11th ICPNA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PEACE & NONVIOLENT
“ONLY NONVIOLENCE CAN GUARANTEE WORLD PEACE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY”

Session-II: Interconnectedness between Nonviolence and Eco-Sustainability of the Future

Keynote: A Nonviolent Future for Human Race Can Be Achieved Through Secularism, Eco-Sustainability, Interconnectedness, and Collective Consumer Power!

Keynote Speech: BİRCAN ÜNVER, M.A. Founder-President & NGO Representative of 
The Light Millennium, Charitable Global Human Advancement Org. | LMGlobal.Org to the 
United Nations Department of Global Communications (2001, New York, USA);

Recipient of the “Anuvrat Ahimsa International Peace Award-2023”.

Presented on Wednesday, FEBRUARY 14,  2024 | Time: 12:00 ~ 2:00 PM EST

I would like to thank the International Coordinator of the 11th ICPNA and former president of the Anuvrat Global Organization Dr. S. L. Gandhi and associate coordinator to Mr. Chaitanya Dev, and all the members of the Planning Committee of the 11th ICPNA.

Welcome to the moderator of this plenary session#2, my co-panelists, and all the attendees.

In support of the overarching title of this session, “Interconnectedness between Nonviolence and Eco-Sustainability of the Future”, this speech title is modified and aligned with it as follows:

A Nonviolent Future for Human Race Can Be Achieved Through Secularism, Eco-Sustainability, Interconnectedness, and Collective Consumer Power!

Before diving into my speech, I would like to start with the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights  (10th of December 1948) via three selected articles out of thirty toward setting out the ground that through The Light Millennium Global, we have embedded these in our vision and programs since its inception, which are:

UNDH ARTİCLE #1, 3 & 19

• Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. 
• Article 3.  Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. 
• Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. 

The key question is, how many member states followed and implemented these three Articles out of 30 on a national level? Or, how many countries in the world have fully implemented and respected Article#1 alone?

In this line, the following question comes to mind: 

When the member states do not follow the UN Charter, UDHR, SDGS, signed resolutions on behalf of the represented country at the UN, and/or ratified international treaties, what are the consequences to those countries through the UN System?

These questions are posed not to be responded to in this speech but to stir the minds toward holding accountable those who should not only “talk to talk but should walk the talk“ at the UN along on the national, regional, and global levels toward seeking a non-violent and eco-sustainable future for ALL. 

Now, briefly, WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO? 

THE LIGHT MILLENNIUM GLOBAL | LMGlobal.Org

• Introduced on the web in August 1999. 

• Officially formed based in New York in 2001 by me. 

• NGO Associated with the United Nations, Department of Global Communications (since 2005) 

• Obtained its tax-exempt status with #501-c-3 effective on July 17, 2001. 

• With the “Amended & Broadened” its initial 2001 Certificate of Incorporation effective on December 17, 2019, its full name changed to: 

The Light Millennium, A Charitable – Global Human Advancement Organization | LMGlobal.Org

Now, in regards to the Plenary Session II, I consider that as a fundamental principle and vision, a Nonviolent, Interconnected, Eco-Sustainable, and more Peaceful Future can be possible through the following illustrated ideas in this presentation:

Early Compulsory Peace Education

Secularism

Interconnectedness toward the well-being of humanity

Cumulative Consumer Power

Eco-Sustainability

The Future

Conclusion

EARLY COMPULSORY PEACE EDUCATION ON THE GLOBAL LEVEL IS A MUST  

Starting off teaching the Universal Declaration of Human Rights & Nonviolent including verbal ones from Kindergarten and onward throughout all the education systems whether public or private to 12K (as if official language, geography, history, second language, and/or in some cases, mandatory religion classes…)

SECULAR EDUCATION THROUGH RESPECT FOR ALL RELIGIOUS BELIEF SYSTEMS & LIFESTYLES

We’ve been witnessing during the last 20-25 years, the main concept and purpose of Secularism, in the same line, “Laïcité / Laicism” has been emptied or put in completely a wrong context such as atheism, while hatred, division through ethnicity along misinformation/disinformation have reached the sky, in particular, through multiple online platforms. 

