“We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future.
(This quotation and most of those that follow are from the Earth Charter)
In 2012 the world communitywas looking back to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 with a conference Rio+20 in June which reviewed progress and assessed what the world and each of us needed to do next if we wanted to hand on a planet worth living in to future generations. One World Week 2012 offered us an opportunity to review the findings of the conference and plan the actions we could take to contribute to an equitable, harmonious and enduring future.
"Cooperatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility. "
(United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon)
2012 was also the UN Year of Co-operatives and our theme offered opportunities to celebrate sharing and working together with others.
We all wondered what the world was coming to and what the future hold for our children. How could we cope with a warming world, declining resources, growing inequality and unrest?
“As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise.”
Could our generation take the steps needed right away to ensure that future generations would be able to continue to access the resources they needed to enjoy a fulfilling life? Were we prepared to embrace the changes that could offer hope and a future for all?
“To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one earth community with a common destiny.”
We affirmed that we were all members of one world and that technology had enabled us to move around the globe for work and leisure and to communicate with ease. Also that trade had moved us closer, reinforcing our growing interdependence. However, we also recognised that some people had been forced to move by poverty, conflict and persecution to seek refuge and make new homes. We reflected that living and working together with people of many cultures and abilities had not only enriched our lives but enabled us to find shared ways of surviving as one world.
We acknowledged that our economies, natural environment and societies were increasingly interwoven. Could we cooperate to move towards a global society, which adapted to change while:
- balancing the needs of nature, economy and society,
- respecting universal human rights, and economic justice,
- and building a culture of peace?
We asked we could accept that it was only by working together to meet these challenges could we share quitably the legacy we have received with our descendants?
“Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.”
the Earth Charter here
OWW's partners in the Stop Climate Chaos Coallition offed us a video: "Reasons to be cheerful" documenting progress on environmental protection since the first Rio Conference in 1992 (see it here)
OWWFollow up Rio+20 in your OWW events
In OWW 2012, under our theme of Sharing Destiny,we looked at the outcomes of the Rio+20 conference which took place in June, 2012. Representatives from around the world met at this UN environment summit to “secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development*, ... ”.
The Stop Climate Chaos Coalition (SCCC), of which OWW is a member, encouraged people to organise events to raise awareness of what was at stake at Rio in June and invite their MP to support a Rio Connection Declaration.
You could involve local representatives of other SCCC members in planning your OWW events for October. Have a look at the SCCC site where a Map tells you who is in your local area or you could get in touch with local branches of the SCCC members listed on the website.
In 1992, the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, was unprecedented for a UN conference. It sought to help governments rethink economic development, recognising that economic and social progress depended on finding ways to prevent environmental degradation and preserve our resource base. Government representatives from around the world agreed to put in place:
“A comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally ... in every area in which human impacts on the environment.” (It became known as Agenda 21)
In 2012, twenty years on, the objective of the ‘Rio+20’ Conference was to:
“secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development*, assess progress to date and… address new and emerging challenges”.
(More information at: www.uncsd2012.org )
There was much debate about this term with many feeling it had been highjacked from its original meaning.
A simple and common definition is “... development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Living within our environmental limits is one of the central principles of sustainable development, but it also means meeting the diverse needs of all people in existing and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion, and creating equal opportunity.
There was much talk of a green economy - Governments and businesses wanted a green economy that promoted growth through developing energy saving technologies and low carbon technologies. One of OWW's partners, the World Development Movement, warned that it all depended on whose green economy it is! More here
Date: 1 Array 2016 00:00 to 14 Array 2016 00:00
Shadows of the Wanderer
A powerful installation by the acclaimed sculptor, Ana Maria Pacheco.
These outstanding - and thought provoking - sculptures present
ten over life-size darkly robed figures as they witness
the struggle of a young man to carry an older man on his shoulders.
Date & Time: Saturday 16th July – Monday 14th November
Venue: North Transept
Chichester Cathedral
West Street
CHICHESTER
West Sussex
PO19 1RPH
‘Shadows of the Wanderer’
presents a complex scene of twelve figures, each of them
larger than a human and carved out of a single lime tree.
Ten of the figures stand in the shadows around a young man
who is carrying an older man on his back.
These two central figures have been symbolically carved
out of the same piece of wood and draw from virgil’s Aeneid.
In Virgil’s ancient poem, dating from 29BC, a young man,
Aeneas, carries his lame father on his back and flees from
the burning ruins of Troy.
Pacheco’s contemporary – and challenging – depiction of this
scene resonates powerfully with current debates about exile,
migration, and the displacement of people who are trying to
escape persecution in our own day.
