Dear Secretary General
whatever the global issues and problems under consideration, a dramatic fact emerges: humanity is not capable of giving concrete, immediate and common answers. The institutionalized powers of the current system are unable to do so because the system is structurally in crisis.
The two fundamental questions for the future of life
We want to call your attention and intervention to two key tenets of the current dominant worldview: the private, for-profit patenting of living organisms and artificial intelligence, and the financialization of nature and the global public commons. The power of the global capitalist market economy is increasingly based on these two principles. Their role in the planetary regulation of life is fundamental and crucial, which explains their absence from questions and debates on how to manage and emerge from the current crises. For the strong powers, these are two axioms that cannot be discussed.
Legalizing intellectual property in living organisms in 1980 meant reducing knowledge – the spirit of human creativity – to a commodity, a matter for rapacious merchants and owners. It has transferred control over life to the masters of data, reducing knowledge to raw material for economic activities. This is one of the greatest historical mistakes made by the leaders of humanity.
Likewise, theorizing that nature is a set of “natural capitals”, the “natural capital” of the planet, has reduced nature to a particular category of the market economy, capital. But this is not the only possible form of economy, nor, in our opinion, the best. Nature has always been seen as the existential framework of life. Today it is essentially seen as an asset of great strategic value to the dominant global economy. It is a theft of life and the human species.
The experience of the last 50 years shows that unless these two principles are abandoned or seriously repositioned, the protection and promotion of universal fundamental human and social rights and the rights of peoples will be less and less guaranteed. Consequently, the elimination of the factors that generate impoverishment in the world will no longer be an objective of our societies!
There will not even be true sustainable development, as demonstrated by the current regression of CO² emission reduction targets, the increase in investment in fossil fuels, the failure to ban plastic bottles, the lax regulation of highly toxic chemicals, in particular pesticides… The EU’s ten-year extension of the authorization of glyphosate is an example of this.
The financialization of nature reached its most advanced formulation to date, at the United Nations COP15-Biodiversity (Montreal, December 2022). The international community approved the proposals put forward in January 2021 in the “Natural Capital Protocol” by the Natural Capital Coalition (more than 450 world-class private companies!) and known as s 30+30+30. That is: the attribution to the Natural Capitals Corporations (created by the New York Stock Exchange in October 2021) of the management of 30% of the planet’s natural world, including 30% of the most degraded elements, for their protection and restoration by the year 2030 (the year in which the UN Agenda 2015-2030 will end).
Mr. Secretary General, you will understand our concern, increased by the fact that the UN chief economist is openly one of the promoters of the financialization of nature, citing the same arguments as the authors of the Natural Capital Protocol.
The proposal.
For a cooperative and mutualistic regeneration of life on Earth based on Water, Food and Health” “La Planète EAS” (The EAS Planet)
Faced with the system’s inability to provide answers to crises, humanity can be reborn only by applying values and principles opposite to those that are leading the world to ruin.
The inspiring principles of the EAS planet: cooperativism and mutualism
The “constitutional” values and principles of cooperation and mutualization were capable of regenerating the 19th century world and promoting the 20th century welfare society at the level of the “national” state, particularly in its Scandinavian version.
Today the planetary horizon foresees a regeneration of cooperativism and mutualism in relation to their origins and their roles. As socioeconomic forms parallel to the dominant market economy at the national level, they necessarily constitute, on a planetary scale, the intrinsic expression of social life. Cooperation and mutualization must become the spirit that inspires the processes of building Earth’s global community of life.
Three priority areas for regeneration: water, food and health.
Initially, the operational implementation of regeneration processes will be based on three key areas for life and justice: water, food and health, hence the project name “The EAS Planet”. Their development will have a strong impact on the rest of society.
The objective is to address the implementation of universal rights to water, food and health in an integrated (essential) way, especially in terms of principles and means of action; rooted in the territories of basic communities and local authorities; and based on solidarity, that is, on the sharing of responsibilities between territories and institutions. The implementation of universal rights has been reduced to an outcome of higher goals such as economic growth, economic and financial efficiency, the achievement of technological innovation, absolute entrepreneurial freedom and market liberalization. Only the regeneration of the three vital dimensions of Water, Food and Health will be able to free life on Earth from the devastating effects of current predation.
Tools and resources at the service of the EAS Planet
This will happen by creating, at a local level, a new generation of cooperative and mutual enterprises, supported by local networks of public savings banks and collective credit. Experience shows that when a territory is able to guarantee water, food and health to all its members as a right, the most important part of the life journey is completed. In this way, collective security of existence will be achieved, thanks also to a shared capacity for social, financial and technological resilience, and effective participatory democracy will be achieved.
Regeneration cannot be achieved in the current framework of global markets and finance. We must work towards a political and institutional system based on the development and primacy of a global public financial system.
Today finance is in the hands of unelected private individuals. Elected public authorities no longer even have the power to create money. We must create a new global public financial institutional framework consistent with the objectives of “La planète EAS”. We must create a new global public financial institutional framework consistent with the objectives of “La planète EAS”, i.e. the Global Deposit and Delivery Fund and the Planetary Fund for the guarantee of common goods essential to life, under the supervision of a World Council for the security of universal rights.
We know that the UN recently approved the proposal to declare 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives. For us this is a very happy coincidence.
Mr. Secretary General
Would it be possible to support the creation of an independent global working group that would delve deeper into the issues addressed here and present a proposal by the end of 2024 on the relevance and feasibility of the “EAS Planet” project?
Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary General, for your kind attention.
In the hope……
Signatures (members and friends of the Agora des Habitants de la Terre):
Argentine. Aníbal Ignacio Faccendini, Centro Interdisciplinaire del Agua, Universidad Nacional de Rosario UNR; Daniel Elías, Professeur UNR,, Flavio Faccendini, Diplomatura del Agua y el Ambiente de la UNR .Belgique. Pierre Galand, ancien sénateur , président du Forum Nord-Sud. Christine Pagnoulle , Professeure émérite, Univ.Liège.. ATTAC Bruxelles 2. ATTAC Liège. Catherine Schlitz, Présidente Présence et Action Culturelles d’Angleur. Kim Le Quang, employé, membre Rise for the Climate., Marlène Wiame, employée, membre Rise for the Climate, Pietro Pizzuti, comédien.. Bernard Tirtiaux, sculpteur, écrivain. Maria Palatine, harpiste, chanteuse. Alain Adriaens, élu local, activiste pour la sobriété. Fabrice Delvaux, Kréativa. Jean-Claude Polet, Professeur émérite UCL. Anne Rondelet, pensionnée. Riccardo Petrella, professeur émérite UCL. Vincent De Cat, entrepreneur. Paola Pizzuti, conférencière pédagogique. Anne Molitor, citoyenne. Françoise Deville, citoyenne.Anne Sylvain, comédienne. Aïka Mittler, écrivain, traducteur. Éric Brucher, écrivain, professeur. Lisa Cogniaux, artiste. Susann Heenen-Wolff, prof. dr. phil. Catherine Papier, en qualité de son appartenance au genre humain.Marie-Paule Kumps, comédienne et autrice.Soumaya Hallak, soprano, 1,2,3 Hope, Love, Life for Peace! Bernard Cogniaux, pédagogue. Olivier Bastin, architecte, Président de la Fédération des Associations d’Architectes de Belgique. Sylvie Lausberg, auteure et historienne. Éric De Staerck, Directeur du Théâtre des Riches Claires.Victor Lefevre, comédien, metteur en scène. Éric D’Agostino, réalisateur, musicien. Roda Fawaz, comédien, auteur. Karine Watelet, technicienne audiovisuelle, Brésil. Marcos P. Arruda, Moema Viezzer, écrivaine, fem:iniste. Armando De Negri, médecin, Organisation latinoaméricaine de la santé. Marcelo Barros, théologien, moine bénédictin. Canada-Québec. Martine Chatelain,éducatrice. Hélène Tremblay. Narratrice de l’Humanité. Pierre Jasmin, pianiste, Secrétaire général