Plenary Address of Mikhail Gorbachev (Opening Plenary Session)
President of Green Cross International
At The Earth Dialogues Forum

February 21, 2002
Lyon, France
(Note: Translated from the original speech given in Russian)


I believe that an important event is taking place here in this great French city, an event that sets a remarkable precedent. I would like to thank all those who made the Forum possible. It is a forum that will bring about a discussion; a discussion that will continue on the basic problems linked to sustainable development. I would like to explain why, with the French government, with the officials and representatives of the municipality of Lyon, and with the help of the French ecological and scientific sectors, we - that is, Green Cross International and the Earth Council and my friend Maurice Strong - have decided to launch this initiative.

There are many things that concern us. In actuality, one thing seems clear: sustainable development is a vital necessity. Everyone today understands this. Yet when one sees what has happened, when one tries to evaluate the ten years that have passed since Rio 1992, we are gripped by both positive feelings and feelings of anxiety. That which has been done, that which has been launched, this movement that we call sustainable development, is something that we owe to the Rio conference.

Governments, scientific circles and public opinion have been forced to become more specifically interested in the problems connected with sustainable development, and I share the viewpoint of those who have spoken here, and not only here but in other places, that sustainable development is not to be considered only in connection with economic growth. It is obvious that this is a necessary part that we should take into account, and a very important part without which sustainable development is difficult to attain. However, in view of history, we should not go to an extreme - we should not only consider the economy and business.

Not everything is accounted for by the economy, and important questions have been posed by Mr. Collomb, Mr. Barre, Ms. Comparini, and Mr. Bessmertnykh, Former Minister of the USSR. All have underlined sustainable development as an essential objective that should therefore be placed in a global context, in view of all the factors that it combines. Is it possible to reach our objective without taking into account the host of apparent problems, and without ensuring the security and stability of the world?

This leads us to the idea that it is essential that a new order be instated, one which was considered essential at the end of the Cold War. At that time, the project of constructing a new world order, founded on partnerships, on cooperation between equal entities, and on the interaction between cultures was a central idea. This idea was formulated in Europe and in France, where a Summit took place in 1990 that adopted the Earth Charter for Europe. This was a preliminary Summit to propose, not only to Europe but to everyone, a way towards a new world order. The Pope today, speaking on this subject, has emphasized and repeated that we need this new order, one that is more stable, more just and more humane.

This is a formula that can overcome the problems we face and that accounts for all aspects of the activities must be deployed in order to face the challenges of the 21st century. Can we hope to attain sustainable development without being capable of resolving the problems of poverty and of lack of development, or without improving the situation of all humankind? Is it possible to resolve these problems when half of the world's population - 3 billion people - live on less than a dollar and a half per day?

If we cannot resolve these problems, we will never rise above the calamity that assailed us last September 11, the aggressive act of terrorism that took place in New York. The whole world trembled before the cruelty and the inhumanity of this action. The majority of the world declared its solidarity for the people of the United States. A coalition was born which reunited countries and people who had not cooperated for a long time. This event forced us to ask ourselves if we had made the right choices. Now, if we content ourselves with reducing the problem of the fight against international terrorism to military action, we deeply deceive ourselves. For in fact, this terrorism is rooted in poverty and in the lack of development for millions of people - millions of people who live in difficult conditions where international terrorism prospers. We therefore cannot count on a flourishing common future for our planet without the capacity to surmount the greatest difficulty from our heritage of the 20th century: poverty. We have finally finished with the Cold War. Enormous efforts and an intense political will allowed countries to unite to resolve this problem, and we finally have the possibility to use this strength to secure a new world order and to resolve the problems with which we are now confronted at the beginning of the 21st century.

A major problem is of an ecological order. It is recognized by all today that we are in a situation of conflict with nature to such an extent, that if we do not change anything, we run the risk of difficulties in other spheres such as: advancing the global community toward democratic development; prohibiting the resolution and humanisation of social problems; and threatening the end of the whole process of progress. A third of our world’s population lives in more than adequate conditions. The others know poverty and the difficulties of life. Not only have one-third of us not managed to resolve the problems concerning the other two-thirds of the population, we are also affected by ecological problems such as pollution of the atmosphere, of rivers, and of the oceans. We are witnessing the disappearance of forests from our planet, the lungs of the earth. We are witnessing the spread of desertification. We are witnessing the reductions in surface area of arable land.

We try to resolve nutrition problems with the help of biological discoveries, taking into account the fact that the world's population continues to grow. But the situation in which we find ourselves is this: ecological problems represent item number one on the 21st century’s order of the day. The necessity of a strategy of sustainable development was recognized in Rio de Janeiro after difficult discussions for the adoption of a final declaration. It appeared that we could achieve serious changes with regard to sustainable development, as long as we acted with energy to modify the value hierarchy of the global community.

In effect, we realize that industrial and technological-based civilisations are reaching the end of their possibilities. We must imagine a new model of development, and not only reflect upon it, but we should put a program of concrete measures into practice. Everyone was aware of this at the time, and we all understood that this necessitated important financial resources.

