A Decent Global Society

HumanDHS is primarily grounded in academic work. We are independent of any religious or political agenda. However, we wish to bring academic work into "real life." Our research focuses on topics such as dignity (with humiliation as its violation), or, more precisely, on respect for equal dignity for all human beings in the world. This is not only our research topic, but also our core value, in line with Article 1 of the Human Rights Declaration that states that every human being is born with equal dignity (that ought not be humiliated). We agree with Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, who advocates the building of bridges from academia as follows, "I have always believed that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential for public policy. It is possible to affect public policy without being an advocate; to be passionate about peace without losing analytical rigor; to be moved by what is just while conceding that no one has a monopoly on justice." We would like to add that we believe that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential not only for public policy, but for raising awareness in general.

We look for interested people, who would like to develop our DGS page. Please see our Call for Creativity.

A Decent Society

Please see the work by Avishai Margalit on The Decent Society:
Margalit, Avishai (1996). The Decent Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. See also
Margalit, Avishai (1997). Decent Equality and Freedom: A Postscript. In Social Research, 64 (1), pp. 147-160.

Lindner (2003) writes: "As important as global rule of law may be, humankind's efforts must reach beyond it. Mere justice is inadequate, decency has to be achieved (Margalit, 1996).Avishai Margalit wrote the book The Decent Society (1996), in which he calls for institutions that no longer humiliate their citizens. He posits that it is not sufficient to merely aspire to building just societies, decent societies should be implemented that do not entail humiliation. Humiliating living conditions are not only unjust; they are also obscene. Decency reigns when humiliation is minimized, particularly humiliation inflicted by institutions. Decency reigns when dignity for all is made possible.

"Egalization" as Path to Decency

The term "egalization" (or "egalisation") has been coined by Evelin Lindner in order to capture "decency," by introducing more stringent differentiations into the globalization debate ("egalisering" in Norwegian, "egalisation" in French, and "Egalisierung" in German).

The introduction of the term "egalization" has the advantage of untangling positive and negative trends embedded into what is usually termed "globalization." The "coming together" aspect in globalization entails a host of aspects that are beneficial for humankind (for example, a heightened awareness for humankind's joint responsibility for the maintenance of their tiny home planet) and ought not to be discredited in its entirety.

Introducing the term "egalization" allows for "freeing" the positive aspects in globalization, by placing its problems into another social process that occurs at about the same time as globalization, namely egalization, or the struggle (currently unsuccessful), by the human rights movement, to increase equal chances for everybody in this globalizing world and diminish humiliating living conditions...

Please read more here.

Some Basic Principles for an Enabling Future

The Earth Charter's principles
I. RESPECT AND CARE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF LIFE
1. Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.
a. Recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings.
b. Affirm faith in the inherent dignity of all human beings and in the intellectual, artistic, ethical, and spiritual potential of humanity.
2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.
a. Accept that with the right to own, manage, and use natural resources comes the duty to prevent environmental harm and to protect the rights of people.
b. Affirm that with increased freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased responsibility to promote the common good.
3. Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.
a. Ensure that communities at all levels guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms and provide everyone an opportunity to realize his or her full potential.
b. Promote social and economic justice, enabling all to achieve a secure and meaningful livelihood that is ecologically responsible.
4. Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations.
a. Recognize that the freedom of action of each generation is qualified by the needs of future generations.
b. Transmit to future generations values, traditions, and institutions that support the long-term flourishing of Earth's human and ecological communities.
In order to fulfill these four broad commitments, it is necessary to:
II. ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY
III. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
IV. DEMOCRACY, NONVIOLENCE, AND PEACE

"Road Map To Good Governance - The Nine 'I' Model" by Syed Ahsanul Alam
Syed Ahsanul Alam, in his article "Road Map To Good Governance - The Nine 'I' Model" explains that "Democracy cannot flourish in the absence of good governance."
He explains: "The pre-condition for good governance is effective democratic institutions for democratizing the society. Improvement of the living standard of people cannot happen where people cannot participate in governance, human rights are not respected, information does not flow, and civil society and the judiciary are weak. Nine criteria of good governance may be used to determine whether any country qualifies to have good governance are:
1. INDEPENDENT AND NON PARTISAN ELECTION COMMISSION
2. INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY AND THE RULE OF LAW
3. INDEPENDENT MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
4. INDEPENDENT ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION
5. INVESTING IN THE PEOPLE
6. INDEPENDENT AND EFFECTIVE PARLIAMENT
7. INDEPENDENT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
8. INDEPENDENT OMBUDSMAN SYSTEM
9. INVESTMENT FRIENDLY GOVERNMENT."
"Road Map To Good Governance - The Nine 'I' Model" ( www.goodgovernancebd.org). Syed Ahsanul Alam is Associate Professor of marketing at the Univ. of Chittagong, & Chairman - Center for Good Governance.

