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Events
Listed below are just a few of the OWW events taking part this year.
Like OWW? You may also be interested in these events...
Sharing Destiny - Moving Towards One World
the 2012 theme asks:
How can we shape our lives to contribute to an equitable future for all?
“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)
This year looks back to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 with a conference Rio+20 in June which will review progress and assess what the world and each of us needs to do now if we want to hand on a planet worth living in to future generations. One World Week 2012 offers us an opportunity to review the findings of the conference and plan the actions we can 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 is also the UN Year of Co-operatives and our theme offers opportunities to celebrate sharing and working together with others.
We all wonder what the world’s coming to and what the future holds for our children. How can 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.”
Can our generation take steps needed now to ensure that future generations will be able to continue to access the resources they need to enjoy a fulfilling life? Are we prepared to embrace the changes that can 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 are all members of one world. Technology enables us to move around the globe for work and leisure and to communicate with ease. Trade moves us closer, reinforcing our growing interdependence. However, some are forced to move by poverty, conflict and persecution to seek refuge and make new homes. Living and working together with people of many cultures and abilities not only enriches our lives but enables us to find shared ways of surviving as one world.
Our economies, natural environment and societies are increasingly interwoven. Can we cooperate to move towards a global society, which adapts to change while:
- balancing the needs of nature, economy and society,
- respecting universal human rights, and economic justice,
- and building a culture of peace?
Do we accept that only by working together to meet these challenges can we share equitably 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.”
Planning an event? - you might find these resources useful:
Download a Word version of the 2012 leaflet (text only) here or a PDF version of the 2012 leaflet (text only) here
You can download an A4 version of this page ,to discuss with your local OWW organising committee, here: Word version or PDF version
You can read the Earth Charter here
An opportunity to kick start your OWW events - before June!
In OWW 2012, under our theme of Sharing Destiny, one of the things we can be doing is looking at the outcomes of the Rio+20 conference which will be taking place in June this year. Representatives from around the world will be meeting at this UN environment summit to “secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development*, ... ”.
The Stop Climate Chaos Coalition (SCCC), of which OWW has just become a member, is encouraging people to organise events to raise awareness of what is at stake at Rio in June and invite their MP to support a Rio Connection Declaration.
Getting involved at this stage would be a very useful way to start planning your OWW events in October. Have a look at the SCCC site where a Map tells you what is happening in your local area. You could get in touch with local branches of the SCCC members listed on the website.
So what is Rio+20 about?
20 years ago, the 1992 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 depends 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)
Now, twenty years on, the objective of the ‘Rio+20’ Conference is to:
“secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development*, assess progress to date and… address new and emerging challenges”.
(More information at: www.uncsd2012.org )
*What is meant by “sustainable development”?
It 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.
To find allies and/or organise a Rio Connection event go to: 
Where you'll find all sorts of advice and help for organisising this kind of event
A green economy?
Must be a good thing surely? Well, that depends on whose green economy it is! More here