UNESCO campaign questions our perception of what a return to normality should mean in the post-COVID-19 era.

By 25/06/2020 News

UNESCO was founded after the Second World War with the conviction that an unprecedented conflict could lead to a better, more united world. Since wars begin in the minds of men and women, it is in the minds of men and women that a better world must be built, the Organization's founders argued. This idea is more pertinent than ever as countries begin to emerge from the global COVID-19 crisis, which has called into question our priorities, our ways of life and the functioning of our societies.

People around the world showed their solidarity during the health emergency and saw how greater cooperation can help build a better future. But as we begin to emerge from the pandemic, we tend to forget the lessons we learned and “go back to normal,” without taking into account the impact of what we consider normal on the environment, the economy, public health and our lives. societies.

UNESCO launches a global campaign to challenge our perception of normality. The 2.20 minute film doesn't need complex plots to do it. It simply presents factual information about the world before and during the pandemic. Together, these events invite viewers to reflect on what is normal, suggesting that we have accepted the unacceptable for too long. Our previous reality can no longer be accepted as normal. Now is the time to change.

As the intellectual agency of the United Nations, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) believes that the need for lasting change must take root in the hearts and minds of people around the world before that it can come true.

The campaign is part of a broader effort by UNESCO to reflect on the world of tomorrow, in particular through the initiative of the UNESCO Forum, a laboratory of ideas that brings together outstanding thinkers, the Resiliart movement, a series of round tables on the future of culture and cultural industries, the Future Literacy Network, as well as the program The futures of education and global recommendations on Open Science and the ethics of Artificial Intelligence. These are important issues that UNESCO began working on long before the pandemic put them in the spotlight.

UNESCO invites the media and opinion leaders to share the campaign «The new normal«, created by the DDB agency in Paris, available from June 25, 2020.

To learn more and participate, propose your ideas for a New Normal, visit UNESCO's social networks on social networks:
https://www.facebook.com/unescoes
https://twitter.com/unesco_es
https://www.instagram.com/unesco/?hl=es