When Bill and Melinda Gates brought Goalkeepers – inventors, activists, artists, and politicians – to Lincoln Center to report on how they’re working towards the 17 Global Goals set in 2015, President Obama assumed a comfortable tone: the world is better, he reassured us. And better is good. Obama received a standing ovation in his speech, which was optimistic. It wasn’t a blind optimism, just an acknowledgment of the victories so we could rally to go further. But where? Especially considering the current global situation, with the threat of nuclear war with North Korea, the withdrawal from the Paris accords, or the increasing xenophobia from the current U.S. administration that has battered the public consciousness in recent months. It’s not fear that fueled Obama’s speech. It was, as always, hope.
“The world has never been healthier or wealthier or better educated or less violent than it is today,” he said. “Despite the enormous conflicts that break our hearts around the world, fewer people are being killed in wars and conflicts than ever before… These trends are real… They should spur us to action because it shows, despite the naysayers, that change can happen.”
Hope is a message that traveled north to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and when he sat down with Melinda Gates in a conversation earlier in the day, he pointed to appealing to voters’ reason to make change.
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“I feel incredibly optimistic about the future,” he said. “We have so many more levers to impact change in the world than we ever have before. So much of politics and advertising consists of dumbing down the message, playing on fear of the right and anger of the left. But if instead you actually have thoughtful conversations… if you can reach out to citizens as thoughtful agents of change, that is where we shift the world.”
That doesn’t mean anyone is blind to the reality of the current U.S. administration, or the real problems that exist around the globe. After years of pushing for universal health care, for example, Obama has had to watch those efforts threatened again and again.
“Those of you who live in countries that already have universal healthcare are trying to figure out,” he said to the international crowd, “what’s the controversy here? I am too.”
“I feel incredibly optimistic about the future.”
Now that the newest wave of Trumpcare has risen from the dead and died again, Obama’s frustration is still evident, though he never called anyone out by name.
“When I see people trying to undo that hard won progress for the 50th or 60th time, to roll back protections for the expecting mom or the child with autism… it is aggravating,” he admitted. “And all of this being done without any demonstrable or plain commonsense rationale… It’s frustrating to have to mobilize every couple of months to keep our leaders from inflicting suffering on its constituents.”
But this constant conversation, and remaining engaged and active, is what democracy is.
The same back-and-forth is happening on the national stage in relation to the Paris agreement, and since Climate Action is number 13 on the list of Sustainable Development Goals, Obama reflected on that.
“I remember sitting down with Bill [Gates] in Paris a couple years ago, where the world was coming together to hammer out a small agreement to save the planet by taking meaningful action to tackle climate change,” he said with a smile. “It’s a threat that may define the contours of this century more than anything else. Bill saw this not simply as a challenge, but as an opportunity.”
“Our collective progress depends on our willingness to roll up our sleeves and work.”
But even though the U.S. has withdrawn from the Paris agreement, Obama looks towards the positive steps that are being taken.
“Even if at the current moment the federal government isn’t as engaged in these efforts as I would like,” he said, “nevertheless progress continues.”
The room before him was filled with innovators looking to make the world better, froma young scientist who invented a pack that would keep vaccines cold for days without ice or electricity (SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing); from Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee who helped to end civil war in Liberia (SDG 16 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions) to will.i.am, who now focuses on empowering kids through tech education (SDG 4 Quality Education).
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“Our collective progress depends on our willingness to roll up our sleeves and work,” said Obama. “Many of you are young and may have only seen forward momentum… But you will confront hurdles and roadblocks in the future. When that happens, that’s the test. The test is not how you feel when you’re at a cool conference in New York with Bill and Melinda Gates and will.i.am. The test is when you’re in the field and people are resisting efforts you now can make a difference… Your response has to be to reject cynicism and push forward with relentless optimism. It’s not blind optimism, but hard-earned optimism that’s rooted in the stories of very real progress through history…That’s what you’re fighting for. Each new generation stands on the successes of the previous generation. It’s like a relay race that we’re running… I have great faith in you. If you keep pushing forward, America and the world are going to be just fine.”
To learn more about the SDGs, head to the Goalkeepers site created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
