1. A Kingdom Divided, Editorial
2. 2. 54th Annual DPI/NGP Conference-NGOs Today:
    Diversity of the Volunteer Experience, September 10-12, 2001
3. Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS-UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS, 25-27 June 2002
4. Shields and Swords
5. Right Livelihood Awards 2001
6. The State of World Population Report 2001
7. Ten Week Immersion Course on Peace Studies and Peace Journalism with Language Component
8. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) ? A New Round
 

1. A Kingdom Divided

The terrible act of terrorism, on 11 September against New York citizens sent tremors throughout the world; waves of emotions from grief and shock to anger and calls for revenge engulfed our humanity as a whole. These are now slowly superseded by the search for answers, a wish to understand.

On the first day of a week internationally dedicated to the vision of a culture of peace, this suicidal and deliberate destructive assault on ordinary people was indeed a wake-up call, heard by all. And while the seemingly inevitable military response takes place, the world community is listening to each others’ comments, thoughts, concerns and suggestions. How can we hope for the emergence of a culture of peace; how can we make it happen?

Scientists have confirmed what spiritual scriptures have always maintained: that life is essentially one; that all life forms are part of one integrated, inter-dependent whole and that the well-being and welfare of the whole depends on that of the many.

It is difficult to see this basic truth reflected in today’s world community, where materialism, competition, power politics and commercialism tend to dominate our thoughts and actions, creating a sense of dividedness, mistrust and stress. And the introduction of the notion of globalisation does nothing but increase the anxiety among the majority of us people.

But globalisation does not necessarily mean opening the world’s resources to a plundering hoard of economic mercenaries. With a fuller understanding of the true potential of the concept, globalisation could well be the way forward for all of us. But as it has been said, a kingdom at war with itself cannot stand. When terrorists in their desire to create the greatest and most harmful effect, destroyed also themselves, were they perhaps ? in one short moment -  demonstrating what we too are doing to our world and ourselves over a longer period of time through divisiveness and self-interest?

Globalisation could eventually come to mean what the word essentially implies, if we make it so. A world community where the welfare and well-being of all is the primary motivating force behind our individual and corporate action, will restore all parts of itself to good health ? and a culture of peace  will reign supreme.
 

2. 54th Annual DPI/NGO Conference

NGO's Today: Diversity of the Volunteer Experience
September 10-12, 2001

Approximately two thousand people registered for the 54th Annual Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) held at United Nations Headquarters in New York.  They represented approximately six hundred organizations and were from ninety different countries.

The Opening Session on September 10 was addressed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, President of the Fifty-fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly Harri Holkeri, and (by video conference from Mexico) President of Mexico Vicente Fox.

In his introductory address, General Assembly President Harri Holkeri emphasized key words referring to globalisation that were echoed many times in meetings throughout the day.  These words were: dialogue or communication, inclusiveness, cooperation, and responsibility.  He reminded us that globalization means reaching out and encouraged the continuation of the bottom up approach.

This year's theme highlighted the International Year of Volunteers and explored the pressing and sometimes controversial issues that challenge the world's community of NGOs, many of which are guided by the spirit of volunteerism.

Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, enlightened us with an amazing fact: Volunteerism comprises the equivalent of nine million full-time jobs valuing $255 billion per year and in some countries, where measured, it is estimated to account for 8-14% of gross domestic product.

He also stressed greater HIV awareness and mentioned that it has been the NGO's, especially early on, who have been calling attention to the crisis.  He stated that this battle won't be won without the contribution of everyone, siting that voluntary grassroots home-based care services are proving critical in providing basic care....It will be won community by community.

AIDS is not only an issue of public health, but a question of development.  It has resulted in 22 million deaths, 13 million children orphaned and 36 million living with the virus today.  Help must reach the poor, the majority of whom have been left out of globalization.

Development and globalization must be perceived in harmony with the environment and the earth to succeed.  If we don't protect the earth and it's resources we cannot sustain economic growth.  In many ways the environmental movement has brought out the best in the volunteer experience.  We have the human and material resources available to achieve sustainable development.

