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V. Vlasov: Address to World Summit 2020
Written by Hon. Vasily Vlasov, deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Address to World Summit 2020, Seoul, Korea, February 3-8, 2020
I am honored to speak to you today!
I represent Russia, the largest state of the world by its territory, rich in natural resources and talented people. I am a State Duma deputy from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, working in the committee on natural resources, and the youngest member of Russian parliament.
I would like to thank the organizers of the forum for the excellent opportunity to discuss important global issues with the representatives of many countries. Today, all over the world young people are concerned with environmental issues. Increasingly, I see in the parliaments of many countries young parliamentarians and politicians. And this is good, because it is they who will be solving the majority of environmental problems 10 years from now. Only through joint efforts, working on environmental projects, such as separate waste collection, air and water cleaning, can we solve these problems.
Today a whole island of garbage is swimming in the ocean. This is not just a problem of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, it is a problem of all humankind, which we can only solve together. Humanity must make a landmark decision in the next decade, and at least partially eliminate the use of plastic bags and plastic containers. Using new technology, we must create an online database for monitoring clean air and water, which is open to every citizen of the earth. There are national boundaries, but for the polluted air or dirty water there are no boundaries. Together we must open new garbage-processing plants, utilize alternative energy sources. We should not live for short-term profits; we have to think about the future—a good future for our children and grandchildren. I am confident that the joint efforts of humankind can do it.
About 10 years ago we could not have imagined that powerful computers and modern smartphones would be available for the majority. And here we have another problem. In some countries, people do not have the possibility to buy a computer for children to learn at school. In other countries, children are playing computer games, spending days (!!!) without leaving their chair. We must make every effort to ensure that every child in the world has an opportunity to receive education.
There is a saying in Russia: “There is no such thing as ‘somebody’s’ children.” This means that I must think of any child as my own.
So we must make an effort to preserve cultural sites and historical monuments. I am confident that through the decades, future parliamentarians will make a historic decision to make all the museums of the world free of charge for students. Through this there will be no possibility to rewrite history and keep the policy of double standards.
Today, in the era of social networks and high-speed Internet, we can do a lot. Today's youth do not have borders; even being on different continents, people can instantly communicate with each other. Development of new technologies also poses many questions for future generations, such as concerns about artificial intelligence or a law on the relationships between robots and humans.
If a self-driving vehicle hits a person on a crosswalk, who will be responsible? Today each country has a different view on this problem.
Young people, as well as countries, can have competitions. After all, competition gives rise to future development, but because of this competition, we must not forget those who need help.
If you see a person whose situation is worse than yours, help him. Everybody has to have such a life motto. Strong people do so, and, in fact, every one of us is strong! Thank you!
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