1
00:00:01,579 --> 00:00:03,901
For years I have been working
on a simple idea.

2
00:00:04,215 --> 00:00:07,345
For humanity to take its next leap ahead,

3
00:00:07,345 --> 00:00:11,287
we need together across borders
to solve global issues.

4
00:00:12,090 --> 00:00:13,093
In the modern world,

5
00:00:13,093 --> 00:00:15,657
no wall or border
can protect us from crisis.

6
00:00:16,157 --> 00:00:19,287
We have no other choice but to unite,

7
00:00:19,287 --> 00:00:21,107
and we need to do it fast.

8
00:00:21,362 --> 00:00:24,468
In 2016, I was devasted
by the UK's decision

9
00:00:24,468 --> 00:00:26,103
to leave the European Union.

10
00:00:26,691 --> 00:00:31,030
I'm French, and for me the EU is a symbol
of a more open and global society.

11
00:00:31,739 --> 00:00:33,965
But suddenly by beliefs were shattered,

12
00:00:33,965 --> 00:00:35,941
and I wasn't alone in feeling this way.

13
00:00:36,130 --> 00:00:38,088
My partner, Andrea, who's Italian,

14
00:00:38,088 --> 00:00:39,970
and Damian, a German friend,

15
00:00:39,970 --> 00:00:42,977
also felt the shock of seeing
the world turning inward.

16
00:00:43,496 --> 00:00:46,394
We realized that despite being
from three different countries,

17
00:00:46,394 --> 00:00:48,188
we witnessed the same challenges:

18
00:00:48,188 --> 00:00:51,219
migration flows being dealt with
in an inhuman manner,

19
00:00:51,219 --> 00:00:52,221
climate change

20
00:00:52,221 --> 00:00:53,885
or high youth unemployment.

21
00:00:54,146 --> 00:00:57,256
And we also had the same hopes
and dreams in our everyday lives.

22
00:00:57,549 --> 00:01:00,211
We also realized that to solve
European issues,

23
00:01:00,211 --> 00:01:04,923
the outdated model of always putting
national interests first had to go.

24
00:01:05,315 --> 00:01:06,632
So we decided to act.

25
00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:07,871
For a few months,

26
00:01:07,871 --> 00:01:10,346
we worked on the idea of launching Volt,

27
00:01:10,346 --> 00:01:12,989
the first pan-European political movement.

28
00:01:13,337 --> 00:01:16,222
And then, naturally, we told
our Facebook friends,

29
00:01:16,222 --> 00:01:19,674
and a lot of them responded saying
they were up for the challenge

30
00:01:19,674 --> 00:01:21,074
and wanted to help.

31
00:01:21,747 --> 00:01:25,396
People started holding small
community meetings in parks,

32
00:01:25,396 --> 00:01:27,028
universities and pubs

33
00:01:27,028 --> 00:01:29,077
to discuss their common future

34
00:01:29,077 --> 00:01:32,275
and share their solutions
to the continent's biggest problems.

35
00:01:32,872 --> 00:01:37,444
We mobilized tens of thousands of people
across 28 European countries

36
00:01:37,785 --> 00:01:39,213
Two years in,

37
00:01:39,213 --> 00:01:41,439
Damian was elected
to the European parliament

38
00:01:41,439 --> 00:01:44,617
on the campaign run
by volunteers across borders

39
00:01:44,617 --> 00:01:46,858
on the idea that we are stronger together.

40
00:01:47,631 --> 00:01:50,063
We showed that by collaborating
across borders,

41
00:01:50,063 --> 00:01:52,176
by uniting and acting as one,

42
00:01:52,176 --> 00:01:54,401
we could start changing how people think.

43
00:01:54,945 --> 00:01:57,634
We were the first ones to attempt
something of this scale

44
00:01:57,634 --> 00:01:58,884
and to succeed.