We NEED to bring back Secularism/Laicism with a true meaning in all global political systems effectively.

Brain-washing children starting at 3 years old, and onward in any given religious name won’t be serving toward a nonviolent and peaceful world.

Thus, can we achieve the UN’s 2030 Agenda without freedom of expression (hate speeches and all forms of promotion of hate are excluded)?
Without freedom of information,
Without freedom of access to information,
Without the advancement of full human capacity,
Without removing prejudices against one another,
And;
Without SECULARISM as the backbone of the world’s political structure and governance?

Even including Article#19 alone as one of the SDGs as a sub-target or let’s imagine it as Goal#18, even this won’t be sufficient for the solution in today’s world problems unless SECULARISM also is like a skin-and-bond. Both need and must be an integral part of each and all the SDGs, in particular, in all “Global Security, Peace, and Human Development” related goals and sub-targets.

To take up this idea further, without including Article#19 as the backbone of achieving the SDGs by 2030, and without giving any sufficient attention and place in any discussion at the UN Premises on Article#19 at large (not limited to World Press Freedom Day – May 3), and on the SECULARISM, which both rarely come up even as a question from the floor during the UN’s any given regular sessions.

This may be a strong indication that we may not be able to make drastic progress toward the 2030 Agenda as long as we are leaving out these two key points. It is very obvious that ‘we do have a problem and a solution’ as long as we channel all our resources, energy, and time on the global level towards the solution, only then we have a chance towards the Culture of Peace on the global level.

As in an abstract form to ongoing wars, conflicts, hunger, inequality in education on the global level, in health, diseases, gender inequality, child marriage, equal right to quality education, clean water, energy, life on land, life underwater, and each of them is interconnected, in particular, with the human development related Goals and SDG#16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions.

Going back to the #UDHR75, on behalf of the LMGlobal.Org, we would like to propose the following idea to all involved parties in public, charitable and private educational sectors: 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights #UDHR75 should be a part of the compulsory education systems globally starting in kindergarten throughout 12K. 

To that extend, there is a role model implemented program for a non-violent and peace education for children since 1996, which is called: Anuvrat Vishva Bharati Society (Anuvibha) Children’s Peace Palace (CPP, which is located in Rajsamand, India).

Although the CPP mainly has been set up for organizing monthly camps for children with rich, diverse and intense camping programs that can be developed further to incorporate with public schools in correlation with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through multi-facet programs, writing, research (science, technology, innovation), arts, music, video, photography, multimedia, and more…
Source: https://anuvibha.org/childrens-peace-palace

INTERCONNECTEDNESS

This concept was and has been the backbone of the Light Millennium since 1999. I would like to briefly introduce the  PURPOSES OF THE LIGHT MILLENNIUM GLOBAL to give you an idea about the vision and programs of the Organization as a volunteer-based UN Department of Global Communication associated NGO:

(Out of 13, a few selected Purposes) https://www.lmglobal.org/501_c_3/amended-and-broadened-purposes-of-the-light-millennium-inc/

1. To promote the free expression of ideas through the Organization’s multi-media platforms and to advance public access to community media in all countries.

2. To promote the culture of peace, harmony, and synergy among all nations through the Organization’s multi-media platforms and organized events by advocating for government accountability and transparency.

3. To promote girls-women’s and children’s rights by advocating for gender equality, quality education for all, and access to schools, libraries, museums, and any other educational or learning center.

4. To form, operate, and provide secular educational opportunities for underprivileged children and youth, by enabling access to, including, but not limited to, schools, libraries, museums, and any other public or private spaces throughout the world including any location where there is agreement and cooperation from the relevant governmental authorities to achieve such objectives.

[…]

7. To promote clean-renewable energy and other environmental programs and initiatives through the Organization’s multi-media platforms, organized events, and/or through collaborations and partnerships.

