International figures blast widening economic disparity

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Lille, France

More than 400 social, political and business leaders who gathered in France from around the world, have raised concerns over the widening economic gap within and between countries and the concentration of economic and political power in increasingly fewer hands.

These, together with threats to the diversity of cultures and the exploitation of natural resources "are creating unrest and conflicts worldwide and giving rise to deep concerns about the future of the planet," the leaders say in their communique titled Charter on Human Responsibilities.

"We are now at a new crossroads in human history," the charter says.

The charter also criticizes the pervasive power of the international market which it says is undermining the traditional role of states, and international economic institutions which were accused of failing to close the economic gap worldwide.

Scientific institutions were more interested in pursuing their own interests than analyzing and addressing the interacting global issues that confront humanity, it says.

The charter calls on all people and nations to act responsibly, to promote dialog and solidarity and to heal all problems.

The charter was issued at the end of the so-called World Assembly which ran from Dec. 2 to Dec. 10 in Lille.

Participants from five continents included business leaders and executives, political leaders, labor union activists, local governmental officials, artists, journalists, philosophers, scientists, non-governmental organization activists, businesspeople, youth, farmers and fishworkers.

Indonesian participants included NGO activist Bambang Ismawan and Sylvia Tijong Jong Nio Kwee and a student from the University of Indonesia, Berly Martawardaya.

Former Minister of Research and Technology AS Hikam was also invited but he failed to attend.

"The meeting is another milestone in human history to tackle the future challenges," Pierre Calame, director of the Paris- based Charles Leopold Mayer Foundation for the Progress of Humankind (FPH), which sponsored the meeting, told The Jakarta Post

The foundation was established in 1982 based on funds provided by Charles Leopold Mayer (1881-1971), a French chemist, financier, researcher, philosopher and philanthropist. Its goal is to promote the progress of mankind through science and social development.

Prior to the World Assembly, the foundation, together with several partners, started organizing meetings in several continents to address the world's social, political and economic issues.

In 1994, it started to build a worldwide network called Alliance to further examine the problems and to find solutions to them.

The series of meetings held by the Alliance network then climaxed with the World Assembly in Lille.

According to Calame, the charter produced at the Lille meeting was only a draft which was not expected to be completed until March next year.

Once the final text of the charter was approved by all Alliance members, the organization expected governments throughout the world to sign it.

Once all nations had signed, the charter would become the "third pillar of the world principles" after the Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Charter for Peace and Development, Calame said.