FADIA KIWAN

Professor of political science and director general of the Arab Women Organization

What have you learned from the crisis?

“The coronavirus crisis has shown us that we live badly, that we are too casual in our approach to climate change, that we overconsume—in the worst sense of the word—and that our way of life leads to all sorts of illnesses and, ultimately, recurring disasters. We’ve also found that there has been a serious deficit in international governance during this crisis. Among the major international organizations, there was a moment of doubt. We didn’t know what to do. But there has been one positive aspect: The extensive use of technology—the internet in particular—to both confront the coronavirus and adapt to the constraints it has given rise to. If we have managed to continue living, it is thanks to technology and social media. This is important because it proves that even when humanity faces major challenges, it has the tools it needs to address them in new and original ways.”

How can we prepare for and manage the risks of future crises?

“We absolutely have to change our lifestyles and restore our respect for nature. We must review the way we live, the way we work, the way we eat. We must also work on reducing existing discrepancies in our abilities to use technology, to access the internet and to continue to communicate, work, study and stay in touch with the world through social media. We must reconsider our values over the past decades. Are we really in a situation of international solidarity? Are we capable of living in a world without borders when pandemics like the coronavirus happen? All I know is that, paradoxically, humanity is facing a situation where, on the one hand, there is less desire to collaborate—as every country tries to find solutions to its own problems—and, on the other hand, we need to jointly implement measures to resolve problems that concern us all.” 