de Artiste pour la Paix. Jean-Yves Proulx, citoyen engagé. Chili. Luis Infanti De la Mora, évêque de Aysén. Nicolás Labajos, éducateur, Aysén. Comisión Justicia y Paz, Aysén de la Patagonia. Carlos Andrade Oporto, Pasteur Evangélico, Coyhaique. Adriana Fernandez, éducatrice . Egypte. Hoda Houssein, écrivaine, activiste écologique. Mamdouh Habashi, architecte , fondateur du Mouvement KIfaya (Assez). Anwar Moghith, professeur et philosophe. France. Melissa Gingreau la Boisselière,porte-parole de “Mega-Bassines non merci”. Philip Veniel, sociologue. Laury Gingreau, la Boisselière. Jean-Pierre Wauquier, président de H²0 sans frontières. Alassane Ba,, directeur du centre européen humaniste des métiers de la pharmacie.. Jean-Claude Oliva. directeur de la Coordination EAU Île-de-France, Président de la régie publique de l’eau d’Est Ensemble. Yovan Gilles, artiste scénique polyvalent, “Les périphériques vous parlent” et Université du Bien Commun à Paris, Cristina Bertelli , “Les périphériques vous parlent” et Université du Bien Commun. Annie Flexer, documentaliste ,linguiste, UBC., Patrick Viveret, philosophe , fondateur de “Les rencontres en Humanité”. Corinne Ducrey, présidente du Festival Chemin faisant..Jordanie. Mme Abla Abou Elbeh, ancienne député. . Irak Hazem Mohamad Shoker, écrivain .Ibrahim Doulaymi, journaliste spécialisé dans le domaine écologique. Italie Roberto Savio,expert de renommée mondiale de communication, président de Other News .Monastère du Bien Commun/Vérone . Paola Libanti, pensionnée. Luca Cecchi , agent de commerce, pensionné. militant de l’eau,. Marinella Nasoni, ancienne syndIcaliste. Sergio e Clara Castioni, libraires. Antonino Russo, employé secteur public. Domenico Rizzuti, ancien syndicaliste secteur Recherche, Forum italoo-tunisien. Consiglia Salvio, enseignante, militante de l’eau. Francesco Comina, écrivain, professeur. Roberto Musacchio, ancien euro-parlementaire, Transform Italia. Roberto Morea, Comité européen de Transform Europe. Elena Mazzoni, femme politique de la gauche italienne. Patrizia Sentinelli, ancienne ministre à la coopération internationale, fondatrice de Altramente. Guido Barbera ,président de CIPSI-ETS. Roberto Colombo, ancien maire et président d’une régie publique de l’eau en Lombardie. Maurizio Montalto, avocat, président du “Mouvement Blu”. Loretta Moramarco, avocate, militante eau. Michele Loporcaro, agriculteur bio. Christian Troger , syndicaliste. Anton Auer,. écologiste, pensionné., Gina Abbate, Pax Christi. Mario Agostinelli, physicien, président de “Laudato sii”, Emilio Molinari e Oreste Magni, membres aussi de “Laudato sii”. Daniela Padoan, écrivaine et essayiste . Paolo Ferrero,ancien ministre du travail, essayiste Paolo Ferrari, conseiller municipal, militant pacifiste. Paolo Rizzi, militant écologiste, poète;chanteur. Carmelo Corso, professeur. Alfio Foti, président de l’Altra Storia, Pina Ancona, pensionnée. Silvana,Risi ,citoyenne et membre CVX. Bruno Risi, citoyen et membre Associazione Murolo Napoli. Maria Bertone pensionnée, membre de CVX Italia. Liban .Lilia Ghanem, anthropologue,rédactrice en chef “The Ecologist” en arabe. Islam Neeman, avocat, ancien ministre..Saad Mehio, journaliste, président du Club de dialogue régional. Ezzedine Kassem, journaliste et éditeur. Houssine Kobeissy, traducteur et journaliste..Joud Haidar, poète et médecin..Ahlam. Baydoun,,professeur, juriste. Lybie. Abdallah Maatouk, chroniqueur. Abdel Kader Ghouka, ancien ambassadeur et écrivain. Palestine. Anwar Abu Eisheh, ancien ministre, écrivain. Sahar Quasmeh, député. Youssef Salman, président d’une association .Portugal. Joao Caraça, ancien directeur de la Science, Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian. Tunisie. Manubia Bengthahem, professeur et activiste feministe. Rafic Boujdariah, médecin et activiste . Samir Besançon, philosophe, médecin et activiste écologique. Samira Ghedish, professeure et militante associative. .. Syrie. Wagih Hamoud, ingénieur et activiste