Eight Principles by David Held
David Held, Graham Wallas Chair in Political Science, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom, sets out a number of principles which he believes can be universally shared, and can form the basis for the protection and nurturing of each person’s equal significance in the moral realm of humanity. Eight principles are paramount. They are the principles of:
1. equal worth and dignity;
2. active agency;
3. personal responsibility and accountability;
4. consent;
5. collective decision making about public matters through voting procedures;
6. inclusiveness and subsidiarity;
7. avoidance of serious harm; and
8. sustainability.
Held, D. (2004a) Global Covenant: The Social Democratic Alternative to the Washington
Consensus. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Held, D. (2004b) ‘Future Globalizations’, a plenary talk given at the Inaugural Conference of
Globalization Studies Network, The University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, 20 August 2004.
Held, D. (2005) ‘Principles of Cosmopolitan Order’, in G. Brock and H. Brighouse (eds): The
Political Philosophy of Cosmopolitanism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Creating an Inclusive Society: Practical Strategies to Promote Social Integration
Summary of E-dialogue, 23 May – 20 June 2007, organized by the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), in collaboration with UNESCO and UN-HABITAT.
Please read more at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev.
Synthesis of the views expressed by participants:
• Critical Elements Necessary for Creating an Inclusive Society
• Rule of Law
• Judiciary
• Education
• Shared Common Goal /Vision
• Cultural Pluralism/Respect for diversity
• Strong Civil Society ( civil rights , civic responsibility, civic engagement, citizenship and mutual trust)
• Equal Opportunities for Active Participation
• Equitable Distribution of Economic and Social Resources
• Inclusive Policies and Institutions
• Good Governance and Representative Leadership
• Equal access to Pubic Information, Public Infrastructures and Facilities
• Effective Urban Management

Principles for Global Sustainability
David Krieger is President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and a Councilor on the World Future Council
• Responsibility to allocate resources so that greed for the few does not eclipse need for the many. (Survival Principle; Democracy Principle)
• Responsibility to preserve the planet and its resources for future generations. (Intergenerational Equity Principle)
• Responsibility to do no irreparable harm to the planet and its inhabitants. (Precautionary Principle)
• Responsibility to foster diversity of species and ideas. (Anti-Monopoly Principle)
• Responsibility to make war a last resort, not a first resort of the powerful. (Nonviolence Priority Principle)
• Responsibility to hold accountable the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against peace, and crimes against humanity, including genocide. (Nuremberg Principles; International Criminal Court)
• Responsibility to guarantee basic human rights for all individuals. (Human Rights Principle: Universal Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Torture Convention, etc.)
• Responsibility to cooperate across national borders to achieve these ends. (State Cooperation Principle: Global problems are incapable of solution by single states, no matter how powerful.)
• Responsibility to choose hope over despair. (Hope Principle; Perseverance Principle)
• Responsibility to leave the planet a better place than you found it. (Individual Action Principle; Horace Mann Principle: “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.”)
• Responsibility to educate for global sustainability. (Education Principle; Critical Thinking Principle)

In sum, I would encourage you to seek to advance global sustainability by adopting a planetary perspective, doing no harm, engaging in doing good for the planet and its present and future inhabitants, choosing hope, and persisting. If we accept these responsibilities as individuals and work to implement them in our national and international policies, we can turn Earth Day into a year-around commitment to creating a planet we can be proud to pass on to future generations.

Ten Commandments
Evo Morales appearances at American University and the OAS.
See 10 commandments.

The Equality Trust
The Equalit Trust is an independent, evidence based campaign working to reduce income inequality in order to improve the quality of life in the UK.
UK income inequality is among the highest in the developed world and evidence shows that this is bad for almost everyone.
People in more equal societies live longer, have better mental health and are more socially mobile. Community life is stronger where the income gap is narrower, children do better at school and they are less likely to become teenage parents. When inequality is reduced people trust each other more, there is less violence and rates of imprisonment are lower.
If we want to build a better society, it is essential we take action now to reduce the gap between rich and poor. The Equality Trust is working with others to build a social movement for change. We analyse and disseminate the latest research, promote robust evidence-based arguments and support a dynamic network of campaign groups across the country.

Links

Please note that the entire HumanDHS website is maintained by volunteers, since its inception in 2003, and this is mainly done by Evelin Lindner. Until 2012, she usually pasted interesting news into this Links section. From July 2012 until 2017, she tagged interesting information on delicious.com. From 2017 onward, you see Evelin's personal list of interesting web links on Twitter: Follow @evelinlindner

New UN Chief Guterres Plans to Focus on Human Dignity
NEW YORK (IDN-INS) - On December 12, 2016, António Guterres will be sworn in as the next United Nations Secretary-General. In his vision for the post, Guterres - a former Prime Minister of Portugal and UN High Commissioner for Refugees - has said that the world body is uniquely placed to connect the dots to overcome global challenges and further strengthen the nexus between peace and security, sustainable development and human rights policies. [IDN-INPS – 11 December 2016]

Leitartikel: Kampf den Avataren, Der Spiegel 21, 19.05.2014
Google missbraucht seine Macht und muss daher von der Politik neue Regeln bekommen....Google baut digitale Avatare von uns und spielt mit denen das große Konsumspiel. Dies verletzt die Würde des Menschen, und die soll unantastbar sein, sagt das Grundgesetz. Der Europäische Gerichtshof hat eine richtige Entscheidung getroffen. Wer sich vor einem falschen oder veralteten Bild seiner Persönlichkeit schützen will, kann sich an die Suchmaschinen wenden. Aber das greift zu kurz und ist prinzipiell der falsche Ansatz. Nicht der Bürger muss sich gegen die Datenkraken stemmen, sondern der Staat. Datenschutz sollte ähnlich wie Umweltschutz zur vordringlichen Staatsaufgabe werden. Auch die Umwelt wurde über Jahrzehnte vergiftet, weil man es einer verantwortungslosen Industrie überließ, ihre Profite auf den Verbrauch natürlicher Ressourcen zu gründen, ohne dafür zu zahlen. Der Staat hat die Pflicht, nicht nur die natürlichen Ressourcen der Menschheit zu bewahren, sondern ebenso ihre persönliche Ressource, die Würde. Die Politiker müssen sich jetzt um eine digitale Weltordnung kümmern, einen Gesetzesrahmen, der Machtmissbrauch verhindert. ... Wenn nicht die Politik Google einen Rahmen setzt, dann setzt bald Google der Politik einen Rahmen. Und verändert die Demokratie, wie wir sie kennen...
Read more at http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-127078940.html.

