Weeramantry at World Future Council

GERMANY: The World Future Council (WFC) - a forum for the protection of the rights of future generations and the most influential international think tank working on global problems - met in Germany this month and appointed 16 commissions to investigate global problems ranging from climate change, terrorism, international warfare, the alarming gap between the rich and poor lack of respect for the rule of law.

These commissions, headed by eminent international experts, will report their findings to the international community, seeking to influence members of legislatures, public opinion and decision makers throughout the world.

Judge C.G. Weeramantry, Former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice, is one of the Founding- Councillors of this global forum. He attended the founding meeting of the World Future Council in Hamburg, Germany from May 9 - 13.

In the international area WFC is considered to be the strong new voice addressing issues that threaten the future of the world. Its main aim is to draw on our shared human values to champion the rights of future generations. It argues that humanity is today on a collision course with its own future.

The international scene is bristling with problems. This is in the midst of unprecedented wealth, technology, knowledge and skills and the advantages brought out by the information age, WFC program was put together by Jakob von Uexkull, the founder of the Alternative Nobel Prize.

Detailing how they will go about implementing the proposals, Jakob von Uexkull, the Founder said the Council will help “introduce these into national parliaments via the e-Parliament, a global online network of democratically elected parliamentarians.

Our first in a series of major ongoing campaigns will be on tackling global climate chaos.

Judge Weeramantry is joined in this Council by some of the most outstanding personalities of this time, such as Professor Hans Peter Durr, the leading nuclear scientist and philosopher, who worked with Edward Teller and the founder of quantum mechanics, Professor Dr. Vandana Shiva identified by Time Magazine as an environmental hero in 2003.

Dr. Olivier Giscard d’Estaing, Chairman Committee for a World Parliament, and several other internationally renowned personalities from a variety of backgrounds.

The aims of the World Future Council include creating a trusted, long-term voice to speak up for future generations, building an integrated global forum based on our shared ethical values and overcoming action gaps by linking moral authority with democratic power.

The World Future Council attempts to act as a global conscience, counteracting short-term greed, inertia and complacency. It will add value to many existing initiatives by building an ongoing coordinated value-based framework clearly focused on implementing urgently needed reforms.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama in wishing the World Future Council initiative stated that, ‘it could be worthwhile to establish a body whose principal task would be to monitor human affairs from the perspective of ethics...”

On the invitation of the World Future Council, Judge Weeramantry has undertaken a research study on what the world religions say about the protection and the conservation of the environment.

Judge Weeramantry made a presentation on the teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam on the global future to the World Future Councillors and numerous guests who were gathered at the founding meeting in Hamburg, and this was received with much interest, enthusiasm and praise.