PHM-Exch> Equity, human rights and economic growth

[Claudio Schuftan]

comment by Luc Guillory <https://undp.unteamworks.org/user/88000>, Partage
international, France.

Oxfam has told us that the « *richest one per cent of the world’s
population has increased its incomeby 60 per cent in the last 20 years and
the world’s 100 richest people amassed240 billion dollars last year, enough
to make a huge contribution to ending extreme poverty more than three times
over *».  That means that inequalities are not only abyssal,but increasing,
despite the so-called crisis. This pertains to the very structure of the
economic system itself. There is no generous « trickle down effect » of the
dominating market forces pouring riches over the poor sections of humanity.
Only a profound transformation of the competitive international economic
system into a cooperative system has any chance to fill the ga! p in
incomes. A fair access to the world resources, the sharing of energy, food
and technology, the control over the financial world, a deep transformation
of the international monetary system with the settlement of a new
international reserve and trade currency, are key measures, among others,
to establish economic and social justice, stability and harmony. « Growth »
is not a solution for two reasons :

Growth has so far resulted in a wider gap of income between the « rich »
and the « poor », in no economic stability, in the accelerated depletion
of natural resources, in war on currencies, vagaries in the international
financial system….

Threats over the planetary ecosystem are reaching a momentum. The end of
the game is upon us. Scientists of the UN IPPC panel of high level
scientists (2500 scientists of some 100 countries) have clearly
demonstrated that we MUST reduce pollution drastically in the next 20 to 30
years just to save the ecosystem (and therefore life and humanity). So
reducing pollution (in particular CO2) means reducing the material
consumption of goods in the developed « markets » of the world, there is no
other alternative. Therefore any model of economic growth based on increase
of productive capacities of goods to be exported to developed markets is
nothing else than a dead-end-street. And in any case, neither the US (with
its incredible deficit which makes this country literally bankrupt) nor the
EU which is being submitted to the hardest attack of Structural Adjustments
Policies (the same which hav! e failed everywhere else in the developing
world) can go on for long sustaining this crazy consumming
society.

Likewise, providing « jobs » is not enough. Jobs which are mere modern
versions of the enslavement of low qualified people, with low wages, long
working hours of monotonous mechanical work ( of the Fordist type) may be
good for macro-economic statistics, not for human beings. As human beings
we have a spiritual heritage and economy must create the conditions to
release man from
mechanical tasks that prevent his creativity from flourishing. The Fordist
type of economy is dying. Ever increasing mass consumption of material good
is dying as well, together with a model of elitist top-down management,
elitist economic and political systems. People everywhere are claiming
their rights for a decent life, decent and fair economic conditions and the
right to active participation in the destiny of their nation and the world.

We have to invent a new economic program based on lateral empowerment of
people and communities, responsability and accountability, extensive
development of renewable technologies to be produced at local level,
development of local biological food capacities and enhancement of
sustainable rural life, vivid national markets, massive aid and
cooperation, common management of natural resources, etc, and Human Rights
as the foundation of international economic policies. Therefore, any
project of poverty eradication which would not intend to tackle the root
causes of inequalities is bound to fail. Inequalities are not born out of
the lack of resources, the planet holds enough for all (even food, but one
third of crops are today diverted to feeding cattle instead of feeding
people).

In particular, such a « program » involves to redirect the enormous capital
flows which are today wasted in speculative financial markets (the world
GDP is around USD 70 trillion, the financial ‘GDP’ is 96 times higher).

How do we « best make this case with political leaders and
decision-makers » ? That is a good question. But we know the answer : only
a unified, educated and determined world public opinion will make the world
leaders change the rules and stop abiding to the vested interests which are
ruling the world over. We have therefore to stimulate this world public
opinion on this and create a wide coalition of civil society groups, UN
organizations, and others, and implement an ‘educational’ endeavour to make
this happen. Are you ready to join to do it ?
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