Promoting sustainability is building the future

While the primary focus remains at the national level, it must be recalled that the Johannesburg Declaration and the Plan of Implementation adopted in 2002 by the World Summit on Sustainable Development emphasised clear commitments to multilateralism and the need for strong support from the entire international community.

For instance, the serious problems posed by natural disasters are of crucial importance to all 192 UN Member States, and in particular to developing countries. The adverse consequences on the affected populations are long lasting. It is, therefore, important to examine the measures that need to be taken to improve the capacity of affected nations to respond to disasters and to increase the assistance provided to them.

The Kyoto Protocol, which imposes in its first phase emissions reduction targets on more than 30 industrialised countries, has in fact not been ratified by all large developed nations. Countries of the north have to step up their efforts to ensure its effective implementation. A stronger commitment to the requirements of the protocol is a major objective to be promoted by educators the world over.

A visionary approach

The current debates in Thailand about "sufficiency economy" are topical, inspiring and instructive from the educational perspective. The presentation of the United Nations Development Programs’ Inaugural Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne is indicative of the importance of His Majesty's philosophy to the entire world.

In presenting the award, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said:

His Majesty's sufficiency economy philosophy - emphasising moderation, responsible consumption, and resilience to external shocks - is of great relevance to communities everywhere during these times of rapid globalisation. The philosophy's middle path approach strongly reinforces the United Nations' own advocacy of a people-centred and sustainable path towards human development. His Majesty's development agenda and visionary thinking are an inspiration to his subjects, and to people everywhere.

Kofi Annan also emphasised that His Majesty's visionary thinking has helped shape the global development dialogue.

The opinions expressed in Thailand show that the application of sufficiency economy is not fixed, but flexible, to allow it to respond to globalisation. But whatever the application, knowledge and morality must be present.

Sufficiency means having enough, being reasonable and having the capacity to withstand internal and external changes. The sufficiency economy is not directed against the liberal market economy. On the contrary, it is meant to help it to work more effectively by ensuring that its mechanisms are not distorted, but are honest and transparent. In its practical manifestations, sufficiency economy has three components: moderation; wisdom or insight; and the need for built-in resilience against potential internal and external risks.

Education comes energetically into the picture, as the art of making people ethical and to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct. All members of society need to develop their commitment to the importance of knowledge, integrity and honesty, and to conduct their lives in conformity with the fundamental values of perseverance, toleration and wisdom, so that the country has the capacity to cope with the rapid and widespread transformations.

In Thai commentaries on the matter it is correctly emphasised that sufficiency economy is an offshoot of Buddhist philosophy rather than a new paradigm based on economic equations or theory. But it is also cogently acknowledged that its application to market economy is similar to the UN concept of building a sustainable economy, which should give tangibility to the values of solidarity and respect for nature. The main idea is to add quality to the whole development process and include into it better risk management and good governance.

The irreversible process of globalisation must be successfully faced at the universal level. To that end, all parties, including developing countries, should emerge stronger and be able to avoid marginalisation and reach win-win situations in their collective struggle for sustainable progress and prosperity. This is an imperative task which no country can ignore today, during an era of planetary vulnerabilities, discontinuities and perplexities.