Dear friends,
Close your eyes and imagine: we are in 2050, and your grandchildren are asking “What did you do when the Israelis killed 14,000 children in just 12 months in Gaza?” or “Did you look the other way when Russia forcefully annexed Ukrainian territories?”.
Well, what if I told you that we - you and I - could actually help to change the tide in Ukraine, Palestine, and beyond? What if I told you that there are clear paths forward to force our governments to stop supporting oppressors, war criminals and genocide-preachers? Would you act?
Read on to discover the campaign we’ll launch this Saturday to do just this, our statement on the US election, upcoming events with freedom leaders, and how to support our communication, policy and tech work!
WE LIVE IN A GLOBAL FREEDOM EMERGENCY...
While entire populations are under occupation, attack or threat, or standing up for their rights, too many stay idle and complicit. Too few systematically stand for liberation. Think of Gaza, Ukraine, and beyond. Think of marginalised groups or those victims of organised crime or corruption.
Together, we can destroy all systems of oppression and counter all oppressors. And we have a plan. On Saturday, we’ll launch the "Freedom Emergency Declarations" campaign for our governments to truly stand with those fighting for their survival and freedoms, from Gaza to Ukraine.
This campaign will pressure governments at all levels to issue declarations that initiate immediate embargoes, boycotts, targeted sanctions, and divestment actions against states and institutions implicated in grave crimes such as genocide, apartheid, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. This will pressure countries responsible for these crimes while creating zones free from support for oppressive regimes in your city, region, country, and hopefully in international institutions.
This work is inspired by the achievements of the Climate Emergency Declarations that have achieved great progress and the commitment and work of the BDS movement.
...WILL YOU HELP US FIGHT BACK?
‼️ To support the announcement of this campaign:
- Create/print a banner that contains the following statement: “ [Your City], Declare a #FreedomEmergency now!” and in smaller fonts “#StandWithUkraine, #StandWithPalestine, and similar struggles you want to support
- Take a picture / shoot a video in front of an iconic building in your city and share it on social media with the hashtag #FreedomEmergency and with us, so that it can be used to show the global extent of the effort. (if you are too busy to get out, take a picture at home like in the example above ;)
‼️ How can you push forward a Freedom Declaration in your city?
- If you like the campaign, you can become the point of contact for this effort in the city (or state or similar) and help us push our demands with the local institution.
- Even better, if you are up for it we can create a local/national Atlas team around you, or this can follow ;)
We are pushing these Freedom Emergency Declarations in a few cities (Milan in Italy, Dusseldorf in Germany, Paris in France) as well as in front of the United Nations, and some Atlas volunteers will start doing so elsewhere because we cannot do anything. If you want to do the same, reach out!
U.S. ELECTIONS: HARRIS, THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS
The six survival threats the world is facing will be heavily impacted by those elections: Climate change, artificial intelligence, wars, dictatorship, pandemics, and poverty. With Kamala Harris in the White House, we have an infinitely better chance at solving them [...] Trump’s hostility and disregard for the UN puts humanity’s chance at achieving peace and security further in jeopardy. [...] Last but not least, even if 250 years too late, it’s time for a woman to sit in the Oval Office. [...]
However, when it comes to upholding basic human values systematically, both Harris and Trump have a horrific track record.[...] Harris is part of an administration that has provided Netanyahu’s government with over $17 billion in weapons only last year, and has almost systematically vetoed UN efforts to stop Israel’s war [...]
So while we hope that Kamala Harris wins this presidential election, regardless of the results, we all need to mobilise worldwide the day after to ensure that the US (and all our countries and intergovernmental organisations):
- Support freedom struggles and an end to grave crimes systematically, not based on whether the oppressor is an ally or not.
- Uphold international law, which looking at Israel means supporting a permanent ceasefire, implementing an arms embargo, stopping shielding Israel from justice and working toward an end of apartheid and occupation.
