This is our Colombe Cahen-Salvador's UN campaign newsletterĀ
Dear friends,Ā
Peace and security are the core purposes of the United Nations, and we must strive for them! By uniting, challenging current power structures, and electing a new generation of leaders, we can ensure humanityās survival and prosperity. And this is more needed than ever.Ā
Have you seen the news?!Ā Those in charge of our peace and security are too busy arming Israel to think about humanity. Except that as Israel invaded Lebanon, and bombed Syria and Yemen while seeking to destroy Palestine, Iran is now sending missiles its way. All the while war criminal Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly last week while showing Gaza and the West Bank as part of Israel. Talk about making your intentions clear. If we were ever close to WW3, itās now.
Yet, the UN remains our best hope to stop this madness. I just returned from a week of sessions and meetings at the UN, and I am 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 UNās General Assembly still holds a spark of hope as nations gather together. We must harness this power to create positive change.
šŗš³ Endorse my campaign for UN Secretary-General šŗš³
Read on to hear about the UNās plan to reform itself and create a ānew era of multilateralismā, why it matters amid Israelās invasion of Lebanon, and what governments and the UN must do to end wars while mitigating other existential threats such as AI!
How to stop Israelās war on Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, and Yemenā¼ļø
I donāt know where to start from. I donāt think I can communicate adequately the insanity of the many wars, crimes against humanity, war crimes and acts of genocide being committed by Israel while the US and European countries continue to arm it. Iām not sure how words can prove useful anymore. Iām not sure what, if anything, will amount to people & world leaders coming to their senses, rejecting this inhumanity and starting to do the very basic right thing. But when entire peoples are being murdered, displaced, injured, and see their lives upended - again, for many -Ā the very least we can do is speak truth to power, spread awareness, attend protests, and try our very best to create political change!
So donāt look away. Letās talk about what is happening, and what must be done to stop it. Hereās a recap that lacks a lot of information & context, but to put things in perspective:Ā
- The West Bank has been under military occupation by Israel since June 1967 & it occupied Gaza at the same time.Ā
- Israel is occupying Palestine and committing the crime of apartheid, as Amnesty set out how āmassive seizures of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forcible transfer, drastic movement restrictions, and the denial of nationality and citizenship to Palestinians are all components of a system which amounts to apartheid under international law.āĀ
- Almost a year ago, Hamas committed war crimes by killing 1,139 people in an attack on Israel, with Ā 251 persons taken hostage to the Gaza Strip.Ā
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And Israel used this as an excuse to start an all-out war against Palestinians & seize land. Since then, itās hard to even summarize the devastation and suffering inflicted by Israel.Ā
- Israel has murdered over 41,615 Palestinians in Gaza, and left over 96,000 injured, while 10,000 are reported missing.
- āMore women and children have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the past year than the equivalent period of any other conflict over the past two decadesā
- Entire neighbourhoods have been levelled, leaving more than 1.9 million people displaced, which is over 90% of the population of Gaza.
- Thatās without even mentioning the near-total destruction of key civilian infrastructure, blockage of aid, starvation as a weapon of war, torture, sexual violence and more.Ā
- Meanwhile, Israel is bombing Lebanon and invading it, having already displaced over 1 million people. Itās also bombing Syria and Yemen, and risking an even bigger escalation of the war with Iran.Ā
- Iran then sent close to 200 missiles to Israel that injured 2 people, while Israel continued to bomb Gaza.Ā
Now, how can this be stopped?
I may sound like a broken record, but itās the UN, our governments and our hearts that must be broken for humanity to fail to take any meaningful action to stop this madness. So Iāll say it again. The path to peace is straightforward. Not easy by any means, but straightforward.
To stop the ongoing acts of genocide, all-out war on Palestine, invasion of Lebanon, and bombing of Syria and Yemen and avoid more lives being dragged into the conflict, we must:
First and foremost, impose an arms embargo on Israel. Now. For this, citizens must pressure their countries and politicians to introduce bills to stop the export of weapons. Any politician from any country failing to pressure those sending weapons is complicit. Mark my words, too many failed to act for too long. The world will not forget. And the UN Secretary-General and General Assembly must shame relentlessly countries exporting weapons until they stop. Iām of course talking about the US, UK, Germany & Italy as the main culprits.
Then:
- enforce a permanent ceasefireĀ
- pressure politically, diplomatically and economically Israel
- end apartheid and occupation.Ā
Only this way will peace be possible, hostages returned to their loved ones, political prisoners freed, and countries rebuilt. Only this way can we stop escalation. Obviously, more will need to happen, including holding all those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity to justice and ensuring reparations.Ā
The future of the UN is at risk: we need to rebuild it!
Now, for peace and security to be ensured we need a functioning United Nations. While itās not doing well on the matter right now, the works would be hell without this institution delivering key services (food, assurance, fighting diseases and more).
As mentioned, last week I headed to New York City for the Summit of the Future and the UN General Assembly. And as per your requests, here are some thoughts. First, letās get back to basics. Last week, the United Nations hosted a high-level meeting, the Summit of the Future, aimed at reviving and reshaping global collaboration to safeguard our future. Heads of state, experts, and civil society from all corners of the world gathered in New York for this monumental task. And thatās just the start! On Tuesday, the UN General Assemblyāthe organization's highest decision-making bodyā convened, with speeches expected from numerous world leaders.
So did it deliver?