An Interview With Dr. Nora Sveaass: Why Torture is Wrong
by Nilantha Ilangamuwa
... A state that allows torture to happen not only violates international human law but creates a room that is extremely destructive. It undermines the trust and confidence that every society must contain, and such practices open up for more violence and disrespect of human rights. What was attempted as part of the war against terror was to create the picture that better one guilty than many innocent. But there is absolutely no justification for torture. And this campaign has also been used as a way of getting rid of or pacifying opposition. A lot of human rights violations over the last years have taken place under the auspices of fighting terror. The campaigns to fight this are extremely important. In addition, it has been argued, especially from people trained in interrogation and forensic psychology that torture, in addition to be totally wrong, also brings about wrong or false intelligence...
Read more at http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/10/11/why-torture-is-wrong/.

Globale Allmende
Der Autor, Gunther Mair, befasst sich mit Fragen, die den Umgang des Einzelnen mit Gütern der Gemeinschaft betreffen, Fragen, die globale Ausmaße annehmen (Klima, Ressourcen, Finanzmarkt). Für die Bearbeitung dieser Frage erhielt Elinor Ostrom 2009 (als erste Frau) den Wirtschaftsnobelpreis.

The System Improvement Process
SIP was developed to solve any difficult large-scale social problem. This includes the "excessive humiliation problem." Systems Engineer Jack Harich invites all researchers to study SIP (in a personal message, 15th January 2013).

The State of Working America: Economic Policy Institute

Global Voices
Global Voices is a community of more than 300 bloggers and translators around the world who work together to bring you reports from blogs and citizen media everywhere, with emphasis on voices that are not ordinarily heard in international mainstream media. Global Voices seeks to aggregate, curate, and amplify the global conversation online - shining light on places and people other media often ignore. We work to develop tools, institutions and relationships that will help all voices, everywhere, to be heard. Millions of people are blogging, podcasting, and uploading photos, videos, and information across the globe, but unless you know where to look, it can be difficult to find respected and credible voices. Our international team of volunteer authors and part-time editors are active participants in the blogospheres they write about on Global Voices. Global Voices is incorporated in the Netherlands as Stichting Global Voices, a nonprofit foundation. We do not have an office, but work as a virtual community across multiple time zones, meeting in person only when the opportunity arises (usually during our Summits). We rely on grants, sponsorships, editorial commissions, and donations to cover our costs. Our Projects Global Voices is translated into more than 30 languages by volunteer translators, who have formed the Lingua project. Additionally, Global Voices has an Advocacy website and network to help people speak out online in places where their voices are censored. We also have an outreach project called Rising Voices to help marginalized communities use citizen media to be heard, with an emphasis on the developing world. Read more.

Youku
Youku is a video hosting service based in People's Republic of China.

Minnesota Group Builds a Peace Army
By Jean Hopfensperger, Star Tribune, January 10, 2011
Most Minnesotans have never heard of the Nonviolent Peaceforce. But nine Nobel Peace Prize laureates have endorsed this Minnesota-born nonprofit, including the Dalai Lama and former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu...
Read more at http://www.startribune.com/local/113179184.html.

Citizen's Basic Income
Our social awareness is lagging a long way behind the possibilities opened up by the worldwide division of labour and the resulting rise in productivity, write Götz Werner and Ludwig Paul Häussner. They continue:
"In a globalised economy in which we benefit from everyone’s initiative and work, a tax system that becomes involved in the process of creating added value and thus acts as a curb on initiative is anachronistic. A consumption tax (in the form of VAT), leaves the work contributed by an individual untaxed and is in keeping with the times as far as the global division of labour is concerned. The gradual conversion of the system to one in which only consumption is taxed can be carried out all the more easily as prices now already contain all taxes imposed."
Götz W. Werner is the founder of the dm-drogerie markt chain of drugstores, Director of the Inter-Faculty Institute for Entrepreneurship at the University of Karlsruhe and the initiator of an unconditional and substitutive basic income based on a consumption tax. Ludwig Paul Häussner has diplomas in business management and education, is a former manager and is currently an academic assistant at the Inter-Faculty Institute for Entrepreneurship at the University of Karlsruhe.

Monitoring Economic Performance, Quality of Life and Sustainability
December 2010 Joint Report as Requested by the Franco-German Ministerial Council http://www.sachverstaendigenrat-wirtschaft.de/fileadmin/dateiablage/Expertisen/2010/ex10_en.pdf.

Tellus and Great Transition Initiative
Tellus coordinates a global network in order to reach a wider public with Great Transition ideas and to enhance those ideas. GTI spreads the message that a future of enriched lives, global solidarity and a healthy planet is possible if the citizens of the world join in a vast cultural and political mobilization for change.

International Criminal Court 'Altered Behaviour'
The UN chief said there was a "new age of accountability." The International Criminal Court (ICC) has forced governments to alter their behaviour in the eight years of its existence, the UN chief has said....
Please read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/10196907.stm.

