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“It all depends on the pain produced by what you’re looking
at”.
Mario Benedetti.
Headlines such as those found in
newspapers in the last few days highlight the truly dire situation we are about
to reach:
"Ecocide, international crime..." "Citizens pressure on governments and companies must spur an agreement at the Glasgow Summit to avoid climate suicide...” "Dangerous future: UN report urges immediate action to avoid worst-case climate scenario...". “Extreme fire: the devastating effects of fire in California, Siberia or Greece are examples of the impact of climate change...”
In such a bleak scenario the fact that multimillionaire Branson "flew to the edge of space” with his own craft is hard to understand and absolutely intolerable... He did so in direct competition with Jeff Bezos from Amazon, both billionaires having exhibited an irresponsible neglect of their most pressing duties!
Security in the age of robots and drones -the new "warlords in the sky"- must today, more than ever, be clothed in essential human values and take on the new demands of human security.
After years of neoliberal governance by plutocratic groups (G-6,G-7,G-8,G-20), the social gap has widened, democratic multilateralism has finally been set aside, and the Nation-State, still based on weak structures at a regional scale, languishes while citizens are progressively overshadowed by digital technology -which both gives them a voice and turns them into a silent and disoriented citizenship-; but, with the reflections brought about by the pandemic confinement, citizens have become increasingly aware of the precariousness of health care facilities, the privatisation of education and health centres, that has increased in recent years, the social effects of relocation of production, and the unfortunate result of the excessive concentration of economic activities in tourism.
In case ecological arguments were not convincing enough, recent events in Afghanistan represent a true knock on the door... After twenty years of “mixed” governance, it turns out -after United States withdrawal without leaving behind a well prepared replacement program- that the Taliban and heroine continue to be the irresponsible masters of a country whose future is once again in jeopardy because democratic multilateralism did not take action on time!
The threat to security posed by the non-fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda, and aggravated by the potential irreversibility of some processes, has increased the despondency and discomfort of young people, who had become involved -moved by laudable feelings of co-responsibility- in the fight against climate change and in favour of gender equality. Once again little attention has been paid to their demands, to their requests, to their reflections prompted by COVID-19.
In most cases when young people have been heard the aim was not to satisfy their demands but rather to give them an answer and contradict them... The only response they need today to be able to build the path towards a new era is a radical change in security, investing considerable human, economic and technical resources in food, education, health, ecology.... and, above all, care and information services should become “more humane”, by placing human beings where today one only finds technology, and extending psychological attention given to people of all ages, especially the youngest and the elderly. To do so we can take advantage, thanks to longevity, of an underused treasure: the experience of so many retired people who possess a great stock of remedies.
Today's epidemics are "synergistic" and involve social factors. They have an adverse effect on health -hunger, obesity, climate change- in different socio-economic, political, ecological... contexts. They require a treatment that cannot be exclusively biomedical. They have many important aspects that cannot be neglected: educational, social, media... COVID-19 has diverted medical attention from widely spread sicknesses, with considerable morbidity and mortality, and affected the mental and emotional health of the population.
Many irresponsible behaviours, also found in adult individuals even in politicians -some of which argue that “human rights” allow them to jeopardize the health of their fellow human beings (!)-, urgently require a clear definition of the frontier between liberty and crime. Crime against health... The barbarians who organize “illegal parties”, resulting in new outbreaks of contagion, should be forced to understand that they are acting against the human rights of those who may, due to their unconsciousness, suffer from the disease and sometimes become seriously ill.
Liberty, without limits. Violence, none. The speedy circulation of information through social networks should be compensated with truthful messages that can clarify many ideas and news, and promote personal reflection, “autonomy”... Discomfort and rebellion are becoming generalized feelings in many countries where most people enjoy a considerable prosperity... What is happening? Why are the recommendations of scientists and experts not being accepted? First of all, probably due to the self-interested adaptations made by specific rulers... Anyhow, in the current situation, a general unease can be perceived at a global scale, a confusing popular reaction that should be closely analysed and taken into account. How can the deep social unrest found in countries such as France be explained? And what is happening in several Latin American countries, especially in those most affected by the presence of "merchants"? Why are anti-system supporters proliferating in countries where a good system is urgently needed?
