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How to contact us in the holiday season
Dear friends and supporters of the Global Marshall Plan Foundation,
a turbulent year is coming to its end. We still hope that the world leaders of 192 countries - who are currently meeting in Copenhagen - can mediate a global agreement concerning climate justice. 2009 was also characterized by economical turmoil both nationally and internationally.
We hope that you can reflect and concentrate your attention on the essential things in the Advent season, even if there are bad news. We would like to give you our review on 2009 by highlighting some guiding themes for the work of our initiatives and the foundation which focus on raising awareness.
The ideas of Global Marshall Plan are spread by activities on national and European level. Local and regional groups are very active and cooperate well with the Eco-Social forums in Germany and Austria. They organize movie screenings, stands at events and fairs as well as planting activities, just to name a few. Moreover, hundreds of speeches and thousands of books were delivered to multiply the themes.
The first Global Marshall Plan Academy was completed in May; 20 participants from Germany and Austria attended the seminar series. The second round started in Hamburg at the end of November. Among The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Augsburg, Schlierbach and Vienna host further sessions of the course to be come a multiplier for the Global Marshall Plan.
We are glad about the financial support for our work for a World in Balance - especially in times of crisis.
Nearly 1000 children aged 9 to 13 have been educated to be climate ambassadors by the student initiative Plant-for-the-Planet. Apart from academies in Germany and Austria, the first Plant-for-the-Planet Academy took place in China in November. The students are invited to more and more events as speakers where they impress the audience. Some examples of Clara's, Felix' and Liam's speeches can be found at Youtube (search for Plant-for-the-Planet).
"Stop talking. Start planting." was started to be our first worldwide campaign. 60 celebrities and more than 160 children from different countries are involved. The idea has been presented on several international forums - and now you can see the first posters around Hamburg. We hope that they will be displayed in other places soon. You can have a look at the pictures at plant-for-the-planet.org and at facebook.
The over 100 participants of the World Commons Forum in Salzburg had the chance to discuss Global Commons' themes and concrete projects ideas. Franz Fischler and Alexander Hader presented a project on Eco-Social Market Economy, In his workshop, Peter Hesse developed some ideas with regard to reform ECOSOC. Franz Fischler, Vittorio Prodi and Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker inspired the participants by delivering lunch or dinner speeches. To advance this conference concept, together with different partners, is one of the challenges for the year to come.. Even projects not presented were informally developed in Salzburg. The Eco-Social Student's Forum won some participants to contribute to their master thesis platform.
We hope that the new year will be as successful as 2009 was for our initiatives.
Happy holidays and all the best for 2010!
The Global Marshall Plan Foundation's office is closed from 24 December 2009 to 06 January 2010.
In urgent cases you can contact us at +49 40 822 90 420.
Teaser photo: © Günter Havlena / PIXELIO
The Story of Cap & Trade is a fast-paced, fact-filled look at the leading climate solution being discussed at Copenhagen and on Capitol Hill
Conference in the European Commission on 30 November 2009 – Summary
The European Commission (Directorate General for
Taxation and Customs Union) organised a one day conference in Brussels
on "What taxation for a low carbon economy?" on November 30, 2009.
The
threat to the climate is one of the greatest challenges our world is
facing today. Substantial mitigation efforts are needed and it is
crucial to use cost-effective instruments for this purpose. The EU
opted for the EU emission trading system (ETS) to be its main
instrument in this context. However, the question remains what is the
role that taxation could or should play with respect to emissions in
the non-ETS sector.
The conference focused on possibilities to
address global warming through targeted taxation instruments, in theory
and in practice and taking into account broader economic and social
considerations.
The conference brought together policy makers,
experts, stakeholders and the general public from all over Europe, and
beyond, and discusses this important and highly relevant subject in a
very timely moment of the run up to the international climate change
conference in Copenhagen.
ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs
Bildquelle: © Viktor Mildenberger / PIXELIO
Press Release by Prince El Hassan
(Amman – Majlis El-Hassan)
HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, on Monday (December 14, 2009), said that true reconciliation at the global level is through a comprehensive process that involves everyone in order to "rediscover our shared humanity."
In his inaugural speech at the opening of the conference of the "Global Reconciliation Summit" in Amman, HRH said that in order to achieve reconciliation we must move away from narrow nationalism, and consider supra-national issues to work towards reconciliation between the human and natural resources.
The prince also asserted the need to think seriously about establishing a social cohesion fund to empower the poor and give them the opportunity to participate actively in building their future and the future of human community.
Prince El Hassan said that it is important to confront the psychological walls that hamper the process of reconciliation, through the pursuit of change by action instead of talk, and “put ourselves in the place of the other”; stressing that the meeting of global and regional commons is necessary in order to bridge the gap in human dignity.
HRH stressed the importance of setting priorities by listening to people and helping them to stand on their feet, in addition to activating the places of worship through real social work. This would transcend religion above politics; pointing out that the talk about the role of religions should be linked to international standards and the establishment of effective bridges between the different religions and international humanitarian law.
The prince emphasized that the moral dimension of solving global problems and crises requires a deep understanding, which must take into account the anthropological understanding of different societies. HRH also called for considering the issues of security, economy and culture within the frame of law.
At the end of the opening session HRH presented the awards of the "Desmond Tutu Reconciliation Fellowship" to its inaugural recipients: Dr. Ian Campbell, Katarina Pejovic and Elizabeth Langslow. The objective of this fellowship is to provide opportunities for people from all walks of life to undertake projects that contribute to reconciliation within, between and cross communities. 
The Global Reconciliation Summit, organized by Monash University of Australia and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in cooperation with the Regional Human Security Centre in Amman, is a response to the paradox of intensifying political violence and insecurity across the world. The unique objective of the summit is to explore alternative pathways to peace that emphasize local reconciliation processes. The conference brings together more than two hundred activists, academics and experts who represent non-governmental and international organizations from thirty-seven countries.
Photos by: Boghos Darakjian
(Amman, 14 December 2009)
Essay by Zeki Ergas
Imagine people of Israel … that the Age of Innocence of the heart-warming days of nation-building at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, at the times of the Ottoman Empire and of the British mandate, had not gradually lost its meaning after the establishment of the State in 1948, and had not come to an abrupt end after the Six Days War of 1967.
Imagine people of Israel … that the values of idealism, equality and justice that prevailed in those days in the Jewish settlements of the Yishouv 2 were not destroyed and replaced by the values of pragmatism, realism and cynicism. Nostalgia is not what it used to be, but still, you know, or you remember, if you belong to the older generations, people of Israel, that, during the Age of Innocence, thousands of young people from around the world came every year to spend time in the kibbutzim in Israel to experience there that exhilarating feeling of happiness and joy that comes from doing something that is healthy and beautiful. They were, these young people, the best ambassadors that Israel could have. Because they had a high opinion of the Jews and the Israelis and went on to become the leaders and the citizens of their own countries. They became, these young men and women, politicians, business people, artists, teachers and administrators who admired the Jews and the Israelis. That was an invaluable achievement which cannot be measured in material terms, in terms wealth or power, or any combination thereof. Because it was a qualitative achievement.
Instead of that, of the admiration, the empathy, and even the love, the young people of today from around the world, especially in the western world, are busy organising boycotts, divestment and sanctions (known as BDS) against Israel. Because they increasingly see it as an apartheid state oppressing the Palestinians and discriminating against the Israeli Arabs.
The Gaza War, the cruelty, the insensitivity and the extreme disproportion in casualty levels, of 100 to 1 against Palestinians, that characterized it was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, or rather, the last nail on that coffin. It is, for the Jew that I am, painful to observe that Israel has lost practically all that used to make its aura, its special appeal.
