The speaker is Simon Anholt, a policy adviser who created the Good Country Index, a ranking of countries based on how much they contribute to the world and humanity. He argues that globalization has created many problems that require global solutions, but most countries are still focused on their own interests and compete with each other. He says that people admire countries that are good, meaning that they care about the rest of the world and collaborate with others. He urges us to use the word "good" to evaluate our countries and demand more from our politicians and businesses. He says he wants to live in a good country and hopes we do too.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Globalization has led to increased interconnectedness and interdependence among countries.
2. The world's population has reached 7 billion people.
3. The Millennium Development Goals have achieved some success, with several targets being met ahead of schedule.
4. Climate change, human rights, demographics, terrorism, pandemics, narco-trafficking, and human slavery are some of the grand challenges facing the world today.
5. Governments are still organized in a way that prioritizes national interests over global cooperation.
6. Politicians often have a narrow focus on domestic issues and may not consider the global implications of their decisions.
7. The Nation Brands Index is a study that measures how people perceive other countries.
8. The Good Country Index is a new study that measures how much each country contributes to the world.
9. Ireland ranks as the "goodest" country in the world, according to the Good Country Index.
10. Finland, Sweden, and other Western European countries also rank high in the Good Country Index.
11. Kenya is in the top 30 of the Good Country Index, demonstrating that contributing to the world is not just about money, but also about attitude and culture.
12. The Good Country Index is based on data from various sources, including the United Nations, the World Bank, and other international organizations.
13. The index measures a country's contribution to the world in areas such as science, technology, culture, and humanitarian aid.
14. The creator of the Good Country Index hopes to encourage people to think about what it means for a country to be "good" and to use this concept to evaluate the behavior of their own country and its leaders.