'Historic' day as first non-Latin Web Addresses Go Live (6th May 2010)
Egypt's Ministry of Communications is amongst the first live web addresses Arab nations are leading a "historic" charge to make the world wide web live up to its name. Net regulator Icann has switched on a system that allows full web addresses that contain no Latin characters. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the first countries to have so-called "country codes" written in Arabic scripts. The move is the first step to allow web addresses in many scripts including Chinese, Thai and Tamil. More than 20 countries have requested approval for international domains from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann). It said the new domains were "available for use now" although it admitted there was still some work to do before they worked correctly for everyone. However, it said these were "mostly formalities".
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10100108.stm.

Bribes Cost Ivory Coast '$300m'
At least $300m (£200m) is paid in bribes at checkpoints in Ivory Coast each year, a business leader says. "Every Ivorian today... has been asked to pay at a road-block," Chamber of Commerce President Jean-Louis Billon told the BBC. He blamed "mafias" operating within both the army and the former rebel New Forces, who still control northern Ivory Coast, for the extortion racket.
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8660679.stm.

Science Writer Wins Libel Appeal
A science writer has won the right to rely on the defence of fair comment in a libel action, in a landmark ruling at the Court of Appeal.
In defending a libel action the difference between a statement of verifiable fact and one of opinion can be crucial. A defendant who has to justify a statement of fact in a case like this would have to prove that the statement was true. That would involve calling vast amounts of scientific evidence at huge cost. Defending a statement of opinion, so as long as it is honestly held, is much less onerous and far cheaper. This judgement strongly endorses the view that scientific controversies should be settled by scientific debate, rather than litigation. It will make drug companies and organisations providing therapies more cautious in bringing libel actions against those writers and academics who express strong opinion about the efficacy of their drugs and therapies.
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/8598472.stm.

Call for Working Week of 21 Hours
The working week should be cut to 21 hours to help boost the economy and improve quality of life, a left-wing think tank has said. The New Economics Foundation claimed in a report the reduction in hours would help to ease unemployment and overwork. The think tank said people were working longer hours now than 30 years ago even though unemployment was at 2.5 million. ... "It is time to break the power of the old industrial clock, take back our lives and work for a sustainable future." The foundation's policy director Andrew Simms added: "A cultural shift will throw up real challenges, but there could also be massive benefits for our economy, our quality of life and our planet. "After all, hands up who wouldn't like a four day weekend?"
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/8513783.stm.

Worldchanging
Worldchanging is a 501(c)3 media organization that comprises a global network of independent journalists, designers and thinkers covering the world's most intelligent solutions to today's problems. We inspire readers around the world with stories of the most important and innovative new tools, models and ideas for building a bright green future. Our readers are ready to change the world, and Worldchanging links them to the first steps.

International Institute of Monetary Transformation (IIMT) Home of the TERRA Solution
The mission of the International Institute of Monetary Transformation (IIMT) is to transform the international monetary system in order to achieve an equitable, sustainable, and, therefore, a stable monetary architecture, both internationally and nationally including prescriptions to increase the monetary, financial and economic viability of poorer countries as they, too, struggle to combat the consequences of the deepening economic and climatological crises.

TIMU Group
This working group deals with the transformation of the present International Monetary System into the Terra International Monetary Union (TIMU). This TIMU system is based upon the integration of economic and ecological, i.e. carbon accounting in the balance of payments between nations. It was started by sustainability sociologist Frans Verhagen in New York City during the second half of December 2008.

Earth & Peace Education
Frounded in 1992, Earch & Peace Education Associates International (EPE) consists of a global network of educators who aim to promote the recognition of the reciprocal relationship between ecological degradation and the violation of human rights on a local, national and global level.

The Contextual Sustainability Express
This blog wants to contribute to greater quality of life of people and planet by urging a rapid (express)transition to sustainable futures of societies in the global North and South.

Scientists Urge Respect on Advice
ByPallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News
A group of senior academics has called for reassurances from the UK government that it will respect the independence and freedom of its scientific advisers. The release of their statement follows the sacking of the former drugs adviser Professor David Nutt. In it, they endorse a set of principles for the treatment of scientific advice. These include protecting advisers from political interference and not using disagreement with government policy as grounds for criticism or dismissal. The statement, which has been sent to government officials and ministers, calls for government to agree to ensure the academic freedom and independence of scientific advisers and to properly consider their advice. The government already has a code of practice which is supposed to ensure the proper use of scientific advice and the protection of its advisers. The new principles also include allowing advisers to speak publicly about their work and enabling expert committees to have independent press officers. There is also a call to ensure that reports by expert committees are not criticised prior to publication...
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/8345823.stm.

New Economics Foundation (nef)
nef is an independent think-and-do tank that inspires and demonstrates real economic well-being. They aim to improve quality of life by promoting innovative solutions that challenge mainstream thinking on economic, environment and social issues. They work in partnership and put people and the planet first. nef was founded in 1986 by the leaders of The Other Economic Summit (TOES) which forced issues such as international debt onto the agenda of the G7 and G8 summits. They are unique in combining rigorous analysis and policy debate with practical solutions on the ground, often run and designed with the help of local people. They also create new ways of measuring progress towards increased well-being and environmental sustainability. nef works with all sections of society in the UK and internationally - civil society, government, individuals, businesses and academia - to create more understanding and strategies for change.

