Social and Sustainable Development

Social and Sustainable Development

Overview

Top Representative Tahrih Naylor at a press conference on the Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change, UN Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen Second  Representatives of religious communities at the UN Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen. Third Bahá'í delegates Arthur Lyon Dahl and Tahirih Naylor receive certificates at the Windsor Castle gathering. They are pictured with Prince Philip, founder of ARC; Martin Palmer of ARC; and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Fourth Alicia Cundall, 19, one of the Baha'i representatives at the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development, read the statement prepared by the youth caucus for the plenary session of governments on 14 May.

The Bahá’í International Community views the purpose of development as contributing to the foundation of a new social and international order in which all peoples can advance morally, culturally, and intellectually. This kind of development involves profound changes in our values and behaviors as well as the deliberate and systematic re-creation of social structures. Throughout its 60 years at the United Nations, our Office has participated in conferences, debates, and consultations regarding social and sustainable development – often focusing on the implementation of ethical and moral considerations in development initiatives and their assessment. Today, our Representatives bring the experience of over 180 national affiliates to bear on questions of sustainable development, racism and racial discrimination, indigenous issues, freedom of religion, the eradication of poverty, governance, collective security, and UN reform.

Recent Activities

• Bahá'í International Community representative, Tahirih Naylor, led a 21-member delegation to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Representatives of the Bahá’í International Community included: Tahirih Naylor, Arthur Dahl, Peter Adriance, Duncan Hanks, and representatives from four other countries. Prior to the start of the Conference, Ms. Naylor and Mr. Adriance led an orientation for delegates outlining the process of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; the work of the Bahá’í International Community in the area of climate change; and facilitated a discussion on the relevant Bahá’í concepts that delegates could speak to during the conference. Through their participation in the NGO, women and youth constituencies and meetings with dignitaries and civil society representatives, delegates had many opportunities to share the work of the Bahá’í International Community on the ethical dimensions of climate change and to highlight the need for principle-based action at this critical stage of negotiations.  (7-11 December).
• Bahá'í International Community Senior Researcher, Julia Berger, gave a presentation titled “Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change: Perspectives and experiences of the Bahá'í International Community” as part of a panel addressing the issue of climate-displaced peoples, organized by the World Council of  as part of their annual UN Advocacy Week. (16 November)
• Bahá'í International Community delegates Ms. Mary Caetana Aune-Cruz (Brazil) and Mr. Nawarat Wongsopa (Thailand) attended the Regional Climate Change Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. (29 September – 9 October)
• 23 September 2009 - Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Nobel prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change spoke at the launch of an Appeal to the world’s leaders on the moral and ethical dimensions of climate change, which took place at the Bahá'í International Community Office in New York.  The Appeal, which has been endorsed by 23 non-governmental organizations, calls for consideration of the moral and ethical questions at the root of the climate crisis. Video of presentation.

• 27 October 2009 – The Bahá'í International Community has become a partner in a United Nations-sponsored program to promote "generational change" to address climate change and environmental sustainability. The program, co-sponsored by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) and UNDP, seeks to promote lifestyle changes that will help slow global warming and other environmental problems during a seven-year period from 2010 to 2017. more…

Activity Archive

Positions on Selected Issues

Eradicating Poverty

It is now increasingly acknowledged that such conditions as the marginalization of girls and women, poor governance, ethnic and religious antipathy, environmental degradation and unemployment constitute formidable obstacles to the progress and development of communities. These evidence a deeper crisis—one rooted in the values and attitudes that shape relationships at all levels of society. Viewed from this perspective, poverty can be described as the absence of those ethical, social and material resources needed to develop the moral, intellectual and social capacities of individuals, communities and institutions. Moral reasoning, group decision-making and freedom from racism, for example, are all essential tools for poverty alleviation. Such capacities must shape individual thinking as well as institutional arrangements and policy-making. To be clear, the goal at hand is not only to remove the ills of poverty but to engage the masses of humanity in the construction of a just global order. more...

Social Integration

To the extent that efforts towards social integration will reflect the diverse voices and aspirations of the world’s people, governments will need to tackle one of the most challenging and neglected issues of our time—ensuring every individual’s freedom of conscience, religion or belief.

Tahirih Naylor presents oral statement on Social Integration. (YouTube Video)

Don Brown speaking at the Ethical Dimensions panel. YouTube Video

The human being is not only an economic and social creature, but also a noble one with a free will and a conscience that make possible the search for meaning and for truth. Without the freedom to pursue this fundamentally human quest, neither dignity nor justice is possible. The nations of the world have repeatedly committed to upholding an individual’s right to freely adopt and change his religion or beliefs, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Yet, approximately half of the world’s population still lives under laws, which restrict the right to freely adopt and change one’s religion or beliefs. Moreover, restrictions of religious freedom have been linked to diminished well-being in the general population, increased social conflict, poor socio-economic outcomes and political instability. more...

