A global movement to solve global problems
-
0:01 - 0:04For years, I have been
working on a simple idea: -
0:04 - 0:07for humanity to take its next leap ahead,
-
0:07 - 0:11we need to work together across borders
to solve global issues. -
0:12 - 0:13In the modern world,
-
0:13 - 0:16no wall or border
can protect us from crisis. -
0:16 - 0:19We have no other choice but to unite,
-
0:19 - 0:21and we need to do it fast.
-
0:21 - 0:24In 2016, I was devastated
by the UK's decision -
0:24 - 0:26to leave the European Union.
-
0:27 - 0:31I'm French, and for me, the EU is a symbol
of a more open and global society. -
0:32 - 0:34But suddenly, my beliefs were shattered.
-
0:34 - 0:36And I wasn't alone in feeling this way.
-
0:36 - 0:38My partner, Andrea, who's Italian,
-
0:38 - 0:40and Damian, a German friend,
-
0:40 - 0:43also felt the shock of seeing
the world turning inward. -
0:43 - 0:46We realized that despite being
from three different countries, -
0:46 - 0:48we witnessed the same challenges:
-
0:48 - 0:51migration flows being dealt with
in an inhuman manner, -
0:51 - 0:52climate change
-
0:52 - 0:54or high youth unemployment.
-
0:54 - 0:58And we also had the same hopes and dreams
in our everyday lives. -
0:58 - 1:00We also realized
that to solve European issues, -
1:00 - 1:04the outdated model of always
putting national interests first -
1:04 - 1:05had to go.
-
1:05 - 1:07So we decided to act.
-
1:07 - 1:10For a few months, we worked on
the idea of launching Volt, -
1:10 - 1:13the first pan-European political movement.
-
1:13 - 1:16And then, naturally, we told
our Facebook friends, -
1:16 - 1:20and a lot of them responded
saying they were up for the challenge -
1:20 - 1:21and wanted to help.
-
1:22 - 1:25People started holding small
community meetings in parks, -
1:25 - 1:27universities and pubs
-
1:27 - 1:29to discuss their common future
-
1:29 - 1:32and share their solutions
to the continent's biggest problems. -
1:33 - 1:38We mobilized tens of thousands of people
across 28 European countries -
1:38 - 1:39Two years in,
-
1:39 - 1:41Damian was elected
to the European parliament -
1:41 - 1:45on the campaign run
by volunteers across borders -
1:45 - 1:47on the idea that we are stronger together.
-
1:48 - 1:50We showed that by
collaborating across borders, -
1:50 - 1:52by uniting and acting as one,
-
1:52 - 1:54we could start changing how people think.
-
1:55 - 1:58We were the first ones to attempt
something of this scale -
1:58 - 1:59and to succeed.
-
1:59 - 2:00Despite this,
-
2:00 - 2:03after the European elections in May 2019,
-
2:03 - 2:05Andrea and I looked into each other's eyes
-
2:05 - 2:09and asked that frank question
that you never want to ask -
2:09 - 2:11once you have worked for two years
towards something -
2:11 - 2:13that actually worked out:
-
2:13 - 2:14"Is this enough?"
-
2:14 - 2:16No, it wasn't.
-
2:16 - 2:19We knew that today's urgent challenges
are not just European -
2:19 - 2:21but global.
-
2:21 - 2:23We also knew that we couldn't even
attempt to solve them -
2:23 - 2:25by only focusing on Europe,
-
2:25 - 2:30a continent that represents less than
10 percent of the world population. -
2:30 - 2:32The underlying issue
is that the way we see the world -
2:32 - 2:34and the way the world works
-
2:34 - 2:35are fundamentally wrong.
-
2:35 - 2:37In the span of two generations,
-
2:37 - 2:41the world has changed more
than in the previous 20,000 years. -
2:41 - 2:42We can land on the moon,
-
2:42 - 2:45we can wake up in Shanghai
and go to bed in New York. -
2:45 - 2:49We have access to a huge amount
of information all the time, everywhere. -
2:50 - 2:53But we still see the world
as our immediate vicinity. -
2:54 - 2:57But issues like COVID-19,
climate change, migration, -
2:57 - 2:59fiscal justice or human rights
-
2:59 - 3:03mean that we need to think
and unite beyond national borders. -
3:03 - 3:06A global approach is needed to solve them.
-
3:06 - 3:07Countries need to collaborate,
-
3:07 - 3:10share resources, information
and solutions. -
3:10 - 3:12It's not just the right thing to do
-
3:12 - 3:14but it's also the smart one.
-
3:14 - 3:17So in the weeks following
Damian's election, -
3:17 - 3:20Andrea and I decided
that we would create a global movement -
3:20 - 3:22to unite people beyond borders
-
3:22 - 3:24and solve those issues
that concern us all. -
3:24 - 3:27We called it NOW!
because we're not very creative, -
3:27 - 3:29and because it needs to happen now.