For me, the key question is whether the Pact for the Future (the document adopted at the end of the Summit of the Future) can transform the UN into an institution capable of addressing the existential threats the world is facing. Well, it fails to set the UN up for success, with a clear vision of what it should and could become with the necessary reform, to address existential threats. It is shortsighted, uninspiring, and stuck in time. From a failure to consider citizens, the role of the UN Secretary-General, a real reform of hte UN Security Council, or the need for the UN to have competencies, adequate revenue streams and the ability to deliver, it sets us up for failure.Ā Ā
I can already hear the criticism from UN bubble experts, and I understand that at this time in age, the sheer fact of stating such basic principles as ācombating violence against womenā and getting countries to agree on this is almost a miracle. Yes, we are at a time when multilateralism is under threat. But thatās no excuse.
This way of doing this, of seeking only the minimum common denominator not to upset some countries, clearly doesnāt work. Look at the situation of the world. Behind closed-door diplomacy should be out, and the UN should take strong bold steps ahead, even if it means fewer countries adopt and follow it, because we have no choice.
Now itās of course easy to criticise, but what should it include?
Is it even possible to come up with something better amid such geopolitical tensions?Ā Yes, it is. We need a UN Secretary-General that leads the way forward and includes the citizens of the world in setting up a bold reform and vision of what the United Nations could be and pushing it through. Thatās because our survival is at risk. Climate change, artificial intelligence, wars, dictatorship, pandemics, and poverty all have the potential to destroy humanity unless they are tackled quickly. Those threats are global, and the United Nations cannot deal with them due to its undemocratic and outdated setup.Ā
At Atlas, we have started this work by putting forward my candidacy and building a political programme for the UN.Ā We must rebuild the United Nations. The next Secretary-General must, of course,
- stop 5 superpowers from controlling the UN & prioritising their national interest, andĀ
- make international law enforceable.Ā
But she must go further and ensure the UN has the necessary competencies and legitimacy to ensure our survival.Ā
- To do so, a Parliamentary Assembly must be put in place,
- Ā an election of the Secretary-General created, andĀ
- the ability to directly and independently finance its work and programmes through a global taxation system secured!Ā
Campaign UpdateĀ šŗš³Ā : how to regulate AI for & through democracy
As you know,Ā Iām running to become United Nations Secretary-General to do just that: end those threats to humanity. Iām running for Secretary-General to make those solutions a reality!Ā
Through this campaign, by mobilizing people across the world, raising awareness, getting support and shaking up the system, I aim to:Ā
- Get our political programme implemented to quell survival threats,Ā
- Start a reform of the United Nations for it to have the competencies, legitimacy and leadership to act and preserve peace and security,
- Bring the peopleās voice to this institution by giving you a vote!Ā
As part of this campaign, while in NYC, we hosted grassroots consultations on how to regulate AI! WeĀ wanted to hear from the people of New York and the world thought the United Nations must do when it comes to regulating artificial intelligence.
This is urgent:Ā
- Fake news: 1000% more websites posted AI-created fake articles from May to December 2023.Ā
- Election: through fake news, potential cyber vulnerabilities and moreĀ
- Surveillance: Governments already use the technology to censor, surveil and discriminate worldwide. While in Europe following an EU regulation migrants and usually discriminated groups are more at risk, in authoritarian countries dissidents are tracked.
And people came up with great solutions, that our policy team will then take on to detail down and push forward: effective AI regulations must originate at the global level, through an AI treaty. Such an AI treaty must include:Ā
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Trust and Transparency: A culture of honesty is essential. The treaty should include:
- Strong whistleblower protections to alert the public to risks.
- Public audits, possibly AI-powered, allowing citizens to identify issues with AI use by companies and governments.
- Clear rules on data usage to protect citizens and enforce compliance.
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Enforcement and Accountability: Regulations must be enforceable. The treaty should include:Ā
- Liability regimes for individuals and companies.
- Potential methods for enforcement, such as tracking AI systems or restricting data access for non-compliant entities.
- Equity: Enhanced data protection standards were emphasized, particularly for African countries. A global citizensā assembly was reiterated to ensure diverse representation in shaping AI regulations.
You can read the full report here.Ā
It's also worth noting that the USA chapter of Atlas is getting ready to launch, with the idea of forming a political force capable of changing the status quo! If you are interested in joining the effort, reach out!
Additional News AnalysesĀ šļø
- On Nuclear Weapons & why we must get rid of them, here
- On recent developments in Afghanistan and how we can stand with women & girls there, here
- On the UN Human Rights Council & how to reform it, here
- On the need to change who has power at the UN, specifically on the permanent members of the Security Council, here
- On how to regulate AI, here
- On urgent climate action all countries must push for ahead of COP29, here
- On how only 9 women spoke at the UNGA, which is 6.8% of total world leaders scheduled to speak, here
- Invaders spoke at the United Nations General Assembly: Netanyahu and Putin's foreign minister.Ā
Next stepsā
- Live Q&A: We received a LOT of questions. So following requests, I'm holding weekly live Q&As on different social media. Feel free to send me all your questions in advance and check out the next one hereĀ
- Join the team: This campaign is big, it's disruptive, but it's also complicated. I'm building a team of dedicated volunteers to support strategy, implementation, events, and communication. If you have ideas and time, please reply to this email with your thoughts!
- Sign my campaign here.Ā
I hope youāll join this campaign! Because together, united, we cannot be defeated.Ā
So #Unite4Survival šš„
Colombe
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Colombe Cahen-Salvador (she/her)
Co-Founder & Candidate for United Nations Secretary-General
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