How to Turn Crisis into Opportunity?

April 24, 2020
 
Introduction: Mr. Zlatko Lagumdzija, the Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001-2002), delivered a speech at the Silk Road Think Tank Association Thematic Cloud Forum.
 
The following is the transcribed version of Mr. Zlatko Lagumdzija’s keynote speech.
 
 
 
Dear friends, Mr. Chairman,
 
First I want to thank you for inviting me as a member of SRTA International Advisory Board and in a way being part of extremely important mission with my good and long-lasting friends George, Danilo, Massimo and Dominik as well as distinguished new ones that I am happy to work together in the future.
 
COVID-19 is marking the end of the world we know. We are entering the New Era.
 
At the same time COVID-19 is reinforcing the need to be more active and committed to Agenda 2030 and to work on necessary models of global governance. The fact that 75% of all emerging infectious diseases come from wildlife can be a reason to see COVID-19 as a “clear warning shot to humanity”. Nature is sending us a bold message: Atmosphere keeps warming, forests and oceans are being polluted and destroyed, and 1 out of 8 million species on the planet are at risk of being lost - and here comes pandemic that may be followed by the worse one!?
 
A crisis provides an opportunity for change, growth and progress as well as a danger for stagnation, regression and depression. Post-corona time is not determined. Our long-term future depends on decisions that we will make in a relatively short period of time. Currently international organizations are now confronted with two great tasks - to be part of active global response to deadly global problems and to be rejuvenated by re-engineering themselves.
 
In last two decades marked by unprecedented speed and magnitude of political, economic, social and technological changes, we have lived in three different world eras.
 
We entered the Third Millennium with a notion of the beginning of a new era for mankind that some thinkers even defined as an End of History.
 
Seismic shift to the beginning of another New Era was marked with 9/11 unprecedent terrorist act when it became visible that fragmented and emerging multipolar world started searching for a new global order.
 
Global COVID-19 pandemic is marking the beginning of Post-corona time, Third Era inside the beginning of Third Millennium.
 
What is urgently required are specific measures on public health and economic crisis that are agreed by global leaders along two parallel paths and with funding far beyond the current capacity of existing international institutions. First, emergency support for global health initiatives led by the World Health Organization (WHO), and second, emergency measures to restore the global economy.
 
Urgent global health measures and global economic measures followed by global governance of climate change issues and speeded implementation of Agenda 2030 require a paradigm shift from “nation silos” approach to shared global leadership.
 
Post-corona time will open debates about structural and mission changes of global and national institutions and emergence of the new ones. There are no doubts that multilateralism and international organizations are needed as indispensable stakeholders of global governance. But at the same time, they need to be politically defended, radically reformed and funded.
 
UN has no alternative and should be strengthened and re-engineered as a pillar of Post-corona Era regardless of shown weaknesses and failures. World Health Organization (given current and new epidemic prospects and health care systems especially in developing countries), World Food Program, Food and Agricultural Organization (given uncertainty related to global food supply), UNHCR (given unknown impact on migrations), WTO, UNDP (given necessity for additional climate change actions) are just some of the organizations whose role will be more needed and reformed at the same time.
 
The deadly toll in most of the world is still rising. Flattening the curve of deceased people number is a prime task for every nation and for all of us together.
 
But there are four curves that we have to keep flattening if we want to avoid potential “4E-Tzunamis”: Epidemic (Health), Economy, Education and Environment (Climate change).
Our health is heavily jeopardized as well as our economy, educational system and environment.
 
The critical step in our future endeavors is understanding the similarities, the differences and the broader relationships between pandemic and climate risks. COVID-19 pandemic is influencing the pace and nature of our climate actions that are accelerating the recovery by job creation, increasing economic resiliency and driving capital formation.
 
Corona is sending us a bold message. If we want to survive as humans, we have to realize that our divisions, confrontations and hybrid wars for domination are leading us to join extinct species of the Earth.
 
We are not in battle for our individual or nation future.
 
It is not about me or you or anyone else. It is about we and everyone together. It is not about any nation itself and alone. It is about whole world and all of us together. 
 
With Shared Leadership, Values, Security, Responsibility, Benefits, Education, Knowledge and Shared Vision for Shared Future and Societies.
 
Tolerance, dialogue, learning and understanding - these four keywords together are becoming a key to Post-corona Era and Sustainable Development.
 
“After the rain, the sun comes up.”
 
So let’s be negative on corona collectively and be positive on our shared future.
 
Take care, distance physically, and get closer socially as we are being today.
 
Good luck.
 
 
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