-
3:29 - 3:33So I know that going beyond national
borders is not the easiest thing to do, -
3:33 - 3:36so here's the framework
that has been guiding our work. -
3:36 - 3:39I call it "think, unite and leap forward."
-
3:39 - 3:42First, we need to change the way
we think about the world. -
3:42 - 3:43Whether we like it or not,
-
3:43 - 3:45we already live in a globalized world.
-
3:45 - 3:48We need to stop thinking
within national frameworks -
3:48 - 3:50and start thinking globally.
-
3:50 - 3:52Take, for example,
how we think about taxation. -
3:53 - 3:56Multinational companies
like Facebook or Amazon -
3:56 - 3:58already operate across borders,
-
3:58 - 4:02but they pay very little taxes
in very few countries -
4:02 - 4:04because we think of them
within national frameworks. -
4:04 - 4:06And as a result,
-
4:06 - 4:08we lack a global tax system.
-
4:08 - 4:09Due to this,
-
4:09 - 4:13countries are deprived of at least
500 billion dollars annually. -
4:14 - 4:16Five hundred billion dollars.
-
4:16 - 4:17To put it in perspective:
-
4:17 - 4:19with half of that amount of money,
-
4:19 - 4:22we could put an end
to global hunger for one year. -
4:22 - 4:24But we don't,
-
4:24 - 4:26because of the way
we think about the world. -
4:27 - 4:29At NOW! we want to change this.
-
4:29 - 4:32We connect people
from all across the world -
4:32 - 4:35who discuss, work together and understand
-
4:35 - 4:36that global is the new normal
-
4:36 - 4:39and that they have more in common
than what separates them. -
4:39 - 4:41We host weekly events
-
4:41 - 4:44in which we discuss topics
such as LGBT rights, -
4:44 - 4:45pandemics,
-
4:46 - 4:47fiscal justice
-
4:47 - 4:48or mental health.
-
4:48 - 4:50We break down those global challenges
-
4:50 - 4:53to see how they impact people
in various parts of the world. -
4:53 - 4:56And our members have
already shown a global thinking, -
4:56 - 5:00actively rallying their governments
to solve those issues, -
5:00 - 5:03like ensuring a fair distribution
of vaccines across the world. -
5:03 - 5:05Second, after changing the way we think,
-
5:05 - 5:07we need to unite beyond borders.
-
5:08 - 5:11This way, we can make governments
act on global issues. -
5:12 - 5:15Take the example of the erosion
of democracy in Hong Kong. -
5:15 - 5:19China has systematically cracked down
on rights, democracy and freedoms, -
5:19 - 5:22but countries have barely responded
to protect Hong Kongers. -
5:23 - 5:25And I don't mean weak
statements of condemnation -
5:25 - 5:28that won't lead to any actual change,
-
5:28 - 5:30but proper responses such as sanctions.
-
5:30 - 5:33That's why at NOW!,
a couple of weeks back, -
5:33 - 5:36we launched a campaign
to demand that democracies rally -
5:36 - 5:38to be able to stand up
meaningfully to China. -
5:38 - 5:40And to get their attention,
-
5:40 - 5:44we started hosting weekly protests
in front of Chinese embassies. -
5:44 - 5:45Within a couple of weeks,
-
5:45 - 5:48we engaged more than
a million people online. -
5:48 - 5:52Our hope is that by uniting
and mobilizing people across borders, -
5:52 - 5:55we will be able
to successfully lobby nations -
5:55 - 5:58into imposing coordinated
sanctions on China. -
5:58 - 6:01Finally, we must have
the courage to leap forward -
6:01 - 6:04to create the world of tomorrow.
-
6:04 - 6:08We need a system of governance
that works for us all across the world. -
6:09 - 6:13And while some supernational institutions
like the United Nations exist, -
6:13 - 6:16their enforcement mechanisms
are extremely limited. -
6:16 - 6:18Citizens cannot participate,
-
6:18 - 6:20and national interests often prevail.
-
6:20 - 6:22And on the national level,
-
6:22 - 6:26political parties are bound
by electoral timetables and borders, -
6:26 - 6:29which means that they cannot operate
in a coordinated global manner. -
6:30 - 6:35Policy making, governance and politics
need to stretch further. -
6:35 - 6:38Take the example of the response
to the COVID-19 pandemic. -
6:39 - 6:43Countries have shown an incredibly
shortsighted approach to the pandemic. -
6:43 - 6:46They haven't collaborated
when it comes to protective equipment, -
6:46 - 6:49vaccines or medicines.