Internet Game for Survivors of War
A charity has launched an internet game to raise awareness about victims of war, in which the object is to help a displaced Ugandan boy find his mother. The British Red Cross game is among the first charity Alternative Reality Games (ARG), with clues on various websites. Traces of Hope aims to engage players in treasure-hunt style game-play as they use detective skills to compete. The game is set in northern Uganda, where a 20-year rebellion has forced two million people to flee their homes. Having just arrived in a camp for displaced people called "Hopetown", Joseph, 16, has 24 hours to track down a Red Cross messenger who might have news from his mother. The Red Cross works to reconnect families separated by conflict. After signing up for the game, players will have to wait for Joseph to contact them with news of his situation. The game's designers say they have placed clues and solutions around the internet in order to blur the boundaries between the game and the real world. Players go to real websites as they try to help Joseph. The game was scripted by one of the creators of KateModern, the UK's biggest online interactive drama series...
Please read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7638581.stm.

Australia Abandons Asylum Policy
The new Australian government has abandoned the country's controversial policy of jailing all asylum seekers. In a major overhaul of immigration rules, the policy of detaining would-be asylum seekers in often remote jails will now be used only as a last resort. Children will no longer be held, and adults who are detained will have their situation evaluated every three months. Immigration Minister Chris Evans called the decision a move towards "more humane" treatment of asylum seekers. Human rights groups welcomed the announcement. Amnesty International called the reforms a "welcome step forward" that would bring Australia's system "into line with other Western democracies".
'Human dignity':
The strict policy of detaining asylum seekers and visitors who overstayed their visas was brought in by a former Labor government in the 1990s. But it was its hard-line enforcement by conservative leader John Howard that drew criticism from rights groups and the United Nations.
Please read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7530156.stm.

World Trade Talks End in Collapse
Marathon talks in Geneva aimed at liberalising global trade have collapsed, the head of the World Trade Organisation has said. Pascal Lamy confirmed the failure, which officials have blamed on China, India and the US failing to agree on import rules. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said the result was "heartbreaking". The talks were launched in 2001 in Doha and were seen as providing a cornerstone for future global trade. The main stumbling block was farm import rules, which allow countries to protect poor farmers by imposing a tariff on certain goods in the event of a drop in prices or a surge in imports. India, China and the US could not agree on the tariff threshold for such an event...
Please read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/7531099.stm.

People-centred Global Governance - Making it Happen, by John Bunzl
John Bunzl is the founder of the International Simultaneous Policy Organisation: "As global problems such as global warming, global poverty, pollution, terrorism and runaway corporate power increasingly outstrip the capacity of national and international governance institutions to solve them, the issue of global governance is rapidly moving up the international political agenda. In this book, Bunzl draws on the work of a number of leading evolutionary thinkers to show that both the process of globalisation itself, and the evolution of a binding system of global governance, are natural parts of human evolution."

Germany to Urge Greater Global Co-operation
By Hugh Williamson in Berlin
Published: December 18 2007 18:58
Germany will on Wednesday urge the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organisation to work together better in managing the social and environmental impacts of globalisation.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor and the current chair of the G8 group of rich economies, has invited the heads of the three multilateral institutions, plus those of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Labour Organisation, for talks in Berlin on creating “fair conditions for a social and open world economy”, the chancellor’s spokesman said...
Read the entire article at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b43ffe4c-ad85-11dc-9386-0000779fd2ac.html.

Europe's Border-Free Zone Expands
Forty-eight hours of celebrations are taking place to mark nine new states joining a European border-free zone. The Schengen agreement, which allows passport-free travel across the area, now embraces 24 nations...
Please read the entire article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/7153490.stm.

2007 State of the Future
By Jerome C. Glenn and Theodore J. Gordon
Article by Yuwei Zhang in the UN Chronicle Online Edition:
Providing a comprehensive overview of global trends and challenges, the 2007 State of the Future was launched at UN Headquarters in New York on 10 September 2007.
Produced by the Millennium Project, under the auspices of the World Federation of UN Associations (WFUNA), the State of the Future report contains insights into the Project’s work from a variety of creative and knowledgeable people, obtaining information from and getting feed back on emerging crises, opportunities, strategic priorities and the feasibility of actions. The report comes in two parts: an extensive 99-page executive summary, and a compact disc containing over 6,000 pages of research, including the Millennium Project’s 11 years of cumulative research.
“The Millennium Project brings together futurists, scholars, business partners and policymakers who work for international organizations, Governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and universities,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Kiyo Akasaka, who hosted the book launch. As one of the primary products of the Millennium Project, “it collects and assesses judgments from several hundred participants to produce the annual State of the Future report”, he remarked.
“All of us have been in situations where we’ve been asked to provide a big picture of economics, education, politics … but that is extremely difficult to do”, Jerome Glenn pointed out, adding that producing such a complex annual report was a daunting task when he first started the research in 1992. He explained: “We can document a range of potential futures and we have an ongoing and continuous feedback system with our nodes around the world.” It is a decentralized and globalized think tank, said Mr. Glenn, who has over 30 years of experience in futures research for Governments, international organizations and private industry. Co-founder and Director of the Millennium Project, Mr. Glenn told the UN Chronicle that it was an ongoing and accumulative project with specialized studies for each year’s report. Chapter 3 of the 2007 report presents 19 possibilities that could influence future education and learning by the year 2030 in a special study which distills insights from more than 200 participants from around the world.
A new idea mentioned in the report is “trans-institution”, according to Mr. Glenn, which is a kind of new institutional invention that allows independent organizations—Governments, corporations, NGOs, universities, individuals and the United Nations or international organizations—to act like a trans-institution and cooperate with each other. The report states: “Each trans-institution could improve global resilience as coalitions of the willing, composed of national resilience officers and their counterparts in corporations, NGOs, universities and international organizations.” Mr. Glenn also suggested that trans-institutions should be created for each of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are referred to throughout the report.
Speaking at the book launch, Stephen Schlesinger, former Director of the World Policy Institute at the New School University, said: “This is quite an extraordinary project. It is a balanced, nuanced, forward-looking and prerogative document.” The 2007 State of Future report is about bringing nations together and working in unison. “The notion of the UN itself is collective security, which is about nations working together for the benefit of all humankind”, Professor Schlesinger noted. Hoping the report will be well-circulated both within and outside the Organization, he said that as we are reaching the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, it would be a most reliable guide, which would help form the UN agenda for the future.
For more information on the Millennium Project, please visit: http://www.millennium-project.org
The Executive Summary of the report can be viewed at:
http://www.millennium-project.org/millennium/sof2007-exec-summ.pdf.