To the above challenges the Secretary-General added that of attracting more young people to our respective causes.  He pointed out that young people should be with us at the forefront of global change for "if they are left on society's margins, all of us will be impoverished".  All are encouraged to tap this energy because it's been found that those who volunteer in youth are more apt to volunteer later in life.   Therefore, he said, "The very future of civic activism could depend on how well you do in this respect."

Finally, he urged governments to resist the tendency to see NGOs solely as adversaries and to "acknowledge the value of the contribution made by NGOs to creating a healthy society" because neither governments, nor NGO's, can do it alone.  Everyone stands to gain when they work together.

In her keynote address, the importance of youth was echoed by Sharon Capeling-Alahija, the Executive Coordinator of United Nations Volunteers Program (UNV) who reminded us, "Youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow, they are here with us today."

Lesley Wright of the Conference of NGO's in Consultative Relation with the UN (CONGO) pointed out that volunteers are diverse representing diverse cultures.  They improve the world by helping people they don't even know.  Often they have money, the gift of time and the best public relations of any organization.

She provided valuable suggestions from a volunteer's point of view that are often overlooked:

•  Don't take our time for granted.
•  Help match what we can offer to your needs.  Don't  overlook our talents.
•  Provide clear information on how, when and where we can participate.
•  Give us some of your time as well.

In summary she said, "Volunteer power is the ability to act."  Which highlights an important point brought up by a participant in the afternoon session, who suggested that perhaps a more accurate term for 'volunteerism' is 'taking responsibility'.

This year's three-day DPI/NGO conference was interrupted by the tragic events that took place on September 11.  Sessions of the Conference and Midday NGO workshops scheduled for 11 and 12 September had to be canceled, but the DPI, in consultation with the Office of the Secretary-General and Security and Safety Service, decided that 'it was important for the Conference to conclude its work and to show that spirit of volunteerism and the valuable work performed by the United Nations and NGOs would continue even under the most difficult circumstances'.  So, a special session of the conference was held on September 13 where 16 speakers, including Mrs. Nane Annan and Mr. Mechai Viravai, Chairman of the Population and Community Development Association in Thailand, delivered moving addresses to the audience of more than 200 NGO representatives.  A minute of silence was observed as participants paid tribute to the victims of the terrorists acts.  It was pointed out by many of the speakers that recent events of the previous days provided clear examples of volunteerism in action and underscored the importance of the theme of this Conference.

Iris Spellings, representing Peace Through Unity at the United Nations
 
 

3. Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS
25 ? 27 JUNE 2002

Member States at the United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS, unanimously adopted an ambitious Declaration of Commitment, outlining measures to be taken by the world community to curb the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and to reduce its impact on societies. In a statement to the General Assembly by UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot, said the following:

       " Over the last year there has been an extraordinary shift towards a collective responsibility. In coming here today, the Member States of the United Nations declare their commitment to stop this epidemic. Those who have been involved in this process know how hard it has been to clear the forest of denial and fear to build this path. None of us should be surprised. These are difficult issues. The behaviour and social circumstances that drive this epidemic are not easy to understand or to talk about. Many are associated with shame and discrimination. We often exclude what we fear. Negotiating the declaration has required that Member States address these issues in much the same way that communities, families, and couples across the world have had to ? with respect,, sensitivity and compassion."

The Declaration of Commitment recognizes that all people without distinction of age, gender or race are affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. To date HIV/AIDS has infected an estimated 36 million people and claimed 22 million lives.

Africa is the worst affected region in the world, accounting for 75% of people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS with women, young adults and children being the most vulnerable to the disease. The Declaration states that poverty, underdevelopment and illiteracy are some of the main contributing factors to the spread of the disease, worsened in many societies by gender inequality, human rights violations, stigma and denial.

