A New World — Proposals for Urgent Changes

Wednesday, July 15, 2020


As time goes by there are some proposals that are still up-to-date and can even become more pressing.

I have just read again the “four contracts” I advocated for in my book “A New World” published in 2000 when my tenure as Director General of UNESCO came to an end. I had at that time an excellent team responsible for information and prospect, coordinated by Jerôme Bindé. I was then and I am still convinced today that the new Century and Millennium will bring a new era in which humanity as a whole —all human beings and not only a few privileged individuals— will be able to fully live the mystery of human existence, by using their capacity of creating, thinking, sharing, anticipating.

The four contracts I thought were essential for a new world were the following:

1.     A new social contract. It included population, poverty and marginalisation trends; changing the city, changing our way of life; the future of urban transport; the fight against drug consumption and drug trafficking;... The targets of this contract were peace and justice, as critical ingredients of a sustainable development allowing the equal dignity of all human beings.

2.     A new natural contract. It dealt with topics such as environment; science; sustainable development; desertification; food and energy sources;... from a perspective aimed at replacing an economy based in speculation, offshoring and war by an economy based in development and ensuring the habitability of the Earth for generations to come. The Intergenerational commitment should be one of the cornerstones which guide our daily behaviour.

3.     A new cultural contract: from the society of information to the society of knowledge. It reviewed the revolution in new technologies; the future of books and reading; the global heritage value of languages and education on the horizon of year 2020... It should be clear that the aim is to help raising citizens whose actions are rooted in their own reflections, who are “free and responsible” as educated people are referred to in article 1 of UNESCO Constitution.

4.     A new ethical contract. This chapter dealt not only with the “profits of peace”, planetary security and the United Nations System, but also focused in a very special way on the debts contracted over many centuries with the black race, the special needs of Africa, a continent that always offsets with its wisdom and creativity the exchanges made for the sake of its socio-economic development and full emancipation. This very important chapter concludes —and it is worthwhile stressing it— that the future is still to be built, that the transition from a century-old culture of imposition, violence and war to a culture of dialogue, conciliation, alliance and peace is urgently needed.

At the end of each chapter specific solutions were suggested, based on the mobilization of the people, personal involvement, freedom of speech and not acting anymore as mere subjects but rather as “masters of our own life”...

It is clear that expectations have not been met, and some of them are even more difficult to achieve than they were at that time.

I must insist once again that there is no other solution than to observe the “democratic principles” which are so clearly established in the UNESCO Constitution, at a personal, national and global scale.

The current crisis calls for the urgent re-founding of a strong United Nations System with the moral authority that is typical of any institution capable of bringing together all countries of the world. The hegemonic ambitions that led to the belief that the world could be ruled by plutocratic groups of 6, 7, 8 or 20 countries must now give way —as a response to a global clamour that will no doubt soon arise— to multilateral cooperation. A new General Assembly and new Security Councils (a Socio-Economic Security Council and an Environmental Security Council designed to complement the existing one) should enable —specially when the global governance is at stake— the full exercise of those functions that require the availability of adequate international structures. As stated in the Charter of United Nations, action must be taken as soon as possible to see that “the peoples” —and not only the States— are represented in the General Assembly, in order for scientific progress to allow a dignified life for all inhabitants of the Earth, by ways of an economy that addresses the priorities that were clearly established a long time ago by the United Nations System: food (agriculture, aquaculture and biotechnology); general access to drinking water (collection, management, desalination. ...); quality health services; care for the environment (CO2 emissions, renewable energies, etc.); education and peace.  An education aimed at providing everyone with global awareness. This is a crucial point: our fellowmen can be perceived as equal or different from us. And taking care of the environment should not be limited to our surroundings but must rather be extended to the whole planet, because we all have a common destiny.

It is essential to put values —and I am not referring to stock market values!— back in the centre of our daily lives and to properly address challenges that can be met if we work together. The solution lies in political measures because, in genuine democracies, politicians must take on the will of the people.

It is unacceptable that every time that security is at stake, we still continue to believe that military power is the sole expression and reference for “security”. This is a very serious mistake, a costly mistake that usually causes great sorrow due to human losses and material damage. To think in such a way can only make us have a wrong vision and deal exclusively with war issues, thus neglecting many other aspects related with “human” security, which is —in any case— the only thing that really matters.

The difference between means devoted to potential conflicts and resources available to face recurrent natural disasters (fire, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis...) clearly demonstrates that the concept of “security” (http://federicomayor.blogspot.com/2016/08/urgente-un-nuevo-concepto-de-seguridad_29.html) which is still favoured by major arms manufacturers is not only obsolete but also highly prejudicial for humanity as a whole and it, therefore, requires a “security contract”.

I must insist over and over again that we cannot constantly see arsenals crammed with rockets, bombs, war planes and ships, submarines... and not feel compelled to raise our voice and say that there are thousands of human beings who are dying from starvation everyday, who live in extreme poverty conditions without having access to adequate health services... and not take action when confronted to this harsh reality and to the gradual deterioration of the Earth’s habitability. We must take action without delay because we are getting close to points of no return in essential issues related with the intergenerational legacy.

Let’s raise our voice... Now that “We, the peoples” have become for the first time in history men and women, and we can freely express ourselves. We can at last set up a specific time and date when millions of cell phones will be used to condemn the unacceptable decisions taken by the same leaders who are saying that they will not observe the Agreements on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals, thus jeopardizing the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Earth.

The time has come for worldwide citizenship, for living together across the borders, for sharing goods, knowledge, experience and for courage… for standing up against those who are caught by inertia, who keep  using old remedies for new pathologies. Today’s leaders show signs of an irresponsible short-sightedness. Every good ruler should pay attention, in the first place, to processes that can lead to irretrievable damage. Millions of women and men all over the Planet must say loud and clear that they will not tolerate any irreversible damage to our ecological environment.