UNESCO Launches a Tool to Put Social Science Research at the service of Public Policy-Making
Immediately following UNESCO's 34th General Conference, which re-affirmed the importance of creating the conditions for a genuine dialogue between researchers, policy-makers and the members of civil society in order to address the multiple challenges of the contemporary world, UNESCO is launching a new tool to support policy-making based on research results from international social and human sciences.
Designed and developed under the aegis of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme, this service will be freely accessible on the website of the Organization from 15 November 2007. It will provide customized access to policy-relevant material (case studies) according to specific locations (city, country, region) and/or themes related to social transformations (urbanization, migration phenomena, human rights, sustainable development, etc.)
The server will first be running on a collection of documents produced within the framework of the UNESCO Forum for Higher Education, Research and Knowledge, and will be gradually enriched by research from around the globe, notably through the network of UNESCO Chairs in social and human sciences.
The tool is currently available in English, French and Spanish, and will soon be extended to the other United Nations official languages.
To access the server: MOST Policy Research Tool.

Rosika Schwimmer and World Government
Rosika Schwimmer or Bédy-Schwimmer "Rózsa" Rózsika (1877-1948) tried to create a world government. In 1935 she formed the World Centre for Women's Archives with Mary Ritter Beard. She received a World Peace Prize in 1937 and formed the Campaign for World Government with Lola Maverick Lloyd. In 1947 she was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize but no one received it the next year...
Please read more on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosika_Schwimmer, or, please read also Remarks on the History of Hungarian Feminism by Judit Acsády.

Intel Backs Wireless Africa Plan
Intel chairman Craig Barrett is on a tour of Africa
Craig Barrett
Africa needs to embrace wireless broadband as a potential solution to the digital divide, the chairman of Intel Craig Barrett has said.
"It's cheaper, easier and more efficient to communicate wirelessly," he told the BBC News website...
Please read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/7070859.stm.

Uruguay Buys First '$100 Laptops'
The first official order for the so-called "$100 laptop" has been placed by the government of Uruguay. The South American country has bought 100,000 of the machines for schoolchildren aged six to 12. A further 300,000 may be purchased to provide a machine for every child in the country by 2009...
Please read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/7068084.stm.

'$100 laptop' to Sell to Public
By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News
Computer enthusiasts in the developed world will soon be able to get their hands on the so-called "$100 laptop".
The organisation behind the project has launched the "give one, get one" scheme that will allow US residents to purchase two laptops for $399 (£198).
Please read the entire article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/6994957.stm and on http://www.xogiving.org/

Mobile System Promises Free Calls
A new way of making calls directly between phones, for free, is being trialled by a Swedish company. It is hoping to dramatically improve communications in the developing world. Swedish company TerraNet has developed the idea using peer-to-peer technology that enables users to speak on its handsets without the need for a mobile phone base station. The technology is designed for remote areas of the countryside or desert where base stations are unfeasible. Projects backed by TerraNet recently launched in Tanzania and Ecuador...
Please read the entire article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/6987784.stm.

Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative
In 2002, the Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative began at Oxford. After six years and with six global conferences, books and many articles, as well as its own web site and the Journal of Globalization for the Common Good to its credit, the movement has become known to, and respected by, many around the world. We have developed a successful track record of bringing together a diverse collection of scholars, researchers, NGO leaders, policymakers, young people, religious and spiritual leaders from around the world for intense discussions on a spiritual and value-centred vision of globalisation and the common good. Indeed, we have now moved from research and discussion to articulate position papers and an active agenda for change in the international community and its economic and development policies.

The Earth Federation Movement
The Earth Federation Movement includes a worldwide association of World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA) Chapters and affiliated independent organizations, such as many youth, environmental, and human rights organizations, that affirm the creation of a non-military, democratic Earth Federation under the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. We have several web sites associated with our work for global peace with justice, environmental sustainability, and prosperity such as www.earthfederation.info.
Dr. Glen T. Martin is the Secretary-General of WCPA and President of the Institute on World Problems. Since its founding in 1958, the WCPA has focused on creating a non-military, democratic Constitution for the Federation of Earth. It has done this through four Constituent Assemblies of World Citizens meeting from 1968 to 1991, when the Constitution was finally completed in its present form.
WCPA now works to get the nations and people of the world to ratify the Constitution through the criteria specified in Article 17. The Constitution is permeated by the concept of human dignity, focused especially in Articles 12 and 13 on human rights. WCPA sees the ratification of the Earth Constitution as a central structural change, creating global democratic institutions of unity in diversity, that can facilitate the deep spiritual change toward planetary maturity that is also necessary for a world of peace, with justice and sustainability.

Joseph P. Baratta
Joseph P. Baratta (2004)
The Politics of World Federation
Vol.1: The United Nations, U.N. Reform, Atomic Control.
Vol. 2: From World Federalism to Global Governance
Westport, CT: Praeger
Please see here the Introduction to both volumes.
Please see here an editorial on the work of Joseph Baratta and Virginia Swain.