8. To promote global awareness, encouragement, and collaboration towards the design, development, and implementation of a recycling program for any form of commercial and consumer electronics by forming partnerships with local municipalities, cities, states, nations, and/or other constituents from the private sector.

[…]

12)   To embrace all ideas, belief systems, cultural and ethical values, and traditions, by acting and operating as a secular, non-religious based entity.

13)    To promote and support the United Nations Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly regarding “human development” and “environmental protection-sustainability”.

Based on the Organization 2001 and 2019 Amended and Broadened Purposes, we have been practicing interconnectedness that the organization’s websites receive over 5 million requests on an annual basis. In particular, through the association of the United Nations, I was invited to the 7th ICPNA in Japiur in 2008, which brought me here along with the 2023 Anuvrat Ahimsa International Peace Award.

In this context, I would like to focus in this section on the INTERCONNECTEDNESS:

Technological developments and related businesses blossomed while many conventional businesses had to be closed down. Yet, no sustainable solutions were provided to those who lost their core source of survival both on the individual family and community levels. On top of that, Artificial intelligence presents us with both opportunities and much higher risks as a human race.

Considering expenditures and spending in both the defense industry in any given country and the most developed countries along with by developed countries, trillion dollars investment in robots and artificial intelligence, if even from five to fifteen percent of those resources and human intelligence channels to the human advancement and eco-sustainability and those who do not respect other nations and community’s rights could be penalized, left alone in the global political arena, accordingly, could they continue what has been happening today in the world?

INTERCONNECTEDNESS should be transformed toward collective consumer power, responsible production, and consumption versus the high-tech race obtaining the latest developed weapons and/or becoming a nuclear state!

While I was at the New School in Media Studies in my Master of Arts in Winter 1997, for the first time, I used and experienced the Internet. I was mesmerized by its two-way messaging mechanism versus television and print media, which are grounded only in one-way messaging mechanisms. 

Our Internet experience and discussion forum were a part of our Media Theory class, in which we also studied Marshall Mc Luhan’s “Understanding Media” (1964). As a Turkish native, who moved to New York for the second time in 1996, I was desperate to connect with my family and friends in Istanbul along to follow the daily Turkish Newspapers. All my available time besides class and homework hours was spent at the computer lab school just doing what I emotionally needed it at that time, which also initially inspired me to write my 40th birthday essay which also provided a ground for The Light Millennium Organization. I am sharing my own story in connection with “Interconnectedness”, which was the core need that seeded the vision of the Organization in 1999.

Indeed, it has been effectively serving toward interconnectedness on the global level yet we cannot claim that we were able to lessen any form of violence or prevent wars, conflicts, or “natural-based genocide” in the name of “development” and/or business such as any form of mining or business investment. On the contrary, in certain cases, it has been triggering violence, hatred, regional conflicts, and wars…

YES. Interconnectedness is the MOST needed one, which has reached its peak during the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to rise.

YET, this enormous ever-growing interconnectedness has not served human advancement on the global level even though over 4 billion of the world’s population are connected to the internet. 

Whose have been benefiting from it on the utmost level? It has been serving more into CONCENTRATION of the economic, political, and military powers in few hands at the global level through IT / online business and social media companies along with, and as the top of all, the military/weapon industries in the world. The most hopeful development in this process may be considered the development of Space Technologies and expanding search in the Cosmos.

In this background, the QUESTION is; HOW CAN WE TRANSFORM THE EXISTING AND AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY TOWARD A COLLECTIVE GLOBAL CONSUMER POWER WITH RESPONSIBLE CONSUMERS, HOLDING CORPORATIONS, the PUBLIC, AND MILITARY INSTITUTIONS ACCOUNTABLE? In other words, HOW CAN WE TRANSFORM  the CURRENT GLOBAL TREND FROM ONE=PERCENT to NINETY-NINE percent toward demanding and investing in nonviolent and eco-sustainability by using our collective CONSUMER POWER?

In this larger context, YES. We do have solutions through all interconnected SDGS both on the national-regional and global levels, in particular, through the SDG-8, SDG-9, SDG-10, SDG-12, and SDG-17!

On the other hand, despite progress to be achieved by 2030, we’ve been witnessing a backward motion. People are losing their jobs/main survival sources. All political habits are at their peak on the global level. When we hear about technology and development, in most cases, those are business, profit-driven transnational operations, where the local communities, nationals, and humanity at large have been forgotten!

As a result, the world population is getting poorer, children hungry, and education opportunities more privatized that most families cannot afford therefore not an equal and quality education for all has been established even from the K12 on the global level.

CUMULATIVE CONSUMER POWER

As a background to CONSUMER RIGHTS & PROTECTION, based on the Consumer International Org’s website, which states the following:

“On 15 March 1962, President John F Kennedy was the first person and world leader, who send a special message to the US Congress on March 15, 1962”. According to CI, the consumer movement now marks the 15th of March, with World Consumer Rights Day, every year as a means of raising global awareness about consumer rights and needs. In President Kennedy’s special message to the US Congress, he stated the following:

“Consumers include us all. They are the largest economic group, affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic decision. Yet they are the only important group… whose views are often not heard.”
Source: https://www.consumersinternational.org/take-action/recognition-of-world-consumer-rights-day/

President Kennedy appears as the first person who has seen the Consumers Power. This brings us to another question:

WHAT IS CONSUMER POWER?

“Consumer Power refers to the consumers’ ability and capacity to influence business actions. Consumers can execute their power through purchasing, information sharing, networking, and crowd structuring.”

To take it one step further, In the abstract of the “Consumer Reactions and Brand Strategies in Wartime” by Mine Yurdagel, Bahçesehir University, Turkiye, and Gozde Baycur, Yeditepe University, Turkiye jointly states the following:

“Wars and political conflicts are crucial factors that shape consumer choices and responses. Tensions among countries and brands that support those countries.
Source: IGI-GLOBAL.COM
https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/consumer-reactions-and-brand-strategies-in-wartime/115997

Collectively both on national and global levels, “Consumer Power” may change and shape the way any corporation/manufacturer practices along with the needed policies. 

We can see almost all the U.S., E.U., and Chinese products in the smallest villages in the world including soft drinks, crackers, and snacks, along with all forms of cleaning, fruits, drinks, textile-clothing, toys,  furniture products, and so on…

Yet, there is no clear information about the producers/manufacturers if they are backing up/funding in one form or another any conflicts and wars and/or terrorist organizations in any part of the world! 

Thus, “Consumer Rights” should start with ACCESS TO INFORMATION as a part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19, along with the International Day for Universal Access to Information – 28 September. 

WHAT IS CONSUMER ADVOCACY?

Before moving forward, let’s look at the definition of Consumer Advocacy.

According to Britannica, consumer advocacy, movement, or policies aimed at regulating the products, services, methods, and standards of manufacturers, sellers, and advertisers in the interests of the buyer. Such regulation may 

be institutional, statutory, or embodied in a voluntary code accepted by a particular industry, or it may result more indirectly from the influence of consumer organizations.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/money/consumer-advocacyBut…

Based on this definition, How do we effectively use and benefit from it? 

In this context, let’s imagine: 

If any citizen of the world is aware including women, children, and youth, when she/he is consuming a package of chips, drinking soft or energy drinks, playing video games, or branded clothing, textiles, or video games, movies, selected media outlets both in print and online including electronic media; and decide what she/he is buying, wouldn’t it change the behaviors of those sectors/industry. 

Let’s imagine that who can spend $1.– per day on one of those products world may be about 1 to 3 billion population, who suddenly stop buying/using/consuming such products not only for one day until from production-labeling-packaging to selling and including after the consumption chain is re-designed and implemented all way through that is aligned with human health and eco-sustainability, this will have an enormous power to change the all conventional practices in favor of world population and eco-sustainability. 