45
00:01:59,038 --> 00:02:00,368
Despite this,

46
00:02:00,368 --> 00:02:03,015
after the European elections in May 2019,

47
00:02:03,015 --> 00:02:05,100
Andrea and I looked into each other's eyes

48
00:02:05,100 --> 00:02:08,758
and asked that frank question
that you never want to ask

49
00:02:08,758 --> 00:02:10,465
once you have worked for two years

50
00:02:10,465 --> 00:02:12,728
towards something
that actually worked out:

51
00:02:12,728 --> 00:02:14,029
"Is this enough?"

52
00:02:14,474 --> 00:02:15,738
No, it wasn't.

53
00:02:16,358 --> 00:02:19,588
We knew that today's urgent
challenges are not just European,

54
00:02:19,588 --> 00:02:20,585
but global.

55
00:02:20,744 --> 00:02:23,534
We also knew that we couldn't
even attempt to solve them

56
00:02:23,534 --> 00:02:25,492
by only focusing on Europe,

57
00:02:25,492 --> 00:02:29,346
a continent that represents less
than 10 percent of the world population.

58
00:02:29,651 --> 00:02:32,178
The underlying issue
is that the way we see the world

59
00:02:32,178 --> 00:02:34,828
and the way the world works
are fundamentally wrong.

60
00:02:35,406 --> 00:02:37,112
In the span on two generations,

61
00:02:37,112 --> 00:02:40,274
the world has changed more
than in the previous 20,000 years.

62
00:02:40,700 --> 00:02:42,316
We can land on the moon,

63
00:02:42,316 --> 00:02:44,869
we can wake up in Shanghai
and go to bed in New York.

64
00:02:45,365 --> 00:02:49,373
We have access to a huge amount
of information all the time, everywhere.

65
00:02:50,036 --> 00:02:53,261
But we still see the world
as our immediate vicinity.

66
00:02:53,731 --> 00:02:55,319
But issues like COVID-19,

67
00:02:55,319 --> 00:02:56,364
climate change,

68
00:02:56,364 --> 00:02:57,358
migration,

69
00:02:57,358 --> 00:02:58,360
fiscal justice

70
00:02:58,360 --> 00:02:59,560
or human rights

71
00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:03,087
mean that we need to think
and unite beyond national borders.

72
00:03:03,405 --> 00:03:05,721
A global approach is needed to solve them.

73
00:03:05,721 --> 00:03:07,194
Countries need to collaborate,

74
00:03:07,194 --> 00:03:09,857
share resources, information
and solutions.

75
00:03:10,427 --> 00:03:12,406
It's not just the right thing to do

76
00:03:12,406 --> 00:03:14,101
but it's also the smart one.

77
00:03:14,439 --> 00:03:17,032
So in the weeks following
Damian's election,

78
00:03:17,032 --> 00:03:20,283
Andrea and I decided
that we would create a global movement

79
00:03:20,283 --> 00:03:22,175
to unite people beyond borders

80
00:03:22,175 --> 00:03:24,242
and solve those issues
that concern us all.

81
00:03:24,450 --> 00:03:25,885
We called it NOW!

82
00:03:25,885 --> 00:03:27,422
because we're not very creative,

83
00:03:27,422 --> 00:03:29,301
and because it needs to happen now.

84
00:03:29,301 --> 00:03:32,964
So I know that going beyond national
borders is not the easiest thing to do,

85
00:03:32,964 --> 00:03:35,540
so here's the framework
that has been guiding our work.

86
00:03:35,793 --> 00:03:39,048
I call it "think, unite and leap forward."

87
00:03:39,250 --> 00:03:41,926
First we need to change the way
we think about the world.

88
00:03:41,926 --> 00:03:43,200
Whether we like it or not,

89
00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,017
we already live in a globalized world.

90
00:03:45,146 --> 00:03:47,731
We need to stop thinking
within national frameworks

91
00:03:47,731 --> 00:03:49,581
and start thinking globally.

92
00:03:49,853 --> 00:03:52,124
Take for example
how we think about taxation.