Today there are globally more visible “signs” to make us aware of how urgent it is not to miss again this new opportunity... But we need first to change ourselves, we citizens of the world who should not place our trust in algorithms, but rather in the distinctive faculties of human species, and sympathise, share, coexist... strive to make come true for our descendants and for all children of the world this possible future that cannot be further delayed because -for the first time in history- it has an expiry date.
Yes, indeed: up to now everything was based in the means of deterrence, in the elimination of the enemy: whoever had more soldiers, more weapons, more guns, more cannons, more bombers, more battleships, more long-range rockets... was the winner. As soon as a battle was over, everyone had to get ready for the next one. And this is how we have reached the current status quo where big corporations that produce sophisticated weapons and giants of digital technology have become the masters of the world. From a culture of war to a culture of peace. From force to word. From confrontation to mediation. Until very recently, there was an absolute male power. The past, unheard, silenced. Either “the peoples” become aware that we are on the brink of an abyss and they react and implement worldwide the Paris Agreements and the 2030 Agenda, within the framework of the democratic multilateralism of the UN, or humanity as a whole will suffer the consequences affecting the quality of life on Earth, consequences that will be irreversible in some areas.
Irreversible environmental damage, deaths caused by hunger and extreme poverty, fires and other disasters, immigrants... These are the urgent issues that must be dealt with now, by means of a unanimous agreement at a worldwide scale, based on the overall awareness that it is an historical responsibility of our generation which must be assumed without further delay.
Glasgow is our last opportunity. Every Declaration of the "Summits", every Resolution of the United Nations, every Manifesto of the Club of Rome and other institutions in favour of a new concept of security and a culture of peace, has been ignored by a plutocratic governance that has not only acted irresponsibly with regards to future generations, but has also, with a great media hype, acted irresponsibly in the face of the future, and has for the first time in history turned citizens, who were capable of expressing themselves freely, into silent spectators of what is happening whether they disagree with its views or are fanatical followers of its delirium.
Nothing more can be expected from the richest countries on the Earth that are at the helm of our common destiny. The process of civic emancipation cannot be stopped. The greatest challenge both at an individual and collective scale is to transform our way of life. The world is entering a new era. I must insist that the immediate nuclear disarmament must be one of the first demands of citizen power. This was another great global Charter promoted by a huge clamour from citizens all over the world.
We must now move from having a Charter to implementing it. We have to yearn for better and not for "more", and the "asymmetric wealth" must be replaced by a freely chosen moderation shared by all. We must take action at once, with no further delays, especially when irreversible processes are at stake.
The time has come to take action all together: based on this conviction, and in order to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and UNESCO, the following organizations -Spanish Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations (FECU), Culture of Peace Foundation and DEMOSPAZ Institute of the Autonomous University of Madrid, and the Spanish National Commission for UNESCO Cooperation- have prepared a day-long celebration entitled "Society as the fundamental pillar towards peace", dedicated to the inalienable duty we all have, whatever our condition, ideology, beliefs..., always bearing in mind the generations to come. The event is supported by institutions such as the International Peace Bureau, the World Academy of Art and Science, the United Nations University of Peace, AIPAZ, the European Centre for Peace and Development, the Global Movement for a Culture of Peace...
The new era will not wait for mankind to be ready to face global threats. It is up to humanity to anticipate events and act accordingly. Today citizens of the world are capable of organizing big demonstrations at a worldwide scale with a democratic multilateralism in favour of an economy based on knowledge and on a global and sustainable human development, by fulfilling the SDGs. Let nobody say that it isn’t possible. Today the main responsibility of all human beings is to make it clear to future generations that we behaved as we should given our astonishing intellectual faculties.
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