-
6:49 - 6:50At NOW! we launched a campaign
-
6:50 - 6:53demanding that the World Health
Organization ensures -
6:53 - 6:57that health workers across the world,
regardless of their nationalities, -
6:57 - 7:00get priority access
to future COVID-19 vaccines. -
7:00 - 7:04We leveraged a network of doctors
on social media to raise awareness -
7:04 - 7:07and started a petition
targeted at the WHO. -
7:08 - 7:09For two weeks,
-
7:09 - 7:13our members spread the word
digitally and on the streets, -
7:13 - 7:17and then we got a response
from the Director-General of the WHO -
7:17 - 7:18welcoming our campaign,
-
7:18 - 7:22reemphasizing that the power to do so
lies within member states, -
7:22 - 7:25but committing to working
with them in that direction. -
7:25 - 7:29And look -- this was a very nice letter,
but it was completely pointless. -
7:29 - 7:32The WHO cannot act
meaningfully on this issue. -
7:33 - 7:34But the point is,
-
7:34 - 7:37a United Nations agency should
be able to act meaningfully, -
7:37 - 7:40should be able to create binding policies
and implement them -
7:40 - 7:42when faced with a global threat.
-
7:43 - 7:45Right now, the most we can hope for
-
7:46 - 7:48is for some world leaders
to hear our scream -
7:48 - 7:50and decide to do the right thing.
-
7:50 - 7:52This cannot continue.
-
7:52 - 7:54In the globalized world,
-
7:54 - 7:59we need a true democratic and accountable
global system of governance. -
7:59 - 8:01And that's also what
we're working towards, -
8:01 - 8:03but I know that global governance
will not happen overnight. -
8:04 - 8:06For this, we need people
to push their governments -
8:06 - 8:07to act in a global manner,
-
8:07 - 8:10to show that collaboration
leads to better results. -
8:11 - 8:12We need to prove the case
-
8:12 - 8:14before we can change
the way the world works. -
8:14 - 8:17So this is my framework:
-
8:17 - 8:19think beyond national borders,
-
8:19 - 8:20unite across the world
-
8:20 - 8:24and leap forward to make sure
that the world actually works as one. -
8:24 - 8:26And I know it is easier said than done,
-
8:26 - 8:27but it is doable.
-
8:28 - 8:29Take our case as an example.
-
8:30 - 8:33NOW! was only launched
on the first of January 2020 -
8:33 - 8:37but already counts thousands of members
in more than 100 countries. -
8:37 - 8:41We are beginning to see that it
is possible to unite beyond borders, -
8:41 - 8:43that it is within our reach.
-
8:43 - 8:46And we're not special,
nor am I in any way. -
8:46 - 8:47I don't have any cool skills,
-
8:47 - 8:50and the thought of giving
this talk terrified me. -
8:50 - 8:54But I am testing different ways
to effect change on a global scale -
8:54 - 8:57because I know that national mindsets
and national frameworks -
8:57 - 9:00have to leave room for something bigger,
-
9:00 - 9:01for something better.
-
9:01 - 9:03My hope is that within my lifetime,
-
9:03 - 9:07I will see what living
as one world actually means, -
9:07 - 9:08that by uniting,
-
9:08 - 9:10we will be able to safeguard democracy,
-
9:10 - 9:12to protect the environment,
-
9:12 - 9:15to save lives by sharing vaccines,
-
9:15 - 9:17to create safer routes for migration,
-
9:17 - 9:19among many other achievements.
-
9:19 - 9:21I don't know whether
I have the one solution -- -
9:21 - 9:23no one does.
-
9:23 - 9:25I don't know whether
NOW! will be successful -
9:25 - 9:27in achieving these goals.
-
9:27 - 9:29But this is not the point.
-
9:29 - 9:32The point is that you should take action
to effect change on the global scale. -
9:33 - 9:36My hope is that many of you will
start to work together across borders, -
9:36 - 9:40that you will create and innovate
new ways for the world to be truly one. -
9:40 - 9:43Because yes, we are stronger together.
-
9:43 - 9:45So what are we waiting for?
-
9:46 - 9:47Thank you.
- Title:
- A global movement to solve global problems
- Speaker:
- Colombe Cahen-Salvador
- Description:
-
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 NOW!, a movement unifying people to create a truly democratic world.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 10:00
Erin Gregory approved English subtitles for A global movement to solve global problems | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for A global movement to solve global problems | ||
Camille Martínez accepted English subtitles for A global movement to solve global problems | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for A global movement to solve global problems | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for A global movement to solve global problems | ||
Leslie Gauthier edited English subtitles for A global movement to solve global problems | ||
Leslie Gauthier edited English subtitles for A global movement to solve global problems | ||
Leslie Gauthier edited English subtitles for A global movement to solve global problems |