Seminar organized by the French Institute of sustainable development and international relations"the new global governance for sustainable development" Preliminary remarks Elysee Palace - 15 April, 2003
Tuesday 15 april 2003
President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a pleasure for me to welcome you this afternoon at the Élysée Palace for the closing session of this Seminar on Global Governance for Sustainable Development.
I would like to thank Ms Laurence Tubiana, Director-General of the new French Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), for enabling this project. I would also like to thank you all, ladies and gentlemen, for having agreed to spend precious time reflecting on and discussing the challenges of our world.
You come from all walks of life, from all over the world, and I am aware of the contribution each and everyone of you has made personally to ensure a more humane globalization relying increasingly on solidarity. I of course salute President Zedillo, who has caused democracy to take root in his country where he has put development back on track. I am thinking of you all, researchers, international organization officials, company executives, defenders of the environment, of human rights, and of development.
I appreciate the diversity of your experience and of your opinions. The success of this Seminar shows that it is possible for the international community to enter into dialogue founded on respect for other people, especially for those who are different from us.
This dialogue is crucial as never before. At a time when humanity must invent a common destiny for itself, it is faced with such complex questions that it is wondering how it can resolve and overcome them. We are confronted with major challenges.
The challenge of the divide between a developing world and hundreds of millions of people who are marginalized and prisoners of poverty. How can we help the poorer countries to break the vicious circle of subdevelopment and, in particular, to successfully take up the challenge of NEPAD, this venture for the renewal of Africa launched by the Africans themselves?
The challenge of our modes of production, which are natural resource intensive to the extent that they exceed our planet's regeneration capacities. How can we work out a development that will enable everyone to realize their potential without destroying nature?
The challenge of a time when a world that is becoming increasingly smaller brings about the juxtaposition of cultures that may view one another as rivals or enemies, at the risk of triggering a clash of civilizations.
Today, the responsibility of governments is to solve these contradictions, for our peoples to become aware of all that globalization promises and to realize its potential for trade, people exchanges and freedom.
France, as you know, has begun trying to achieve a more humane and controlled globalization. I would therefore be most interested in sharing your views on four key themes, namely responsibility, solidarity, diversity and ecology.
First, the theme of responsibility.
Increasing exchanges, growing interdependence, the need to address common threats together and the gradual disappearance of frontiers should lead us to call into question certain concepts around which international relations were built.
The notion of national sovereignty is changing. States, as guardians of the national identity and political legitimacy are, and will remain sovereign. However, they are also from now on collectively responsible for the world's future. To what extent can leaders be allowed to commit gross violations of human rights? To what extent can irresponsible behaviours be tolerated in the management of natural resources or in financial management? What authorities are empowered to set the limits and have them enforced, or to decide if the use of force is legitimate and to what extent?
I am convinced of the unique role of the UN and of the multilateral system in this respect. A United Nations showing more efficacy and cohesion, whose missions, powers and resources have been strengthened, respectful of civil society and concerned with the issue of democracy. But we are all aware of the work that remains to be done for multilateral institutions to be fully recognized as the expression of a sort of general interest for humanity, for them to acquire the will and the ability to act whatever the circumstances, assured that their rules will be observed. If we fail to build this world governed by the law and a regulated use of force, we will be condemned to a confrontation between the centres of power.
Second, the theme of solidarity.
To achieve the Millennium Goals and those of the Johannesburg Summit, which form the horizon common to humanity, we know that we need in the region of fifty billion more dollars in official assistance per year.
Where are we to find this money, given that national budgets are subject to strong constraints?
France has made a commitment to increase its contribution to international solidarity. Additionally, we must explore new avenues in a pragmatic and unbiased way. I am thinking for instance of international taxation that represents a modest levy on the immense wealth generated by globalization. I am interested in the British proposal for an international financial initiative making it possible to collect through borrowing the additional resources required for the economic takeoff of the poor countries. I think it essential to devise new mechanisms to attract private-sector investment back to those countries.
Whatever the solutions chosen, all those who embody a global consciousness must make a commitment and strive to explain that this humane gesture on the part of the wealthy in the direction of the poor is also a gesture of wisdom and responsibility which will help us to break free of the nightmares of hunger, poverty, AIDS, illiteracy and oppression.
Third, the theme of diversity.
We are experiencing a contradiction between the evolution of the world towards more unity and the perverse phenomenon of standardization, a factor for seeking refuge in one's own identity and for the decline of man's genius. We must resolve this conflict between the aspiration for a more open, i.e. freer world and the ensuing weakening of human identities. We must reconcile the need for universal values, necessary for a harnessed globalization, and respect for the diversity of civilizations and cultures.
The alternative to a clash of civilizations is dialogue among cultures: learning to respect others in our daily lives, to be curious about others and to accept that others may be different. This is not inherent in human communities whose identity is often based on exclusion. Hence the proposal for a Global Convention on cultural diversity which would not only state a principle, but also affirm a fundamental condition for the success of globalization.
The last theme I wish to discuss is that of environmental protection, natural resource management and the status of living beings.
We note that, despite our efforts at Rio and Johannesburg, we are progressing too slowly. The Kyoto Protocol has not yet entered into force, whereas climate change is taking place before our very eyes. Implementation of the Convention on Biodiversity is proving difficult, whereas natural species are disappearing. Man's place in nature deserves to be reassessed, in order to establish a more harmonious relationship with the natural environment without which man cannot survive. At the time of GMOs, cloning and eugenics, we must also fix the rights and duties of Man with respect to living beings, namely the terms of universal bioethics.
How are we to have other countries share these concerns, how can we associate the poor countries and the emerging countries with the enterprise for the protection of the environment, in order that this challenge should become an integral part of their strategies? How are we to persuade the populations in rich countries to change their modes of production and consumption, invent a new, more quality-conscious and environmentally friendly way of life?
For its part, France has decided to reply to these questions by launching, in particular, the Constitutional Charter on the environment and the rights of future generations.
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All these subjects will be at the heart of debates during the Evian G8 Summit. A great deal of international and interdisciplinary conceptual work is required for these discussions to make headway and open up new avenues for us.
I shall therefore be very attentive to your remarks and eager to communicate their substance to the G8 Heads of State and Government, as well as to those of the emerging countries who will join them on that occasion. Maybe this Seminar should continue, in one form or another, to advance the cause of a humane and controlled globalization, the cause of a humanity that has gathered together to build a common future rich in its diversity.
If I wished to picture in this way the obstacles we must now overcome, it is in a confident frame of mind, as Man builds his destiny by meeting the wildest challenges. Furthermore, he has imposed his presence on earth by turning weaknesses into strengths and trials into a promising future, through his courage, imagination and intelligence.
Thank you.