Thank you to everyone who attended!
Last Wednesday, New Global Normal held its first open forum, where we discussed different countries’ pandemic responses and the benefit of global cooperation. Over the course of 28 minutes, we shared our own experiences with and thoughts on regional and global pandemic responses. Experiences of the pandemic branched from Hong Kong to Scotland, Kenya to India and the United States to Switzerland. Topics considered included initial reponses to the pandemic, govnment corruption and the contrast in Covid reponses between ‘the East’ and ‘the West’. It was fascinating to have so many perspectives in the one ZOOM call; the opportunity for collective learning reiterated the need for a global conversation around how we can strengthen international cooperation to effectively combat Covid-19 and the inevitable crises of the future.
“[The open forum has] reiterated the need for a global conversation around how we can strengthen international cooperation to effectively combat Covid-19 and the inevitable crises of the future.
A moment of the discussion that particularly struck me was recalling how communities around the globe felt immune from Covid in the early stages of the outbreak. Notions that the virus could never reach communities so far away from its origin dominated thinking in many areas, albeit with different cultural contexts. We noted from this the importance of encouraging global awareness in an age where our world is increasingly small, as well as the need for global solidarity and action that extends beyond nationalistic rhetoric.
You can watch the forum here:
Video embed here:
We can’t wait for our next forum, and hope to see more people there! Watch our social media in the coming weeks for more insights from our first open forum, and information on how to join in the future!