In 2002, the Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative began at Oxford. After six years and with six global conferences, books and many articles, as well as its own web site and the Journal of Globalization for the Common Good to its credit, the movement has become known to, and respected by, many around the world. We have developed a successful track record of bringing together a diverse collection of scholars, researchers, NGO leaders, policymakers, young people, religious and spiritual leaders from around the world for intense discussions on a spiritual and value-centred vision of globalisation and the common good. Indeed, we have now moved from research and discussion to articulate position papers and an active agenda for change in the international community and its economic and development policies.

Today, many people, from all walks of life and different parts of the world are questioning many aspects of the moral and spiritual free-zone life and existence. Are there sources from which we can draw meaning and wholeness to our lives? Are there resources of spirituality that would nourish and sustain our lives in this complex, pluralistic and ever changing world? Why, when we humans have such a great capacity for caring, sharing, consciousness, wisdom and creativity, has our world seen so much cruelty, wars, insensitivity, injustice, and destruction?

These questions and many more are being raised in our day not only by those traditionally identified with religious traditions; they are the questions of scientists, politicians, economists, educators, psychologists, people in the business world, working people, and all who experience an emptiness and a lack of purpose and orientation to human life. Young people in particular call for an alternate vision that is centred in values that give meaning to human existence.

What matters most today, more than ever before, it seems, are money and economics, the “loadsamoney” culture and mentality. This philosophy of materialism and consumerism has brought us a bitter harvest. Indeed, the ecological degradation and environmental vandalism that we are witnessing in the interest of profit maximisation and the highest return to the shareholders, has prompted many respectable scholars to ask if life as we know it can continue under present conditions. For example, Lord Rees, Prof. of Cosmology and Astrophysics, and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, gives present human civilisation no more than a 50 per cent chance of surviving the current century, in his recent book Our Final Century. Are we closer to the beginning of history, or to its end?
There is no doubt in my mind that, we need a new direction, a new economic system, a new path: a globalisation of kindness, compassion and justice. We need a globalisation that understands that sustainability demands that efficiency and equity should go hand-in-hand. We know there must be a convergence of these values, rather than a competition between them.

We need to understand that in this inextricably interconnected world none of us has a secure future so long as abject poverty, hunger and violence continue unabated. We must admit that the present economic system is despoiling and depleting our beautiful Earth. We must acknowledge that there is something drastically and fundamentally wrong with the current economic rules and practices that fail to adequately value the most essential human work: the work of service, caring for ourselves, others, and our Mother Earth.

As it has been noted by many saints and sages throughout history, fostering peace by overcoming evil with good requires careful reflection on the common good and on its social and political implications. When the common good is encouraged at every level, the conditions for peace are promoted. Can an individual find complete fulfilment without taking account of his/her social nature, that is, our being “with” and “for” others? The common good closely concerns us. It closely concerns every expression of our social nature: the family, groups, associations, cities, regions, states, the community of peoples and nations.

Each person, in some way, is called to work for the common good, constantly looking out for the good of others. This responsibility belongs in a particular way to political authorities at every level, since they are called to create that sum of social conditions which permit and foster in human beings the integral development of their person. The common good therefore demands respect for and the integral promotion of the person and his/her fundamental rights, as well as respect for and the promotion of the rights of nations on the universal plane.

Moreover, as many have reminded us, a just economy for the common good should adhere to the following values:

1.) The economy is for people; 2.) The economy is for being, not having; 3.) The economic system ought to be needs-based; 4.) The economy is an act of stewardship; 5.) The economy must be a participatory society; 6.) There must be fair sharing; 7.) The system must permit self reliance; 8.) The economy must be ecologically sustainable; 9.) The economy must be productive.

Globalisation is fast evolving and rapidly changing the world and this symposium reveals the urgency of focusing on crucial questions. Clearly, it is an opportunity to reflect on how the common good, can constitute an international platform capable of reacting to globalisation and its consequences.

As noted above, globalisation is most often thought of within economic and technological structures as a way to denote the massive and dynamic global integration of national economies and markets. Because these economic and technological forces are central to the current and future well-being of the global human family, it is essential that they be discussed within the more general framework of human moral and spiritual experience. It is only within these frameworks that we can fully explore the values and relationships that form our human communities. Central to this discussion are religious institutions and communities which have developed time-honored wisdom arising from the deep encounter of the human person with the mystery of the sacred. The diversity represented by these communities images the profound truth of the transcendent mystery in which we participate.

As it has been observed by many throughout history, religion has been both a source of blessing and curse. Religion has been, and is, a major factor in many conflicts and wars around the world. It has also been and is now a presence calling people out of their own selfishness, challenging cultures of waste and death. Various religious communities cry out against political/economic injustice, human rights abuses, poverty, hatred, fear, ignorance, consumerism, war as an instrument of imperial policy, and the failure to respect international legal or ethical principles, even as they challenge their own communities to choose paths that nurture peace and justice instead of contributing to new conflicts, intolerance, and even anarchy around the world.

Committed to spirituality, compassion and respect for others, truly religious people must not allow their religion to be hijacked and abused by exclusivist ideologues. We must make a stand together for peace, understanding, mutual respect, dialogue and justice. We must welcome religious diversity and concede that no single religion can claim a monopoly of Truth. Indeed, at this time in our history and journey- facing globalisation, global warming, AIDS and more- we need each other far more than in the past. The future of our world demands that we teach to our students, parishioners and communities the value and benefits of dialogue, co-operation and interdependence.

