Obama speaks in Berlin and harkens to the Marshall Plan while urging us to act in that spirit globally
Speaking to over 200,000 in
He then moved on to speak of the challenges we face today and alluded to a global form of the Marshall Plan by calling for a greater global solidarity. That finding the responsibility in oneself means to do your duty as a citizen of the world.
Please follow this link to view the video and transcript of Obama’s speech "A World that Stands as One" in Berlin.
The Economist reviews the commons issue
In what appears to be a response to the burgeoning "industry" to define the "new commons", the Economist recently published an article exploring the relevance of Garett Hardin’s 1968 article published in the journal Science titled "The Tragedy of the Commons". His findings maintain that mathematically we all benefit from a commons space, but are at the same time burdened by the inherent impulse in man to exploit ungoverned commons.
The Economist article reiterates the relevance of governance over the commons as well as finding a modern definition of the commons (the loose definition offered: "if one person uses them, another’s access is diminished"). Our latest initiative, the Coalition for the Global Commons, stresses that the expansive scope of commons issues goes well beyond the traditional global public goods, such as the oceans or the sky, and in determining this global commons, an amendment to global policy is necessary and inevitable. An international consultation process open to the public at large is currently in progress to for those respective purposes (information can be found at www.coalition-global-commons.org).
However, as noted in the Economist article, it need not be a "tragedy" as Hardin described it. Rather, with appropriate governance, the commons can be a mutual beneficial space, as evidenced by several traditional community environments.
You can find a link to the Economist and Garett Hardin articles here:
www.economist.com
www.sciencemag.org
A very clear and inpiring articulation of the meaning of commons
As the Coalition for the Global Commons pursues the promotion of global commons, David Bollier had a precursory contemplation of the definition and reality of global commons. Mainly in reference to the contemporary development of the commons through the digital revolution, Bollier puts the "movement" in context and explains its necessity and value.
David Bollier is an independent policy strategisgt, journalist, activist, consultant and editor of onthecommons.org
The full article you can find here.
Prince Hassan's reflections on poverty and the G8 Summit 2008
Once again, a G8 Summit has failed to address the structural causes of poverty. While the 2008 conference of the world's rich nations on Japan's Hokkaido Island made a modest pledge to increase aid and investment in agriculture, the bulk of their economic proposals were the familiar nostrums of free trade and open markets.
One would think that a successful strategy for ending global poverty would have been found long ago. After all, there has been a strong commitment since the era of decolonization (1940s-60s) that the best way to help poor nations participate on equal terms in the global marketplace is for their people to become self-reliant. Yet the means of accomplishing self-reliant development have never been entirely clear. During the past several decades, the international system has lurched from policies of nationalism and import substitution to strategies of privatization and export-led development. Nothing has really worked.
Even the green revolution of the 1960s -- which increased agricultural productivity and food supplies while lowering foods prices in the newly developing nations -- ended up supporting the laissez-faire orthodoxy and systemic neglect of the poor, so clearly exemplified by successive G-8 Summits. Over the past four decades, agricultural investment has stagnated and agricultural productivity has gradually decreased in poor nations, while developed nations continue to sing cheery anthems of aid, trade and investment each summer.
The bare truth is that Western development policies have left many of the poor without property protection through legal titles and little opportunity to invest in land or to open a business. Neo-liberal policies have also led to the exploitation of local workers through the absence of employment benefits, shabby working conditions and insecure jobs. As the global population grows to 9 billion or more by 2050, agricultural production will need to increase by 50%. We won't get there safely from here without an entirely new strategy on global hunger and development.
A new UN panel has recently issued a report focusing on a much-neglected aspect in the fight against extreme poverty. The report of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, Making the Law Work for Everyone, calls for the creation of a new legal identity for impoverished people. Co-chaired by Madeleine Albright and Hernando de Soto and comprised of analysts, jurists, and former government officials from across the world, the panel asserts that the poor must be guaranteed essential legal rights to realize their full potentials for development.
The commission, which undertook consultations in 22 countries, is calling for greater access to judicial systems, new worker protections, property ownership rights, business rights and the rule of law. It believes that particular emphasis must be given to the rights of women, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups. The underlying philosophy is that, given the chance, poor people will work to get out of poverty. Legal empowerment can boost human potential, responsibility and opportunity, allowing people to get the most value for their work, leading to greater self-reliance, individual and social development, and new business initiatives.
850 million people are suffering now from extreme hunger. With ongoing climate change and higher food prices, the number could swell to more than 1 billion within a decade, resulting in social upheaval and civil strife in many areas. At the same time, legal empowerment of the poor could help bolster the world's commitments to the UN Millennium Development Goals -- the targets for international development which have been set for 2015. Many states have fallen far behind in the realization of these goals, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and the 2008 G8 Summit in Japan offered few promises to further their 2005 commitments to double aid to Africa by 2010.
Yet for the 2 billion people who are earning less than $2 a day, the attainment of legal rights may be the surest way of helping them realize their development targets. Title to land, land tenure and basic rights of ownership, along with microfinance, can enable small farmers to establish a plot, buy fertilizer, seeds, tools, and technology, and secure better access to water, roads, transportation and market information.
It is evident that the legal protection of the poor has never been given due attention, so this new emphasis is most welcome. For the world community to renew its focus on the supporting legal conditions of human and social development, everyone must get involved in this new mass initiative, including representatives from government, business, and civil society. The legal empowerment of the poor will only be possible through political commitment, firm leadership and concerted effort. At a time when virtually all nations are gripped by shrinking credit, balance of payments deficits, and soaring oil and food prices, it is especially important that rich nations show courage and leadership in providing a legal safety net for the impoverished. That would be an auspicious step forward.
Prince Hassan is a member of the Commission for the Legal Empowerment of the Poor.
Download the article here
An example for an international campaign
Al Gore is offering a web-based platform to inspire, educate and organize a global campaign to stop climate change
The Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit, nonpartisan effort founded by the Nobel laureate and former US Vice President, has launched the "we" campaign with a primary goal of halting global warming. It is "we" as in "we can solve it", as in www.wecansolveit.org.
According to their front page, "we are 1,458,377 people speaking up for solutions." Their broad base and expansive network of partners propose a number of solutions and tell of a variety of successes. As such, their website is basically broken down into different pages to guide and inspire campaigns, governments, businesses and individuals with knowledge about the issue of climate change and what can be done to stop it.
This virtual platform approach can easily place itself as a model for other organizations that are also looking to reach the broad public in all its forms. There are clear and specific options for the multi-stakeholders to get involved or simply connect or inform themselves. It demands very little, but offers an array of tools. If you didn’t know where to start in fighting such a monumental task, such as climate change, "we" is at the very least a calm and knowledgeable guide.
Find "we" at www.wecansolveit.org.
News articles on the Global Marshall Plan and Plant for the Planet
Global Marshall Plan Initiative
31.07.2008 - Schrot & Korn 07/s46:
Bäume für die Welt - Eine Idee pflanzt sich fort
31.07.2008 - Offene Spielräume 2.Quart. S14ff:
Mit Bäumen den Treibhauseffekt bremsen
19.07.2008 - SĂĽddeutsche Zeitung, Starnberg:
Wir Kinder gehen auf die Strasse und fordern Klimagerechtigkeit - Interview m. Felix Finkbeiner
17.07.2008 - HAN-Online:
Nicht jammern - pflanzen!
09.07.2008 - Greenpeace Magazin:
Personalien
07.07.2008 - Augsburger Allgemeine:
"Ihr bringt Zunder in die Gesellschaft", Kolping Tag
Klima: »Die Großen packen das Problem nicht wirklich an«
Es liegen keine Termine vor.
There are currently no international events planned. For more events in Austria and Germany, please visit the German website
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