Let’s imagine a loss of minimum from 1 to 3 billion on a daily or weekly even monthly basis for any nation and/or transnational company, certainly that will force drastic changes toward improvements for responsible production and consumption. 

All things start with an imagination. Yet, we need to start to identify each chronic issue on a national and global level toward the realization of that imagination. 

In that general context, let’s imagine further: 

If a transnational or national company backs up conflicts and wars, and/or is irresponsible to its environment through its production chain along with after a product is sold, accordingly, if billions of people in the world suddenly boycott and stop that product until its behavior changes and needed policies are in place, wouldn’t that ACT OF CONSUMER POWER will lead toward a Nonviolent and Eco-Sustainable Environment Future?

This kind of mobilizing global community also requires a more democratic and secular political system along with a free press and more independent empowered media channels including print, electronic, and online.

I trust that when we can combine our collective power both on national and global levels, accordingly, we can change the world for the better toward a better future and eco-sustainability at large. 

There was an extensive Consumer Awareness Campaign in the European Union, which was launched in Warsaw, Poland on March 3, 2014. The EU Presidency event was held on 7-8/07/2014 with the following title, “EU Cooperation for enforcement of consumer legislation”. Commissioner for Consumer Policy, Neven Mimica, launched the campaign in Rome at a conference organized by the Italian Competition Authority jointly with the presidency of the Council of the EU.According to EC.Europa.EU website, this campaign continued in Latvia, Bulgaria, Portugal, Cyprus, Belgium, Spain, and Greece in 2014, which led toward a sequence of celebrations of the “European Consumers Day (15 March), Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Check Republic, Latvia, and Brussels in 2015. Source: https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/just/items/30149

This sequence of these campaigns led to a draft resolution for the “World Consumer Rights Day” (15 March) to the United Nations in 2017. Yet, I could not locate it in the UN Days list on the web. Regardless, the 15th of March has been widely accepted as World Consumer Rights Day. According to the Consumer International website, it states the following:

More than thirty years ago, Consumers International started to mark 15 March as World Consumer Rights Day, and since then the date has been celebrated throughout the world as a reminder for countries to observe and enforce consumer rights and needs. In July 2017, national consumer protection ministries and agencies reached a historic agreement on a proposal for the United Nations (UN) to make World Consumer Protection Week an official UN observance. If the proposal is adopted at the UN General Assembly later this year, Consumers International will continue to mark the 15 March as World Consumer Rights Day, within the UN-recognised World Consumer Protection Week. UN recognition would be an important step towards meeting the challenge that President Kennedy set out more than 50 years ago.

Based on the above-provided information, in connection with the draft resolution to the U.N., there is no further information about the World Consumer Protection Week or Day as an official UN Observance, nor could locate any other campaign in the E.U. after 2017! 

Perhaps, this is the time to activate it not only on the EU levels but on the UN and therefore global levels.

As the outcome of the 11th ICPNA, can we reach out to Consumers International (CI) with the outcome of the Conference? Consumers International is a consortium of consumer advocacy groups that promotes the rights and interests of consumers. It was founded as the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU) in 1960 and by the early 21st century had grown to include more than 200 member organizations in more than 100 countries. It is headquartered in London and has offices in Kuala Lumpur, Malay., and in Santiago.CI defends what it considers to be eight basic consumer rights: the right to protection from unsafe products, the right to product information (this should be access to information about the manufacturer/producer as well), the right to a range of product choices, the right to representation in government policy, the right to products that satisfy basic needs, the right to redress for grievances concerning unsatisfactory products, the right to consumer education, and the right to an environment that is not threatening to human well-being. 

CI acts through its member organizations to influence local and international policies that affect consumers, and it campaigns to promote corporate accountability and protect consumers from deceptive marketing practices. To raise consumer awareness, the group also publishes research on product safety issues and abuses in the marketplace. 

Based on the above definition, CI may be a channel toward developing a global consumer awareness and collective power campaign! Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Consumers-International

ECO-SUSTAINABILITY*

Can Eco-Sustainability be possible under the current war and conflict-based global political structure?