93
00:03:52,750 --> 00:03:55,821
Multinational companies
like Facebook or Amazon

94
00:03:55,821 --> 00:03:58,134
already operate across borders,

95
00:03:58,134 --> 00:04:01,709
but they pay very little taxes
in very few countries

96
00:04:01,709 --> 00:04:04,164
because we think of them
within national frameworks.

97
00:04:04,522 --> 00:04:05,665
And as a result,

98
00:04:05,665 --> 00:04:07,630
we lack a global tax system.

99
00:04:07,976 --> 00:04:09,326
Due to this,

100
00:04:09,326 --> 00:04:13,153
countries are deprived of at least
500 billion dollars annually.

101
00:04:13,829 --> 00:04:15,713
500 billion dollars.

102
00:04:16,248 --> 00:04:17,471
To put it in perspective,

103
00:04:17,471 --> 00:04:19,308
with half of that amount of money,

104
00:04:19,308 --> 00:04:21,811
we could put an end
to global hunger for one year.

105
00:04:22,182 --> 00:04:25,870
But we don't because of the way
we think about the world.

106
00:04:27,110 --> 00:04:29,090
At NOW! we want to change this.

107
00:04:29,341 --> 00:04:31,983
We connect people
from all across the world

108
00:04:31,983 --> 00:04:34,718
who discuss, work together and understand

109
00:04:34,718 --> 00:04:36,318
that global is the new normal

110
00:04:36,318 --> 00:04:39,094
and that they have more in common
than what separates them.

111
00:04:39,094 --> 00:04:40,971
We host weekly events

112
00:04:40,971 --> 00:04:44,371
in which we discuss topics
such as LGBT rights,

113
00:04:44,371 --> 00:04:45,397
pandemics,

114
00:04:45,397 --> 00:04:46,711
fiscal justice

115
00:04:46,711 --> 00:04:47,968
or mental health.

116
00:04:48,308 --> 00:04:50,287
We break down those global challenges

117
00:04:50,287 --> 00:04:53,157
to see how they impact people
in various parts of the world.

118
00:04:53,435 --> 00:04:56,148
And our members have
already shown a global thinking,

119
00:04:56,148 --> 00:04:59,870
actively rallying their governments
to solve those issues,

120
00:04:59,870 --> 00:05:03,032
like entering a fair distribution
of vaccines across the world.

121
00:05:03,260 --> 00:05:05,446
Second, after changing the way we think,

122
00:05:05,446 --> 00:05:07,413
we need to unite beyond borders.

123
00:05:08,011 --> 00:05:11,269
This way we can make governments
act on global issues.

124
00:05:12,009 --> 00:05:15,075
Take the example of the erosion
of democracy in Hong Kong.

125
00:05:15,343 --> 00:05:19,260
China has systematically cracked down
on rights, democracy and freedoms,

126
00:05:19,260 --> 00:05:22,271
but countries have barely responded
to protect Hong Kongers.

127
00:05:22,770 --> 00:05:25,040
And I don't mean weak
statements of condemnation

128
00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:27,654
that won't lead to any actual change,

129
00:05:27,654 --> 00:05:30,223
but proper responses such as sanctions.

130
00:05:30,550 --> 00:05:31,653
That's why at NOW!,

131
00:05:31,653 --> 00:05:32,937
a couple of weeks back,

132
00:05:32,937 --> 00:05:35,863
we launched a campaign
to demand that democracies rally

133
00:05:35,863 --> 00:05:38,200
to be able to stand up
meaningfully to China.

134
00:05:38,449 --> 00:05:40,227
And to get their attention,

135
00:05:40,227 --> 00:05:43,793
we started hosting weekly protests
in front of Chinese embassies.

136
00:05:44,196 --> 00:05:45,495
Within a couple of weeks,

137
00:05:45,495 --> 00:05:48,193
we engaged more than
a million people online.

138
00:05:48,639 --> 00:05:52,744
Our hope is that by uniting
and mobilizing people across borders,

139
00:05:52,744 --> 00:05:54,973
we will be able
to successfully lobby nations

140
00:05:54,973 --> 00:05:57,689
into imposing coordinated
sanctions on China.

