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Three Signposts for the Future
Dialogue of Civilisations
1. Although the idea of dialogue is not a new one, the notion of
"civilisational dialogue" has gathered pace only in the last ten or so years
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and is till in its infancy:
- A few
research / educational centres for international have been developed (e.g.
International Centre for Dialogue Among Civilisations in Tehran, Toda
Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research)
- UN declared 2001 "Year of Dialogue Among Civilisations"
2. Premises of civilisational dialogue:
- The world
has one civilisational inheritance made up of many religious and
non-religious strands (e.g. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Confucianism, secular humanism)
- Dialogue
between these various strands must be cultivated in ways that nurture:
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commonality - shared insights and ideals (e.g. respect for the
dignity of the human person, a deep sense of the interconnectedness of all life)
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complementarity - a deep sense of the unique gifts which each major
religious or ethical tradition can contribute to the dialogue (e.g. Judaic
emphasis on the human journey and the role of prophecy, the Christian emphasis
on the redeeming power of forgiveness as the key to reconciliation, Islam's
uncompromising insistence on Allah's uniqueness and majesty, Buddhism's profound
insistence on the nature of suffering, the indigenous appreciation of the land
and the ability to connect with the deepest roots of our earthly collective
existence, the profound sense of social harmony in Confucian thought)
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reconciliation - capacity to share one another's stories, to listen to
the other's experience of pain, to confess past wrongs, to acknowledge
collective responsibility for righting the wrongs of the past
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humane and legitimate governance - dialogue can become a force for
healing to the extent that it nurtures a radical ethic that gives pride of place
to respect for human rights and the satisfaction of human needs.
Human Security
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Kofi Annan (UN Secretary-General): |
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"In the wake of these conflicts, a new understanding of the concept of security
is evolving. Once synonymous with the defence of territory from external attack,
the requirements of security today have come to embrace the protection of
communities and individuals from internal violence. The need for a more human-centred
approach to security is reinforced by the continuing dangers that weapons of
mass destruction, most notably nuclear weapons, pose to humanity: their very
name reveals their scope and their intended objective, if they were ever used." |
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UN Millennium Report,
Chapter 3, p.43-44 at
http://www.un.org/millennium/sg/report/full.htm |
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"We must also broaden our view of what is meant by peace and security. Peace
means much more than the absence of war. Human security can no longer be
understood in purely military terms. Rather, it must encompass economic
development, social justice, environmental protection, democratization,
disarmament, and respect for human rights and the rule of law." |
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"Towards a Culture of Peace" at
http://www.unesco.org/opi2/lettres/TextAnglais/AnnanE.html |
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Sadako Ogata, (former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees): |
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"Several key elements make up human security. A first essential element is the
possibility for all citizens to live in peace and security within their own
borders. This implies thecapacity of states and citizens to prevent and resolve
conflicts through peaceful and nonviolent means and, after the conflict is over,
the ability to effectively carry out reconciliation efforts. A second element is
that people should enjoy without discrimination all rights and obligations -
including human, political, social, economic and cultural rights - that
belonging to a State implies. A third element is social inclusion - or having
equal access to the political, social and economic policy making processes, as
well as to draw equal benefits from them. A fourth element is that of the
establishment of rule of law and the independence of the justice system. Each
individual in a society should have the same rights and obligations and be
subject to the same set of rules." |
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"Human Security: A Refugee Perspective", Keynote Speechat
the Ministerial Meeting on Human Security Issues of "Lysoen Process" Group of Governments. Bergen, Norway, 19 May 1999
http://www.unhcr.ch/refworld/unhcr/hcspeech/990519.htm
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Hans Van Ginkel (Rector, United Nations University) and Edward Newman: |
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"In policy terms, human security is an integrated, sustainable, comprehensive
security from fear, conflict, ignorance, poverty, social and cultural
deprivation, and hunger, resting upon positive and negative freedoms." |
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"In
Quest of "Human Security", Japan Review of International Affairs
Vol. 14, No. 1, 2000, 79 |
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Government of Canada: |
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"For Canada, human security means freedom from pervasive threats to people's
rights, safety or lives."…"Canada has identified five foreign policy priorities
for advancing human security:
1. Protection of civilians, concerned with building international will and
strengthening norms and capacity to reduce the human costs of armed conflict.
2. Peace support operations, concerned with building UN capacities and
addressing the demanding and increasingly complex requirements for deployment of
skilled personnel, including Canadians, to these missions.
3. Conflict prevention, with strengthening the capacity of the international
community to prevent or resolve conflict, and building local indigenous capacity
to manage conflict without violence.
4. Governance and accountability, concerned with fostering improved
accountability of public and private sector institutions in terms of established
norms of democracy and human rights.
5 . Public safety, concerned with building international expertise,
capacities and instruments to counter the growing threats posed by the rise of
transnational organized crime."
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Foreign Ministry Website.
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/foreignp/humansecurity/menu-e.asp |
Democratic Governance
1. The democratic ethic (which is integral to the West's inheritance and the
European 'Enlightenment') is in urgent need of revival - the fundamental
principle that all people are entitled to have a say in the decisions that
vitally affect their future remains the same, but it must be applied in ways
which take full account of the radically altered conditions of life in a globalising world.
2. Three principles should guide the democratic 'renaissance':
- democracy
must inform all tiers of governance (local, provincial, national, regional,
international)
- decision-making authority should, wherever possible, be devolved to the
lowest tier of governance, but with higher tiers of governance able to
intervene to ensure that justice and equity prevail
- close
links must be established between the various tiers of governance to ensure
both coherence and a strengthened commitment to the democratic ethic.
3. Global Governance reform requires the reorganisation of many of our
existing international institutions (e.g UN Security Council and General
Assembly, IMF, World Bank, WTO) and the creation of new ones (e.g. UN People's
Assembly, UN Economic and Financial Council with global oversight, creation of
an international taxation mechanism). The aim must be to bring the policies of
public institutions (national, regional and international) and the operations of
the market within the reach of people everywhere and of the multitude of organisations, large and small, that make up civil society (locally, nationally
and internationally).
4. Global Governance reform is the responsibility of States and
Inter-governmental organisations, but above all of citizens and the multitude of
groups, networks and association, which form an integral part of everyday life.
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Friday, 10. June 2005 01:32 PM +1100 |
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