YO-YO MA
In 1948, the U.N. General
Assembly came together and
ratifi ed a Universal Declara-
tion of Human Rights, describ-
ing the world they wanted to
build, one defi ned by equality,
opportunity and safety for
all. We may have failed in so
many ways to deliver on the
promise of that document,
but every generation has a
chance, and an obligation,
to do better.
To me, that begins with cul-
ture—the place where arts,
sciences and society connect.
When scientists from dozens
of countries join hands to
unlock the mysteries of our
universe; when a fi lmmaker
or musician lifts up voices
and stories from the margins;
when museums and concert
halls redefi ne the communi-
ties they serve based on val-
ues like access, curiosity and
collaboration —that is taking
action for a better future.
If you do not consider your-
self a cultural being, I chal-
lenge you to think differently:
we are all cultural citizens,
and culture will be the engine
of our reconstruction, as it
always has been. Culture is
the foundation on which we
will build a world where we
reaffi rm our commitment to
equality and safety for all, we
act with empathy and we know
that we can always do better.Ma is a cellist and a
U.N. Messenger of PeaceSTEWART BUTTERFIELD
The massive global shift to distributed work during the pandemic
will not be undone. Nearly 9 of 10 workers do not want to return
to the offi ce full time. That’s going to reshape offi ces, the com-
panies that use them, the cities organized around them, and
everything from public transit to housing prices.
That might sound like a problem, but it’s also an opportunity.
With lowered prices, cities will once again be hospitable for art-
ists, teachers and nurses, along with more of the independent
businesses that struggled to compete with chains as urban com-
mercial space became prohibitively costly. Demand for housing
with appropriate working spaces will increase, harking back to
the preindustrial patterns of work and family life.
We will be able to expand the information-age opportunity to
communities that have never shared in it. Tools that allow for
asynchronous collaboration will permit people to balance work
and family responsibilities. This will allow us to rethink cities
themselves too—reducing traffi c, increasing green space, trans-
forming former offi ces into homes and cultural institutions.
This isn’t a pipe dream or some far-off future; this is now, and
next year, and the year after that, if we embrace the opportunity
to reimagine and the responsibility to reinvent.Butterfi eld is CEO of SlackFABIOLA GIANOTTI
The pandemic has thrust
science into the spotlight.
Governments turned to scien-
tists for advice before taking
decisions and implementing
measures. Distinguished
virologists, immunologists
and epidemiologists even
replaced celebrities on the
front pages of newspapers. In
a sustainable world, science
must remain center stage and
not be put back in its box until
the next crisis hits. Just as sci-
ence is pivotal to dealing withthe pandemic, so will it be
pivotal to our future recovery.
Without the innovations and
breakthroughs that come
from science, progress always
stagnates.
But science is also a value
system, and it can play an
important role in connecting
people in our fractured world.
This is because science is
both universal and unifying.
It is universal because the
laws of nature are the same
everywhere on earth; and it is
unifying because the quest for
knowledge and the desire to
understand how things work
are aspirations we all share.
Science has neither
passport nor gender, ethnicity
nor political affi liation, and
has long been recognized as
a facilitator of cross-border
alliances. Global challenges
require global solutions, and
global collaboration. Science
can show the way.Gianotti is head of the
European Organization for
Nuclear Research (CERN)places growth above all else.
Many activities that cause
GDP to rise—like selling
arms or cutting down trees—
also increase violence and
environmental degradation.
And yet the pursuit of GDP
growth is at the heart of many
of our policy frameworks. We
need to study why our model
has benefi ted so few, and
create a system that could
help many.
This pandemic has been
an X-ray on innumerable
existing forms of inequality,
highlighting how our system
fails so many people around
the world. This is a time to
be creative, to go back to
the drawing board and to
leverage the current political
appetite for transformative
policies that could address
the enormous challenges we
face. We cannot let this crisis
go to waste.Cole is a model, entrepreneur
and author ofWho Cares
Wins: Reasons for Optimism
BLAIR, MA: WIREIMAGE; COLE, BUTTERFIELD, GIANOTTI: GETTY IMAGES; OKONJO-IWEALA: FILMMAGICin Our Changing World