Reject greed for a better future
With the global economic crisis looming led by the collapse of the US property market, presenter of the inaugural UniSA Nelson Mandela Lecture, Dr Musimbi Kanyoro has reminded us who suffers the most,
even without a recession.
Born in Kenya and now a resident in the US, Dr Kanyoro is the Director of the Population Program at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, a program dedicated to reproductive health globally.
"There is an enormous divide between the rich and poor, the powerful and the powerless, in our world," Dr Kanayora says.
"Where there is war, famine, disease and political instability there are thousands suffering and dislocated.
"While a few have been playing the share market with spectacular success over the past 10 years, little has improved for the most vulnerable. Our failures are found in the statistics – some 54 countries are now poorer than they were a decade ago, in 14 countries infant mortality has increased, in 21 countries more people are starving and in 34 countries life expectancy has fallen."
Dr Kanayora says the way forward must focus on an engagement with ethical globalisation. She sees human rights, universal health, shared values and systems of accountability as essential for successful nation-building and to underpin sustainable globalisation.
"In an age when world economies and societies are more linked than ever before, every incidence of unrest, disease, violence, terror and economic collapse has effects that ripple across the globe. Now, as the unprecedented profits that the wealthy financial sector has enjoyed dry up, nations around the world will feel the consequences.
"Our future lies in imagining new ideas and concepts," she says. "Ethical globalisation acknowledges shared responsibility for dealing with global challenges and affirms that common humanity has no national borders."
A full transcript of the lecture is available at www.unisa.edu.au/hawkecentre