Social and ecological responsibility is a force of the future

General Secretary of the UN Ki-moon read an address to the participants of the World Economic Forum in Davos, putting there a fundamental accent on the ecological question. The General Secretary stated that, along with many problems of an economic character, before us appears «another problem which has been forming for years and carries a global character. The issue is the change of the climate, which puts under threat all our aims in the sphere of development and achievement of social progress.» However, according to Mr. Ki-moon, the world ecological crisis opens before humanity the remarkable prospect of improving the economic situation: «If we engage in solving the problem of the change of climate directly, we will succeed in overcoming many difficulties which we today face, including the threat of the global recession.» What first of all is necessary for the best ecological and economic future of our civilization? The General Secretary of the UN is convinced that we can resolve every global challenge only by working all together. So we need «a new level of international cooperation – governments, civil society and the private sector, have to work together in the interests of collective global welfare.» This is important for the effective overcoming of various crises of the contemporary situation: «to break the chains of short-term approaches that hold us back and to engage in a search for long-term decisions». Mr. Ki-moon considers «green» an economy which is characterized by a low volume of extra carbon, safe technology, an effective use of energy, and the creation of new workplaces. Such a «green» economy will allow us «to convert today's crisis into tomorrow’s permanent growth.» The General Secretary of the UN completed the speech to the participants of the World Economic Forum in Davos with the appeal: «Social and ecological responsibility… this is a force of the future. I call you to master this force.»

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Office of the UGCC on Questions of Ecology