Although agricultural subsidies are being phased down in Europe and North America, they continue to create distortions in the trade in agricultural products, largely to the detriment of development countries. These and other non-tariff barriers serve to deny developing countries their natural comparative advantage as producers of sugar, cotton and other agricultural products, the export earnings of which they will need to meet the costs of growing imports of food grain. Read more: Sustainable agriculture is feasible (28 October 1996) A fundamental process of civilizational change, which is essential to move us onto the pathway to a more secure and sustainable future in the 21st century. I am so encouraged at the serious attention Toyota is devoting to these issues. Read more: International Economic Trends and Issues for the next decade (24-25 October 1996) The more rapidly developing countries of Asia and Latin America - what I call the "new South" are leading the revitalization of the global economy, challenging its domination by the traditional industrialized countries and re-shaping the geo-political landscape. We must be innovative and resourceful in seeking new sources of financing to support the transition to sustainable development within the existing economic system. Today the people and nations of the world are joined as never before in facing the greatest ever threat to their common security - the threat to the capacity of our planet to sustain life as we know it and the accompanying risks of economic, political and social breakdown. Read more: Our Responsibility to Future Generations (25 September 1996) We live in a world that is wealthier than ever and the process of wealth creation is now increasing following a period of lull or even no growth in many countries. Despite this, the rich have never felt more poor and this is particularly manifested in the treatment of social and welfare programs at the national level and of the wealthier industrialized countries towards the developing countries. Read more: The process of wealth creation (1 September 1996)
Implicit in the concept of a global civil society is recognition of our allegiance to the entire human community. |