It truly hurts to say it, but Israel is no longer beautiful. It has become ugly. It may still have physical beauty. Its men and women may be healthy and good-looking, and the country may be beautiful. But it no longer has the beauty of the soul, the beauty of the heart and the beauty of the spirit which count far more than physical beauty. How can we deny that the Israeli government and the Israeli settlers in the occupied territories are, in that respect, largely, made up of ugly people. Even the Jewish religion, that beautiful religion that is the originator of the other two monotheistic religions, Christianity and Islam, has been, by religious fanatics, turned into an ugly religion. And that, not only in the occupied territories, but also in political parties, in universities, and even in the army.
It did not have to be that way. It does not have to be that way.
Imagine people of Israel … that, after the great military victory of 1967, a truly wise political leadership would have realized the dangers that lurked behind it, and that it had the potential of changing – like the man in Kafka’s famous story, The Metamorphoses, who changes into an insect -- into a political disaster, and would have immediately entered into negotiations with the Palestinian people: to give them the territories conquered from Jordan and Egypt, and help them to establish a truly viable and independent state.
But that did not happen because that required vision. And the Israeli leadership, unfortunately, did not have vision. It had vanity and arrogance, but not vision. In fact, many in Israel, especially the religious fanatics, but not only them, saw that victory as a sign, a message, from God that He wanted the Jews to recreate the Greater Israel from the Mediterranean shore to the Jordan river. Some still do. As a result, Israel finds itself in an impasse, an impossible situation that can only get worse with time.
But is that situation really impossible? Is there really no solution? Has, in other words, the two state solution become impossible? Probably, hopefully, not yet. But it is getting closer to becoming impossible. Perhaps in a year or two it will become impossible. But today the two-state solution is still a possibility. Two states, one Israeli, the other Palestinian, could still exist side by side in harmony and brotherhood. The two peoples are closely related, they have many things in common, as a recent book written by an Israeli historian has shown.
But it would take a strong leader, a very strong leader, a leader like Charles de Gaulle proved himself to be, when he realized that France could not keep Algeria from becoming independent, drew the logical conclusions, and gave a departure date to the million-plus French settlers there, some of whom have been living in Algeria for several generations. The French army, he said, will withdraw, at that date, and you will have three options: becoming an Algerian citizen, a French citizen in Algeria, leave Algeria and come back home. The large majority of French settlers chose to go back home.
So the two big and relevant questions are: Is there, today, in Israel such a leader? Obviously not. Will there be one tomorrow? Maybe. It will have to be if Israel is to be saved from self-destruction.
Imagine people of Israel … that such a leader materializes, and that a peace treaty is signed between Israel and the Palestinians. A peace treaty that puts an end to more than a hundred years of wars, hatred and hostility. What would happen then? Simple: people would be dancing in the streets. Israelis in the streets of Tel Aviv, Haïfa and West Jerusalem; Palestinians, in Ramallah, Jenin and Nazareth and East Jerusalem. People would be hugging and kissing one another in scenes reminiscent of the liberation of the European cities at the end of the second world war. Fireworks would illuminate the starry nights of many cities the Middle East. Singers would sing, orchestras play. Everywhere else in the world, Jews and Palestinians would be uncorking bottles of champagne to celebrate.
And after all the celebration …
Imagine people of Israel … that borders would not exist. That there would be no check points, no road blocks and no military patrols. On a sunny Saturday, Israelis would be able to go to Ramallah to visit friends, buy fruits and vegetables, go to the same restaurant, called Villa Vachi by Europeans and Hakura by Palestinians, that Mahmoud Darwish used to patronize and taste the delicious fuhara cooked in a clay pot that he was fond of. The following Saturday, it would be the turn of the Palestinians to visit their friends in Tel Aviv, to go to the beach with them, and crack jokes and burst into guffaws while the children would be running around and playing. They would also be chatting and exchanging information on the different customs and traditions concerning dating, love, marriage, family relations, and so on. Wouldn’t all that be wonderful?
