leaders who have a vision and want to change
what they know is not right.
Civil society is creating grass roots business to
support the ideals they wish to achieve (and the
social, medical, and renewable energy projects
that are essential to our survival). Meanwhile
there are executives in boardrooms who suffer
frustration, knowing themselves that this system
is not right, and certainly will not assure a future
for their children either. So they have to do something too.
Anatomy of an Emerging Consensus
Our global youth are joining hands across national boundaries with technology that knows
no limits and can hack any firewall that imposes
boundaries. They will form transnational movements that do not recognize national limitations
and as these congeal and form critical mass, will
one day demand to sit at the table with national
leaders. From the Himalayan Consensus, African Consensus, Barcelona Consensus, to a New
Earth Consensus that seeks to embrace us all, the
power of our planet’s youth demand a voice in a
future that belongs to them, not us.
Activists across the developing world have come
to the realization that standard economic measures overlook key components of wellbeing and
stability. Thus, new measures and programs
emerged from Asia coming together as the Himalayan Consensus, linking micro-finance pioneered
by Muhammad Yunus, and “gross national happiness” championed by Lyonpo Jigmi Thinley,
former prime minister of Bhutan. From these and
many other like pioneers three principles have
emerged: protecting ethnic diversity and local
identity; achieving sustainability through local
businesses while empowering individuals through
micro-finance; and giving back to the community
while prioritizing environmental protection.
Likewise, an African Consensus, as a fresh approach to development, could be seen emerging from the 2011 World Social Forum in Dakar,
Senegal, against a backdrop of protests erupt-
ing across North Africa, underscoring the need
for change. In West Africa civil society had been
creating small-scale businesses supporting socialenvironmental programs and community development to provide an alternative to the misused aid
funds and IMF and World Bank conditions that
had effectively supported a system of impoverishing the population while propping up elitist
leaders. With 40 percent of African productivity
coming from the informal sector, Africans have
simply bypassed corrupt dysfunctional governments and failed international aid programs. The
African Commission on Human and People’s Rights
Forum, with NGO representatives from 54 African
countries, adopted the African Consensus Declaration in Gambia on April as a fresh economic
paradigm. Moreover, they declared ethnic identity
and the right to water as universal human rights,
and pointed to extreme poverty as the cause of
violence, extremism and even terrorism.
Back in America, after the crushing of Occupy
groups across the country, mainstream media depicted the movement as broken. Actually, it is not
gone. It is just incubating. People have gone back
to their communities and have turned protest into
action, setting up community social enterprises,
co-ops, and programs to re-invigorate urban ghettoes – essentially doing what our politicians have
failed. America’s progressive economic movement
is proposing the exchange of commodities and
services, creating localized sustainable businesses. Because bank and venture capital financing goes into speculation – the great Wall Street
bourse -- there is a quest for creative financing
solutions for small local businesses, essential for
reviving communities.
Meanwhile, some executives in corporations that
Occupy rallied against are also reflecting and
re-thinking their role in order to survive. Are their
goals just profits, shareholder values or management bonuses? How a corporation contributes to
sustainability – what it does for its communities,
the environment or employees – should that be
measured, too? New corporate responsibility
scheme 2v