Civil society transcends right-left gap. Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sept 2005.

GN3 Editorial Comment: Culture is the realm of ideas values, worldviews, identity, ethics, art, and spirituality among others. This is the realm of civil society and cultural power in contradistinction to the political power of government and the economic power of business. The autonomous interaction of these three institutions in pursuit of integral sustainable development constitutes threefolding. In the article below, the author points to the rise of civil society in the U.S. context as an answer to the "values-vacuum" created by narrow pursuit of economic and political power especially corporate-driven globalization and U.S. unilateralism—a development with the power to transform social life.

NEWTON, MASS. – How will current US social and political trends - amid the rise of the right - affect the world in the decades ahead? Surprisingly, some sociologists say that they augur for curbing the excesses of national power and capitalist markets while strengthening the UN and other forms of global governance. >>more. 15 Sept 2005. Internet Source.

No Agreement on Internet Governance.

GENEVA - The script for the final act of the World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS) will begin to be written on Sep. 19 in this Swiss city, with the participation of a cast that will be made up - for the first time on the international stage - of a wide range of actors: governments, business and civil society. >>more. 12 Sept 2005. Internet Source.

Internet Governance: Four Ideas, No Consensus. OutLaw News.

GN3 Editorial Comment: In the article below, internet governance is proving to be another of many contentious issues with multiple stakeholders at the global level. In this case, it is interesting to note that once again, there is recognition of the three global powers shaping these debates -- civil society, government and business. The initiative described below "proposes the creation of a global forum for dialogue among all stakeholders such as governments, the private sector and civil society, to address problems linked to internet governance, including spam and cybercrime."

An independent Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) last week put forward four options for the internet's future management for consideration at a forthcoming international summit, without committing to a single, preferred solution. >>more. July 2005. Internet Source.

GN3 Editorial Comment: There is an increasing recognition that many problems transcend the ability of any one institution acting alone to solve. And in many cases, innovative partnerships are showing a way forward that mobilizes different capacities and perspectives in a creative process that often works toward sustainable development. In the article below, the Clinton Global Initiative is attempting to bring together government, business and civil society in an effort to address global challenges.

The William J. Clinton Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas, has announced a new effort to harness the resources of global corporations, nongovernmental organizations, and governments to take on some of the world's biggest problems, the Wall Street Journal reports. more >> 10 May 2005. Internet Source.

Network to be Launched to Promote NGO-Private Sector Partnerships.

GN3 Editorial Comment: The failure of, and in many instances disillusionment with state-centered approaches to poverty eradication and other development challenges has prompted a number of innovations including some promising partnership approaches amongst civil society, business and government. In the article below, operating under a framework of social responsibility, new partnership approaches are emerging in the Asia-Pacific region to effectively harness the different strengths and capacities of both civil society and business in addressing critical issues like poverty eradication.

BANGKOK, THAILAND - A Network backed by the ADB to bring together nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and the private sector from across Asia and the Pacific will be formally launched today to promote sustainable development, combat poverty, and improve the quality of life in the region. more February 17, 2005. Internet Source.

Globalization Guru: Nobel Prize winner discusses the dangers of the global economy.  Michigan Daily. USA.

GN3 Editorial Comment: Much of economic analysis that makes it to the mainstream press emanates from a single mindset that has been schooled in economic orthodoxy. Not so with the likes of Joseph Stiglitz, the former World Bank Economist, who has made a name for himself challenging mainstream views. As the article below discusses, Stiglitz is much in demand as a speaker who adds a respected voice to those challenging an elite form of economic globalization that drives unsustainable development.

By 4:00 p.m. yesterday, the 400-seat Hale Auditorium was overflowing with people. Cramming into the aisles and the doorways, students, professors and members of the general public waited in anticipation to hear the 2001 Nobel Prize winner and famous economist, Joseph Stiglitz, speak. more. 16 Feb 2005. Internet Source.

