Rome,
Italy November 24-26, 2005
CONCLUDING DOCUMENT
As Nobel Peace Laureates and Nobel Peace Laureate
organizations we have gathered in Rome, Italy these
past three days and deliberated on global issues with
a particular concern regarding Africa.
Our rapidly changing complex and contradictory world
presents several features that must be recognized
if we are to build more effective governance for a
better world order:
Globalization is accelerating and despite recognized
interdependencies billions of people remain excluded
from its benefits.
New giants, such as China, India and Brazil are emerging
and no solution to world challenges can be achieved
without their full participation.
Democratic transitions in many countries have had
a positive impact on social and political processes
but democracy cannot find stability without overcoming
poverty full implementation of human rights.
There remains a pressing need to advance a deeper
and fuller appreciation for the richness and complexity
of the Islamic world. Failure to achieve this could
have explosive consequences.
Despite growing recognition of our collective responsibility
for sustainable development, the environment, and
security, governmental institutions are not responding
adequately to the voice of the people.
Ethnic, religious and nationalistic prejudices stimulate
violence, undermining our ability to live in peace
in a diversified world. We know such conflicts can
be resolved through nonviolent means.
We recognize that in an interconnected world every
individual can make a difference. For that reason
we have honored Bob Geldof with the Man for Peace
Award for his service to Africa and humanity in mobilizing
public attention and causing the G-8 to take steps
to help Africa. For that reason we have honored the
memory of a great human being, Prof. Joseph Rotblat,
and presented the Special Man for Peace Award to PeaceJam
and its founders Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff for
their service in finding ways to teach and inspire
youth to advance peace. We welcome the launch of Children's
Peace Prize during our summit.
We condemn the use of and the rationales for torture
as an instrument of policy by any group or nation.
Torture cannot be justified under any circumstance.
It dehumanizes both its victims and its perpetrators.
This year we focused on Africa because its extreme
poverty is morally unacceptable and undermines the
foundations of life and human dignity. Additionally,
we know the means to reverse this situation are available.
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG),
which have the consensus of the nations of the world,
are an indispensable promise to the poor of the world,
especially Africa. We are deeply concerned that the
MDG goals are not being sufficiently met and were
inadequately addressed at the Summit of Heads of State
at the United Nations in September of 2005. They provide
a framework for progress and a way toward decent work,
and full employment opportunity, for all of Africa
- the best way out of poverty as stated by the African
Heads of State at their extraordinary summit in Ouagadougou
in September, 2004. Encouraging small businesses through
micro- credit and stimulating investment are but two
examples of what needs to be done.
Many African nations are making good faith efforts
to advance democracy, improve governance, accountability
and gender equity. The world now must fulfill its
promises to all the people of Africa. There is an
urgent need to end gross human rights violations and
assure accountability for all abuses. We abhor child
labor. Effective and fair justice systems are essential
to ensure stability and economic development.
The G-8 commitments in Gleneagles are a first step.
The upcoming WTO negotiations in Hong Kong will be
a test of whether these commitments are honored. In
this regard, in addition to debt cancellation, we
call for increased aid flows, and prompt reform of
inequitable policies and practices, especially agricultural
subsidies that damage Africa and the entire developing
world. We urge the European Union immediately to break
the current deadlock on agricultural trade negotiations.
We personally and through our respective institutions
commit to scrutinize and hold to account the full
commitments of the G-8 at Gleneagles on Africa and
we shall remain fully engaged with this critical matter.
As Nobel Peace Laureates we request President Gorbachev
and Mayor Veltroni of Rome to convey to President
Putin, as next year's G-8 chairman, our request to
place on the agenda of the G-8 Summit in Moscow next
year the creation of an accounting and monitoring
system to ensure fulfillment of all Gleneagles' commitments.
At the same time we call upon Africa to continue making
progress on the New Economic Partnership for African
Development.
Focusing on meeting human needs and having a reverence
for life are the foundation of human security. Excessive
military expenditures actually breeds insecurity.
Two areas where funds need to be channeled by both
African nations themselves and the international community
are education and health, particularly regarding the
scourges of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis through
both protection and prevention.
While expressing regret that some African nations
spend too much on conventional weapons, we commend
the entire African continent for becoming a nuclear
weapons free zone. It is absurd that the Nations with
nuclear weapons refuse even to pledge not to use nuclear
weapons against all nuclear weapons free nations.
As in past years, we reiterate our insistence that
the existence of nuclear weapons is morally unacceptable
and condemn military doctrines allowing their use.
We demand progress by the nuclear weapons states in
fulfilling their disarmament obligations under the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The corrosion of
the nonproliferation regime is a danger to world peace.
We call for full compliance with and universal ratification
of the Ottawa Convention Banning Anti-Personnel Landmines.
We salute Mohammed El Baradei and the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the recipients of the
2005 Nobel Peace Prize. We emphasize that IAEA strengthened
safeguards and inspections are the best solution to
concerns regarding proliferation.
We reaffirm our strong belief that there is no alternative
to sustainable development. Development is more than
just material wealth. Development means being more,
not just having more. Being more just, compassionate,
and humane is to become fully human. In this regard
the nations with material wealth need development
as much as the poor. To improve global governance
and to engage civil society in developing its full
capacities, we propose to start work on drafting a
new global social contract and will be inviting wide
participation in this process.
We commit to creating a Permanent Secretariat in Italy
to amplify our efforts to advance world peace.
A Call for Freedom
We note with deep concern that we have once more been
deprived of the presence and wisdom of our colleague
Aung San Suu Kyi. A witness for non-violence and democracy
should not be silenced. This is a loss for the whole
world.
We call upon the government of Myanmar to restore
the civil, human and political rights, of Aung San
Suu Kyi and her followers, fully, immediately and
without reservation. Justice demands this.
We support the International Labor Organization's
call for full recognition of trade union rights in
Myanmar. We call upon the ASEAN governments and businesses
to intensify efforts to obtain full human rights for
the people of Myanmar.
We ask all persons of good will to work with us in
all these endeavors.
Rome. November 26th
2005
Summit Participants Included:
Mikhael Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, Frederik Willem De
Klerk, Betty Williams, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Rigoberta
Menchu Tum, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, American Friends
Service Committee, Amnesty International, Doctors
Without Borders, International Campaign to Ban Landmines,
International Labour Organization, International Peace
Bureau, International Physicians for the Prevention
of Nuclear War, Pugwash Conferences on Science and
World Affairs, United Nations, United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF
CONCLUDING DOCUMENT
NOBEL PEACE LAUREATES
eng
6th WORLD SUMMIT of Rome,
Italy November 24-26, 2005
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