Parliament of Worlds Religion 1999 Capetown SA

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

Page 45

A
CALL
THE CALL TO INTERNATIONAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
42
то OUR GUIDING INSTITUTIONS
human rights, alarming ecological and environmental degradation, and the steady increase of economic and social inequities.
Yet we have also witnessed a series of strongly worded international affirmations that have served as the basis for countless reforms. Furthermore, an aroused environmental awareness has prompted a new willingness and new ways to address significant problems related to sustainability. Now, at century's end, the reality that the world has in so many ways become a global village impels our search for new models of international relations.
DECEMBER
These two contrasting dimensions of the twentieth century have given rise to an array of international intergovernmental organizations. These include the United Nations, the European Union, the Pacific Community, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Organization of African Unity, the Organization of American States, the International Court of Justice, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the International Labor Organization, the World Health Organization, and many others.
If these international organizations are to wield their enormous influence for the public good, they must pursue economic and social justice, support efforts at selfdetermination and self-sufficiency, and move the world further along toward the equitable sharing of resources. Each organization must also acknowledge, honor, and act to promote a sense of the world as a single, albeit admirably diverse, community that attends patiently and comprehensively to human needs within a larger, delicately balanced environment.
A singular question emerges: How can citizens of the world ensure that all international intergovernmental organizations are grounded in shared ethical principles-fairness, equity, compassion, and concern for the abiding welfare of every succeeding generation?
1999
PARLIAMENT
99
OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS