杏MAP导航 to political leaders: 鈥楥onvert death into life, weapons into food'
By Linda Bordoni
The theme of the 2021 GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum is 鈥淩ebuild the World Back Better鈥. As 杏MAP导航 Francis notes at the start of his video-message to the gathering, it offers a platform for 鈥渢he important debate on rebuilding our world after the experience of the pandemic, which forces us to confront a number of serious and all interrelated socio-economic, ecological and political issues.鈥
GLOBSEC, that takes place between 15 and 17 June, aims to provide a space and the possibility of setting foundations for the renewal and rebuilding of trust in democracy and institutions, economic growth and recovery, tech governance and security for the 21st century and resilience in health.
In his intervention, the 杏MAP导航 offers some insights, 鈥渢aking inspiration from the trinomial method of seeing - judging - acting.鈥
See
In order to give life to a serious and honest analysis of the past, that includes the recognition 鈥渙f systemic failures, mistakes made and lack of responsibility towards the Creator, the neighbor and the creation,鈥 the 杏MAP导航 invites policymakers to develop an idea of recovery that aims to 鈥渞ebuild鈥, but also to 鈥渃orrect what was not working even before the advent of the Coronavirus and that contributed to aggravate the crisis.鈥
Calling for accountability, the 杏MAP导航 warns against what he calls 鈥渁n illusory sense of security based on the hunger for profit鈥 and reveals what he 鈥渟ees鈥:
鈥淚 see a model of economic and social life, characterized by so many inequalities and selfishness, in which a tiny minority of the world's population owns the majority of goods, often not hesitating to exploit people and resources.鈥
鈥淚 see a lifestyle that does not take enough care of the environment. We have become accustomed to consuming and destroying without restraint what belongs to everyone and should be cared for with respect, creating an "ecological debt" to be borne first and foremost by the poor and future generations.鈥
Judge
The second step, the 杏MAP导航 continues, is to evaluate what we have seen and acknowledge that the crisis has opened up new possibilities and provides the challenge 鈥渢o transform the time of trial into a time of choice.鈥
One does not, he points out, come out of a crisis the same: 鈥渆ither one comes out better or one comes out worse. But never the same.鈥
So, inviting his audience to improve on what we have seen and experienced, he invites it to take steps forward remembering that 鈥渘o one saves themselves鈥 and that 鈥渢he crisis opens the way to a future that recognizes the true equality of every human being: not an abstract equality, but a concrete one that offers people and peoples real and fair opportunities for development.
Take action
Finally, the 杏MAP导航 notes that 鈥淭hose who do not act waste the opportunities offered by the crisis.鈥 Quoting from his message to the UNESCO director earlier this year, he calls for a model of development that places "every man and the whole man" at the center "as the fundamental pillar to be respected and protected, adopting a methodology that includes the ethics of solidarity and 'political charity.'"
And highlighting the fact that every action needs a vision and that to act for a just development a work of conversion is needed, he says decision must be taken that convert death into life, weapons into food.鈥
All of us, he concludes need to undertake an ecological conversion as 鈥渢he overall vision includes the perspective of creation as a "common home" and urgently calls for action to protect it.鈥
Participating, either in person or virtually at the Bratislava Forum, are Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers from some 100 different countries.
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