Civil G8 2006

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Short reporting

The International Forum “Civil G8-2006”. Final Plenary Session. Short reporting.


On the 10th of March 2006 the Plenary session of the International Forum “Civil G8” under the chairmanship of Ella Pamfilova summed up the results of the discussions within the working groups and the recommendations for G8 leaders.

The discussions included such issues as education and civil society, health, business and trade, human and energy security, Africa development, analysis of modern situation in the world.

The participants of the round table on the health issues came to a conclusion that the G8 states provide insufficient money for scientific research, prophylaxis, diagnostics and treatment of infectious diseases, particularly, for vulnerable groups of the population.
The recommendations formulated by the round table participants are as following: working out complex national programs aimed at prophylaxis and treatment of diseases, providing medical services, increasing investments for the production of quality and accessible drugs against AIDS, hepatitis C, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. The measures aimed at the integration of national and international systems into the global network of infectious diseases and its pathogens’ monitoring. It is necessary to provide the transparency and accessibility of this monitoring through the cooperation of civil society institutions with the power structures.

In the education sphere it is necessary to modernize the system of education paying special attention to the civil education and people’s access to the education management. One must stress, that the right for education is one of the basic human rights. According to the UN statistics, about 115 million children don’t go to school, that’s why the G8 leaders must confirm their obligations to provide the compulsory and appropriate education for all children, including HIV-infected, orphans, national minorities, and other socially vulnerable groups. It is also recommended to conclude inter-governmental treaties allowing the cooperation between school directors, civil and governmental organizations. The G8 states must assume obligations to provide annually 10 bln dollars for quick response initiatives within the framework of the program “Education for All”.

The education is one of the main conditions of the sustainable development. This is a most important instrument of the effective management and development of democracy. The responsibility and the duty of governments and civil society institutions is to support the evolution of new educational environment all over the world, to broaden the concept of education from simple “giving knowledge” to the wider concept of “learning”, which includes the possibility to get knowledge, skills and ethic principles. It is necessary to pay special attention to migration’s regulation and the support of mobility through the stimulation of getting new expert knowledge. It is especially important in the conditions of the widening labor market having in mind the guarantee of universal human rights and special attention to children’s rights.

To form educational standards at all levels it’s necessary to provide the accessibility of all educational information for self-education allowing to gain the personal success and possibility of personal self-realization.

We propose to declare 2007 the Year of Civil Education, top create an international research center accumulating and distributing the civil practice experience within the framework of educational institutions. The creation of the system-defined civil education and programs of its realization are possible only on conditions of the cooperation between state education structures and NGOs.

It is necessary to implement at national levels the according legal base, particularly, in the sphere of cadres training and innovations within the civil education, to create a special international network of citizens’ virtual access to legal information. The G8 states should also covenant on exchange of experience in the sphere of integrative education.

The participants of the round table on the issues of business and world trade attracted attention to the fact that the problem of intellectual property is at the turn of the key issues of the G8 summit agenda – education, health and energy security. The intellectual property is being stolen everywhere. In India about 38% of all car spare parts are counterfeits in France – about 10%. In Pakistan the level of piracy in cable TV, music and software is above 90%! 22% of Japanese corporations suffer damage due to the forged production coming from China. The economy of California losses annually about 34,5 billion USD because of counterfeit and piracy. The Great Britain’s losses in 2002 due to the same reason were about 10 billion USD. The dishonest concurrence of counterfeit producers pumps out annually 500 billion USD from the effective cycle of economic growth. According to WHO, forged drugs make about 10 percent of all the drugs being produced. Same index for developing countries is about 60 percent. The counterfeit producers don’t implement innovations, don’t pay taxes, don’t make investments in scientific and research works.

The issue of human security includes three main problems: non-proliferation of mass destruction weapons, armed conflicts and the fight against terrorism. There were serious difficulties among the participants while discussing the issues of terrorism and human rights. The G9 state should reconsider their national antiterrorist legislation, that must be based on international principles of proportionality and absolute necessity to put an end to the impunity of violators of civil population’s rights.

