Colombe Cahen-Salvador

Colombe Cahen-Salvador (born 1994) is a human rights defender and political activist. She co-founded Volt Europa, and is the co-founder and co-Executive director of NOW!.
== Biography ==
Colombe Cahen-Salvador is French and grew up in Paris. She holds a law degree from the University of Warwick and a Master of Laws from Duke University School of Law.
== Career ==
Cahen-Salvador served as a legal fellow with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (“RFK”, formerly the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights) in Washington, D.C., where she worked in the International Strategic Litigation Unit to bring high impact human rights cases before regional and international tribunals. She was awarded the inaugural Duke Law School’s international law and human rights fellowship, during which she worked at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and at the Norwegian Refugee Council. 
In 2017, Cahen-Salvador together with Andrea Venzon and Damian Boeselager founded Volt Europa as a "pan-European", "pragmatic" and "progressive" party. She was responsible for the creation of policies in Volt from 2017 to 2019, and developed the programme of the party for the European Elections: the Amsterdam Declaration. Cahen-Salvador was the lead candidate to the European Elections for Volt Europa in France, but Volt France could not participate (unable to raise €800,000 in funding to meet legal requirement to print its own ballot papers). 
Due to her work, Cahen-Salvador was featured in several documentaries, including in "The Future of Europe" by Deutsche Welle, as one of Europe's young visionaries, and in ARTE's documentary "Volt, the first pan-European party". 
On January 1st 2020, and is now its co-executive director. She focuses her work on global issues, from gender equality to understanding how to best impact change in Hong Kong to preserve freedoms. As such, she has notably debated transnational topics and governance with global figures, such as: Dr. Soumya Swaminathan (scientist) Joshua Wong, Hon. Esther Passaris and Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
== Political philosophy and activism ==
Cahen-Salvador has worked extensively on the doctrines of globalism, the need for transnational activism and global governance. Cahen-Salvador has repeatedly argued that global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, showcase "the need for increased global governance and cooperation". As such, she maintains "competences need to be given systematically to supranational bodies that can answer and manage the world’s existential threats."
She explained that "modern democracy means mobilising people on issues not allegiances" and that is why she called for global activism that can "represent a potent hybrid, fusing youth activism with political operations devoid of party allegiance. It crosses all borders, as pressing issues usually do." Cahen-Salvador believes that cross-border activism and lobbying is the "only way to tackle the most significant threats of our time" in the absence of true transnational governance. She also argued that political parties "incapable of coping with a complex world where issues are interconnected and global, with little respect for borders or electoral timetables."
Cahen-Salvador has pushed the United Nations Security Council to declare a global Climate Emergency, invoking its powers under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter to issue binding decisions on the matter. She previously lobbied the World Health Assembly to ensure fair and equal distribution to future COVID-19 vaccines, whist giving priority to health workers across the world. In May 2020, she stated that the "WHO has no binding power on this fundamental issue that is fair distribution. The most it can do is to issue public statements for collaboration and push world leaders to pledge their support." She pushed for countries to tackle the issue of fair distribution of vaccines. The 2020 World Health Assembly did not pick up the request.
She has notably called, with pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong and political activist Andrea Venzon, for the creation of a “democratic league” to be able to protect freedoms in Hong Kong, and denounced China's clampdown on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. Following meetings with Hong Kong's democratic leaders,"The Struggle for Freedom", a talk with Colombe Cahen-Salvador, Joshua Wong and Andrea Venzon, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5ckW3ExiIQ she blamed the United Kingdom and other countries for weak responses to the Hong Kong situation, and lack of international lobbying, due to a fear of China's potential response. Cahen-Salvador also pushed for countries to pass similar legislation to the United States' Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
== Publications ==
Colombe Cahen Salvador has published numerous articles in renown outlets, including in: 
* Euronews, Jun 5, 2020: "Germany needs to do more to tackle the climate crisis. It has a chance now to take the lead"
*The Independent, Jun 4, 2020: "Hong Kong is not like Tiananmen Square – China is a superpower now and that is worrying"
*Al Jazeera, May 12, 2020: "We need to ensure priority vaccination for health workers"
*The Independent, May 8, 2020: "Even if we find a coronavirus vaccine, will the WHO ensure you get it?"
*The Independent, Apr 29, 2020: "While the world is distracted by coronavirus, China is clamping down on Hong Kong's pro-democracy campaigners"
* The Brussels Time, Feb 5, 2020 : "Belgium can save the world from doomsday this month: what is it waiting for?"
*The Fair Observer, Dec 2, 2019: "It's time for a New Global Movement"
*The Economist, Nov 1, 2019: "Party politics is dying, so make citizen movements the new unifier"
*The Huffington Post Greece, May 12, 2019: "Are the European Elections the last episode of Game of Thrones?"
*The New European, May 4, 2019 : "Register, vote, and create the change you want"
*Euractiv, May 3, 2019: "Now is the time to create a real European Democracy"
*Mediapart, Apr 25, 2019: "Abaissons les barrières de la démocratie pour permettre la représentation de tous les citoyens"
*Les Echos, Apr 10, 2019 : "Associer les citoyens à la construction et à l’évaluation des politiques de l’Union"
*Les Echos, Mar 20, 2019: "Gouvernance de l'Europe : abandonner l’unanimité"
*The Guardian, Sep 5, 2018: "Shocked by Brexit, we launched the first pan-European progressive movement"
== References ==
Category:Politics
Category:Human rights
Category:Youth-led organizations