Imagine people of Israel … that for the first time in your lives, you would be able to visit Arab and Islamic countries where you will be welcome. Where people will smile at you. Where they will shake your hand, even perhaps give you a bear hug. You would be able to visit Egypt’s pyramids and temples, and the remains of the great civilisations in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq without fearing that some fanatic can any time stick a knife into you. And, in Europe, you will not have to lower your voice when you speak Hebrew, you will not have to look back over your shoulder to see if anyone is listening.
Imagine people of Israel … you will have proved that swords can indeed be turned into ploughshares. That you can be again a light unto nations.
You will be proud again to be a Jew and an Israeli.
* Zeki Ergas, a writer, scholar and peace activist is Secretary General of PEN International’s Swiss Romand Center, and a leading member of that organisations Writers for Peace Committee.
NOTES
1. Imagine is, of course, the name of the famous Beatles song (written by John Lennon). And the following sentence has inspired this short essay : You may say I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one ; I hope some day you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.
2. The Yishouv is the name in Hebrew of the Jewish community or society in Palestine that existed before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
Copyright mediaforfreedom.
The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Global Marshall Plan Initiative
Teaser photo: Pixelio Carsten Raum
A Proposal for COP15?
There are only a few days left for decisions to be reached at Copenhagen with regards to a fair and equitable climate change deal. There are mainly two point that are sticky: the amount of CO2 to be reduced and the amount of money the industrialised world will be making available to the developing countries.
Here is one proposal that I would like to suggest, one that is based on the debt-for-nature swaps that have been used since the 1970's. It can basically be explained as follows: a NGO provides around $1 million to purchase anywhere from $10 million to $24 million of the country's debt from the U.S. Treasury. The $24 million can then be considered as cancelled, however, the country continues to make its regular debt payments, but instead of making them payable to the U.S. Treasury, the payments go into a national Trust Fund set-up in their own country. The NGO helps manage the fund, which is then used to finance forest conservation over a period of years.
I am proposing that a debt-for-climate-change-swap be considered. In this way the $10bn offered by the EU to the developing world can be 'topped up'. Using the same ratio as has been used this year in Guatemala (2009) with regards to the debt-for-nature swap ($1 million 'bought' $26 million), then $1bn would "buy" (cancel/forgive) $20-25bn of debt of developing nations who can then put the money which would have gone to servicing the debt into a national Climate Change Fund.
I am just offering these thoughts in case there is an impasse at Copenhagen and further funding options needs to be found by the industrialised nations. As I said, this is to be a possible and additional option on top of what is currently on the table.
We need solutions that reflect a win-win situation,
With my warmest regards,
Vita de Waal
Main Representative to the United Nations, Geneva
International Affairs Liaison
Planetary Association for Clean Energy, Canada
"Stop talking. Start Planting." - Campaign gains worldwide support
At the Vision Summit on 8 November about 70 children and youth aged 11 to 15 met at the Freie Universität Berlin, to become climate ambassadors. The training was provided by peers. They had a chance to show what they learned immediately after the training was finished when they joined the about 800 participants of the Vision Summit.
The Plant-for-the-Planet academy includes presentaion techniques and mobilizing others to plant a million trees in every country of the world.
In the course of the academy, one of the children asked Felix: "Do the adults take you seriously when you talk to them?" He replied: "Yes!" A little later the children could witness the adult's response first hand.
At the end of the second panel of the Summit, it was the children's turn. They spoke right after Nobel Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Franz Alt, Gesine Schwan and Michael Otto.
Felix entered the stage and stated: "Future for you means 20, 30 or 40 years. For us future means 70 or 80 years. Whether the sea level rises in this century by 1, 2 or 3 meters is a scientific question for you, for us it's a matter of survival!"
The adults were most impressed by the children's ambitious goal to plant a million trees in each country of the world and by doing so taking their future into their own hands. After the presentation of the campaign "Stop Talking. Start Planting." no-one stayed seated. The children got standing ovations from the entire audience. 
