borders. | ||
121 | 05:19 | This way, we can make governments act on global issues. | ||
122 | 05:24 | Take the example of the erosion of democracy in Hong Kong. | ||
123 | 05:27 | China has systematically cracked down on rights, democracy and freedoms, | ||
124 | 05:31 | but countries have barely responded to protect Hong Kongers. | ||
125 | 05:34 | And I don't mean weak statements of condemnation | ||
126 | 05:37 | that won't lead to any actual change, | ||
127 | 05:39 | but proper responses such as sanctions. | ||
128 | 05:42 | That's why at NOW!, a couple of weeks back, | ||
129 | 05:44 | we launched a campaign to demand that democracies rally | ||
130 | 05:47 | to be able to stand up meaningfully to China. | ||
131 | 05:50 | And to get their attention, | ||
132 | 05:52 | we started hosting weekly protests in front of Chinese embassies. | ||
133 | 05:56 | Within a couple of weeks, | ||
134 | 05:57 | we engaged more than a million people online. | ||
135 | 06:00 | Our hope is that by uniting and mobilizing people across borders, | ||
136 | 06:04 | we will be able to successfully lobby nations | ||
137 | 06:06 | into imposing coordinated sanctions on China. | ||
138 | 06:10 | Finally, we must have the courage to leap forward | ||
139 | 06:13 | to create the world of tomorrow. | ||
140 | 06:15 | We need a system of governance that works for us all across the world. | ||
141 | 06:20 | And while some supernational institutions like the United Nations exist, | ||
142 | 06:24 | their enforcement mechanisms are extremely limited. | ||
143 | 06:27 | Citizens cannot participate, | ||
144 | 06:29 | and national interests often prevail. | ||
145 | 06:32 | And on the national level, | ||
146 | 06:33 | political parties are bound by electoral timetables and borders, | ||
147 | 06:37 | which means that they cannot operate in a coordinated global manner. | ||
148 | 06:42 | Policy making, governance and politics need to stretch further. | ||
149 | 06:46 | Take the example of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. | ||
150 | 06:50 | Countries have shown an incredibly shortsighted approach to the pandemic. | ||
151 | 06:55 | They haven't collaborated when it comes to protective equipment, | ||
152 | 06:58 | vaccines or medicines. | ||
153 | 07:00 | At NOW! we launched a campaign | ||
154 | 07:02 | demanding that the World Health Organization ensures | ||
155 | 07:05 | that health workers across the world, regardless of their nationalities, | ||
156 | 07:08 | get priority access to future COVID-19 vaccines. | ||
157 | 07:12 | We leveraged a network of doctors on social media to raise awareness | ||
158 | 07:15 | and started a petition targeted at the WHO. | ||
159 | 07:19 | For two weeks, | ||
160 | 07:20 | our members spread the word digitally and on the streets, | ||
161 | 07:24 | and then we got a response from the Director-General of the WHO | ||
162 | 07:28 | welcoming our campaign, | ||
163 | 07:30 | reemphasizing that the power to do so lies within member states, | ||
164 | 07:33 | but committing to working with them in that direction. | ||
165 | 07:36 | And look -- this was a very nice letter, but it was completely pointless. | ||
166 | 07:40 | The WHO cannot act meaningfully on this issue. | ||
167 | 07:44 | But the point is, | ||
168 | 07:45 | a United Nations agency should be able to act meaningfully, | ||
169 | 07:49 | should be able to create binding policies and implement them | ||
170 | 07:52 | when faced with a global threat. | ||
171 | 07:55 | Right now, the most we can hope for | ||
172 | 07:57 | is for some world leaders to hear our scream | ||
173 | 08:00 | and decide to do the right thing. | ||
174 | 08:02 | This cannot continue. | ||
175 | 08:03 | In the globalized world, | ||
176 | 08:05 | we need a true democratic and accountable global system of governance. | ||
177 | 08:10 | And that's also what we're working towards, | ||
178 | 08:12 | but I know that global governance will not happen overnight. | ||
179 | 08:15 | For this, we need people to push their governments | ||
180 | 08:17 | to act in a global manner, | ||
181 | 08:19 | to show that collaboration leads to better results. | ||
182 | 08:22 | We need to prove the case | ||
183 | 08:23 | before we can change the way the world works. | ||
184 | 08:26 | So this is my framework: | ||
185 | 08:28 | think beyond national borders, | ||
186 | 08:30 | unite across the world | ||
187 | 08:32 | and leap forward to make sure that the world actually works as one. | ||
188 | 08:36 | And I know it is easier said than done, | ||
189 | 08:38 | but it is doable. | ||
190 | 08:39 | Take our case as an example. | ||
191 | 08:41 | NOW! was only launched on the first of January 2020 | ||
192 | 08:45 | but already counts thousands of members in more than 100 countries. | ||
193 | 08:49 | We are beginning to see that it is possible to unite beyond borders, | ||
194 | 08:52 | that it is within our reach. | ||
195 | 08:54 | And we're not special, nor am I in any way. | ||
196 | 08:57 | I don't have any cool skills, | ||
197 | 08:59 | and the thought of giving this talk terrified me. | ||
198 | 09:02 | But I am testing different ways to effect change on a global scale | ||
199 | 09:06 | because I know that national mindsets and national frameworks | ||
200 | 09:09 | have to leave room for something bigger, | ||
201 | 09:11 | for something better. | ||
202 | 09:12 | My hope is that within my lifetime, | ||
203 | 09:15 | I will see what living as one world actually means, | ||
204 | 09:19 | that by uniting, | ||
205 | 09:20 | we will be able to safeguard democracy, | ||
206 | 09:22 | to protect the environment, | ||
207 | 09:24 | to save lives by sharing vaccines, | ||
208 | 09:26 | to create safer routes for migration, | ||
209 | 09:28 | among many other achievements. | ||
210 | 09:31 | I don't know whether I have the one solution -- | ||
211 | 09:33 | no one does. | ||
212 | 09:34 | I don't know whether NOW! will be successful | ||
213 | 09:37 | in achieving these goals. | ||
214 | 09:38 | But this is not the point. | ||
215 | 09:40 | The point is that you should take action to effect change on the global scale. | ||
216 | 09:44 | My hope is that many of you will start to work together across borders, | ||
217 | 09:48 | that you will create and innovate new ways for the world to be truly one. | ||
218 | 09:52 | Because yes, we are stronger together. | ||
219 | 09:55 | So what are we waiting for? | ||
220 | 09:57 | Thank you. |