Among the strongest texts on women’s empowerment in a negotiated UN document, the Declaration calls for all Member States "to develop and accelerate the implementation of national strategies that promote the advancement of women and women’s full enjoyment of all human rights; promote shared responsibility of men and women to ensure safe sex; to empower women to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality to increase their ability to protect themselves from HIV infection."

In the foreword to the Declaration,  UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan  pinpoints the priorities of the agenda:

 

First, to ensure that people everywhere ? particularly the young ? know what to do to avoid infection;

Second, to stop perhaps the most tragic of all forms of HIV transmission ? from mother to child;

Third, to provide treatment to all those infected;

Fourth,, to redouble the search for a vaccine, as well as a cure; and

Fifth, to care for all whose lives have been devastated by AIDS, particularly more than 13 million orphans.

Although the Declaration separates the section on prevention from that of care, support and treatment, and states that prevention must be the mainstay of the response against HIV/AIDS, no conflict should be seen between the two. The inseparable and mutually reinforcing nature of prevention and care, and treatment should always be maintained.

The Declaration confirms the establishment of a Global AIDS and Health Fund to be operational by the end of this year, and it makes a special plea to donor countries, foundations, the business community including pharmaceutical companies, the private sector, philanthropists and wealthy individuals. To contribute to the fund, the Declaration also calls for the launch by 2002 of a world wide fund-raising campaign aimed at the general public and the private sector. US$1 billion has so far been received.

Throughout the Special Session the crucial role of civil society in the fight against the disease was underscored. and more than 500 civil society organizations, representatives of pharmaceutical companies and the business community attended the Special Session in New York. Civil society representatives were also included in several Member States’ delegations. Among the participants were grassroots organizations, activists, people living with HIV/AIDS, medical professionals and youth representatives.

One of the most discussed issues at the beginning of the meeting turned out to be the attempt by some Member States on the basis of the "non-objection principle" to reject the participation of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in the roundtable on HIV/AIDS and human rights. After a heated debate in the General Assembly, the NGO was reinstated in the list of participants to address the roundtable.

In his statement to the General  Assembly, Richard Burzynski, International Council of AIDS Service Organisations (ICASO), made the following pledge:

 
       "We will hold governments accountable to the commitments made in this document, and we will be your allies in making this more than just another global policy statement ? we will help you make this document a viable programme of action, that defines our collective ambitions, that provides governments with reasonable, attainable goals,  that can be easily translated into more effective and aggressive programmes. You have provided a comprehensive global policy ? now we will be your partners and turn it into action."

4. Shields and Swords

At their Summit meeting in mid-November President George W Bush and President Vladimir Putin mutually agreed to cut their nuclear weapons stockpile, but failed to resolve differences over the building of a missile defense system, to which President Bush remains firmly committed.

The scientific view on the US decision to proceed with Nuclear Missile Defence (NMD) is well summarized by George Rathjens, General Secretary of the Pugwash Conference since 1997, in these words: " A US decision to proceed with NMD should be viewed not so much as economically wasteful and otherwise unwise military decision, but rather as a monumental political blunder that will exacerbate mistrust and tensions, particularly among the great powers, the probable result being an increase in the frequency and long term seriousness of crises that could lead us where nobody wants or intends to go."

An elaboration on the above quote comes from Sverre Lodgaard, Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs: "The US Space Command says it is developing the capacity to track all major military activities, to attack them rapidly and precisely at any time, and to deny corresponding military capabilities to anybody else. The NMD must be seen in conjunction with that ambition. What emerges is a US military profile that seeks to erect a shield whilst strengthening the sword. As President Nixon noted at the time of Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty, it is easier to use the sword if you have a shield. Today, this is precisely the concern of many actors around the globe."

Acknowledgement: Scientists for Global Responsibility, Newsletter No. 23, July 2001.
PO Box 473, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 1GS,  E-mail sgr@gn.apc.org  Web site: http://www.sgr.org.uk/
 

5. Right  Liveleyhood Awards 2001
 

The Right Livelihood Awards, founded in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull, a Swedish-German philatelic expert,  has since then been presented each year in the Swedish Parliament. The Awards, often referred to as the "Alternative Nobel Prizes" aim to honour and support those  offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today.

