APPEAL TO THE DELEGATES AT THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM

1 February 2002




By Mary Robinson,
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights




This is a critical moment in the debate on globalisation. The World Social Forum is establishing itself firmly on the international stage, while the World Economic Forum continues to command attention even as it meets in New York this year. As these two apparently opposing perspectives on the world take centre stage once again, the time has come to move beyond the arguments for or against globalization.

Globalisation is a reality; it is not new, and it is not going away. It is within our power, however, to ensure that it becomes a positive force for all the world's people.

Although globalisation is not new, a "globalised" civil society movement, with tremendous potential to effect change, is. I call on other global actors -- corporations, governments and the international financial organizations -- to join with globalised civil society and share responsibility for humanizing globalization. The tools to do so already exist, and they include the extensive body of international human rights legal standards.

As part of the shaping of ethical globalisation we need to work together to identify the steps at the local, national, regional and international levels to make human rights part of the decision-making of governments, international organisations, the private sector and wider civil society. This has become all the more vital at this time of great uncertainty for human rights. The aftermath of 11 September has raised concerns about the danger of limiting fundamental freedoms in response to the need to combat terrorism. It has also made the issues we addressed in Durban last September at the World Conference against Racism even more relevant. We are one human family in a small and integrating planet. What alternatives have we but to promote respect, tolerance and solidarity among all of us?

Building an ethical and sustainable form of globalisation is not exclusively a human rights matter, but human rights do provide a legal, analytical and procedural framework -- including the critical role of participation -- to address the complex issues raised. As they elaborate international trade and financial regimes, governments should bear in mind their concurrent obligations to promote and protect human rights, together with the commitment made at the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, that "human rights are the first responsibility of governments". It means, for example, that in discussing agricultural agreements, States should be examining the impact of trade liberalisation on the right to food and the right to development; or, in dealing with the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies, vital for innovation and research, and the rights of people facing life threatening diseases, they should ensure the right of access to adequate health care.

Globalisation as an economic process must be subject to the moral and ethical imperatives to which the international human rights instruments give legal expression. Human rights are more than just good ideas or distant goals. States have freely accepted the obligations under human rights treaties and have agreed to be held accountable for their implementation. Human rights provide a rigorous framework to empower people from around the world to harness the energies of the global movement and shape a new globalisation that benefits all people.

I would appeal to those gathered at the World Social Forum:

To take the debate where it counts -- into the sphere of obligations accepted by governments and call for implementation in all contexts, including the WTO;
To engage other sectors of society -- including the private sector -- to ensure they respect human rights and are not complicit, directly or indirectly, in human rights violations, and
To encourage the private sector to work with local civil society to build support for accountable and efficient governance

An ethical globalisation is our best hope for building bridges of respect and understanding between people of different cultures, traditions and walks of life. It is our best hope for shining the light of public scrutiny on those who would violate the rights of individuals and groups. It is our best hope for expanding freedom and democracy to every corner of the globe.





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