Symposium

“In Pursuit of an Inclusive Global Community

—A Fair Globalization in a Turbulent World”

 

Thursday, 1 July 2004

5F Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall, United Nations University

(in cooperation with ILO)

 

Kazuo Takahashi

 

Summing Up

 

It has been a good and wide-ranging discussion, both informative and analytical.  A number of excellent conceptual points have been made, and some specific questions have been looked into in some depth.  A few creative discussions have also been presented.  From well over thirty excellent points that have been made, according to my notes, the following are, I think, the broadly supported and useful points.

 

1.        The Report, A Fair Globalization: Creating Opportunities for All, is a beginning of the dialogue among various stakeholders and specialists as well as among citizens around the world.  It is not the end.  There has been a broad support of the main thrust of the Report.

 

2.        The analysis of the globalization phenomenon, related to national situations, to fair rules and policies and to the global governance, including the roles of the UN system has largely been supported. 

 

3.        The background to the creation of the World Commission, consisting of ILO’s historical works, the Copenhagen Social Summit in 1995, and the discussions at the UN itself including the Millennium Summit in 2000, indicates the broad trend along which the relevant issues have been identified.  The co-chairship of two sitting national Presidents has given programmatic orientation to the Report.  The discussions of globalization that had been conducted in different silos have been given a common forum in the World Commission and its outcome, in turn, has given the world community a common ground where further discussions will be pursued.

 

4.        The common perception is that it is important to pursue economic objectives and social objectives in parallel with each other.  These two objectives, which traditionally were perceived to consist of trade-offs, can in fact complement each other.  Nationally, the efforts to harmonize between the two have been institutionalized, but at the international level, there is no mechanism that is to pursue coherence between the two.

 

5.        It is important to distinguish between drivers of globalization and global responses to these drivers.  Following have been identified as drivers: business; various actors around the world taking initiatives in their own ways in promoting globalization; new technology; end of ideology, acceptance of competition as a ground rule in each society.

 

6.        It has been pointed out that the whole process has to be value-oriented, including, human rights, fairness, solidarity, environmental considerations, equity, and respect of diversity.

 

1.        Enterprises are public entities, with public responsibilities in satisfying the needs of multiple stakeholders, that is, not only stockholders.  The tradition of Japanese firms can provide a useful model for this purpose.

 

2.        Large corporations have special responsibilities in spreading CSR to small and medium sized enterprises and to subsidiaries overseas.

 

3.        It has, however, been pointed out that a number of new activities that need to be pursued by international organizations, have not been supported by financial commitments by governments that have expressed agreement to the Report.

 

4.        It has also been pointed out that it is impossible to stop the powerful trend of globalization, and therefore that it is important to consider measure to enhance its positive impacts, while minimizing negative effects.

 

5.        The sub-title of the report that refers to “opportunities” might be misleading.  The content of the Report emphasizes the importance of the outcome of the proposed measures rather than opportunities for choices.

 

6.        Gender equality at the management level in Japanese corporations has been identified as an important component of CSR.

 

7.        It has been pointed out that this Report should be read in the broader context where other reports have been produced recently, including the Cardoso Report which deals with Civil Society.  Global Civil Society should be an important force to achieve a Fair Globalization, and indeed may lead the movement of an alternative globalization.

 

8.        It has been pointed out that UNU can play useful roles in global efforts to pursue coherent policy combinations to address the broader questions of the Social Dimension of Globalization, going beyond what the Report has dealt with, including education, health, culture, among others.

 

9.        It has proven, through today’s exercise that it is extremely important and useful to pursue dialogues among various stakeholders and experts concentrating on various aspects of the social dimension of globalization.

 

10.    We all agree, I believe, that all the presenters and commentators, in particular, Dr. Rolph van der Hoeven have contributed greatly to our better understanding of the knotty questions of the Social Dimension of Globalization.