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Dear friend,

I’m writing this update from Brazil, where I’m working hard to launch a big political campaign that could change our shared future, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it. However, we must speak about what’s happening across the world first. We are only in February, but 2024 has already been absolutely insane. Our Survival has never felt more at risk, yet we have hope humanity can see better days, and we plan to do a lot to ensure that’s the case. 

Read on to learn more about what’s happening worldwide and our work to put the planet on the right course! 

POLITICAL NEWS

Unpacking January 2024 would take many newsletters, so let’s focus on three key topics: Taiwan, Gaza, and the wildfires in Chile! 

🇹🇼 On the bright side: Taiwan resisted authoritarian threats and chose its independence and democratic values in its January Presidential elections. This matters not only and mainly for the Taiwanese people but also for the world. They have shown us better ways of doing politics while fighting disinformation campaigns. Read on for what it means for the rest of the world here. 

🇵🇸 On the outrageous side: you might have followed that the International Court of Justice said that South Africa’s claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza is 'plausible'. Yet, world leaders are still failing to implement a ceasefire, and some instead cut funding for the UN agency providing a lifeline to Palestinians in Gaza. And because of that, millions of lives are at stake. Literally. Find out more about what must be done here.

🇨🇱 On the “f*ck those ignoring climate change” side: Wildfires in Chile have so far killed more than 130 people, and the death toll is expected to keep on rising. This is obviously not an isolated case: every year, we read about such disasters in Australia, Greece, Canada and more. And it’s expected to get worse: “The number of extreme wildfire events will increase up to 14% by 2030, according to the UN report. By 2050, the increase will climb to 30%.” Climate change is increasing heat waves and droughts, worsening wildfires. As a quick reminder, fossil fuels – coal, oil, and gas – are by far the largest contributors to climate change. Once more, we must urgently ban fossil fuels subsidies and use those funds to transition away from fossil fuels ASAP! 

ATLAS NEWS

Just reading those pieces of news anger us deeply at Atlas. Those are human-made crises that human institutions fail to act upon, putting us all at risk. It’s unacceptable, untenable, unjust, and must change. And if not us, who? If not now, when?

As you must have followed, we took the decision to become a political movement and run for elections worldwide back in September (you can read more here). We have been working hard to structure the work and get ready to roll with two major political campaigns to challenge the leadership of the United Nations and enter the national parliament of a G7 country. And here we are, a few weeks from our first announcement. 

🇺🇳 Ready to take on the United Nations?! Yes!

In particular, the campaign for the United Nations is about to begin! Yes, after the successful pilot we launched in 2021, we intend to run an Atlas candidate as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. Existential threats must be tackled, and the UN should lead the charge. We must transition away from fossil fuels, end weapons of mass destruction, eradicate extreme poverty and curb inequalities, regulate AI, ensure we don’t have a next pandemic, and save democracy. Otherwise, we won’t stand a chance. We cannot stay passive as the world goes into darkness, and power plays and an outdated system paralyze the only global body able to take on these challenges. Our candidate will get in as a wrecking ball, expose the inability of the system to act, and push for our Survival. It will be an almost impossible task, but we ought to try our best! And aren’t the best wins those that seemed the most unlikely?

In practice, we will make a big announcement in the next few weeks. If you want to contribute, continue reading this newsletter! 

💡 We have an Advisory Council now!

We have big ambitions, an unpaved road ahead and many roadblocks. We aren’t afraid and are more determined than ever. But we also want to put all the chances on our side. That’s why we started building an Advisory Council. The first members of this informal group are people we admire and trust and have been working with in different capacities for a while. All come from different continents and have expertise in global governance, mobilisation, and democratic innovation. Here are the first names:

1. Tamara Adriàn, a pro-democracy advocate and former Senator from Venezuela
2. Kennedy Graham, a pioneer when it comes to thinking about global governance and former MP from New Zealand
3. Nerima Wako-Ojiwa, community organizer and democratic innovator from Kenya
4. Alberto Alemanno, civic leader and professor of law at HEC from Italy

We aim to continuously expand this body to access the knowledge we need to succeed quickly. If you have people to propose, please reply to this email!

UPCOMING KEY DATES

That’s not all, we have lots of exciting events coming up ⤵️

• February 18th Internal Townhall: Once a month, our community gathers to review strategies, update each other, and explore volunteering opportunities. This is the way to get involved. Check out all the details here.
• March United Nations Announcement: we will make some big announcements in March regarding our United Nations Secretary-General campaign. Get ready to spread the word. 
• July Summit: We will host our 2024 Summit online on July 20-21. Register to become a member to join it, and save the date (all of the information is here)
• Save the date for a massive and disruptive event, September 20-27. We don’t want to spoil the news, but we have more exciting news after the UN campaign announcement. So watch out  👀 

YOUR ROLE 

Constructing Atlas is nothing short of a colossal endeavour, and your role in it is crucial. Here are a few ways to participate:

• Volunteer by registering here: Joining our incredible community of doers is not just a contribution; it's a statement that you're ready to be part of something groundbreaking. 
• Donate here: As a volunteer-driven organization with world-changing aspirations, every contribution, no matter how small, is invaluable to us.  
• Participate in our Solidarity effort with Ukraine: we are sadly approaching the two-year mark of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For this, we are planning some social media actions: videos of people worldwide with a sign “Stand With Ukraine” and any other message you’d like to share with those on the frontline. Please respond to this email if you’d like to show solidarity with 🇺🇦 

Last but not least, we have a special request for designers out there: we would love to refresh our brand ahead of our campaigns, so we need some creative support here! Reach out if you can help, 

And for any questions, just send me an email :)

Onward,

Andrea

Atlas Co-Founder

Atlas
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