World Public Forum

Published on 11 October 2008

Written by WPF Dialogue of Civilizations

Greetings Excellencies, President Yakunin, the co-founders, Messrs Kapur and Papanicolaou, General Secretary, Prof. Atkov, Madam Stenou (UNESCO), colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

I am grateful for the invitation by the WPF to address this distinguished gathering. I am also delighted to be here in Vienna, this great city of culture, civilization and dialogue, and to deliver my speech at this great hall at the Hofburg Palace, a place of many historical and significant meetings.

It is, moreover, a particular privilege to be here today as a member of the International Coordinating Committee of the WPF “Dialogue of Civilizations”, a task that I am delighted and honoured to have been involved with. I see other members of this committee around the table. I salute and acknowledge them. In particular I thank Walter Schwimmer, Head of our committee, for his friendship, support and the skilful navigation of our meetings and dialogue.

But, I am here today to share with you my personal journey of Globalisation for the Common Good and to shed some light on its importance and relevance to be a path for fruitful and rewarding Dialogue for the Common Good, achieving the noble goals of WPF and the Dialogue of Civilizations, to build a world that is just, free and prosperous for all. It is my firm belief that the real, respectful, intercultural/religious/civilizational dialogue is the necessary art and instrument for identifying and pursuing the common good.

By bringing the Dialogue of Civilizations and Globalisation for the Common Good together, we can become a bridge of reconciliation and hope, bringing down the walls of hatred, fear, selfishness, greed, individualism and poverty that separate us from dialogue and understanding. Good dialogue needs good globalisation and vice versa.

The question of the scope and potential of dialogue among cultures and civilizations is achieving unprecedented significance, especially in the present international context. More than ever before, dialogue poses a fundamental challenge and must be based on the unity of mankind and commonly shared values, the recognition of the world’s cultural diversity and the equal dignity of each civilization, culture and individual. Why is it necessary to engage in a Dialogue of Civilizations? What can we learn from past dialogues? What effect could an increased dialogue have on the substance and process of international relations? Could there be any such thing as a global ethos, a common overarching human value system, a globalisation for the common good that transcends cultural and civilizational differences? In my presentation an attempt is made to show how the "Dialogue among Civilizations and Globalisation for the Common Good" can be a path towards building a world that is just, free and prosperous.

In the year 2000, the then President of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, called for a global Dialogue of Civilizations. He noted that, “Believing in dialogue paves the way for vivacious hope; the hope to live in a world permeated by virtue, humility and love and not merely by the reign of economic indices and destructive weapons”. Following this proposal, the UN General Assembly declared the year 2001 as United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. Numerous conferences and seminars have been organised on this very subject under the auspices of the UN and UNESCO, as well as other organisations, including World Public Forum, “Dialogue of Civilizations”. Much has been achieved. But, now is the time to take the debate a stage further and to set a clear vision and agenda on how the dialogue amongst civilizations may improve the world conditions for better, enabling us to heal our broken world, so that we can build a world that is just, free and prosperous for all civilizations.

Today, globalisation is a 21st-Century reality. A pertinent question concerning the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, in the light of the march of globalisation, is to ask what kind of globalisation we should have, which encourages and promotes the dialogue amongst civilizations as envisioned by the UN in 2001. In this respect, I submit “Globalisation for the Common Good” to ensure a successful outcome to a “Dialogue of Civilizations”, which I believe it to be in total harmony with the spirit of 2001 declaration, as well as the goals and objectives of the WPF “Dialogue of Civilizations”.

Globalisation for the Common Good and the “Dialogue of Civilizations”

Globalisation is most often thought of within economic and technological structures as a way to denote the massive and dynamic global integration of national economies and markets. Because these economic and technological forces are central to the current and future well-being of the global human family, it is essential that they be discussed within the more general framework of human moral and spiritual experience. It is only within these frameworks that we can fully explore the values and relationships that form our human communities. Central to this discussion are religious institutions and communities which have developed time-honored wisdom arising from the deep encounter of the human person with the mystery of the sacred. The diversity represented by these communities images the profound truth of the transcendent mystery in which we participate.

We at the Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative fully believe that the rich heritages of the world’s religions have much to offer in the drive to promote global peace, justice, and human well-being. While globalisation is all too often conceived in terms of impersonal economic and the so-called market forces, we believe that in breaking down the barriers between cultures, it also provides the possibility for productive inter-religious and inter-cultural encounters. We at GCG seek to celebrate religious diversity while seeking to overcome ideological divisions to harness the wealth of the world’s diverse spiritual and ethical traditions to create a sense of common purpose that can enable us to build social and economic policies that are truly humane and life-enhancing.

Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative was first established in 2002 at a conference in Oxford. Since then, the GCG International Conference has become an annual event growing as it has traveled across the globe through St. Petersburg, Dubai, Kenya, Hawaii, and Istanbul. The 2008 conference was just held at Trinity College, University of Melbourne, and the 2009 conference will take place at Loyola University, Chicago.

These multi-disciplinary conferences have been lively and productive affairs, in which scholars, politicians, businessmen and women, NGO leaders, theologians, journalists, peace activists, and students from many diverse faiths and cultural backgrounds have come together 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.

Our work over the past few years has given rise to numerous collaborations, several book publications, and academic papers, as well as the establishment of the rapidly developing online Journal of Globalisation for the Common Good. There are also modules on Globalisation for the Common Good offered at different unversities around the world, including Fatih University in Istanbul, Trinity College, University of Melbourne and shortly at Loyola University in Chicago.

We at the Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative believe that the current developments in promoting inter-faith relations are a vital step in adapting humanity to the age of globalisation. We look forward to being able to play a part in what we hope is a fruitful period of inter-religious dialogue which can see peace, justice, and human well-being furthered across the globe.

Today the globalised world economy, despite many significant achievements in areas such as science, technology, medicine, transport and communication and more, is facing the three intertwined illnesses that are eating at the heart of the world. They are:

An extreme, and worsening, maldistribution of wealth and income, an overwhelming, and worsening, threat to the environment; and a collapse of love, compassion, social solidarity, at the levels of family, neighbourhood, workplace, and society as a whole.

In short, we live in difficult and troubling times, facing unprecedented global challenges in the areas of climate change and ecology, banking, credit and subprime mortgage lending, soaring cost of energy and food, hunger and infectious disease, international relations and cooperation, peace and justice, terrorism and war, armaments and unprecedented violence, crime and insecurity. It is precisely in times like these – unstable and confusing though they may be – that people everywhere need to keep their eyes on the better side of human nature, the side of love and compassion, rather than hatred and injustice; the side of the common good, rather than selfishness, individualism and greed.

People need to see that there are serious alternatives to the world’s present failing policies, rules and institutions, and that there are likeminded global citizens who share a vision of hope and common values that can lift them out of the deep sense of powerlessness and despair that is now affecting so many parts of the world.

Today, many people, from all walks of life and different parts of the world are asking some pertinent and timely questions. Are there sources from which we can draw meaning and wholeness to our lives? Are there resources of spirituality that would nourish and sustain our lives in this complex, pluralistic and ever changing world? Why, when we humans have such a great capacity for caring, sharing, consciousness, wisdom and creativity, has our world seen so much cruelty, wars, insensitivity, injustice, and destruction?

These questions and many more are being raised in our day not only by those traditionally identified with religious traditions; they are the questions of scientists, politicians, economists, educators, psychologists, people in the business world, working people, and all who experience an emptiness and a lack of purpose and orientation to human life. Young people in particular call for an alternate vision that is centred in values that give meaning to human existence.

There is no doubt in my mind that, we need a new direction, a new economic system, a new path: a globalisation of kindness, compassion and justice. We need a globalisation that understands that sustainability demands that efficiency and equity should go hand-in-hand. We know there must be a convergence of these values, rather than a competition between them.

It was for these very reasons that Globalisation for the Common Good came into being. The mission of Globalisation for the Common Good is to promote an ethical, moral and spiritual vision of globalisation and encourage adoption of public policy at all levels that builds the common good of our global community. In this way we nurture personal virtue in our relationships with each other and the planetary environment, while investing our understanding of economics, commerce, trade and international relations with values centered on the universal common good. We will advance understanding and action on major global issues by civil society, private enterprise, the public sector, governments, and national and international institutions. We will promote collaborative policy solutions to the challenges posed by globalisation. We are committed to the idea that the marketplace is not just an economic sphere, ‘it is a region of the human spirit’. Reflecting on the Divine dimension of life can not be divorced from consideration of economic questions and issues can not be considered. Economics can not be effectively practiced without an understanding of the world of heart and spirit. Therefore we view the problem and challenge of globalisation not only from an economic point of view, but also from ethical, spiritual and theological perspectives. In short, Globalisation for the Common Good, provides the opportunity to emphasise that the present globalisation process does not only encompass economic, financial and technological aspects, but must also focus on human cultural, spiritual, moral, ethical and theological dimensions, as well as on the interdependence of humankind and its rich diversity. With this understanding, it has been an honour and privelage to have cooperated with World Public Forum “Dialogue of Civilizations”, to envision, empower and enable us all to construct a world that is just, free and prosperous.