141
00:05:58,285 --> 00:06:01,424
Finally, we must have
the courage to leap forward

142
00:06:01,424 --> 00:06:03,086
to create the world of tomorrow.

143
00:06:03,870 --> 00:06:08,280
We need a system of governance
that works for us all across the world.

144
00:06:08,884 --> 00:06:12,942
And while some supernational institutions
like the United Nations exist,

145
00:06:12,942 --> 00:06:15,524
their enforcement mechanisms
are extremely limited.

146
00:06:16,082 --> 00:06:17,767
Citizens cannot participate

147
00:06:17,767 --> 00:06:20,073
and national interests often prevail.

148
00:06:20,367 --> 00:06:21,827
And on the national level,

149
00:06:21,827 --> 00:06:25,718
political parties are bound
by electoral timetables and borders,

150
00:06:25,718 --> 00:06:29,348
which means that they cannot operate
in a coordinated global manner.

151
00:06:30,058 --> 00:06:31,290
Policy-making,

152
00:06:31,290 --> 00:06:34,660
governance and politics
need to stretch further.

153
00:06:35,039 --> 00:06:38,405
Take the example of the response
to the COVID-19 pandemic.

154
00:06:38,912 --> 00:06:43,169
Countries have formed and incredibly
shortsighted approach to the pandemic.

155
00:06:43,441 --> 00:06:46,467
They haven't collaborated
when it comes to protective equipment,

156
00:06:46,467 --> 00:06:48,314
vaccines or medicines.

157
00:06:48,620 --> 00:06:50,403
At NOW! we launched a campaign

158
00:06:50,403 --> 00:06:53,188
demanding that the World Health
Organization ensures

159
00:06:53,188 --> 00:06:54,950
that health workers across the world,

160
00:06:54,950 --> 00:06:56,646
regardless of their nationalities,

161
00:06:56,646 --> 00:06:59,848
get priority access to future
COVID-19 vaccines.

162
00:07:00,077 --> 00:07:03,840
We leveraged a network of doctors
on social media to raise awareness

163
00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:07,099
and started a petition
targeted at the WHO.

164
00:07:07,689 --> 00:07:08,686
For two weeks,

165
00:07:08,686 --> 00:07:12,775
our members spread the words
digitally and on the streets,

166
00:07:12,775 --> 00:07:16,865
and then we got a response
from the Director-General of the WHO

167
00:07:16,865 --> 00:07:18,584
welcoming our campaign,

168
00:07:18,584 --> 00:07:22,118
reemphasizing that the power to do so
lies within member states

169
00:07:22,118 --> 00:07:24,796
but committing to working
with them in that direction.

170
00:07:24,796 --> 00:07:26,674
And look, this was a very nice letter,

171
00:07:26,674 --> 00:07:28,468
but it was completely pointless.

172
00:07:28,964 --> 00:07:32,079
The WHO cannot act
meaningfully on this issue.

173
00:07:32,642 --> 00:07:33,668
But the point is,

174
00:07:33,668 --> 00:07:37,352
a United Nations agency should
be able to act meaningfully,

175
00:07:37,352 --> 00:07:39,303
should be able to create binding policies

176
00:07:39,303 --> 00:07:40,455
and implement them

177
00:07:40,455 --> 00:07:42,233
when faced with a global threat.

178
00:07:43,098 --> 00:07:44,135
Right now,

179
00:07:44,135 --> 00:07:45,665
the most we can hope for

180
00:07:45,665 --> 00:07:48,296
is for some world leaders
to hear our scream

181
00:07:48,296 --> 00:07:49,961
and decide to do the right thing.

182
00:07:50,206 --> 00:07:51,706
This cannot continue.

183
00:07:51,923 --> 00:07:53,895
In the globalized world,

184
00:07:53,895 --> 00:07:55,952
we need a true democratic,

185
00:07:55,952 --> 00:07:58,382
and accountable global
system of governance.