Or, how can it be achieved?

If we are not doing anything about the existing forms of home/residential houses, government buildings, and small-large industries toward upgrading infrastructure in all levels of each village, town, small and megacities with a holistic approach despite the Global Goals. Based on the current and ongoing trend, we may not be able to sustain world affairs, may not be able to reach the 2030 Global Goals nor may not be able to reach a nonviolent future. 

Needed technologies and scientific findings are out but NEEDED resources have NOT been allocated toward these holistic goals but as it was, and still has been as we speak to war machines and toward full destruction of humanity and planet Earth.

Whether conventional or nuclear weapons and/or biological weapons, most of the world’s most valuable sources and intellect have been channeled into destruction and war and conflict and sustain the conflict-related business.

This may be only transformed through interconnectedness over 3-4 billion Internet users toward a global campaign to stop buying and consuming any product that the producer/manufacturers are one form or another have been supporting and contributing even on the logistic and ideological level to any forms of war, local, regional conflicts and/or terrorist organizations including fundamentalist ones…

PROPOSED SOLUTION: Let’s imagine, even min. 2-3 dollars daily spending of the world population, suddenly and completely stop buying and consuming certain products that were manufactured/produced by those supporters of the conflicts and wars in the short and long term. 

If this can be done globally by billions for any product and/or any form of policy change including prohibiting plastics chemical cans and medical waste from ending up on our lands, mountains, rivers, seas, and oceans that eventually affect “Our Groundwater”, which is the very limited source for our / humanity and environmental survival.

As it is indicated in “Decoding the Theme of Eco-Sustainability”, it is “pretty grim. 

Our biodiversity and forests are gradually disappearing, rivers are drying up, and mountains are being denuded of trees. Man’s unrestrained greed and rampant consumerism are responsible for this unprecedented crisis of non-sustainability. The earth is losing its carrying capacity. The UN has been striving hard to cope with the problem at the government level.”

In this context, I would like to illustrate a couple of examples based on Türkiye, who is one of the founding members of the United Nations (October 24, 1945). And, Turkiye is one of the signatories of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. 

Here we go…

According to Kavlak.Com, “in 1939, in Atatürk’s last year, a first in the history of the Republic of Turkey took place and the “Law No. 3573 on the Improvement of Olive Cultivation and Grafting of Wild Animals” was enacted to increase the economic value of olives for a product and to develop Turkish olive farmers.”https://www.kavlak.com.tr/blog/icerik/ataturk-ve-zeytincilik#:~:text=Atatürk%27ün%20son%20yılında%2C%201939,Yabanilerinin%20Aşılattırılması%20Hakkında%20Yasa”%20çıkarılmıştır.

To move forward, Evrensel.net published a review (in Turkish) with the following title: “Through the AKP government, it abolished the Olive Law with a regulation change”, which states: “Mining and energy projects can be carried out in olive groves. With this change in a regulation published in the Official Gazette, olive groves were opened to mining. According to the regulation, the field will be required to be ‘rehabilitated when the activity is completed’.”

[…]

Reaction to this change follows in the same report: THEY DESTROYED THE LAW WITH REGULATION

The Olive Law, which enabled the cancellation of many mining and energy projects because it did not allow any facility that produces dust other than the olive processing facility within 3 kilometers of the olive groves, was rendered inoperative by the amendment to the regulation published in the Official Gazette.

In reference to the amendment in the “Regulation on Amendments to the Mining Regulation” prepared by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources;

“In case the mining activities carried out to meet the electricity needs of the country coincide with the areas registered as olive groves in the land registry and if it is not possible to carry out the activities in other areas, the person who will carry out the mining activity undertakes to rehabilitate the field and restore it to its former state at the end of the activities, and the olive field will be mined within the work schedule determined by the General Directorate. “The Ministry may grant permission to move the part where the activity will be carried out, to carry out mining activities on the site, and to build temporary facilities for these activities, taking into account the public interest.” https://www.evrensel.net/haber/456092/akp-zeytin-yasasini-yonetmelik-degisikligiyle-ortadan-kaldirdi-zeytinliklerde-maden-ve-enerji-projeleri-yapilabilecek

Renowned Turkish author Yilmaz Ozdil asked the following question and response to it through X.com as of yesterday (February 13, 2024): 

“Do you know how many […] mines were licensed between 2003 and 2023?… 386,000! In written, three hundred-eighty-six thousand…386,000! In words, three hundred and eighty-six thousand! I congratulate both those who gave licenses and those who voted!”  

