(English Text) Program for the First Conference on a Culture of Peace Madrid, 11-13 December 2000 December 11; morning: Global Panel: Reflections and proposals concerning the greatest challenges of the 21st Century Rationale and Background: The 20th Century was characterized by strong contrasts. Accelerated progress in science, sweeping advances in communications, and innovations in technology -unprecedented in the history of mankind- contrast with the poverty, exclusion and neglect of so many human beings. The century that we have left behind was the most civilized and the most barbaric, the most enlightened and the darkest in history. These lights and shadows are a cause for reflection. After World War II the so-called "countries of the South" emerged rapidly and haphazardly as a result of numerous independence movements in Africa and Asia, being confronted with the challenge of forging their own futures. However, the model for development applied in these new nations, based on economic and commercial considerations, did not contribute to resolving their post-colonial problems. Today, several decades later, the contrast between the prosperity of the countries of the north and the misery of the South not only persists, but rather the gap has widened, further separating the privileged minorities from the majority who survive in conditions which undermine human dignity, some of them within wealthy societies. Presently 1,300 million people live in extreme poverty and 80% of the wealth of our planet is in the hands of only 20% of the population. The economic globalization of the last decades has not resolved these problems, but rather has worsened the disparities between those who have access to the advantages it affords and those who are excluded from its benefits. This situation has given rise to an increasing awareness of its perverse effects, reflected in incidents such as those which took place in Seattle, Davos and, more recently, Washington. In other respects, the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources and highly polluting production processes and consumption habits have pushed to dangerous limits phenomena such as the proliferation of "greenhouse-effect" gases and the loss of both marine and land biodiversity, thus endangering life on this planet. We have already begun to pay the price for short-sighted environmental policies. In a context of social and economic injustice, the disintegration of traditional nuclei of social interaction (family, workplace, community), and a decline in the physical and moral framework of both rural areas and cities, have made the emergence of new forms of violence inevitable. Insecurity, interethnic conflicts, sectarian nationalism, religious fanaticism and a rejection of diversity have regrettably registered an upsurge during the last decades. And in response, the moral illness of our age: indifference. How can we return to mankind its passion, love, sensitivity and sense of life? We must change course before it is too late. The ideological confrontation in response to these situations reached its peak during the Cold War, subsequently subsiding in the last years into skepticism and nihilism. An era of certainty and dogma has given way to an ocean of uncertainty and doubt. With their political and ethical convictions mutilated, the men and women of the most privileged countries seek refuge in gregarious forms of cohesion, whether they be sectarian (religious associations or the so-called "New Age" groups) or "neo-technological" (chat rooms, virtual reality, reduced forms of interpersonal communication). In the meantime, the underprivileged struggle between life and death. The world which today is globalizing is in reality a world that is becoming more self-centered and detached. Proposals This panorama is cause for concern for all who are committed to preserving life and its quality. Part of worldwide public opinion and many politicians, writers, artists, scientists and philosophers feel a responsibility toward future generations for the risks they may incur from the legacy of violence, injustice and misery that they will inherit if the present tendencies are not reversed in time. The challenge is to create conditions that will facilitate the transition from a culture of war and violence to a culture of peace, in the broadest sense of both terms. It is imperative to halt political, social and economic violence and to open the door to dialogue and tolerance. The Foundation for a Culture of Peace's proposal is based on four "contracts"(1), open to discussion in the Conference's work groups. Participants will include members of parliaments, governments, the media, civil society, the military, clergy, youth and women, all of whom have distinguished themselves for their tireless service to society. Time is running out. It is imperative to urgently implement the United Nations' Declarations and Resolutions on the Culture of Peace. At the conclusion of the Conference a Manifesto may be approved in that regard. ROUND TABLES: December 11; afternoon: the New Social Contract This contract addresses the relationship between production, distribution and consumption processes and the disparities that these interrelated processes have generated on a worldwide scale. Debates will focus on the causes, manifestations and consequences of existing inequalities. An attempt will be made to address the following questions: § How can conditions be created to facilitate dialogue among the parties involved? § How can a framework be established to achieve a world of justice and solidarity from an economic and social perspective? § How can international democratic and plural governability be achieved to protect us from the flood of homogenization? § What long-term measures should be adopted concerning demographic forecasts and the growth of inequalities? § How can a society based on respect for all be constructed, rather than one based on the exclusion of a large part of humanity? Topics for Debate - The different manifestations of violence in contemporary societies: extreme misery, unprecedented poverty vs. unprecedented wealth, social exclusion, drugs, organized crime. War economies. New dimensions of security. - Inequalities among society, the State and the economy. The role of mass media. New concepts of democracy and participation. The concept of "public space" -the basis of democracy- threatened by excessive privatization and the increase in the number of those excluded. Will there be a democracy "for the rich" and another "for the poor"? - Strategies for reversing current tendencies. - Codes of conduct and regulations for transnational institutions. - The responsibilities of governments and parliaments. The role of the United Nations. December 12; morning: Contract on Nature and the Environment If we do not take action in time, our environmental legacy to future generations will leave much to be desired, having been weakened and, in certain circumstances, partially destroyed. To reverse, or to at least halt this tendency, it is imperative to redefine in just terms the relationship between the individual and his surroundings, beyond immediate and economic interests. Topics for Debate - Is it possible to reduce the conflict between urban and rural life, and between the conditions for development and the preservation of the planet? - Protection of the environment vis-à-vis globalization. - Natural surroundings, security and environmental peace: the dramatic example of the water supply. Management and prevention of conflicts of this nature. - Irreversibility and environmental complexity. December 12; afternoon: the Cultural Contract In contrast to globalization and geopolitical changes that give rise to war, conflicts, social exclusion and immigration, an exaggerated and exclusive sense of cultural identity has emerged in many places. Some specialists predict that this is the area in which new conflicts will arise during the millenium that is commencing. The cultural contract seeks to develop the unique and irreplaceable potential of human creativity, the fertile substrate of all civilizations, as well as to establish the indispensable links and exchanges among cultures. Topics for Debate - Tolerance as the essential factor of equilibrium between egalitarianism and extreme differentiation. Faced with the threat of homogenization and a "herd mentality," how can diversity be protected and promoted without endangering unity? - Miscegenation and identity: the planetary culture: national or local culture and "transversal" culture. - Education and the media: their ethical responsibilities. How can future "citizens of the world" be educated to act locally while maintaining a global perspective? - The cultural dimension of development. Are advances being made, or are we losing ground? How can respect for tradition be reconciled with the demands of modernization? December 13; morning: the Moral or Ethical Contract Technological, financial and economic criteria wield unprecedented influence. This situation must urgently be counteracted with affirmative action in favor of the individual, the forgotten entity of globalization. Scientific knowledge requires ethical and moral parameters to assure that progress will continue to benefit the individual and society. Topics for debate § Toward an ethic of and for peace: human rights and education for peace. § The role of religions in a future peace. § Ethics and information. § Ethical and political responsibility in the context of a new concept of democracy. Are world leaders' responsibilities ethical and permanent or political and short-term? § The risks of science without conscience. § The risks of short-term politics and economies which ignore the individual. How can the moral and ethical security of future generations be guaranteed? It is imperative to urgently find new means for establishing a lasting global peace by precluding conflicts, attacking them at their roots to prevent the circumstances from which they emerge.