The Forum participants came to conclusion that human security has primary importance in the modern world. The proliferation of mass destruction weapons, international terrorism and regional armed conflicts constitute most serious danger for all. At the same time human rights are inseparable from the security issues and must not be violated within fighting terrorism. The participants expressed their concern about the facts of proliferation and called for effective measures in the spirit of the UN Charter.

The proliferation of decomposing materials and tendencies to use of force within the framework of nonproliferation strategy are matter of a special concern. The G8 states’ progress in this direction within the framework of the global partnership needs further control mechanism over the expenses for this program. It is necessary to extend its term and increase the financing, to provide its sustainability due to commercialization of several projects. The civil society institutions are ready to share their experience and expert potential with the G8 states.

The Forum participants are also concerned by the growth of religious, ethnic and racial intolerance, extremism and xenophobia and call the G8 leaders to cooperate with NGOs to take effective measures to fight these tendencies. It is necessary to work out strict universal criteria of humanitarian intervention, to avoid the “double standards” using.

The issues of the global energy security need special attention. The sustainable development becomes necessary in the conditions of understanding of energy security understanding. The inclusion of global energy security issues into the G8 summit agenda witnesses a turn in understanding of this key issue for the whole world. The NGOs consider their role as the assistance to governments and business to make a right choice of most actual, social and ecologically important actions. Main aim is to reduce the environment damage within the production, processing and transportation of energy resources.
First of all, it is necessary to improve the process of energy supply due to implementation of economical technologies. It is important to draw big developing countries into the transfer to renewable energy sources and reducing emission. It is also important to work out measurement data and conditions for investments to the renewable sources of energy, to provide an adequate participation of NGO in the G8 activities, including the process of price formation, to strengthen the energy consumption structure diversification. It is desirable to work out and propose for the discussion within the UN the project of the international global system of damage compensation and insuring economic responsibility for damaging environment.

The modern situation is characterized by the presence of contradictions which solving is necessary for the human race to survive. Among them the confrontation of civilizations, the aversion of western values by the majority of the world inhabitants, material inequality and unevenness of social and economic development.

The civilizations’ confrontation, international terrorism and poverty provoke deep concern for future generations. The modern situation demands more strict definitions of basic values of international relations and the relationship between the power and the society, such as social state, gender equality, human rights and civil society. It is important to find ways to make cultures and civilizations closer. Only the dialogue of civilizations at the level of “people diplomacy” and NGO wide contacts can solve the above-mentioned contradictions (at the conditions, that the criteria of civil equality and justice and human dignity are specified.
A principally new type of democracy is the democracy based on the wide participation of citizens in solving social problems and society development. It is recommended to create a Humanitarian Eurasian Institute, which could become an institutional basis of search of modern decisions in the sphere of human survival and development.

The problems of trade, financing and development in Africa must be solved taking into account the common demands of international economy liberalization. It is necessary to support farmers and small business in Africa, as well as in other states. The developing countries want to have right for determining their own policy, to implement their own initiatives. It is also necessary to support WTO initiatives, facilitating the states’ economic rights. This world organization has right to discuss the education, health and energy supply issues.

It is supposed that in May, 2006 the African Forum of non-commercial and non-governmental organizations will be held in Maputu (Mozambique). Russia is supposed to co-chair the Forum. The organizers of Forum invited Ella Pamfilova, the coordinator of “Civil G8” project to participate.

Expert opinion

Halter Marek

02.12.06

Halter Marek
Le College de France
Olivier Giscard d’Estaing

02.12.06

Olivier Giscard d’Estaing
COPAM, France
Mika Ohbayashi

02.12.06

Mika Ohbayashi
Institute for Sustainable Energy Poliñy
Bill Pace

02.12.06

Bill Pace
World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy
Peter I. Hajnal

01.12.06

Peter I. Hajnal
Toronto University, G8 Research Group


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