“All things living are in search of a better world” or so says Karl Popper in the very first line of his landmark book, “In Search of a better world”. It is a simple fact yet it is astonishingly surprising. From the tiniest bacterium to the smallest trees to the most humble animals, everybody evolves to find a better world. Everything changes for good. It is inevitable and it is the only way our world works. How can we then accelerate this progress? Humanity has seen a lot . It has gone through two senseless world wars, cruel dictatorships and countless disasters. Inspite of all of that, We ,the citizens of the 21st century live in a better world than any of our ancestors. We have more democracies. We can travel faster and we are more connected than ever. Our children will inherit a better world than any that has existed before. Fifty years ago, the average life expectancy in the world was 60 years. Today it’s 70. In India alone, Literacy rate has gone up from 65 per cent in 2001 to 74 per cent in 2011. But perhaps the most importantly, our search of a better world has intensified.

So what constitutes a better world? United Nations in its much revered document “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” paints the picture of a better world. A world where recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace. Article 25 promises every human a standard of living adequate for his health and well-being. Article 26 gives every human a right to be educated. These rights are critical to achieve a better world. I will now talk about three basic criteria for a better world.

Number 1 — Better for everyone. Progress by its very definition is not a democratic process. Some countries or people are bound to progress faster than others. Humanity is as strong as the weakest member in its team. We need to reiterate our commitment to bring equal progress everywhere. We need to emulate the conditions which lead to progress. Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Maharashtra transformed itself from a highly degraded village with extreme poverty to one of the richest villages in the country using solar energy, windmills and biogas. Our world should be better for everyone poor or rich, men or women, employed or unemployed. Martin Luther King had once said that Human progress is not automatic. Every step towards the goal of justice requires intense sacrifice, suffering, and struggle by dedicated individuals.

Number 2 — Democratic regimes for everyone. Electoral democracies today constitute 58 % of our world and countries with freedom of speech and rule of law make up only 38 percent of our world. That corresponds to more than 60 percent of the world living with the lack of freedom of speech, rule of law and other basic democratic principles. Statistics have shown democratic countries have less income inequalities than other forms of the government. People across the world are demanding the right to live in democracies. Authoritarian regimes are being overthrown and people across the world from Egypt to Syria are reclaiming the power to elect their own leaders.

Number 3 — Education for everyone — A proper education is not only a basic human right, but a passport to a better future — for the children and for the country. A proper education leads to better job opportunities and a better lifestyle. Education is the most powerful weapon which one can use to change the world. It is the road to a better world we are searching for.

But there is one more factor we are forgetting. Arab Spring 2010. Delhi Gang Rape Protests 2012. Euromaidan Protests in Ukraine. Occupy Movement 2011.These landmark moments in human history have one things in common — Change and who is the ‘masked woman’ behind this change? Take a bow, Ms. Internet!

Internet is a weapon of the masses. I come from a country born from protests. People today are armed, not by weapons of mass destruction but with the power of free speech. Ministers have resigned. Corrupt governments have fallen. Technology is becoming magic and we are the new magicians. Internet is the single most empowering technology ever. Imagine what happens when every single person in the world comes together to think, to dream, to solve problems. Magic happens and magic is actually happening. The events I listed before are not statistical anomalies. They are the new norm. Internet is changing the world for good and every single person ever born has a right on this change. Every human has a right on the biggest instrument of change. Every human has a right on Internet.The future of the world is knowledge economy and as Mark Zuckerberg said at Stanford, “Internet is its backbone”. The access to the backbone cannot be exclusive but inclusive and that is the secret to a better world.