Former candidate for the German Presidency Gesine Schwan, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, global entrepreneur Michael Otto, TV journalist Franz Alt with climate ambassadors Felix, Max and Ben.
Many more prominent people had their picture taken for the campaign by photographer Thomas Rosenthal to support the children with their important and ambitious cause.
The campaign "Stop Talking. Start Planting." was developed by Leagas Delaney Hamburg for the children.
Teaser photo: Roger Richter
as part of UNEP initiative
Nairobi, 30 November 2009 - Hundreds of Kenyan youth, from schoolchildren to university students, have planted almost 70,000 trees in the last month as part of a tree planting drive spearheaded by UNEP's Tunza youth programme.
The campaign, launched in partnership with schools, youth groups and community groups including Pinklakeman and Mavuno Michezo, aims to plant more than 85,000 trees during the Kenyan rainy season in Central, Nairobi and Rift-Valley provinces.
67,500 trees have been planted around Kenya so far, including 25,000 at the coast and 20,000 during a major tree-planting push on 23-28 October in several locations including Lake Elementeita.
The initiative will culminate in a final push over the next few weeks before the end of the rainy season - and all the trees planted will be registered under the umbrella of the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign.
About the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign
The billion tree campaign is a global tree planting initiative that was launched in November 2006 at the climate change conference held in Nairobi. Its initial goal was to catalyze the pledging and the planting of one billion trees every year as a way of giving public expression to the challenges of climate change and also forest and ecosystem degradation.
In May 2008, UNEP raised its target to seven billion trees - about one tree per person in time for the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen this December. This target was reached and surpassed in September 2009, after the Chinese government officially joined the campaign.
Today, the campaign's website registers over 7.4 billion trees planted since its launch.
The campaign's phenomenal success is a result of the collective participation of people from of all walks of life and from every corner of the planet - from scouts to presidents and from schoolchildren to city dwellers and corporate heads.
The leading countries include; The People's Republic of China (2.6 billion trees), Ethiopia (1.4 billion trees), Turkey (711 million trees), Mexico (537 million trees), Kenya (281 million), Cuba, and Indonesia.
For more information please contact:
Theodore Oben, Chief, UNEP Outreach Coordinator
or Joyce Sang
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Environmental Prize for thousand Plant-for-the-Planet ambassadors
On 23 November 2009, the German association B.A.U.M. awarded the children with their annual Environmental Prize.
Peter Maffay, a famous German singer, gave a speech to honour the children. He was very impressed by the fact that they, so young at age, are so committed for the global cause. 
Twenty children - representing the about 1000 climate ambassadors worldwide - received the environmental prize in the category youth.
The children took over and called upon the adults - there were about 800 guests present - to cooperate and help with their networks.
Felix in a panel discussion with the other laureates. 
Photo: Getty Images / Action Press / Star Press
Felix Finkbeiner and Sophie Juleska-Blunck from Osterholz Scharmbeck received the certificate on behalf of Plant-for-the-Planet. Prince Albert II from Monaco congratulated the students.
Peter Maffay, former Wimbledon Champion Michael Stich, Chinese singer Wei Wei, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Wangari Maathai and Muhammad Yunus and many more personalities around the world support the children with the campaign "Stop Talking. Start Planting."
On the occasion of the ceremony, more than 50 children got together to demonstrate the seriousness of their concern. They gathered in the inner courtyard equipped with tree-shaped banners so that the guests of the conference could see them when transferring from the chamber of commerce to the town hall for the ceremonial act of the day.
The Media reported about the activity. (articles in German)
The children called upon the adults to act: "Stop talking. Start planting." is their well-known motto.
"The adult's greed and inactiveness are destroying our future," 11-year old Marta from Berlin stated. "That's why we need to show that we care and that we are taking our fate into our own hands!"
To a video by Sat 1 (German television channel)
The Initiative and Plant-for-the-Planet in the media
Global Marshall Plan (German)