- Support global collaboration instead of undermining it, including by accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court
- Pass policies to quell the biggest threats the world faces, from climate to wars (good news, we have clear policies on how to do this https://www.atlasmovement.org/issues)"
EVENTS COMING UP
While we continue to seek to influence change while running for office to make it happen, we must listen to experts and those on the frontlines of freedom struggles, and reflect. The good news is, we have some great online ones coming up!
November 12th: Community Townhall:
Join us at Atlas every two weeks for a call for all active volunteers to hear our updates, brainstorm, understand how to get active and answer all your questions!
- 🕰️ 8 am NYC/ 2 pm Paris / 6.30 pm Delhi Time
- 👉 Register to volunteer to receive the link
November 17th: How can the UN protect freedoms?
- 🕰️ 7 am COT / 8 am EST / 1 pm CET / 16:30 IST
- 🎙️ A conversation with UN Special Rapporteur Gina Romero
- 👉 Register here to receive the link to connect
December 4th: How should the UN stand by Afghan women & girls?
- 🕰️ 12pm NYC, 6 pm Paris, 8 pm Nairobi, 10.30 pm Delhi
- 🎙️ A conversation with Dr. Habiba Sarabi, a former member of the Peace Negotiation Team of Afghanistan
- 👉 Register here to receive the link to connect
... AND MORE UPDATES
On artificial intelligence
Atlas hosted grassroots consultations in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly, on how to regulate artificial intelligence. We believe the people, not just politicians, experts & companies, should have a say.
The stakes are high: 📈 Fake news: AI-generated articles increased by 1000% in 2023. 🗳️ Elections: Democracy faces new threats from fake news and cyber vulnerabilities. 👁️ Surveillance: Governments are already using AI to track, censor, and discriminate.
We listened—and together, we outlined key solutions that the UN must include in a much-needed AI-Treaty:
- Trust & Transparency: Whistleblower protections, public AI audits, and strict rules on data usage to keep governments and companies accountable.
- Enforcement & Accountability: Liability systems for AI misuse and ways to track AI to ensure compliance.
- Equity: Stronger data protections to ensure to people/countries lose out, and a global citizens' assembly to ensure everyone has a voice in AI regulations.
You can read our report here.
On my campaign for UN Secretary-General
Following the UN 🇺🇳 General Assembly, I was struck by the stark realities we face: the inadequacies of the UN, the reluctance to reform, and the failure of world leaders to prioritize humanity over their national interests. However, the UN’s General Assembly still holds a spark of hope as nations gather together. We must harness this power to create positive change.
Check out this newsletter to hear about the UN’s plan to reform itself and create a “new era of multilateralism”, why it matters amid Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, and what governments and the UN must do to end wars while mitigating other existential threats such as AI.
JOIN OUR TEAMS!
To have a chance at standing united against dictatorship worldwide, we need much more than one person!
-
Volunteer to pass Freedom Declarations, make our UN Campaign possible or help run for elections in your city or country. We are particularly looking for active volunteers in our global:
- Communication team: are you a social media wizard (or just and enthusiast) or like to create viral content? Join our efforts: the sky is the limit and we want your ideas!
- Tech team: We’re in the process of restyling our website (atlasmovement.org) and we’re looking for talented individuals to help us create something bold, fresh, and in line with our new brand identity. Our website is built using NationBuilder, with HTML and CSS working behind the scenes, and we’re excited to collaborate with creative thinkers who can transform our vision into reality. Whether you excel at design or front-end development, we’d love to hear from you and explore how your skills can help us shape an inspiring online presence for our movement.
- Policy team: if you want to help in finding solutions to the world’s biggest problems and shape our political programmes from your city to the United Nations, now is the moment as we write new positions.
- Donate to fuel our efforts. Atlas is funded by small donations from individuals like you. Help us print materials, organize more events, and keep building this daring political revolution!
Together, we can create a political revolution to address the biggest threats of our time. United, we cannot be defeated!
Onward!
Colombe
Colombe Cahen-Salvador (she/her)
Co-Founder & Candidate for the United Nations Secretary-General
Substack | Facebook | X | LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok | Threads