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The situation is so serious on a global
scale, so complex, that it gives the impression that it is not possible to
redress the current bleak situations: war conflicts that remain unresolved in
the midst of extreme poverty; immigration in intolerable conditions, while we
are perplexed by the very costly preparation of trips to space and other
planets instead of for the better knowledge and care of the Earth. The
proposals of the 1960s (UNESCO, "Man and the Biosphere"; Club of
Rome, "The Limits to Growth") were, as was later the case with the
two Earth Summits (1992, Rio de Janeiro, and 2002, Johannesburg), completely
ignored. Economic interests have continued to prevail and it is particularly
regrettable that in the conclusions of the COP meetings on the environment,
general agreements are announced... but "non-binding". What a
disgrace!
On some infrequent occasions, attempts have been made to substitute force for words: Wilson in 1919, creating the League of Nations; Roosevelt, in 1945, establishing the United Nations and promoting the Declaration of Human Rights; Obama, at the end of 2015, signing with vision and courage the Paris Agreements on Climate Change and the Resolution "to transform the world" of the 2030 Agenda....
But then, as has been the case for centuries, the force of arms prevailed over mediation and ceasefire. "Si vis pacem para bellum” has been the invariable response of the great powers. The time has now come, given the situation we are facing, to replace bellum with verbum, the weapons of war with words, with diplomacy.
It is essential to recall here President
Eisenhower's courageous speech when, on handing over the presidency of the
United States in January 1961 to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, he had the courage to
state that in the United States power is not in the hands of the president, but
in the hands of the "war industrial complex"!
It is therefore very important and urgent to convey to the public the need to act without delay, given the potential irreversibility of certain processes. The word "irreversible" should be one of the main reasons for reflection in this respect.
Added to all this is the intolerable risk of the possession of nuclear warheads, which were reduced at the Reykjavik meeting between Donald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in October 1986 from 17,000 each to 6,000. When this number was reached, President Reagan cited "global security reasons" for not pursuing, as was desirable, total elimination. Clearly, the war-industrial complex remained, and so we continue. Shortly afterwards, Reagan created the G6 (G7...) which still represents plutocratic and supremacist global governance.
Alongside such dangerous prospects, there remained and remains today the immense capacity of the conscious citizenry to bring about the transition to a new era through scientifically sound action.
It is imperative to act not only with a strong will, but without further delay, to stop the genocide of some and the infanticide of others, as well as terrorism. The time has come to regard remembrance as a duty and silence as an act of unacceptable irresponsibility.
As if these challenges and problems were not enough, it is now necessary to add the challenge posed by so-called "artificial" intelligence, so that instead of favouring human creativity so that the invention of a desirable future can prevail and take root, dehumanisation is taking place.
It is clear that there is now an urgent need for a citizenry that is fully aware of reality and of the possibilities of intervention on a global scale, no longer spectators of what is happening, but actors in the new destiny.
Now, at last, "We the peoples",
to make possible the urgent transition
from the present governance to democratic multilateralism, without veto.
Roosevelt's design of the United Nations, adopted in San Francisco in 1945, is
perfect... but it was immediately disabled by the veto of the five victors of
the Second World War. The European Union, which opened doors of hope for a
democratic system, was also collapsed by the absurd condition of
"unanimity".
The UN Charter stated in its first sentence that "We the peoples" are to spare our descendants the horror of war... It was a great challenge and a great hope. Now we have to recognise that it could not be implemented because of the veto, as I have already indicated, but also because "peoples" did not exist until a few decades ago. Most human beings were born, lived and died within a few square kilometres and could not express themselves. But in recent decades, we have recognised our equal dignity and are now able to express ourselves freely.
Today, and I insist on this because it is very important, "the peoples" now exist and can participate. Now, yes, the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is beginning to become a reality. Now, yes, "We the peoples" can demand a model of democratic governance on a global scale, with a new concept of security (human security, led by the President of the World Academy of Arts and Science, Garry Jacobs). Numerous institutions (Other News, Roberto Savio; World Peace Forum, José Félix Benz; Impulsa Talentum, Brú Recolons;...) are already joining together in a large global network to mobilise a conscious citizenry in favour of a new era with enlightened horizons.
In addition to the aforementioned governance actions, an immediate ceasefire must be put into effect in the current open conflicts, putting an immediate end to the sacrifice of the civilian population, especially children. The elimination of nuclear warheads and the promotion of nuclear fusion as an energy source is another issue that needs to be addressed resolutely. The regulation of large fortunes and of migrants and refugees is another issue that must be addressed globally without delay.
In the light of the very serious social situation that characterises the world today, the many endless wars, the climate emergency... it is essential to reach a great global pact for the proper redirection of current trends.
It is necessary to promote prevention, both of diseases and of very serious situations of social justice, and to eliminate those anachronistic aspects that still exist today, such as the application of the death penalty.
This is the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. Its implementation is essential for the implementation of the agreements that "We the peoples" must reach without delay. The first article of the Universal Declaration ends by saying that we must be united in brotherhood. Yes: only fraternity could lead, at this time, to a solution on a global scale, to a new era. A great global network of academic, scientific and artistic institutions could make itself heard. And the force of reason would finally prevail over the reason of force.