The key concern is in this situation, unfortunately, the Republic of Türkiye has been forced to move away from a democratic system to a presidential system that has led the Turkish Parliament as a malfunctioning institution and opposition parties are not effective!

I consider that this could be changed primarily toward activating a nationwide effective and decisive collective consumer power that may be more effective than any election in Türkiye.

All these terrible political decisions are harming the environment, economic growth, and sustainability, and related decrees could be withdrawn or changed through a collective consumer power on the national level!

Otherwise, for the sake of a couple of corporations’ both domestic and international profits, historical-mythological forests, olive fields, wetlands, ancient sites, and inhabited zones have been systemically compromised, in particular during the last 20 years.

In response to compromising, in particular, forest areas in the name of development, the general response is by government representatives that we have planted such and such amount of new trees, or will plant during the next 5 years, etc… Yet, there is no guarantee that all newly planted trees will survive! Even so, a more critical point is that it will take another 30 years to turn out to be a young forest! Until then, new generations, air, climate, and the environment at large will suffer terribly!

I think that the major missing point is that most nations act as if they don’t have any obligation to follow through with the UN Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Sustainable Development Goals, along with in several cases, Women’s Rights, Children’s Rights, and International Laws but only be-appear on the international and global arena through the United Nations.

Shouldn’t these practices change or shouldn’t be a consequence of that sort of practices on the UN level?

THE FUTURE

As is indicated in the Conference’s overarching concept the future does not seem so bright where we are in human history at this stage on the one hand, on the other the United Nations Department of Global Communication’s 2024 Civil Society Conference in Nairobi, Kenya on May 9-10, 2024 is dedicated on the “The Summit on the Future”, which will bring together the global community through NGOs, CSOs, academia, policymakers, and private sector toward inclusion those voices and ideas toward solutions to be presented to the UN Secretary-General before the 79th Sessions of the UN General Assembly. In this line, the 78th Session of the UNGA79 is also dedicated to the “Summit On The Future: What It Would Deliver?” that will mainly bring all the member states together to discuss and present ideas toward solutions at the UN General Assembly in September 2024. #UNGA79

The dedication theme of the #UNGA79 Sessions Purpose is defined below:

“Strengthen international cooperation so it delivers fully and fairly on existing agreements while enabling us to respond effectively to new threats and opportunities for present and future generations. In doing so, restore trust in multilateralism and each other.”

Both the upcoming UN Civil Society Conference along the UN General Assembly 79th session potentially will present hope and recovery-protection that also hope will cover that nothing will be used against people’s will and rights under the name of “development” and/or “public good” purpose!

On the UN.Org website, “The Summit on the Future” of the #UNGA79 dedication theme is introduced through the following subtitles Purpose, Background,  Accelerating the SDGs, Impact, Managing Global Shocks, Meaningful Inclusion of Young People, Measuring What We Value; Open, Free and Secure Digital Future, A Global Financial System That?Works For All, Sharing the Benefits of Space, A New Agenda for Peace, Transforming Education, Integrity in Information,  and the UN 2.0.

Indeed, we, all the citizens of the world, have been facing enormous threats through ongoing conflicts, wars including ever-escalated nuclear and biological warfare including natural disasters and water and food scarcity, and an ever-polluted world stands in front of us.