GN3 Editorial Comment: Recent headlines have been replete with references to Davos and Porto Alegre and the competing visions of globalization and development among civil society, government and business. While the World Social Forum is primarily a civil society gathering, the World Economic Forum tends to be associated with business and political leaders. In the article below, a relatively unknown effort referred to as the "Helsinki Process" seeks to build consensus through a tri-sectoral approach involving the three global powers – civil society, government and business.

The old saying "if you can't beat them, join them" underpins the attitude of many around the world who are becoming increasingly skeptical about the true benefits of free-for-all economic globalization, but somehow feel powerless to stop it and all its negative excesses. More. 11 February 2005. Internet Source.

Argentina: Building a Solidarity Economy. Viviana Alonso | IPS

GN3 Editorial Comment: Many initiatives around the world are seeking to reform the way the economy is organized and run. These solidarity (otherwise called social, compassionate, or people's) economies are pointing towards alternative approaches that build on inclusivity while meeting real economic needs. The article below describes local efforts in Argentina that are trying to scale-up and build a local "caring economy" that maximizes solidarity instead of profit.

BUENOS AIRES - A solidarity economy is being built by thousands of workers in Argentina, in rural cooperatives, worker-run factories and small businesses linked by networks. More. 8 February 2005. Internet Source.

Education for Sustainable Development. Daisaku Ikeda | Japan Times

GN3 Editorial Comment: Sustainable development as a comprehensive concept necessitates a thinking that can analyze, integrate, synthesize, imagine and create with both moral imagination and technique. This has tremendous implications for the kind of education that society makes available to children--not the conventional kind of education that regimentally looks at today's economic needs rather than the unforeseen needs of the future. As discussed in the article below, education must be reconceptualized, so that human potentials are allowed to flower and individuals can be empowered out of wisdom, courage and compassion to change the world that confronts them and achieve true sustainability.

2005 will mark the start of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The Decade offers a vital opportunity to make real progress toward putting human society on the path to sustainability. More than one-fourth of humankind lives in conditions of chronic poverty. Famine, military conflict, human-rights abuses, environmental degradation and climate change all threaten human dignity -- indeed, survival. The challenges facing us are clear and inescapable. (more). 22 Nov 2004.  Link to Japan Times Article

Governance: Institutional reform and capacity building. Daily Star (Bangladesh)

GN3 Editorial Comment: The activities of civil society around the world are increasingly paving the way for de facto tri-sectoral or threefold approaches to governance. In the article below from Bangladesh, the writer highlights the importance of developing new approaches to governance that involve state, private sector and civil society in the effort to achieve sustainable human development and poverty eradication.

Major global political changes in last couple of decades have prompted major changes in the role of the state. Those political changes have changed the views of governance; shifted emphasis to market economy development, and have recognised an increased role of the private sector and the civil society in governance. The 1997 World Development Report of the World Bank describes the state as facilitator, catalyst and regulator, rather than the engine for economic development. (more). 14 Nov. 2004. Link to DailyStar Article

China puts forth solutions on poverty reduction. ChinaDaily.com

GN3 Editorial Comment: With the world's largest population, China faces an enormous task in managing development to eradicate hunger and poverty, exclusion and injustice. In the article below, a Chinese official links poverty eradication to the global aspirations for peace and human development and recognizes the importance of collaboration between government, the business sector and civil society in achieving these objectives.

A top Chinese official in charge of poverty alleviation on Monday said poverty reduction presses for a solution from both individual countries and the international community. 21 Sept 2004. Link to China Daily Article

The Global Players: Governments, Civil Society and Business. Kosmos Journal.

GN3 Editorial Comment: Many are beginning to see the tri-sectoral or threefold nature of global social life through the activity of civil society, governments and business. There is also increasing understanding of the essential and complementary roles of the institutions of culture, polity and economy in the pursuit of integral sustainable development. As the article below discusses, the balance of power is shifting and new paradigms are necessary in order to harness a growing global collective intelligence towards sustainable development. Economic power implies greater responsibility and business must be conducted "in a way that is sustainable for society and the planet."

What started out as an interview with Rinaldo Brutoco by Nancy Roof turned into a full-scale article. Rinaldo was so articulate that after the first question he was able to carry the ball alone ending in 15 pages of valuable text. We have pared it down for this issue and will include more in future publications. What catapulted Rinaldo into action was the following question: Governments are losing as business and civil society are gaining global power and influence. Sovereign states arose with the Industrial Age and economic progress. In the 21st century they are no longer capable of furthering economic growth so people have begun to look to business and civil society for leadership. How do you see the relationship between these three global forces? Spring-Summer 2004. Link to Kosmos Journal Article

The Rising Power of NGOs: Transnational groups are making their voices heard, and governments and corporations are taking notice . By Joseph Nye | Taipei Times

GN3 Editorial Comment: Making use of information technology, networking and cultural power, global civil society is acting as a counterweight to government and business on the global stage in pushing for all aspects of sustainable development including human rights, poverty eradication and environmental conservation. Many are taking notice of this relatively new force in world affairs, but they mostly fail to understand the cultural basis of the movement as opposed to the economic and political context of businesses and governments respectively. In the article below, the author recognizes civil society's effectiveness in using "soft power" to challenge both governments and business to reform. But he fails to appreciate the cultural nature of civil society and it source of legitimacy.

When Human Rights Watch declared last January that the Iraq War did not qualify as a humanitarian intervention, the international media took notice. According to the Internet database Factiva, 43 news articles mentioned the report, in publications ranging from the Kansas City Star to the Beirut Daily Star. Similarly, after the abuses of Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison were disclosed, the views of Amnesty International and the International Committee of the Red Cross put pressure on the Bush administration both at home and abroad. June 29, 2004.  Link to Taipei Times Article

UN should open itself further to involve civil society. United Nations.

GN3 Editorial Comment: In conscious threefolding processes, the three global forces of civil society, government and business are open to coming together for a principled dialogue and/or engagement in order to create a different kind of globalization. Of course the possibility is also there for cooptation which must be guarded against. In the article below, a blue-ribbon UN panel has recommended greater involvement of civil society and business in UN deliberations. The panel explicitly recognizes civil society's contribution of 'innovative initiatives to deal with emerging global trends.' One can only hope that any new openings would improve on the problematic aspects of the UN's Global Compact.

Geneva – As the world's problems grow ever-more complex, the United Nations should stop limiting its decision-making processes exclusively to governments and instead open its deliberations to greater involvement by civil society groups and the private sector, a blue-ribbon panel recommends in a new report released today. UN News Centre. June 22, 2004

New Partnership Brings Sustainable Forest and Farm Products to Market . OneWorld.

GN3 Editorial Comment: The global demand for wood products has contributed to widespread deforestation. Sustainable forestry practices have not become widespread enough to alter this alarming trend. Part of the problem is connected with marketing, consumer education and certification. In the article below, a new effort that involves civil society, government and business is attempting to change this situation in the Americas, in what could be a model for other regions as well.

New York, New York — The Rainforest Alliance has partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish the Certified Sustainable Products Alliance, a three-year effort to significantly promote and increase the sale of sustainably produced certified timber, banana, and coffee from Central America and Mexico. OneWorld. 10 June 2004

Bush or Kerry? Look Closely And The Danger Is The Same. Znet.

A MYTH EQUAL TO THE FABLE of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is gaining strength on both sides of the Atlantic. It is that John Kerry offers a world-view different from that of George W Bush. Watch this big lie grow as Kerry is crowned the Democratic candidate and the "anyone but Bush" movement becomes a liberal cause celebre. Znet.  4 March 2004

Not enough being done to fight world poverty, says WEF. New Zealand Herald

The World Economic Forum tends to wield significant clout but is usually associated more with conservative business positions calling for smaller government. Here the WEF seems to be revalidating the State’s role as primary service provider and criticizing current efforts to address the root causes of poverty.