In order to provide a better understanding of the role of religions in the age of globalisation, in 2002, “Globalisation for the Common Good” came into being at Oxford. This movement is for “Rekindling the Human Spirit and Compassion in Globalisation”. We articulated  an alternative to the current dominant models of economic/free trade globalisation and that would  make globalisation good for all. Our movement found many dedicated and committed friends around the world. From Oxford we went to St. Petersburg, Russia, then to Dubai. In 2005, we were in Kenya. In 2006, Chaminade University of Honolulu, in Hawaii hosted the conference, while in 2007 we are be at the Fatih University in Istanbul. In 2008, our common good journey will take us to Mebourne, Australia. Future conferences are currently under consideration.

The mission of Globalisation for the Common Good is to promote an ethical, moral and spiritual vision of globalisation and encourage adoption of public policy at all levels that builds the common good of our global community. In this way we nurture personal virtue in our relationships with each other and the planetary environment, while investing our understanding of economics, commerce, trade and international relations with values centered on the universal common good. We will advance understanding and action on major global issues by civil society, private enterprise, the public sector, governments, and national and international institutions. We will promote collaborative policy solutions to the challenges posed by globalisation. We are committed to the idea that the marketplace is not just an economic sphere, ‘it is a region of the human spirit’. Reflecting on the Divine dimension of life can not be divorced from consideration of economic questions and issues can not be considered. Economics can not be effectively practiced without an understanding of the world of heart and spirit. Therefore we view the problem and challenge of globalisation not only from an economic point of view, but also from ethical, spiritual and theological perspectives.

We affirm our conviction that genuine inter-faith dialogue and co-operation is a significant way of bringing the world together supporting the creation of a harmonious environment needed to build a world of peace, justice and prosperity for all. The call for Globalisation for the Common Good is an appeal to our essential humanity to deal with some of the most pressing concerns of peoples the world over. Business and wealth creation, when they contribute to the common good of the global community, are blessed and vital for human survival. Bringing religions and business together for the common good will empower us with humanity, spirituality and love. It will raise us above pessimism to an ultimate optimism; turning from darkness to light; from night to day; from winter to spring. This spiritual ground for hope at this time of wanton destruction of our world, can help us recognise the ultimate purpose of life and of our journey in this world.

The Essential Dimensions of Globalisation for the Common Good

1. To champion the highest cultural evolutionary values and aspirations of the early 21st century, in full awareness of their strategic interdependence:

  • Respect for belief in God, Ultimate Reality, or the One, and the right of each person to religious freedom and practice
  • The investment of spiritual capital
  • The practice of selfless love
  • Deep Interreligious and intercultural dialogue and engagement for the common good
  • Cultures of peace and non-violent conflict resolution
  • Economic justice, social justice, solidarity, and universal human rights
  • Ecological sustainability, stewardship, and commitment to an interspecies ethic
    Global empowerment of women
  • The rights of the child
  • The elimination of global hunger, thirst, preventable disease, and poverty
  • Cosmopolitanism: the harmony of local, national, and global citizenship

2. To seek solutions to the great challenges facing the planetary community:

  • The estrangement of global North and South
  • The urgent need for a restructured global economy
  • The increasing necessity of global public governance
  • The elucidation of a global ethic identifying the rights and the responsibilities of Earth’s people
  • The elimination of the scourges of actual and virtual slavery and torture
  • The creation of sustainable energy policies
  • The realization of planetary sovereignty by the peoples of the Earth
  • Cherishing and protection of the global commons
  • Commitment to service

3. To contribute to the creation of a global interdisciplinary agenda for the common good.

The Aims of Globalisation for the Common Good are:

  • GCG commits itself to a wide range of activities that are all aimed at promoting and teaching, through cutting-edge scholarly activities, research and education on Globalisation for the Common Good. Our emphasis is on providing progressive perspectives that are increasingly hard to find because of the reliance on, and promotion of, neo-liberalism as the sole philosophy behind the current globalisation process.
  • GCG therefore, rather than espousing and defending a single discipline or paradigm, seeks to engage a broad, pluralistic range of viewpoints and models to be represented, compared, and ultimately synthesised into a richer understanding of the inherently complex systems it deals with.
  • GCG nurtures a commitment among academics and practitioners to learn from each other, to explore new patterns of thinking together, and to facilitate the derivation and implementation of effective policies for the realisation of Globalisation for the Common Good.
  • GCG is committed to the idea of global cooperation and dialogue between scholars, business leaders, policy makers, opinion leaders and leading NGOs. Our aim is that such co-operation will lead to a more informed and balanced understanding of the behaviours, motivations and objectives of the various forces, agents and policy makers that form the globalisation process.

Among research topics carried out by GCG in fulfilment of its mission are:

  • Ethics, Philosophy, Theology and Globalisation 
  • Eastern and Western spirituality in Dialogue for the Common Good 
  • Global Governance, Business, Economics and Globalisation 
  • Ethics and Spirituality in Higher Education 
  • Global Consciousness and Spirituality 
  • Faith and Action in the age of Globalisation 
  • The Virtuous Economy- Business as a Calling: Doing Well by Doing Good 
  • Environment, Ecology and Globalisation 
  • Psychology and Globalisation 
  • Politics, International Relations and Globalisation
  • Non-violent Conflict Resolution and Peace building 
  • Civilisation, Culture and Globalisation 
  • Media, Global reporting and Globalisation 
  • Global Activism for the Common Good 
  • Enabling, Envisioning and Empowering: Young People Leadership Programme in Common Good 
  • Regions & Globalisation for the Common Good

Globalisation for the Common Good, by addressing the crises that face us all, empowers us with humanity, spirituality and love. It engages people of different races, cultures and languages, from a wide variety of backgrounds, all of them committed to bringing about a world in which there is more solidarity and greater harmony. This spiritual ground for hope, arising at this time of wanton destruction of our world, can help us to recall the ultimate purpose of life and of our journey in this world.

Kamran Mofid, Founder, Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative