Parliament of Worlds Religion 1999 Capetown SA

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 29

A CALL TO OUR GUIDING INSTITUTIONS
DECEMBER. 99
State economic plans, corporate financial investments, agricultural techniques, and industrial processes should always do justice to human dignity and the community of life on Earth.
In the modern world, instances of the exploitation of human beings, the Earth itself, and all life are more numerous than ever. The reality of globalization, the interconnectedness of the world economy, and the inherent fragility of the Earth's ecosystem heighten the need for new strategies. At the same time, an extraordinary prospect has opened up: a worldwide awareness of the sensitive roles of agriculture, labor, industry, and commerce in relation to the pursuit of a more equitable and humane world.
THE CALL TO AGRICULTURE, LABOR, INDUSTRY, AND COMMERCE
We call on the institutions of agriculture, labor, industry, and commerce to develop practical ways to engage creatively with other guiding institutions in pursuit of a just, peaceful, and sustainable world.
In this spirit, we invite all individuals, communities, groups, and organizations engaged with the institutions of agriculture, labor, industry, and commerce to reassess their roles for the next century.
Each is invited
to develop and extend common statements of ethical standards and practices for production, exchange, investment, lending, and employment that could be accepted, implemented, and monitored around the world;
to expand long-term goals to include not only the increase of wealth, but also the alleviation of poverty and the advancement of the social, cultural, spiritual, and ecological well-being of communities;
to afford all peoples and nations the opportunity to participate equally in a global market, operating on trade agreements that safeguard and promote communitybased economics and regional trade;
to act immediately and comprehensively to ensure that fair compensation and humane working conditions are the norm, and the scourges of forced child labor, prison labor, sweatshops, and virtual slavery are put to an end;
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1999 PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS
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