(This exhibition is supported by Amnesty International).k
For more Details go to the Chichester Cathedral Website
Admission : Free
The Cathedral is open
from 7.15am until 6.30pm (Monday to Saturday)
and from 7.15am until 5.00pm (Sunday).
There is no charge for entry.
Date: 19 Array 2016 00:00 to 29 Array 2016 00:00
One World Week
Welcoming the Stranger
Display and Event
Display runs from:
Wednesday 19th October at 9.30am
to
Saturday 29th October at 5.00pm
Event:
Monday 24th October 2016
Venue: Bradford on Avon Library
Bridge Street
Bradford on Avon
Wiltshire
BA15 1BYy
Displays by Local Community Groups including
Oxfam, Amnesty International, Quaker Outreach
Save the Children, Fairtrade, Climate Friendly Bradford
and Churches Together
There will be information and stories that illustrate global issues
A member of the organising group will be present to answer questions
For more details contact the library
Telephone: 01225 863280 or 01225 868127
Date: 22 October 2016to 12:00
A Refugees Journey
organised by Thornbury Make Poverty History Group
Date & Time: Saturday 22 October 2016
10.00am - 12noon
Venue: The Chantry
52 Castle Street
Thornbury, Bristol,
South Gloucestershire
BS35 1HBH
Come to hear stories and discuss how best to support refugees.
This seminar is organised in support of One World Week
and will be run by Borderlands Bristol.
All are welcome and there will be separate activities for children.
Borderlands Bristol works especially with refugees and people
seeking asylum in the UK;they support people who have been
trafficked and trapped in domestic service or the sex industry.
They are a charity
who supports disadvantaged and excluded people
to improve their lives and the community in which they live.
Supporting people who face great challenges and live difficult
lives. Borderlands offers hope to people who may see
themselves as lost or abandoned and need support to find a way
forward. They believe that giving someone a little hope when
times are hard for them can make a great deal of difference.
Admission Details: No charge - donations welcome
Contact email: jbandmwallis@talktalk.net
Contact Telephone: Marian on 01454 412165
or Mark on 01454 419439
Date: 22 October 2016to 17:00
Free Chocolate Tasting
Date & Time:
Saturday 22nd, Tuesday 25th - Saturday 29th October 2016
10am - 5 pm
Venue: Fair Do's/Siopa Teg CIC
10 Llandaff Road
CARDIFF
CF11 9NJ
Free tastings of Divine Chocolate all week long!
Come and taste this delicious chocolate,
made all the sweeter by the fact that it is fair trade.
Divine Chocolate is a company co-owned by the
chocolate farmers themselves and one of the only
chocolate companies in the world to provide
real fair conditions and wages to their workers,
as well as many other benefits.
Admission Details: Free
Contact Name: Jan Tucker
Contact Email: info@fairdos.com
Date: 22 October 2016to 12:30
One World Week Coffee Morning
Date & Time: Saturday 22nd October
10.30am to 12.30pm
Venue: Bishop's Cleeve Methodist Church
Bishop's Close
Bishop's Cleeve
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 8NT
As well as fairtrade refeshments there will be
Stalls selling
crafts made by the widows of the Rwandan genocide
an extended range of Traidcraft goods
Displays on
Local Refugee Initiatives
Climate Change Issues
Practical Action work in Bangladesh
Admission Details: Free entry
Date: 22 October 2016to 11:30
Street Theatre
Date & Time: Saturday 22nd October 2016
at 11.00am and 11.15am
Venue: Outside St Leonard's Church Door
St Leonard's Church
Church St/Place Lane
Seaford
East Sussex
BN25 1HH
A very short street theatre on the theme of
Including You acting together for One World in Peace
Street Theatres for One World Week have been put on outside
St Leonard's Seaford by
Seaford Youth Drama Group
since 1984 the aim being to raise awareness.
Admission Details: Free
Date: 22 October 2016to 17:00
Rally Round Runyararo
Date & Time: Saturday 22nd October 2016
2.00pm - 5.00pm
Venue: United Reformed Church
239 Milton Road
Southsea
Portsmouth, Hampshire
PO4 8PH
An afternoon of music and entertainment from
The Polite Mechanicals, a popular local folk/jazz fusion group
and a meal of vegetable curry!
To raise funds to support the Runyararo Children's Project
founded by Florence Chitinhu
supporting a village in Zimbabwe.
The project enables
orphan children to go to school
teenagers to take part in out-of-school activities
and supports agricultural development
to improve self-sufficiency in the village.
Fair trade items will also be on sale
with 10% of all sales going to the project.
Admission Details: No tickets required
but suggested donation : £10