COALITION FOR THE GLOBAL COMMONS

In a shrinking world, our opportunities are expanding.

Never before has humanity faced such serious problems. Through global economic integration, we are fast becoming a 'world without borders'. Yet the multilateral system we have developed over the past sixty years is breaking down because nation-states resist sharing their sovereignty and cooperating together more effectively. The strategies currently being pursued by our major global actors - the self-aggrandizing policies of nations, the shareholder-driven interests of trans-national corporations and banks, and the biased rules of international institutions - are not adequately addressing the social, environmental and economic dimensions of globalization. As a consequence, we now face enormous obstacles in finding pragmatic and sustainable solutions to bridge the growing divide between rich and poor and to address the problems of extreme climate change, while creating new incentives to keep the market economy strong.

All of these challenges involve the global commons. Our international priorities today include:

• agreeing on a global plan of action guided by our spiritual, ethical and cultural values
• making the world economy fairer
• dealing with climate change equitably
• creating a peaceful, sustainable and prosperous life on Earth

When referring to the global commons, many people think of the atmosphere and outer space, the Arctic and Antarctic, the oceans and seabeds, rivers and forests, natural resources and the gene pool of plants and human beings. But the commons is really much more than just ecology. The global commons actually pertains to all matters that transcend national boundaries and are, therefore, outside the limits of government control, market laws, and private ownership. The global commons thus encompasses all activities, relationships, and conditions that spill over national borders and involve matters of shared international concern.

While responsibility and jurisdiction over the global commons clearly belongs to the global public, the international community has not yet organized effectively to address these overarching interests. In many instances, these priorities have not even been identified as global commons issues, although they are largely familiar. Cross-border issues include world hunger and malnutrition, water and sanitation, disease prevention and health care, education and employment, global human rights and civil liberties, women's and children's rights, ethics and values, cultural arts and traditional heritage, international aid and income, global credit and debt, global business and production, science and population, climate and energy security, disarmament and peacekeeping, refugees and displaced persons, migration and trafficking, international law and corporate responsibility, technology and patents, media and cyberspace, and more.

The development of equitable global solutions to these challenges requires the application of ethical values, a commitment to sustainable development, economic expertise and an entrepreneurial spirit, successful political strategies, an understanding of cultural diversity, and the participation of the people of the entire world. Armed with these tools, we must reach the political and economic opinion makers and the wider population, educating them through world-wide campaigns and action programs about the global adjustments that are necessary.

Humanity is in Crisis