This year the Right Livelihood Award of SEK 2 million is shared by:

Gush Shalom and its co-founders Uri and Rachel Avnery, Israel,
Trident Ploughshares, represented by Angie Zelter, Ellen Moxley and Ulla Roder, UK,
Leonardo Boff, one of the founders of liberation theology in Latin America, Brazil, and
Jose Antonio Abreu, the founder of the National System of Children and Youth Orchestras, Venezuela.

GUSH SHALOM was founded in 1993 by a group of Israeli peace activists including Uri and Rachel Avnery on three basic principles:

Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied territories;
Recognition of the PLO as the Palestinians’ representative;
Recognition of the right of Palestinians to establish their own independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside Israel.

Gush Shalom is a wholly voluntary organization with about 450 core activists and a wider circle of 1400. Gush Shalom has organized hundreds of demonstrations, protests and actions in line with its three objectives. The actions include rebuilding the demolished houses of Palestinians, demonstrating against the expropriation of Palestinian land for the establishment or enlargement of settlements, and generally giving support to the Oslo peace process and moves towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. Most importantly, Gush Shalom has been campaigning, along with other Israeli peace organizations. against the further extension of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Territories and, in particular, against the continuing demolition of Arab houses that is intended to make that extension possible.

Gush Shalom activists are regularly arrested and abused, although as Israelis their treatment is far better than that meted out to Palestinians, and their presence in situations of conflict undoubtedly does much to prevent the mistreatment of Palestinians.

Rachel Avnery, born in 1932 , has since 1993 worked as the full-time unpaid administrator and organizer of Gush Shalom. Uri Avnery was born in Germany in 1923 but moved in 1933 to Palestine with his family.

For forty years the magazine Haolam Hazeh, always edited by Avnery, was a thorn in the side of the Israeli establishment, continuously advocating the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, protesting against the ill-treatment of Arabs and exposing official corruption. But despite the recent intensification of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, Avnery said in a recent interview: "I was born an optimist and will die as an optimist. The present is but a stage ? albeit a sad one ? in the inevitable march towards peace and conciliation. After 55 years of a struggle for Israeli-Palestinian peace, I can see the immense progress we have made. The present throws us a long way back, but we shall move ahead again".

Uri & Rachel Avnery, Gush Shalom, Rupin St 10a, Tel Aviv 63576, Israel, e-mail avnery@actcom.co.il
 
 

TRIDENT PLOUGHSHARES, initiated by peace activist Angie Zelter, was officially launched in 1998. It is described as "a campaign to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapons system in a non-violent, open, peaceful and fully accountable manner."

Trident Ploughshares (TP) is part of a wider Ploughshares movement which started in 1980 in the USA, aiming to fulfil the Biblical injunction to ‘beat swords into ploughshares’. It is no longer a Christian movement and embraces people of any faith or none.. Ploughshares actions have taken place in a number of countries and have dismantled or damaged weapons as diverse as rifles, warships, missiles, submarines and aircraft. In February 2001, 358 protesters were arrested when they tried to blockade the Faslane nuclear submarine base and the total of arrests since the start of the campaign has now reached 1,400.

Among other campaigns Angie Zelter  started the "East Timor Ploughshares" which was a direct action protest against Britain’s export to Indonesia of weapons allegedly used against the people of East Timor. The highlight came when three of her colleagues got into a British Aerospace factory at night and smashed up the cockpit of one of 24 Hawk jet aircraft destined for Indonesia. Angie Zelter and her colleagues were arrested and held in prison for 6 months until the trial, where they were accused of having caused   1 million pounds sterling worth of damage. However, they based their defence on the premise that if a crime is committed for the purpose of preventing a greater crime (in this case genocide in East Timor), the lesser crime is annulled in law. In a sensational verdict, they were acquitted on all counts.