186
00:07:58,571 --> 00:08:00,596
And that's also what
we're working towards,

187
00:08:00,596 --> 00:08:03,461
but I know that global governance
will not happen overnight.

188
00:08:03,589 --> 00:08:05,955
For this we need people
to push their governments

189
00:08:05,955 --> 00:08:07,638
to act in a global manner,

190
00:08:07,638 --> 00:08:10,116
to show that collaboration
leads to better results.

191
00:08:10,845 --> 00:08:12,119
We need to prove the case

192
00:08:12,119 --> 00:08:14,248
before we can change
the way the world works.

193
00:08:14,580 --> 00:08:16,606
So this is my framework:

194
00:08:16,606 --> 00:08:18,895
think beyond national borders,

195
00:08:18,895 --> 00:08:20,483
unite across the world

196
00:08:20,483 --> 00:08:23,948
and leap forward to make sure
that the world actually works as one.

197
00:08:24,369 --> 00:08:26,227
And I know it is easier said than done,

198
00:08:26,227 --> 00:08:27,403
but it is doable.

199
00:08:27,827 --> 00:08:29,415
Take our case as an example.

200
00:08:29,874 --> 00:08:33,376
NOW! was only launched
on the first of January 2020

201
00:08:33,376 --> 00:08:35,660
but already counts thousands of members

202
00:08:35,660 --> 00:08:37,368
in more than 100 countries.

203
00:08:37,531 --> 00:08:38,692
We are beginning to see

204
00:08:38,692 --> 00:08:40,799
that it is possible
to unite beyond borders,

205
00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:42,319
that it is within our reach.

206
00:08:42,742 --> 00:08:43,870
And we're not special,

207
00:08:43,870 --> 00:08:45,559
nor am I in any way.

208
00:08:45,828 --> 00:08:47,237
I don't have any cool skills,

209
00:08:47,237 --> 00:08:49,772
and the thought of giving
this talk terrified me.

210
00:08:50,251 --> 00:08:54,103
But I am testing different ways
to effect change on a global scale

211
00:08:54,103 --> 00:08:55,934
because I know that national mindsets

212
00:08:55,934 --> 00:08:59,567
and national frameworks have to leave
room for something bigger,

213
00:08:59,567 --> 00:09:00,885
for something better.

214
00:09:01,138 --> 00:09:03,331
My hope is that within my lifetime,

215
00:09:03,331 --> 00:09:07,075
I will see what living
as one world actually means,

216
00:09:07,075 --> 00:09:08,163
that by uniting,

217
00:09:08,163 --> 00:09:10,437
we will be able to safeguard democracy,

218
00:09:10,437 --> 00:09:12,051
to protect the environment,

219
00:09:12,051 --> 00:09:14,690
to save lives by sharing vaccines,

220
00:09:14,690 --> 00:09:17,036
to create safer routes for migration,

221
00:09:17,036 --> 00:09:18,722
among many other achievements.

222
00:09:19,031 --> 00:09:21,265
I don't know whether
I have the one solution --

223
00:09:21,265 --> 00:09:22,366
no one does.

224
00:09:22,913 --> 00:09:25,037
I don't know whether
NOW! will be successful

225
00:09:25,037 --> 00:09:26,897
in achieving these goals,

226
00:09:26,897 --> 00:09:28,334
but this is not the point.

227
00:09:28,670 --> 00:09:32,335
The point is that you should take action
to effect change on the global scale.

228
00:09:32,702 --> 00:09:36,286
My hope is that many of you will
start to work together across borders,

229
00:09:36,286 --> 00:09:38,528
that you will create and innovate new ways

230
00:09:38,528 --> 00:09:40,093
for the world to be truly one.

231
00:09:40,424 --> 00:09:43,348
Because yes, we are stronger together,

232
00:09:43,348 --> 00:09:45,226
so what are we waiting for?

233
00:09:45,908 --> 00:09:46,931
Thank you.