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Now, already urgent, as the Charter of the United Nations begins, "We the peoples... have resolved to save succeeding generations...".
To this end, it is necessary to resolutely and far-sightedly rethink the actions —a duty of memory— that could redirect present trends and provide fully effective forms of governance on a global scale in the Anthropocene. It is therefore imperative to remove the veto in the United Nations (78 years without being able to implement the Charter) and in the European Union (disabled by the unanimity requirement). Andrea Rizzi published on Tuesday 10 October in El País a very interesting and timely article entitled "An explosive front in a world sinking into global disorder".
Only if democratic multilateralism allowed the European Union to take decisions without the absurd requirement of unanimity (the antithesis of democracy), could very rapid and scientifically based global action be taken on the environment, citizenship education and awareness, culture of peace and non-violence, care for the most needy, migrants and refugees, drug traffickers... which would prevent the current decline.
Europe was the hope for safeguarding democratic multilateralism, for strengthening capacities for global understanding and action. It is clear that the historic and urgent moment for action has arrived. Further delay could increase the risk of irreversible processes. It would be the resounding failure of humanity, endowed with distinctive faculties that allow it, properly used, to create, invent, solve, in the fascinating context of the universe.
In recent decades, the good news has been that discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, belief, ideology... is gradually disappearing and equal dignity and the ability to express oneself freely is being established thanks to digital technology. Despite the insurmountable limits of progressive irreversibility, there is still time. Young people must be the main protagonists of the changes that must be undertaken without delay.
The immense ressources made available today to the plutocratic and supremacist governance of the G7 must be transferred to an efficient democratic multilateralism to transform the world as a whole. The adoption of a Universal Declaration of Democracy can be the turning point towards the new era. It is the conscious citizenry that must, with solid knowledge of the cause, lead the transition from the governance of merchants to that of equal human beings in dignity.
Pope Francis himself, in his recent apostolic exhortation on the climate crisis (4 October 2023) proposes "Reconfiguring multilateralism. Action must be taken with the commitment of all".
Artificial intelligence must always be guided by natural intelligence. Progressive dehumanisation would be nonsense. Every human being able to rebel, to argue, to imagine new paths and bridges, our hope. Neuromorphic chips must be used to the extent that they can favour the expansion of knowledge, and not detract one iota from the distinctive faculties of the human species.
Any reflection undermined by ideological or sectarian impositions must be quickly countered by knowledge and wisdom. The migration crisis, the climate emergency and the digital transformation are essential points that must be addressed quickly and with knowledge for new political and ethical guidelines. An example of real solutions to the climate emergence is nuclear fusion, an inexhaustible source of energy without waste.
Now it is the voice of scientists, intellectuals, philosophers, writers..., of the generations threatened by the overflowing economic and military power that must be raised and heard. President Eisenhower himself highlighted the supreme power of the "war-industrial complex" in the United States. Now is the time for democracy, for the force of reason, for mediation... to be established on a global scale in order to move from plutocracy and supremacism to the new era.
Now a culture —i.e. everyday behavior— of peace and the invention of new directions. It cannot be postponed: the very habitability of the Earth is in danger.
I insist, the various current armed conflicts, the climate emergency, the digital transformation, social inclusion... these are the major issues that must finally be tackled on a global scale. And there is only one way forward: to finally make it possible for "We, the peoples" to assume the responsibilities that have not been exercised for so many years. A large global coalition of universities and institutions of art and science could be the mobilising voice for a conscious citizenship.
Prevention must become the supreme objective of the new governance. We are currently proposing a very concrete and urgent example for national and international consideration: to prevent the development of pathological alterations that cause serious and irreversible neurological deterioration in newborns, so that, as a human right, the actions to be taken are placed at the level of the State.
We must all work together to ensure that citizens are not impassive spectators of what is happening, but very active participants in the actions that must be taken to address global problems that in some cases have already reached —despite the many warnings of the scientific community and the "Earth Summits", always ignored by the G7— the limits of no return: "We the peoples", united in a global Network of universities, artistic and scientific institutions, will act swiftly and wisely to address, before it is too late, the present threats to humanity as a whole. Territorial security must henceforth include human security (food, drinking water, health, education and environment) and give priority, at all levels, to the effective implementation, on its 75th anniversary, of the Declaration of Human Rights.
Let everyone reflect on the unacceptable irresponsibility we would be incurring if we do not react firmly to redirect current trends. Let us not forget: the people now have a voice. Let us try to ensure that they do not have to resort to shouting.
