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Background China Conference 2005 |
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A changing world Our world is changing rapidly. What once seemed an endless universe is becoming a truly global village. In this global village new forces are emerging. China is asserting itself as the fastest growing economic power of this time. Almost 1.3 billion inhabitants are craving for improvement while the government is opening the economic doors with entering the WTO as an important recent step. The result is a continuing average growth of circa 10% of GDP and a dramatically changing global economic landscape. In the past decennia there has been a growing awareness of the importance of sustainable development. Global warming, air and water pollution, deforestation and the decline of biodiversity are flashing warning signs on our road to a more prosperous world. In this time, the Western World's perspective and priorities with regard to sustainable development are not the same as those of the developing world. In the developing countries the first priority is improving the standard of living of many people who are often still living in poverty. However, our Mother Earth will not be able to sustain billions of people inflicting as much damage as Western countries have done in the past 100 years. The challenge of the 21st century will be to find ways to grow our global village in a sustainability way. The enormous pace of change in for example China also provides a window of opportunity. In a time of flux, change is possible. The success of sustainable development will depend mainly on the leadership that is provided. All leaders have their own particular set of values and worldviews partly based on cultural heritage. Some of the central questions during the International Dialogue Conference will be:
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