Nobel peace laureates who gathered for their annual summit have said the work that earned them their prizes is far from over.
We must ... continue to raise these issues and speak the truth to power
Mikhail Gorbachev, who as President of the Soviet Union helped end the Cold War and open the communist regime to democracy, said the time has come for “a new global order that must be more stable, just and humane”.
Nuclear weapons are again threatening mass destruction, poverty and deprivation still shackle billions of people, while climate change and pollution deprive people of clean water, air and food.
“As Nobel laureates we have the moral right to speak out,” said Mr Gorbachev.
“Even though we’re not getting any younger, we must commit our hearts and our souls and we must continue to raise these issues and to speak the truth to power.”
Governments are ignoring commitments made to the UN and to their citizens, benefiting vested interests. “We must unite, have solidarity and work to change the world for the better.”
Frederik de Klerk, who as President of South Africa helped to end apartheid, said poverty and a failure to manage diversity were at the root of misery that is unjust and leads to social unrest, conflict and terrorism.
“Where do the terrorists come from? They come from countries where the masses do not have good living conditions, and are stimulated by fanaticism.”
While South Africa is troubled by the failure to honour its commitments to citizens, its history provides a lesson in the power of diplomacy over violence or embargoes.
“Haven’t we had too much big stick and isn’t it time for speaking softly?” he asked.
Lech Walesa, who led Poland’s Solidarity movement and served as the nation’s first post-communist President, warned of the threat of unsustainable economic disparities. “Unless improved and reformed, this capitalism will not survive this century,” he said. “Certainly we will retain the free market economy and private ownership, but not the kind of injustice we’ve had in place.”
The repercussions of disparities in social benefits and taxation are reflected in the current European economic crisis, but they are also spread throughout the world.
“We must find jobs for everyone. If we fail that, they will start a revolution,” Mr Walesa said.
Technology and social media have amplified the voices of activists and enable dramatic changes like the Arab Spring revolutions that have swept through North Africa and the Middle East, said former US President Jimmy Carter. “Now everyone who believes in freedom or the end of war can speak independently. And their voices combine and make a powerful weapon.”