DEVELOPMENT NEEDS A MORAL COMPASS

WCC urges Davos Forum 

to consider longer-term good of all people

The General Secretary of the ecumenical body reminds world leaders meeting in Davos that, given the unprecedented constellation of global crises there is an urgent need for cooperation rather than division.

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-By Vatican News

 The World Council of Churches is one of the many voices around the globe urging the the 54th World Economic Forum taking place in Davos, Switzerland,  to commit to  the longer-term good of all people.

The annual gathering bringing together leaders from government, business and civil society to discuss and shape global, regional, and industry agenda will conclude on Friday, 19 January after four days of discussions focused on the theme  “Rebuilding Trust” as the world faces multiple crises. 

 Without trust world cannot function

In a statement this week WCC general secretary Rev. Jerry Pillay noted that trust is the essential ingredient without which human societies—and the global community—cannot function. “However, in today’s divided and increasingly conflictual world, it is a commodity in critically short supply,” he said. “While some of those in attendance in Davos are themselves drivers of inequality, injustice, and division, we want to believe that many others are genuinely committed to exercising their considerable influence to promote a greater measure of justice and peace in the world.”

 The  General Secretary of WCC  remarked that rebuilding trust,   will be an essential precondition for progress in any of the four areas discussed during the Forum: ‘Achieving Security and Cooperation in a Fractured World’, ‘Creating Growth and Jobs for a New Era,’ ‘Artificial Intelligence as a Driving Force for the Economy and Society,’ and ‘A Long-Term Strategy for Climate, Nature, and Energy.’

 Urgent need for multilateral cooperation to address current world crises

“Given the unprecedented constellation of global crises – especially of climate, conflict, and economic inequality – there is an urgent need for cooperation and action, rather than division and unconstructive competition,” he stressed.

 Pope to Davos Economic Forum: Development needs a moral compass

Hence the urgent need for a renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation to address the current epochal crises “The power of this gathering must be leveraged for rebuilding trust and the renewal of commitment to multilateral cooperation in facing these crises, not only in the short-term interests of a privileged few but for the longer-term good of all people and our common home," the WCC General Secretary said.

 Pope Francis, on Wednesday, addressed a message to the world leaders in Davos along  the same lines,  calling on them “to  be mindful of the moral responsibility that each of us has in the fight against poverty, the attainment of an integral development for all our brothers and sisters, and the quest for a peaceful coexistence among peoples.”

 MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE FRANCIS

Vatican News

 

 

UNESCO - EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 

            Education for Sustainable Development: Resources from UNESCO

The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) on the theme "Learn for our Planet. Act for Sustainability" is currently taking place virtually. Those interested can follow the conference live - the webpage is here. The page also includes links to materials including resources for educators (pedagogical ideas for classroom activities and multimedia resources on how to integrate ESD into teaching and learning from early childhood care through secondary education) and various publications, including (1) Education for Sustainable Development Goals: learning objectives; (2) a global review of how environmental issues are integrated into education; and (3) a note on progress made towards on education for sustainable development and global citizenship education.

 

Éducation pour le développement durable: ressources de l'UNESCO

La Conférence mondiale de l'UNESCO sur l'éducation pour le développement durable (EDD) sur le thème "Apprendre pour notre planète. Agir pour la durabilité" se déroule en ce moment virtuellement. Les personnes intéressées peuvent suivre la conférence en direct - la page Web est ici. La page comprend également des liens vers divers matériaux, y compris des ressources pour les éducateurs (principalement en anglais - idées pédagogiques pour les activités en classe et ressources multimédias sur la façon d'intégrer l'EDD dans l'enseignement et l'apprentissage de la petite enfance à l'enseignement secondaire) et diverses publications, y compris (1) L'éducation en vue des objectifs de développement durable: objectifs d'apprentissage; (2 ) une revue globale de la manière dont les questions environnementales sont intégrées dans l'éducation et (3) une note sur les progrès accomplis vers l'éducation pour le développement durable et l'éducation à la citoyenneté mondiale.

Educación para el desarrollo sostenible: recursos de la UNESCO

La Conferencia Mundial de la UNESCO sobre la educación para el desarrollo sostenible (EDS) sobre el tema "Aprenda para nuestro planeta. Actúe en favor de la sostenibilidad" actualmente se lleva a cabo virtualmente. Los interesados ​​pueden seguir la conferencia en vivo. La página web está aquí. La página también incluye enlaces a materiales que incluyen recursos para educadores (principalmente en ingles - ideas pedagógicas para actividades en el aula y recursos multimedia sobre cómo integrar la EDS en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje desde el cuidado de la primera infancia hasta la educación secundaria) y varias publicaciones, que incluyen (1) Educación para los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible: objetivos de aprendizaje; (2 ) una análisis global de cómo se integran las cuestiones ambientales en la educación, y (3) una nota sobre el progreso realizado hacia la educación para el desarrollo sostenible y la educación para la ciudadanía global.

 Global Catholic Education

AQUA FONS VITAE - ORIENTATION ON WATER

Water is the only substance on earth that occurs naturally in solid, liquid and gas forms. Without it there would be no life on our planet. It is also a powerful spiritual symbol associated with the cleansing and purification of the body and the spirit. 

For Christians, baptism by water – itself a symbol of God’s grace – signifies spiritual rebirth.

Aqua fons vitae. Orientations on Water, symbol of the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth.  

This is the title of a new Vatican document rooted in the Social Magisterium of the Popes, and inspired by work carried out by national and local Churches in different countries.

The document distinguishes three aspects or dimensions relating to water:

1) water for human use;

2) water as a resource used in many human activities, in particular agriculture and industry;

3) water as a surface, namely rivers, underground aquifers, lakes and especially oceans and seas. 

For each aspect, the text presents the related challenges and operational proposals to increase awareness of the issue and commitment at local level. 

The final part of the document proposes a reflection on education and integrity.

In a press release on Monday, the Dicastery also announced that a strategy is being defined to address the situation regarding water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). This will apply to health care facilities belonging to the Catholic Church. 

The press release notes that in poor and developing countries too many sanitation facilities do not have adequate access to water for the most basic needs of cleanliness and hygiene. This places billions of people at risk.

Without clean water, sinks, soaps, toilets and hygiene procedures patients, care staff and families lack the foundation or infrastructure for decent, safe, quality care.

“Births, surgery, infections, epidemics: none of these can be managed safely without water, and the situation is particularly alarming in these weeks marked by the COVID-19 pandemic,” reads the communiqué.

 

 " .... The document Aqua fons vitae is rooted in the teaching of the Popes and inspired by the reflections and experiences of members of national and local Churches, over centuries. Many dioceses, congregations, Caritas organizations, Justice and Peace Commissions, associations of lay people, catholic schools and universities are very actively committed to the promotion of human dignity and the realization of an authentic integral development, particularly in poor and deprived areas, even where Catholics are a minority. In view of the challenges raised by the crisis of the COVID-19, and in the light of the magisterial teaching about the interconnectedness of everything3, be it ecological, economic, political and social, we are called to consider all the elements which contribute to elaborating a new paradigm for a new development model. 

The consideration of water, in this sense, clearly appears to be one of the elements that heavilyimpacts ‘integral’and ‘human’development. 6.The common good promoted and pursued by the Church is not some particular national agenda, but “the sum total of the social conditions which allow people, either groups or individuals, to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily”4. These conditions undoubtedly include “a safe environment”5, access to healthcare, sanitation as well as access to potable water. Therefore, these conditions also imply a management of water so as to ensure universal and sustainable access to it, for the future of life, theplanet and the human community. .... 

Read: AQUA FONS VITAE