Trident Ploughshares, 42-46 Bethel St, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1NR, UK. E-mail davidmc@enterprise.net
 
 

LEONARDO BOFF was born in Brazil in 1939, received a doctorate from Munich in 1970 and for the following 20 years was Professor of Theology at the Jesuit Institute for Philosophy and Theology in Petropolis.  Since 1993 he has been a Professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro and is now Emeritus Professor of Ethics, Philosophy of Religion and Ecology. Boff is also the author of more than 60 books..

Boff was one of the founders of the socalled liberation theology. He was silenced by the Vatican in 1985 because of his criticism of the Catholic Church. After receiving a second silencing order he left the Franciscan order, stating that the future of humanity and planet earth are more important than the future of the institutionalized church.. However he is still active as a lay priest in poor communities, who are now finding a vision of social justice and community in the "communidades de base" or "Base Christian Communities". There are now more than 100,000 of these grassroots Christian groups in Brazil attempting to fuse the teachings of Christ with a liberating social gospel. Boff has worked closely with the Brazilian Landless Movement.

Leonardo Boff’s recent work has sought to integrate ecology into liberation theology. His book, Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, is a synthesis of deep ecology thinking with radical social critique. One chapter of this book  celebrates St Francis of Assisi as the paradigm of "the new covenant of the heart with all things". which is Boff’s answer to the world’s twin crises of poverty and ecological destruction.

Leonardo Boff, Caixa  Postal 22 144, Itaipava, Petropolis R.J., Cep 25741-970, Brazil
E-mail lboff@uol.com.br
 
 

JOSE ANTONIO ABREU  was born in Venezuela in 1939. His education pursued two tracks: he obtained a Ph.D. in petroleum economics in 1961, and in 1964 graduated as a composer and organist from Venezuela’s national conservatory of music. By 1969 he was a Professor of Economics and Professor of Planning at different universities, and was also a Deputy in the Venezuelan Congress. In 1975 he  began the work for which he has been awarded, founding the Symphony Orchestra Simon Bolivar and the National Symphony Youth Orchestra (NSYO).

The success of NSYO under Abreu’s direction led to the establishment of youth  orchestras in other Venezuelan states, which has grown into the National System of Children and Youth Orchestras of Venezuela, under the auspices of a State Foundation. This now involves 110,000 Venezuelans, grouped in 102 children’s orchestras, 55 youth orchestras and a network of choirs, with musical training starting from the age of two.  This National System includes workshops in which children learn to build and repair instruments, special programmes for children with disabilities or learning difficulties, and specialist centers or institutes for phonology, audiovisuals and higher musical education. The System is explicitly oriented towards the lower-income social strata and has been described as "a social movement of massive dimensions, that works using music as the instrument that makes the social integration of different Venezuelan population groups possible".

Jose Antonio Abreu, Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela Torre Oeste, Piso 18, Parque Central, Caracas 1010, Venezuela
 

The Founder and Chairman of the Award,  Jakob von Uexkull, clarified the selection of this year’s winners by saying that the Jury  " had chosen these recipients from the many outstanding people and organizations who were nominated for this year’s Awards in order to show positive ways forward at this time of grief, fear and insecurity. It is imperative to recognize that the only remedy for terror is justice and reconciliation and the promotion of human rights ? civil, political, economic, social and ecological ? for all peoples of the world"

For more information on the Right Livelihood Award , contact Kerstin Bennett, Administrative Director, P.O.Box 15072, S-104 65 Stockholm, Sweden. e-mail info@rightlivelihood.se  internet www.rightlivelihood.se
 

 6. The State of World Population Report 2001
Footprints and Milestones:  Population and Environmental Change

This report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), provides chapter and verse on how human activity has affected every part and every eco-system of the planet, however remote or complex. Everywhere signs of stress, sometimes extreme, can be seen ? destroyed natural habitats, threatened and extinct species, degraded soil, polluted air and water, and melting ice-caps from global warming. All this while increasing population and consumption, propelled by new technologies and globalisation, are altering the planet on an unprecedented scale.