Garry Davis: World Citizenship, World Passport, World Presidency, World Service Authority, World Government of World Citizens, World Government House
Wikipedia: Sol Gareth "Garry" Davis (July 27, 1921 – July 24, 2013) was an international peace activist who created the World Passport, a fantasy travel document based on his interpretation of Article 13(2), Universal Declaration of Human Rights and on the concept of world citizenship. Previously Davis had worked as a Broadway stage actor and served as an American bomber pilot in World War II. He was a devoted World Federalist, although a consistent critic of the World Federalist Movement (quoted from Wikipedia).
Our dear Garry Davis went into hospice care on 18 July 2013, and died six days later. We mourn him in deep admiration for his life work and resonate with every word in Rene Wadlow's lovely reflection on Garry Davis: « And Now the People Have The Floor »
See also:
• Garry Davis’s Speechat the 2007 Workshop on Transforming Humiliation and Violent Conflict at Columbia University in New York
• Garry Davis at the 2009 Dignity Conference in Honolulu, Hawai'i
• World Citizen Radio with Garry Davis interviewing Evelin Lindner, Global Radio Alliance, Sunday, November 11, 2012
• Garry Davis and Mariana Vergara in Dialogue on the World Passport at the 2012 Workshop on Transforming Humiliaton and Violent Conflict at Columbia University in New York:

Please click on the picture above or here to see all the 177 photos of Day One of the 2012 Workshop

• Please see also The World Is My Country, and the documentary on Garry Davis by Arthur Kanegis:

Rosika Schwimmer and World Government
Rosika Schwimmer or Bédy-Schwimmer "Rózsa" Rózsika (1877-1948) set out to create a world government. In 1935 she formed the World Centre for Women's Archives with Mary Ritter Beard. She received a World Peace Prize in 1937 and formed the Campaign for World Government with Lola Maverick Lloyd. In 1947 she was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize but no one received it the next year...
Please read more on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosika_Schwimmer, or, please read also Remarks on the History of Hungarian Feminism by Judit Acsády.

'$100 Laptop' Production Begins
By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News
Five years after the concept was first proposed, the so-called $100 laptop is poised to go into mass production.
Hardware suppliers have been given the green light to ramp-up production of all of the components needed to build millions of the low-cost machines.
Previously, the organisation behind the scheme said that it required orders for 3m laptops to make production viable.
The first machines should be ready to put into the hands of children in developing countries in October 2007.
"There's still some software to write, but this is a big step for us," Walter Bender, head of software development at One Laptop per child (OLPC), told the BBC News website.
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/6908946.stm.

Poor Nations 'Need Science Boost'
Poor nations are being sapped of the technology they need to break the poverty trap and catch up with the rest of the world, the UN has said.
Its trade and development agency Unctad used its annual report on Least Developed Countries to look at the role of science, technology and innovation.
Rather than being luxuries, they are necessities to help economies that are underdeveloped to grow, Unctad argues.
Technology could spur poor nations "to break loose from their poverty trap".
Please read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/6906682.stm.

Germany Wants Globalisation Push
By Tim Weber
Business editor, BBC News website, Davos
Western leaders must convince voters of the benefits of globalisation, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. But speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos she also warned of the flip side of globalisation. What was an opportunity for some translated into fear for others, said Ms Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU presidency. She called on politicians to create a framework that ensured globalisation would be fair to everyone...
Please read the entire article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/6296475.stm.

Richest 2% Own 'Half the Wealth'
By Andrew Walker
Economics correspondent, BBC World Service
The richest 2% of adults in the world own more than half of all household wealth, according to a new study by a United Nations research institute. The report, from the World Institute for Development Economics Research at the UN University, says that the poorer half of the world's population own barely 1% of global wealth. There have of course been many studies of worldwide inequality. But what is new about this report, the authors say, is its coverage.
It deals with all countries in the world - either actual data or estimates based on statistical analysis - and it deals with wealth, where most previous research has looked at income.
What they mean by wealth in this study is what people own, less what they owe - their debts. The assets include land, buildings, animals and financial assets.
Please read the entire article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/6211250.stm.

Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace
Under the name of the People's Initiative for Departments of Peace, the Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace was launched at the first People's Summit for Departments of Peace, held in London October 18-19, 2005, with the intention of supporting national-level campaigns to establish departments of peace in governments throughout the world. The following articles provide background information on the Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace.

The Pixel Press
At PixelPress our intent is to encourage documentary photographers, writers, filmmakers, artists, human rights workers and students to explore the world in ways that take advantage of the new possibilities provided by digital media. We seek a new paradigm of journalism, one that encourages an active dialogue between the author and reader and, also, the subject. Our online magazine features projects that use a variety of linear and non-linear strategies, attempting to articulate visions of human possibility even while confirming human frailty. For us the digital revolution is a revolution in consciousness, not in commerce. We work with organizations such as Crimes of War, Human Rights Watch, World Health Organization and UNICEF to create Web sites that deal directly with contemporary issues in complex and innovative ways that circumvent media sensationalism and simplification. We also try to factor in ways that the viewer can help remedy social problems, rather than remain a spectator. Recently we completed a site focusing on how to end polio worldwide; another trying to aid an orphanage in Rwanda; one trying to reclaim the Brazilian forest; and a site featuring the images of photographers from the Vietnam War. And we also create books with photographers such as Machiel Botman, Kent Klich and Sebastião Salgado on social themes, as well as traveling exhibitions using both digital and conventional processes.

