It’s easy to talk about wanting a better world, but it’s much harder to do something about it. Especially when you have a lot to lose. Yet, every day across the globe, some brave individuals risk it all for their ideals to make our world fairer and freer. They take those risks, knowing what might await them, but stand firm in their shoes. Think of those imprisoned in Hong Kong, those who had to flee from Belarus, those who were exiled from Venezuela, and so on. Think of groups protesting each week to save our planet from climate change, lawyers challenging laws for the benefit of others, and economists seeking to re-invent capitalism.

Those are the politicians we need, who do not seek power for power or money but for change. Those are the individuals we want to elect to office to create a freer, better and more equitable world. 

We announced two weeks ago that we are becoming a Global Political Party to unite people for equity, freedom and well-being. We are now preparing to run for elections worldwide and building our strategies and plans. We, of course, have our philosophical backbone, the Philosophy of Unity. But the road ahead is long, and too often, we see political movements losing track of their reason to exist in an attempt to grab power. We want to avoid this at all costs. And we are betting on people: we will be the political home of activists!

Read on to join our upcoming events, hear how to tackle corruption, and understand how to take action for Unity!

UNITY DAY EVENTS

🌍  Join us on Saturday, October 7th, for our global Unity Day event!

We are hosting a town hall discussion with Tamara Adrian 🇻🇪 - former MP and candidate for the 2023 Venezuelan Presidential Primary Elections - on how global politics might be the answer to countering authoritarianism. No country alone has the leverage to push back against authoritarian states or protect freedoms; it is fundamental to present a common front. For democracy to be won, we must work together. 

Unity Day events will also be happening in Nairobi 🇰🇪, Milan 🇮🇹 and Delhi🇮🇳. Join us to celebrate what a more united world could look like and take your first step toward action!

POLITICAL DEEP-DIVE: HOW TO TACKLE CORRUPTION

As you may have read in the previous newsletter, my co-founder Andrea and I will be on the road for the next year to help build political parties across continents and learn from how our teams are organising! As part of this effort, we started a personal blog to share what we are learning and the political topics we are exploring. Here’s an excerpt from the first blog post on how to tackle corruption. 

When it comes to corruption, it’s simply a systemic issue that plagues too many countries. To put this into perspective, “the global cost of corruption is at least $2.6 trillion, or 5 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP).” 

Political corruption ranges from people accepting bribes for favours or influence over specific topics (as is allegedly the case with, for example, the US Senator Bob Menendez indicted on bribery charges), to democracies becoming oligarchies because of all the power and influence politicians accumulate after decades in power. While I fundamentally believe in learning from one’s mistakes, temporary solutions must be implemented for democracy to stand a chance. 

Once convicted of corruption after a fair trial, banning politicians from running for office for at least several years could be the relief our institutions need. In countries where too many politicians are accused of corruption, this, alongside other policies such as term limits, could leave room for newcomers, declutter the political landscape, and rebuild trust in politics. It is at least what our Nairobi consultations on how to improve voting systems suggested. 

Read the rest here.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF UNITY CORNER

The world can often feel like a dark place without hope, spinning out of control with no one or nothing to stop it. However, the reality is far from it: countless souls are devoted to supporting one another and changing the world, looking for a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. They are not hoping for a hero to rescue us but banding together to harness their collective power! 

That’s why we wrote the Philosophy of Unity - aka our political backbone & vision. Attempting to match the urgency to act for our planetary survival with the need for a new utopia to aspire to, this Philosophy-in-the-making intends to inspire daily actions and give a direction for systemic, societal change. It contains traces of a spiritual guide and the seeds of a political program.

The idea is simple. By overcoming divisions and thus uniting, we stand a chance to avoid climate breakdown, civil unrest due to ever-increasing inequalities, and wars. We can prevent the collapse of human civilisation. But more than this, we can strive for a tangible utopia. We can create a freer, truly equitable world where people’s well-being is prioritised over all else. It will be hard and require sacrifices and systemic change, but it is possible.

This philosophy is in the making: what you read is the first attempt to codify what we have been exploring for years. We will continue to expand, improve and advance it as we move forward, and we hope to bring you with us on this journey. We leave it to you to consider whether this can accompany you in the years to come. On our side, we’ll do our best to make it a reality.

You can read the complete Philosophy of Unity here.

YOUR ROLE IN CHANGING THE WORLD

A member, Linda, said: "As one individual working alone, it can be easy to give up and feel that today’s global issues are too big to solve, or you may have ideas but don’t know where to start. When you join Atlas, you immediately become part of a community where your voice is heard, you learn from people all over the world, and together you take actions that make a real difference." 

We couldn’t agree more. Are you ready to join the community? 

✊🏽 If you want to join our efforts to build this global political party: 

✊🏽 If you want to support us

Thanks for reading, and don't hesitate to send me your thoughts!

Let’s Unite, 

Colombe

Atlas
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