Let’s take the example of freshwater: Freshwater is the product we lack most in our world. Numerous children die each year from the consumption of polluted water. Millions of people suffer from disease and blindness caused by polluted water: this is a disgrace for civilisation! Studies conducted in several regions by doctors and scientists, under the direction of the World Health Organisation, showed that 80% of the documented cases of illness in the world were due to the consumption of non-potable water. Yet our systems do not address these issues. The existing infrastructure in these countries is extremely under-developed and the present means for resolving these problems are insufficient. These problems do not receive sufficient attention or resources to solve them. If this is our attitude towards key ecological issues, we will lose a considerable amount of time. Scientific experts have stated that if things continue as they are today, over the next 35 years, the changes that take place will become irreversible.

These threats will become reality if we do nothing. Thus, this is an essential concern for the global community and it has become critical to address the situation, or in 35 to 40 years… Can you imagine?

I would not say that nothing has happened since the Rio conference, as ecological questions are ever more at the heart of the problems that preoccupy us, and as many initiatives have been undertaken in the business world, recognizing the necessity of taking ecological problems into account in project implementation. I am not saying that no one is aware - there are whole regions and sometimes inter-regional unions that have set themselves the task of the resolution of this problem. At the initiative of Green Cross International and the Earth Council, we are launching projects, we are seeking solutions, we are encouraging hundreds of people who contribute their efforts and their know-how to the resolution of these problems.

A document such as the Earth Charter could not have come about without the contribution of all this knowledge and good will. We have launched the Earth Charter from the Earth Council and from Green Cross International beginning with the support of the Netherlands and then with the support of ecological and scientific organisations, etc. This document is a reality today. In Russia, a whole program founded on the Earth Charter was adopted. A movement was created with the support of Green Cross, mayors and whole regions.

The Charter has began to thrive in Italy. I cannot list all the regions in which the Charter has become an active element, but I would emphasize that the Earth Charter should provide the fundamental principles accepted in the business world, in the tourism industry, and in addressing questions of long-term economic evolution. It is this approach that will allow us to seriously improve the global situation. Nevertheless, let us be objective. These positive examples should not prevent us from noting that the hopes that appeared in Rio de Janeiro have not been realized. In the domain of politics, ecology, and security, it is essential to realize that guiding elements are missing.

Look a little at what has been happening! Endeavours have been made to modify the strategy of sustainable development - new strategies based on developments during the years following the end of the Cold War, such as, the opening of the world market. These initiatives come to us from those who benefit a great deal from this opening, but who do not necessarily do very much for the resolution of world problems. We have attempted to replace the fundamental sustainability strategy with the following approach - the opening of markets without regulation. We thus risk a boomerang effect, as seen in Prague, Genoa, Porto Alegre, etc., where discussions about these concerns were held. We attempted to present the protests as dangerous, since certain destructive participants came expressly to deface public buildings, stores, etc, but these actions were not representative of the questions being asked during these forums by intelligent people who united to discuss important issues. In Porto Alegre, 60,000 people gathered, anxious about globalisation. At the WEF in New York, the affluent people who gathered together did not want these problems to be resolved. Thankfully, the dialogue has begun. Fortunately we were able to combine forces to try to find a real solution for the problem - that is, to launch concrete programmes.

I think that during this forum we should take into account that ten years has gone by since the beginning of these initiatives. However, if we content ourselves with speaking only of what we have not done, this will be limited discussion. It’s true that we have every right to be worried, to become upset. But at the same time, we should try to draw lessons from what has taken place during these last ten years. We should also ask questions of those who must direct these initiatives. Those who want to manage the world should also be required to manage the fight against poverty and solve ecological problems. These are the criteria that should guide us.

What is important today, based on the experience of the past ten years, is to establish propositions addressed to the UN and to the Johannesburg Summit. For if we do not prepare for this Summit, and it does not make an assessment of the experience gained since Rio in 1992 or lead us towards a strategy for reinforcing sustainable development, then our situation will only get more difficult.

We saw the situation at the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, when we saw that the world was headed for a nuclear conflict. The world suffered from a schism. We managed to pull ourselves back from the precipice towards which the Cold War years had forced us. Therefore, we should now show openness and political perspicacity in order to begin a new phase in resolving ecological problems.

The discussions will continue after a brief pause. Maurice Strong will take his place at this podium to direct the debate. Reports will be presented. I will therefore ask you to take advantage of the experience gained, including the positive and negative aspects, but at the same time I ask you to reflect on what action is now required. We must find a mechanism to ensure that the obligations undertaken by States are applied in reality. My friend Maurice Strong was one of those who developed these initiatives. It is essential that each country participate in the fight against poverty, and to commit at least .7% of its budget to these initiatives. Only five countries have so far engaged in this effort. If more is not done, we will not achieve anything.

Another proposal was made - to install a tax on capital that at times destroys the environment. This was proposed by James Tobin, Nobel Prize Laureate. But this was one of the actions that was not applied. There are experiments for the implementation of micro-investment and micro-credit, in order to provide people with work and to ensure sustainable development in a stable environment. These are experiments that have been applied in India, for example. But the World Bank remains for the moment on the outside of these initiatives. Bank cartels and private banks show no interest in this area - each working only for its own advantage.

There are things to be said and to be experienced and to be shared. It is necessary that our forum allows for and encourages preparation for the Johannesburg meeting, so that the future will be more predictable, more stable and more solid. Thank you.