Title: Meeting the Challenges of
Globalization, a New Dialogue
Introduction
In the early
1990s people first began to use the term globalization to describe the process
of international integration, the mixing of diverse cultures, the merging of
markets, and the spread of corporate brands and influence. In the mid 1990s corporate representatives
and intergovernmental institutions began to gather and discuss proposals to
liberalize the landscape of international trade in an effort to make it more
efficient and more profitable. On December
1st, 1999 tens of thousands of organizers gathered in the streets of Seattle,
Washington to stop the World Trade Organization from holding its annual
meeting. From that moment onward every
major gathering of world leaders dedicated to discussing international
economics was accompanied by a sizeable protest.
At the end of
January 2001, a “World Social Forum” (WSF) was organized in Brazil,
strategically positioned as an anti-forum to the well known World Economic
Forum. During the inaugural WSF a video
conference was organized to debate with participants at the WEF. It was unsuccessful.
A year later,
in December of 2001, organizers brought WEF and WSF participants together,
privately. Their discussion was amicable
and the pathway forward seemed clear: public and friendly dialogue, dedicated
to developing solutions instead of placing blame. However, the process has not advanced.
The Need for Democracy
The
definition of democracy is “the participation of the people in
decision-making.” The existing system of
global decision-making is not democratic.
No national representative to the UN or the World Bank is democratically
elected by citizens of that nation. Many
people protest the development of international economic policies because they
have no access to the discussions.
Democracy is one chief solution.
Participants
of both the World Social Forum and the World Economic Forum believe in
democracy. At the same time, however,
many people will resist the cost, the decentralization of power, and the process
of building trust that is needed to create democratic decision-making
systems.
Enter Youth
Globalization
is a new problem. We need new solutions
for new problems. Today, while there are
still efforts underway to get the leaders of the WEF and the WSF to dialogue,
other opportunities exist. The Union of
International Associations claims that “young people are our greatest untapped
resource.” Each new generation of people
enters the world with a new perspective and new understanding of how to solve
problems. Young people today have a more
global vision of the world than any previous generation.
Hosting a
dialogue on globalization between young participants at the WEF and the WSF
might offer a way around the existing obstacles. Young people from both forums have very
different perspectives on how to solve the challenges presented by
globalization. Many prioritize economic
solutions while others prioritize social solutions. The solution to globalization will ultimately
be a complex mixture of approaches. Only
dialogue and education about the problems and their solutions can create a plan
of action and policy that will serve all people involved.
Young people
are valuable targets for this kind of dialogue.
In the events that have recently unfolded in Eastern Europe young people
have showed their value - the toppling of Milosevic in Serbia is one
example. Young people are naturally more
flexible and more open minded than older people. They develop trust more quickly. They are also more adaptable and negotiate
change more easily. The challenge of
globalization is infinitely complex and the problems solvers must be
entrepreneurial and adapted to the changes of the 21st century.
Proposal
Our challenge
is to democratize global decision-making in an effort to arrive at new
solutions to the challenges presented by globalization. International democracy must rest on the
international support and trust of government, business, and civil
society. As members of all three of
these communities, young people are at the front of changes brought on by
globalization and by the 21st century.
They are well equipped to begin the discussions of democratizing global
decision-making on the world stage. To
make this happen we propose to set up a video conference between young people
at the World Economic Forum and the World Social Forum.
During the
next few months we will develop an agenda for this dialogue, select young
people to participate in it, and as necessary facilitate their travel,
education, and logistics.
This
event can make a mark on history. When
the current global agenda is dominated by the war against terrorism, a new more
subtle agenda can emerge that is supported by people from both sides of the
debate. Young people could help illustrate
new ways forward.
1. The Agenda
The basic
agenda of the dialogue will be a) defining globalization, b) naming the pros
and cons of it, c) and discussing the social and economic solutions to the
challenges presented by it.
2. The Participants
We will work
with the organizers of the WEF and WSF to select the participants of the
debate. We must develop criteria for
diversity, age, and field of expertise.
At the same
time, youth on both sides of the debate have many adult allies who will be participants
in the WEF and the WSF. Depending on the
growth of this idea they too may wish to participate. (Bono and Soros come to mind as potential allies.)
3. Next Steps
Our tasks for
the next few months are the following:
*
Investigating philanthropic sponsorship
* Developing
the agenda for the debate
* Developing
criteria and selecting participants
* Elaborating
this proposal
* Investigating
and booking conferencing and lodging spaces
* Animating a
network of contacts to develop organizational and political support for the
event
* Discussing/Educating
participants about the issues surrounding globalization and the stakeholders
involved
* Organizing
passage of participants to the events
4. Video Link
Global Nomads
Group (www.gmg.org) has extensive experience developing video conferencing
debates and working with youth in dozens of countries around the world. They have 5 years of experience negotiating
deals with video conferencing companies and dealing with computer and video
hardware. We will ask them to submit a
proposal for this project.
6. Contact
Jonah
Wittkamper
Global Youth
ACTION Network, South American Regional Director
Cell:
(+55) 11 9137 6830
Work:
(+55) 11 3812 5123
Address:
Rua Mourato Coelho, 460
04535-040 São Paulo, SP
Brasil