Code of Conduct for NGOs
Survival International and ten other leading charities have launched a ground-breaking code of conduct for NGOs (non-governmental organisations).

Seventeen Early Peace Psychologists
By Rudmin, Floyd Webster (1991), in Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 31 (2, Spring), pp. 12-43.

Global Information Media
The Global Community has now streamlined the Global Information Media and have a new webpage for the Global Information Media.

Zahid Shahab Ahmed (personal message, 22nd March 2006)
Recently, I saw one of the Indian movies Lakshya, which is based on the most recent war (1999) between India and Pakistan. In the movie a soldier replied to the following question: why we go for a war? By saying, the one who created this planet, created it equal and undivided for everyone. But we human being divided it with weapons I am glad moon is not on our planet otherwise we could have divided it too.
...
We really have to encounter nationalism with globalism. I was thinking why not to give this nationality to people globalism or EWNS, because many must not be feeling comfortable carrying special passports while feeling being identified as a global citizen. Therefore, EWNS came into my mind: East West North South; means from all over the world.

The Globalist's Global Education Initiative
In a world of rising uncertainty — no matter where we live — the key question before all of us is this: How can the debate on global issues become more inclusive and better informed? How can people develop a better understanding of what connects — and divides — nations, societies and cultures in today's world? To address these issues, The Globalist has launched the Global Education Initiative.
By working with project partners around the world, our Global Education Initiative seeks to promote true global understanding between different cultures.

Strategic Foresight Group (SFG)
Strategic Foresight Group (SFG) is a think tank that helps policy makers to anticipate and shape, the future in uncertain times. It produces fresh perspectives, by combining research with policy change and conflict-resolution initiatives. SFG brings out confidential and public research reports. Its in-depth scenarios in the context of the war in Iraq, instability in Central Asia, religious extremism in Pakistan and India's economy has earned SFG, a reputation for correct projections.

The Arab Reform Initiative (ARI)
Statement of Purpose
The Arab Reform Initiative is a network of independent Arab research and policy institutes, with partners from the United States and Europe. Its goal is to mobilize the Arab research capacity to advance knowledge and develop a program for democratic reform in the Arab World which is realistic and home grown. The Initiative also aims to produce policy recommendations that can help promote reform in the region.
The broad consensus on the need for reform of Arab socio-economic and political systems has created a momentum that can be seen as a progress in and of itself. However, the content and the modalities of this reform process have yet to be defined: how to start? Which forces to mobilize? What obstacles are to be overcome? How to prevent various forces - governmental, opposition or outside parties - from instrumentalizing it to serve narrow or short-term interests? How to avoid mistakes? How these and other challenges will be met is largely a function of who produces the knowledge and formulates the issues, both conceptually and practically.
The initiative is based on three main principles:
1- The Arab world needs to develop its own conception of reform, based on its present realities and rooted in its history. While there are basic universal criteria that apply to a process of democratic reform in any given society, the initiative seeks to generate knowledge by those who are the prime targets of reform.
2- Reform is a comprehensive process which can only succeed if the interaction between the political, economic, societal and cultural spheres is fully recognized. In the quest to build free, just and democratic societies, the initiative privileges issues of democratization and good governance, socio-economic and cultural transformations, and social justice.
3- The network’s conception of reform fully recognizes that Arab countries present very diverse situations and that this diversity is likely to become more salient as societies engage in a path of liberalization. Thanks to its composition, with member institutes and scholars from all countries of the region, the initiative is well positioned to produce analyses and recommend diverse solutions relevant to the specificities of each society.
The role of each member institute within its own national context is to foster an informed debate on reform inclusive of a wide range of representatives from various sectors of society and government. Policy options produced by the Arab Reform Initiative will be addressed to political leaders, elites and civil society groups in the Arab world with a view to generate knowledge and deepen the ongoing debate in the region. The Initiative also aims to promote a dialogue between policy institutes in the Arab world, the United States and Europe with a view to forge a shared vision which can advance the understanding of western different groups on issues of reform in the Arab world.
Finally, the Arab Reform Initiative aims to raise awareness in the Arab world about successful transitions to democracy in other parts of the world, and of the mechanisms and compromises which made such successful transitions possible.
The network’s recommendations will be formulated by experts and scholars from the Arab region. Partner institutions from the United States and Europe will serve to facilitate the collaboration through organizational backing for the project and will help convey the message of the network to the relevant constituencies in their own countries.
The initiative engages in a range of activities, all conducted collaboratively between its members. Its agenda includes producing policy briefs, thematic and country studies, conducting comparative public opinion surveys, organizing workshops and conferences, and sponsoring occasional task forces, all with the aim of formulating policy recommendations that can advance reform in the Arab world.
The Founding Members of the network:
The Arab Institutes:
  Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Egypt.
  Center D’Etudes et de Recherches en Sciences Sociales (CERSS), Morocco.
  King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia.
  The Arab Reform Forum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt.
  The Center for Strategic and Future Studies, Kuwait.
  The Center for Strategic Studies, Jordan.
  The Center for Sudanese Studies, Sudan.
  The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, Lebanon.
  The Palestinian Center for Political and Survey Research, Palestine.
  The Gulf Research Center, Dubaï, UAE.
American and European Partners:
  Fundacion Para Las Relaciones Internationales Y El Dialogo Exterior (FRIDE), Madrid, Spain.
  Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), Athens, Greece.
  The Center for European Reform, London, Great-Britain.
  The Council on Foreign Relations, New York, USA.
  The European Institute for Security Studies, based in Paris, France.