Climate Change

To contribute to this important discourse, we assert that the principle of the oneness of humankind must become the ruling principle of international life. This principle does not seek to undermine national autonomy or suppress cultural or intellectual diversity. Rather, it makes it possible to view the climate change challenge through a new lens – one that perceives humanity as a unified whole, not unlike the cells of the human body, infinitely differentiated in form and function yet united in a common purpose which exceeds that of its component parts. This principle constitutes more than a call for cooperation; it seeks to remold anachronistic and unjust patterns of human interaction in a manner that reflects the relationships that bind us as members of one human race. The earnest consideration of the place of this principle in international relations should not be seen as an abstract exercise; it is precisely this level of analysis that must be undertaken and this level of commitment secured in order to forge a coherent ethic for the resolution of the climate change crisis. In order to progress beyond a world community driven by a largely economic and utilitarian calculus, to one of shared responsibility for the prosperity of all nations, such a principle must take root in the conscience of the individual. In this way, we come to recognize the broader human agenda – which subsumes those of climate change, poverty eradication, gender equality, development, and the like – and seeks to use both human and natural resources in a way that facilitates the progress and well-being of all people. more...

Valuing Spirituality in Development

The measures and indicators used to assess poverty and human development, such as the Gross National Product and the Human Development Index, largely determine what is valued and, as such, shape development policy and priorities. The progress of communities and nations requires not only material inputs and legal measures to secure order, but the development of moral capabilities to govern behavior and decision-making by individuals and institutions. These include, among others: trustworthiness of individuals and elected officials; respect and concern for the welfare of minorities; ability to assess and apportion resources justly and appropriately; the ability to consult constructively with others; the ability to reach peaceful solutions to conflicts; the ability to exercise justice; and the ability to understand one’s actions in the context of advancing the well-being of humankind. more…

Collective Security

The Bahá’í Faith envisions a system of collective security within a framework of a global federation, a federation in which national borders have been conclusively defined, and in whose favor all the nations of the world will have willingly ceded all rights to maintain armaments except for purposes of maintaining internal order. more…

Democracy: Decision-making Processes

We commend the international community for its commitment to a freely elected government as a universal value. However, the standard of deliberation and truth-seeking required for the realization of goals set by the United Nations needs to go far beyond the patterns of partisanship, protest, and compromise that tend to characterize present day discussions of human affairs. What is needed is a consultative process – at all levels of governance – in which individual participants strive to transcend their respective points of view, in order to function as members of one body with its own interests and goals. Through participation and unity of purpose, consultation becomes the operating expression of justice in human affairs. Without this principled anchor, democracy falls prey to the excesses of individualism and nationalism, which tear at the fabric of the community - both nationally and globally. more…

World Citizenship

Unbridled nationalism, as distinguished from a sane and legitimate patriotism, must give way to a wider loyalty, to the love of humanity as a whole. The Bahá'í writings state that, “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” The concept of world citizenship is a direct result of the contraction of the world into a single neighborhood through scientific advances and of the indisputable interdependence of nations. Love of all the world’s peoples does not exclude love of one’s country. The advantage of the part in a world society is best served by promoting the advantage of the whole. Current international activities in fields, which nurture mutual affection and solidarity, need to be increased. more…

Emerging Global Order

The emerging global order, and the processes of globalization that define it, must be founded on the principle of the oneness of humankind. This principle, accepted and affirmed as a common understanding, provides the practical basis for the organization of relationships between all states and nations. The increasingly apparent interconnectedness of development, security and human rights on a global scale confirms that peace and prosperity are indivisible -- that no sustainable benefit can be conferred on a nation or community if the welfare of the nations as a whole is ignored or neglected. The principle of the oneness of humankind does not seek to undermine national autonomy or suppress the cultural and intellectual diversity of the peoples and nations of the world. Rather, it seeks to broaden the basis of the existing foundations of society by calling for a wider loyalty, a greater aspiration than any that has animated the human race. Indeed, it provides the moral impetus needed to remold the institutions of governance in a manner consistent with the needs of an ever-changing world more…

[1] http://bic.org/statements-and-reports/bic-statements/05-1002.htm

[2] http://bic.org/statements-and-reports/bic-statements/06-0101.htm

[3] http://www.stakeholderforum.org/news/outreach/csd14/Wednesday3May.pdf, page 4.