Yet, we do have the hope that may come up through multilateralism and global partnerships, which are not limited to the member states but all crosscutting societies must be a part of it, as Mr. Felipe Queipo stated in his Opening Remarks at the Inaugural Session that the “UN’s secret is, the UN needs you more than you need the U.N.”.  https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/our-common-agenda-summit-of-the-future-what-would-it-deliver_0.pdf

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, going back and let’s imagine again and aim to have a COLLECTIVE CONSUMER POWER minimum of 1 billion within the next 5-to-10 years so that we can achieve the most needed changes in the world through COLLECTIVE CONSUMER POWER, at least by 2045 at the 100th Anniversary of the United Nations. 

Reaching a billion may be seen as an unrealistic idea but when we consider that the world population is connected with the Internet and social media platforms over 4 billion, accordingly, this can be achieved…

WHEN these over 4 billion can be mobilized through consumer powers in multiple forms, accordingly we can get there…

As the saying goes, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way…”

As Kennedy stated in the quote, …” Yet they are -CONSUMERS- the only important group… whose views are often not heard.”

And, yes, I would like to repeat Mahatma Gandhi’s powerful quote, which inspired us to celebrate Gandhi’s 150th Birthday in 2019, along with Dr. Gandhi at the Inaugural Session yesterday:

“You can change the world in a gentle way.”

Further, concluding this keynote with another relevant quote as the overarching theme of the conference:

‘If you want to change the world, start with yourself.’

All in all, based on the above-shared ideas, I trust that “A Nonviolent Future For Human Race and Eco-Sustainability” can be achieved through nonviolence, globally secular political systems, an effective and right direction interconnectedness in all levels and countries with targeting 8 billion world population, along with peace education starting in Pre-K and onward, and all these combined, in particular starting with through activating collective consumer power, and launching ongoing global campaigns toward this noble goal.

Thank you very much for your kind attention and for listening to me. 

Written/Compiled and Presented by Bircan Ünver
The Light Millennium Global
FEB. 14, 2024
www.lmglobal.org 

[*] DISCLOSURE: Due to pressure of time, some sections of this full-speech had to be skipped during the 11th ICPNA presentation, in particular, in connection with the “Eco-Sustainability” section. B.Ü.

Live-Streamed: The 11th International Conference Interconnectedness between Nonviolence and Eco-Sustainability (Introduction in 13:38 – Speech begins in 14:16 to 33:46)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZRf9YOyY4

SOURCES & REFERENCES

11th ICPNA – International Conference on Peace & Nonviolent Action | Speakers: https://icpna.anuvibha.org/#/speakers?lang=en

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

Children Peace Palace
https://anuvibha.org/childrens-peace-palace

We Have A Problem And The Solution!… 

THE RIGHT TO PEACE: WOMEN AND YOUTH THROUGH CULTURE

Consumer Rights Awareness Campaign (retrieved on February 13, 2024)
https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/just/items/30149

Consumers International Org. 
https://www.consumersinternational.org/take-action/recognition-of-world-consumer-rights-day/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Consumers-International

https://www.britannica.com/money/consumer-advocacy

Atatürk ve Zeytincilik (retrieved on February 14, 2024)
https://www.kavlak.com.tr/blog/icerik/ataturk-ve-zeytincilik#:~:text=Atatürk%27ün%20son%20yılında%2C%201939

Yabanilerinin Aşılattırılması Hakkında Yasa çıkarılmıştır.
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/456092/akp-zeytin-yasasini-yonetmelik-degisikligiyle-ortadan-kaldirdi-zeytinliklerde-maden-ve-enerji-projeleri-yapilabilecek (retrived on February 13, 2024)

79th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79)

(retrieved on February 14, 2024)

SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE: WHAT WOULD IT DELIVER? (retrieved on Feb. 14, 2024)
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/our-common-agenda-summit-of-the-future-what-would-it-deliver_0.pdf

UN COMMON AGENDA
https://www.un.org/en/common-agenda/policy-brief

2019 “Amended & Broadened” Purposes of The Light Millennium Global
https://www.lmglobal.org/501_c_3/amended-and-broadened-purposes-of-the-light-millennium-inc/