On September 5th, 2024, Atlas - the global political movement uniting humanity for survival - officially released its political programme for the 2026 United Nations Secretary-General selection process. The programme, first adopted at the Atlas Summit in July 2024, addresses global survival threats such as climate change, unregulated technologies, wars, nuclear weapons, dictatorships, pandemics, and poverty - issues that the current United Nations structure is failing to address.
Atlas argues that the undemocratic and outdated structure of the United Nations, exemplified by the opaque selection process of the Secretary-General, prevents the organization from effectively responding to these global crises. Atlas’ co-founder, Colombe Cahen-Salvador, is leading this campaign as the candidate for survival and running for the post to challenge the status quo and represent We, The Peoples, rather than seeking approval from a few superpowers.
A Continual and Collaborative Process
Atlas is dedicated to continuously improving its political programme through grassroots consultations and global input. The programme, adopted at the July 2024 summit, has been shaped by volunteers from all over the world and consultation efforts. For example, Atlas hosted grassroots consultations in Nairobi, Kenya on the sidelines of the UN Civil Society Conference, during which participants discussed how the United Nations might best serve Kenyans.
The next consultation will take place on the sidelines of the Summit of the Future and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, focusing on How to Regulate AI Through and For Democracy. This event will explore how AI can be governed in a way that upholds democratic principles and serves humanity's collective survival.
Ms. Cahen-Salvador commented: “The world is on fire, and the institutions meant to protect us are held hostage by a few superpowers. The United Nations is stuck in an outdated, undemocratic structurel. We’re done asking for permission to be heard. That’s why we’re organizing grassroots consultations, especially alongside events like the UN General Assembly, spaces that are meant to define our future but lock the people out. Our next consultation will tackle how to regulate AI through and for democracy, because we refuse to let technologies of the future be controlled by the few at the expense of the many. This is our fight to reclaim power and reshape the world.”
Looking Ahead
Over the next two years, Atlas aims to mobilize one million supporters to back its campaign. In line with this mission, Atlas will host another global summit in 2025, where the political programme will be updated and voted upon based on continued grassroots consultations and global contributions.
About Atlas - Atlas is the global political movement uniting humanity for survival. Founded in 2020, it has over 25,000 supporters in 134 countries and has run several global campaigns to tackle the existential threats the world is facing. Atlas will run for office worldwide to push its survival agenda.
Media Contact - [email protected]
PR of campaign announcement - https://www.atlasmovement.org/press_release_april2024