GENEVA - The world's governments are failing miserably to meet goals they have set themselves to reduce poverty, war and hunger, a leading business group says. New Zealand Herald. 21 April 2004

Civil society calls for a 'just world' (South African Broadcasting Corporation)

[The bi-annual gathering of Civicus is one of many forums that bring civil society organizations together to address global issues and build momentum for alternative approaches. In the article, local human-rights issues in the host country challenge the concept of "just". GN3 Ed.]

More than 700 civil society activists from around the world have gathered in Gaborone, Botswana, to highlight some of the key issues that continue to stifle Africa's socio-economic development. Meeting under the theme "Acting together for a just world", the activists from more than 100 countries will tackle issues such as HIV/Aids, global war on terror, the widening gap of the digital divide and civil strife. SABC. March 23, 2004.

Smart Trisectoral Networks.  (J. Phang / The Star, Malaysia)

[Another example of the increasing use of the term "tri-sectoral" to describe interactions between government, business and civil society in addressing social issues, especially as propagated by some UN organizations. In this article, the concept of civil society is confused with "community" thereby veiling its cultural nature. GN3 Ed.]

The term “Future Shock” was coined by futurist Alvin Toffler over 30 years ago to describe a state where the future arrives so fast that we are unable to adapt to it. Our global environment is undergoing profound and continuous change, socially, politically, and economically. These changes have far reaching impact on individuals, organisations and government. Many are already feeling the impact. The Star Malaysia. March 11, 2004.

Canada Burnishes its Third World Image. (Nihal Kaneira / Gulf News)

[The article discusses Canada's sponsorship of a new United Nations initiative for eradicating Third World poverty - "making business work for the poor." One of the stated keys to reform are partnerships between government, business and civil society, though it does not go into any detail. GN3 Ed.]

Canada's new Prime Minister Paul Martin is losing no time burnishing Canada's image as a friend of the Third World, whether the countries are in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, or Latin America. GulfNews. 6 March 2004

Incoherence Persists Among International Agencies. (Gustavo Capdevila / IPS.)

An independent commission of experts suggests that the criticisms against the current globalisation process would be sharply reduced if there were full employment, though warned that to achieve such a lofty objective requires international institutions to act with coherence. IPS. 25 Feb 2004

The road to pinpointing corporations that care (STEPHEN HESSE / The Japan Times)

One by one, corporations are exchanging the flimsy veneer of multimillion-dollar PR campaigns and boilerplate annual reports for responsible business practices and comprehensive company reports that detail efforts to become financially, environmentally and socially sustainable enterprises. The Japan Times. Feb. 12, 2004

“It’s the system, stupid!” (John Elkington / Open Democracy)

A third visit to the World Economic Forum left the sustainability campaigner John Elkington enthusiastic about a gathering force which can connect pro- and anti-globalisers: social entrepreneurs. Open Democracy. 5 February 2004.

Alternative Worlds : Rainbow Alliances at Social Forum. (Anuradha M Chenoy / IndiaTimes.)

In the contest of ideas, civil society is the battleground. It is this space that states attempt to capture, political parties seek to influence and business corporations try to control. Times of India. 16 January 2004

Global civil society: the politics of a new world? (Helmut Anheier, Mary Kaldor, Marlies Glasius. / OpenDemocracy.)

From Porto Alegre to anti-war movements, 2003 was a tumultuous year of political mobilisation. As the 2004 World Social Forum opens in Mumbai, will “global civil society” build an enduring space in support of a more humane form of globalisation?  OpenDemocracy. 15 January 2004. See comment by GN3 Co-Convenor, Nicanor Perlas

WSF: Non-Governmental Diplomacy. (Mario Osava / IPS)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 13 (IPS) - Diplomacy is no longer an exclusive arena of governments, as proven in the past decade by the growing role of civil society organisations in the international debate -- and by the repeated successes of the World Social Forum, now in its fourth year. IPS. 13 January 2004

Business Forum alerts political leaders to consequences of inaction. (Sunday Observer)

SRI LANKA: Numerous attempts made by the Joint business forum and many others to persuade President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to arrive at a consensus in resolving the prevailing political impasse, appears to have not met with success to date. Sunday Observer. 11 January 2004.

