Mercy Global Concern - 2003
Mercy Global Concern: Briefing Paper Number 1, September, 2003
Human Security and Dignity: Fulfilling the
Promise of the United Nations
United Nations, New York, 8 -10 September 2003
The last decade of the twentieth century witnessed an upsurge
of confidence in international cooperation. The United Nations
Security Council found unprecedented unity. The global economy
became increasingly interdependent. A cycle of major UN conferences
set an ambitious agenda for human development for the new century,
culminating in the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals
by 149 Heads of State and Governments in 2000. These goals
heralded a unique confluence of international political will,
policies and resources that promised to seriously tackle entrenched
global problems, particularly extreme poverty.
Today, there is concern that the post-millennium world might
veer from this new spirit of multilateral cooperation. The North/South
divide, the information technology gap, misunderstanding between
cultures, armed conflicts and racial intolerance still pose serious
challenges. The world is facing severe economic downturns, a
breakdown in confidence in non-proliferation agreements, increased
unilateralism and widespread public disillusionment with social
and political institutions. These conditions require that the
United Nations and its development partners divert already scarce
resources away from efforts to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals in order to cope with humanitarian disasters, which are
too often the result of man-made conflict.
The traditional concept of security, viewed in national and
military terms, is tied more in relations between states than
among people. However, true human security - as recently
defined by the Commission on Human Security - flows from
aspirations of people seeking a sense of well -being and
dignity in their lives and for the future. This broader, human
centred vision is simple yet powerful. At a minimum, it requires
meeting basic human needs and ensuring vital freedoms.
This year's 56th Annual DPI/NGO Conference, entitled " Human
Security and Dignity: Fulfilling the Promise of the United Nations",
presents a forum for civil society and the United Nations to
jointly reassert their determination to assure that living in
security remains an achievable goal and that living in dignity
is not a fleeting illusion but a reality achieved through common
commitment and international solidarity among all people. Today,
more than one billion people, nearly 20% of the global population,
live in absolute poverty. For them, the struggle for survival
is a daily battle. For many others, the degradation of human
security is often a slow, silent process, and may capture the
attention of the international community only when a humanitarian
crisis erupts. Such crises have deep transnational consequences.
In hindsight, we have come to realize the benefits of preventive
action.
It is increasingly evident that human security can only be achieved
by building on people's strengths to create strong civil
societies and institutions. The DPI/NGO Conference will consider
the question of human security within the framework of human
rights. It will bring together psychologists, educators, policy-makers,
economists and other voices from around the world whose experiences
reflect the front-line campaigns to make human security a global
reality.
In the plenary sessions, conference participants will discuss
basic needs as well as the psychological synergies required to
achieve healthy societies and personal well being. They explore
the transformational power of education. They will examine concerted
campaigns to empower diverse groups of people who have organized
to overcome oppression. They will propose sustainable solutions
to our troubled relationship with the environment. A diverse
and dynamic group of NGO representatives, United Nations and
government officials, and others will examine recent advances,
best practices, effective partnerships, challenges and possible
roles the international community and civil society can play
in this vital process.
The conference themes are as follows:
1. Psychological Aspects of human Society and Dignity
This panel will address the complex psychological aspects of
human security and dignity, focusing on mental health, spirituality,
prejudice, and tolerance. It will examine people's perceptions
of security and dignity as well as ways in which people recover
from trauma and the disruption of their lives that results from
violence and chaos.
2. Educating for a Secure Future
As Secretary-General Kofi Annan has pointed out, the key to
the new global economy is education, from primary school through
life-long learning. It is central to development, social progress
and human freedom, and is the foundation for human dignity. Knowledge
advances economic, personal and social security, and offers the
greatest hope for lasting peace. Effective educational processes
provide both opportunities and responsibilities for the world's
citizenry, particularly children and youth. This panel will examine
how educators are addressing these challenges. It will look at
the impact of education on socio-economic development and democratic
reform. How do innovative human rights and peace education programmes
cultivate the values, skills and attitudes that underlay dialogue,
tolerance and conflict resolution? What strategies are required
to meet the Millennium Development Goals that call for narrowing
the gender gap in primary and secondary education by the year
2005? How will they ensure that children in all parts of the
world are receiving a minimum of a primary education by 2015?
3.From oppression to Empowerment
Oppression can take the form of unjust hardship and tyranny.
It may restrict people's identity. In the extreme, tyranny
has power over life itself. In the face of oppression, the universal
need of the human spirit to be recognized and valued often moves
people to fight for their human rights and dignity.
This panel will look at the extraordinary efforts of those who
have succeeded in their quest for empowerment. It will examine
the key motivators and kinds of leadership that inspired these
groups to challenge the status quo. How did their success change
the way they were accepted by the dominant cultures? How was
their struggle communicated? How has empowerment fundamentally
changed oppressed people? What steps were taken to educate mainstream
society and to ensure permanent change?
4 Sustainable Development in the context of Globalization.
Our action in the face of environmental degradation and unsustainable
consumption of the Earth's resources deeply affects the
health of the planet and the well being of its inhabitants. The
ways we harvest the Earth's bounty and arrange for the
equitable distribution of its resources are among today's
most pressing concerns. This panel will explore globalization
and the increasing reliance on the private sector to meet the
complex and conflicting needs of the world's people. What
impact has the privatization of natural resources had on rural
communities? What energy policies foster economic and environmental
well-being? How can civil society and global opinion be instrumental
in persuading Governments and the business community to adopt
policies and practices that enhance our lives?
5. Global Trends and Strategies
Trends that define the evolution of our societies today are
increasingly global. The ageing of populations worldwide as well
as the explosive growth of cities and the neglect of rural communities
are taking place at an accelerated pace. As we witness the emergence
of the so-called information age, the gap between developed and
developing societies is widening, thwarting the advance of press
freedoms and cultural and information exchange. HIV/AIDS and
other pandemics profoundly affecting the development and security
of entire nations continue to claim the lives of millions of
people every year. Burgeoning civil society movements and the
emergence of global public opinion are powerful new forces in
the world that require greater scrutiny.
A special closing session of the Conference will feature leading
policy makers from around the world in a discussion of these
emerging trends. The programme will include input from the NGO
audience at UN headquarter and, through interactive media technologies,
with participants at remote sites elsewhere in the world.
The keynote Speakers include:
Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate; Leader, National
League for Democracy Party
Sadako Ogata, Co-Chair, Commission on Human Security; former
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Vaira Vike- Freiberga, President of the republic of Latvia.
The interactive web site which will compliment and support the
conference can be located at www.ngodpiexecom.org will provide
live audio and video feeds of the opening, closing and plenary
sessions to make the Conference accessible to NGO's unable
to attend. It will also provide an open platform for discussion,
dialogue and feedback while the Conference is taking place. The
website can be accessed on the first day of the Conference and
30 days after it has ended.
Sisters of Mercy attending this Conference are:
Philomena Bowers RSM (England)
Mary Lee Howard RSM (America)
Carol Rittner (America)
Mary Teresa Mc Loughlin (England)
Mary De Largy (Ireland)
Magdala Thompson (America)
Joan Mc Keon (America)
Deirdre Mullan (Ireland/MGC)
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