The report seeks to address the question: how can the well-being of a growing human population  be secured while also protecting the natural world?

In the different chapters of this comprehensive account of the world’s population and environment UNFPA highlights the many problems and challenges facing us today, describes some of the positive action being taken, and offers several recommendations for action. Some of these are to:

1. Implement the global consensus agreement of the International Conference on
                 Population and Development (1994);
2. Provide incentives for the dissemination, further development and use of more
                 sustainable production processes:

• Ensuring minimum consumption requirements and basic social services for all, as an explicit policy objective in all countries.
• Developing and using technologies and methods that are environmentally sustainable for both poor and affluent consumers, including products that have low impacts, and clean energy source (e.g. solar power and hydrogen fuel cells) in place of fossil fuels.
• Promoting awareness about the content and ecological and social impacts of goods, so consumers can make informed choices about what they buy.
• Strengthening international agreements on managing consumption’s global impacts, including ratifying accords on climate change and biodiversity ? and ensuring sufficient funding to implement them effectively

• * Databases for population and development planning need to be further developed. These should  include indicators of population levels and dynamics, and the use, availability and distribution of general medical and reproductive health services, clean water, sanitation and energy.
• Community members should be involved in collecting local data on environmental conditions, resource use and service availability. One benefit of such efforts will be to incorporate local perspectives into programme monitoring and population distributions. Increased investment in these technologies will greatly advance understanding of environmental trends, vulnerable areas and the relations between population and the environment.
• Modelling methods for population and environmental dynamics need to be further developed in the light of new information and improved computing technology. The Threshold 21  model, supported in part by UNFPA, has helped governments highlight key population, economic and environmental relationships.

The UNFPA report looks towards the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Johannesburg, September 2002) with great hope  that the new issues that have emerged since the Rio Summit 1992 will be discussed, including the advances in technology, biology and communications, and the impact of globalisation.

UNFPA, 220 East 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10017 USA   www.unfpa.org
 
 
 
 
 

7. Ten Week Immersion Course on Peace Studies and Peace Journalism with Language Component Beginning
6 January, 2002
 
 

The International Centre for Human Rights in Media (ICHRM) and Radio for Peace International (RFPI) , both based in Costa Rica, has announced a ten-week programmed which is described as an ‘immersion course on peace studies and peace journalism with language component’.

Beginning 6 January 2002 the course will serve 12-25 learners from all over the world per programme. The daily classes will teach peace related studies, including social justice and human rights, ethics in journalism and the history of racism and xenophobia in media. The organizers have prepared this programme because ‘tolerance and understanding are needed now more than ever’.

Classes will be held in the student’s language plus English and Spanish and take place in the facilities of RFPI and ICHRM. Overnight field trips to various points of interests around Costa Rica (rainforest, volcanoes and the beach) will be arranged every second week. Students will be housed with host families in the small town of Ciudad Colon. The cost per programme  is US$3850.-, which includes everything except airfare and pocket money.

Radio for Peace International is a peace related broadcast facility, broadcasting on shortwave and the internet 24 hours a day 7 days a week to 120 countries with an estimated listenership of 800,000, It is also a teaching and training facility as well as the home of the International Centre for Human Rights in Media which is a research and archival facility dedicated to monitoring, chronicling and publishing information on and about intolerance and racism in media and the promotion of tolerance.

Gilbert Carmichael, ICHRM, RFPI, PO Box 88-6150, Santa Ana, Costa Rica
E-mail info@rfpi.org   website  www.rfpi.org/ipc.html

8. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) — A New Round
 

After days of hard bargaining from 9-13 November at Doa, Qatar, it was no small achievement for Mike Moore, Director-General of the WTO, to have obtained consensus, between the 142 countries with their diverse and often conflicting interests to the launching of a new round of free trade negotiation. This historic meeting was marked by the admission of China and Taiwan into the WTO.