Eco-delegates to meet in KL. The Star.

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 3,000 delegates from governments, conservation groups, indigenous peoples’ groups and civil society organisations will gather here next month to debate on measures to protect Earth’s biological treasures.  The Star. 11 January 2004.

WSF: Civil Society Meet Draws University-Educated Elite. (Mario Osava / IPS.)

RIO DE JANEIRO: A study aimed at finding out who attends civil society's annual World Social Forum gatherings shows that participants tend to be young, university-educated, anti-imperialist and independent of political parties. IPS. 9 January 2004

The Empire Strikes Out. (Tom Engelhardt / Znet)

I haven't checked my Chinese calendar but if 2003 wasn't the Year of the Rat, I don't know what it was. We would normally heave a collective sigh of relief to have left it even a day or two behind us -- if 2004 didn't lie ahead. Still, if the year was bad for the rest of us, it wasn't exactly dazzling for the Bush administration either and perhaps we should count a few modest post-New Year's blessings for that at least. 2002 should certainly have been dubbed the Year of the New Rome, the year neocon pundits (and a few liberal commentators as well) proudly urged us to shoulder our new imperial burden and emulate the Romans, or at least the 19th century Brits, forever and a day. If so, then 2003 was the year in which our homegrown imperialists fell silent on the subject of empire, while our legions, setting out to remake the Middle East and then the world (cap that W), fell into the nearest nation-building ditch. Znet. 2 January 2004

Civil Society, Private Sector Address UN Summit for First Time At WSIS (by

In a move unprecedented in the United Nations' history, representatives of civil society and the private sector addressed leaders at the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva today. Stakeholders from government, business and civil society met on equal footing in a show of solidarity aimed at creating an information society for all. AllAfrica. 10 December 2003.

Keeping Europe GM Free (ISIS)

The second European Social Forum, held in and around Paris from 12-15 November 2003, brought together some 50 000 from across Europe and beyond to articulate an alternative vision of the world based on international cooperation, human development and social justice. Different initiatives and strategies to maintain the pressure for a GM-free Europe were discussed at a workshop, ‘How to Keep Europe GM-Free?’ Europe’s regulatory framework on GMOs is now in place, with stricter legislation on deliberate release into the environment (Directive 2001/18/EC), GM food and feed (Regulation 1829/2003) and traceability and labelling (Regulation 1830/2003); the latter two have to be applied by April 2004. But there is concern that this is not enough. ISIS. 5 December 2003

Social Forum Seeks Alternative to Globalisation. (By Julio Godoy / IPS.)

PARIS, Nov 10 (IPS) - The European Social Forum opening in Paris Wednesday will look for an economic model that could become an alternative to capital-led globalisation.

This search will be a central theme during the three days of meetings that will see 270 seminars, 55 conferences and 287 workshops in and around Paris. Close to 60,000 delegates from 1,500 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are expected to attend. IPS. 10 November 2003

Governments must find initiatives that fit their own concerns and development agendas because there are no ready-made solutions to the challenges of governance, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan told the Fifth Global Forum on Re-Inventing Government, meeting in Mexico City, Mexico. UN News Center. 3 November 2003

Somehow, the protesters had gotten in. When they slipped through the police-manned barricades on one end of Cancun's hotel zone, they must have seemed like just another bunch of tourists - split into small groups, their bandannas and piercings discreetly tucked away. Newsday. 15 October 2003

It seems that the one thing on which South Africa's major political parties agree is not wanting to say who secretly funds their myriad activities. At least not at this juncture, less than a year away from a general election. Possibly it takes transparency an uncomfortable step too far. Cape Times. 14 October 2003

CANCUN, Mexico, (AFP) -- Campaigners and lobbyists yesterday blamed an insistence by rich countries on pushing their demands against the will of developing nations for the breakdown in WTO trade talks here. Agence France-Presse. 15 September 2003