The word “sharing” —which was the key concept of the United Nations System in the 1950s and 1960s— has been gradually ousted and, instead of strengthening countries in greatest need by means of an integral, endogenous, sustainable and humane development, development aids have been reduced up to unsustainable limits and the World Bank for Reconstruction and Development has “lost” its surname and is now a tool at the service of large financial institutions; and the nation-states have been weakened by gradually transferring their resources and power to huge multinational structures.

We cannot remain silent any longer. We cannot continue to be impassive spectators of what is happening, because we would become accomplices. The scientific, academic, educational, artistic, intellectual and, in short, creative communities must be at the forefront of a popular mobilization (https://aeac.science/pacto2019/).  They must take immediate action, without delay, to guarantee the quality of life of citizens once they stop being manipulated by the omnipotent and pervasive influence of the “great powers (military, financial, energetic, media).

We must realise that we have entered a new era in which human beings will no longer be territorially and intellectually confined; in which longevity will provide us with a vast experience —an experience we should make the most of, while placing executive functions in the hands of less elderly people—; in which young people, who have a deep knowledge of the Earth and a global awareness and citizenship, will contribute with their imagination and nerve to finally make come true the other possible world we have longed for. Inertia is our greatest enemy. It's time for action. We don’t need any more diagnoses: the time has come to put into practice the solutions...

The current situation impels us more than ever to approve a Universal Declaration on Democracy (ethical, social, political, economic, cultural and international - https://declaraciondemocracia.wordpress.com/), as the only framework allowing the full exercise of human rights and duties. Democracy at a local, national, regional and planetary scale; this is the solution for everyone and everything. The force of reason instead of the reason of force, and the evidence of the immense and distinctive creative capacity of the human species, which cannot be reduced to small spaces or short-sighted objectives.

We must invent our future. “Invent” the future with the growing participation of citizens from all over the world, who are now able to know each other and to connect through online social networks which have become increasingly important, have a greater mobilisation capacity and may bring new solutions for different problems, thus becoming a relevant part of democratic performance at a local and planetary scale. Political, economic and social innovation. Eradicate without contemplation tax evasion, tax havens and corruption, also using alternative sources of financing, such as the tax on electronic financial transactions; taxes that are strictly proportional to income; a conceptual and practical review of labour and employment, typical of the digital age...

This “new beginning” will require a quick and wise action in order for benefits obtained from the exploitation of natural resources to be appropriately shared among the owners of the technology and the inhabitants of the areas where the resources are located.

Another equally important challenge that requires a “contract” is the issue related with drug trafficking which represents a real and very serious threat to worldwide stability and which after so many years has moved towards the worst scenario: it is accepted as a "side effect" of the economic system, of the uneven and confusing global governance that has placed the market, instead of democratic principles, in the forefront of planetary politics.

The price of drugs does not have the slightest dissuasive effect. The individual who falls into the huge trap of drug-addiction will do everything to obtain the funds he needs; tearing families and friends apart, stealing... His uncontrolled desire cannot be solved with weapons but rather with an adequate health approach.  It is a public health problem rather than a security problem.

A large campaign should be made with the cooperation of mass media and the society involved so that awareness is raised against drugs.

Eventually, taking into account the dimensions of drug trafficking and its impact on economy and crime, the consumption of drugs affects society as a whole. Addicts are in need of help to rebuild their lives, to regain their self-control, to start "being” again, living once more the mystery of human life. And drug dealers must be taken to court and, even better, we must do our best to make them disappear by taking all steps required to see that their “stuff” has no value.

As in the case of alcohol and tobacco, this is an issue with deep pathological implications, and extensive campaigns should be carried out to educate potential consumers and duly alert society, so that they know beforehand what they are risking, and they are later taken care of —as is done with those affected by tobacco or alcohol— in the corresponding hospital facilities. We must appeal to the responsibility of society as a whole because it is a tragedy that gradually affects everyone...

To sum up, 20 years later, with the experience and awareness acquired, and the reflections made during the coronavirus confinement, it has become clear that governance must be multilateral and it is up to “We the peoples” to actively participate in the “new beginning” as established in “The Earth Charter”, an excellent worksheet for the times ahead… There are reasons for hope: the voices of women and young people, in the streets and the cyberspace, will foster the essential and urgent changes that are needed.

In the autumn of 2015, after a few years of desirable changes and an adequate approach to many international issues (Islam, ecology, mediation...), President Obama, an Afro-descendant, achieved a period of hope when he signed the Paris Agreements on Climate Change and the Resolution approved by the United Nations General Assembly on the 2030 Agenda with 17 Sustainable Development Goals, entitled “Transforming our World”, with future generations in mind... After 4 and a half years of inaction due do the irresponsible behaviour of his successor, President Donald Trump, the horizons currently overshadowed by the COVID-19 require an urgent clarification. The opening words of “The Earth Charter” make full sense: “We stand at a critical moment in the Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future...”

Let’s make it clear to all those who are now responsible for the implementation of decisions that go beyond borders: a new worldview with new lifestyles is urgently needed. The greatest challenge —both at an individual and collective scale— is transforming our way of life. The world is entering a new era. There are many things that must be preserved for the future and many others that must definitively be changed. At last the peoples. At last the voice of the people. At last citizen power. At last word and not force. At last a culture of peace and non-violence, and never more a culture of war.

The great transition from force to word. From the armed hand to the outstretched hand.

The time has come for world citizenship, for living together without borders, for sharing goods, knowledge and experience...



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