Although it will be several years before the benefits of the Qatar Round will be known, it is vital that such gains will come to reflect UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s statement that the launching of a new round of trade negotiations "must this time be a true Development Round, in the sense that it will give general priority to the concerns and interests of developing countries." For it is clear that many of the developing countries are close to losing faith in the world trading system, because they feel that the advantages they were promised from the Uruguay Round have not materialised.

In his Statement of 10 November to the UN General Assembly Kofi Annan elaborated on the importance of placing people "at the center of everything it (the UN) does, enabling them to meet their needs and realize their full potential". He added that this could only be achieved "in a world of effective, accountable States, which use sovereignty as a means to ensure the security of their peoples, and to uphold, not violate, their rights".

Specifically referring to the World Trade Organisation meeting concurrently being held, Kofi Annan stated: "Never was agreement among nations rich and poor on the rules of the multinational trading system so vitally needed, but even more decisive will be the use that Member States make of this Organisation in the years ahead".

Mike Moore has expressed his determination to do his utmost to ensure that the inequity and injustice suffered by developing countries from the impact upon them of earlier trade agreements shall be rectified in the Qatar Round negotiations. However, to resolve this issue to the satisfaction of the UN Secretary-General and concerned individuals around the world will prove to be no easy task.

Sub-Saharan Africa

In this connection we feel it highly relevant to quote some questions and observations appearing in an article on Africa, written by Frank Vogl, President of Vogl Communication, inc, of Washington D. C. Frank Vogl is a member of the Boards of Directors of Transparency International and the Ethics Resource Center.

In his article Mr Vogl states that no area of the globe is more ignored by globalisation forces, or more in need of the benefits of globalisation than sub-saharan Africa.

"Why is it", he asks, "that countries like Congo, Angola and Nigeria, which are the homes of some of the greatest natural resources ever discovered, are so terribly poor? Why is it in these countries that their great natural wealth appears to be more a curse than a benefit?  Why is it that so many foreign companies have over many years made vast profits in these countries, while the living standards of the ordinary citizens have been absolutely the lowest on the planet?"

The answers to these questions are often framed in terms of the massive corruption among the leaders of these countries. Time and again their leaders have looted and plundered. Time and again they have abused their public offices for their private gains. Hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions, have been pocketed by men like the former heads of Zaire and Nigeria, Mobutu and Abacha, and placed in private Swiss and other foreign bank accounts. To stay in power these dictators (continues Vogl) have often used their corrupt gains to bribe their colleagues in government, notably in the military, who in turn have felt bound  to bribe their own colleagues in order to sustain their powerful positions.

So corruption among ruling elites became widespread and all at the expense of ordinary citizens who have been robbed of the opportunity to have a decent education, effective health-care, basic housing and sanitation.

But, stresses Vogl, it takes two to tango. The grand corruption has only been possible because investing foreign multinational companies used bribery as a standard policy. Some of them still do. In some cases these companies won exclusive mining permits from governments through bribes. Then they agreed to make royalty payments on their earnings, payable into secret bank accounts that could only be accessed by government leaders. In some cases some of these funds went into the pockets of the leaders, while the balance was used to buy weapons to support ruthless civil wars. In all cases tens of millions of Africans suffered.

Looking ahead to the impact of globalisation, especially on the poorest countries of the globe, Vogl suggests that it will be useful to consider an agenda that includes:
 

• strong support for global ethical business principles;
• pressure on all multinational companies to be ethical role models in all the foreign countries they do business in. That means role models in terms of the way in which they support the environment, treat all employees with respect, strengthen social developments in the communities in which they operate, and make all their dealings with government fully transparent,
• advocacy of international conventions that ensure the fullest enforcement of national laws ? such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ? and that make it a criminal act for companies to pay bribes to foreign government officials.