Summit's Final Statement

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10^th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Berlin, Germany

BREAKING DOWN WALLS FOR A WORLD WITH PEACE AND JUSTICE

Summit Final Statement

The Nobel Peace Laureates, representatives of non-governmental organizations and youth representatives, gathered in Berlin on 10-11, November, 2009, having considered the historical implications of the fall of the Berlin Wall and global developments during the 20 years since then, call on the international community to break down the national, international, personal, and institutional walls,

• walls that stand in the way of a nuclear weapons free world by

◦ achieving a paradigm shift from counter-productive and excessive militarization to collective security based on cooperative initiatives to address global threats,

◦ fully implementing the non-proliferation and disarmament obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and all other international agreements on nuclear weapons by all members of the international community,

◦ negotiating a new convention for the universal and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons,

◦ supporting the successful conclusion of the initiative of President Obama and President Medvedev of adopting a new agreement on nuclear disarmament and its successful implementation,

◦ supporting the UN Secretary-General’s five-point plan on nuclear disarmament,

◦ respecting the rules of international humanitarian law and adopting the conventions banning indiscriminate weapons such as landmines and cluster bombs.

◦ addressing the root causes of regional and global conflicts to assure that the security of all states can be safeguarded without nuclear weapons;

• walls between rich and poor by

◦ mobilizing all necessary national and international resources to achieve the full implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, and by

◦ using the current financial crisis to construct a new global economic system that will be fair for all mankind and that lays the foundation for a strong, sustainable and balanced growth through the creation of decent work;

• walls between cultural, religious, and ethnic communities by

◦ calling on the UN General Assembly to convene an international conference on minority rights, with a view to strengthening protections of the rights of religious, cultural and linguistic minorities;

• physical walls or barriers that separate or isolate people in various
  parts of the world and limit freedom of movement and the possibilities of communication by

◦ breaking down walls and barriers such as those that divide Palestinians and Israelis; North and South Koreans; and the people of Kashmir as well as by

◦ addressing the reality and perception of the fears of aggression and terrorism upon which such walls and barriers have been constructed;

• walls that stand in the way of the crucial need to combat climate change by

◦ ensuring the success of the upcoming Copenhagen conference in securing firm international commitment to effective global action as expressed in the (attached) special statement of the Summit, and by

◦ assuring sustainable development that will enable mankind to live in harmony with the fragile global environment and with each other;

• walls that stand in the way of inter-generation justice by

◦ including youth and youth-led organizations effectively in the decisions concerning their future, and by

◦ ensuring active dialogue and communication between generations.

The Summit also calls on the international community to build bridges based on our shared values, vision and humanity. It also calls on all people to show love, compassion and toleration in their relations with one another. In this spirit we recommit ourselves to the Charter for a World Without Violence which articulates our vision for a world with peace and justice.

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Attachment to the Final Statement of the 10^th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates

Special statement on Environment issue

Statement to COP15 Climate Change Meeting

Copenhagen, December 2009

The above Nobel Peace Laureate Summit concluded that:

Climate change now poses an unacceptable risk of catastrophic and irreversible harm at a global scale, possibly even within the next decade, threatening global peace, human security and development and putting the sustainability of human society in jeopardy.

Current negotiations are based on scientific information that is several years out-of-date. The latest science indicates that, on the balance of probabilities, we have badly underestimated both the extent and speed of climate change, to the point that we now run a rapidly increasing risk of sudden failure of some part of the climatic system, possibly via tipping points which may prove irreversible.

Despite 20 years of negotiation, virtually nothing has been done so far to contain the problem and there is no sign of that changing at the forthcoming Copenhagen meeting. Excellent work is underway by concerned governments and organisations, but it is now clear that conventional processes will not deliver the speed and extent of change required to avert potentially catastrophic impacts.

New thinking is required to break through politics-as-usual. We have run out of time to take a graduated response and we must now move to global emergency action. This will require cooperation across the spectrum, involving civil society, public and private sectors, bipartisan political involvement, on an unprecedented scale. As the world’s poorest suffer most from but contribute least to climate change and as we bear responsibility for future generations, climate justice must be a guiding principle.

Successful resolution of our climate and sustainability dilemma requires transformational change, not incrementalism. It means almost complete decarbonisation of the global economy by 2050, a peaking of global emissions by 2015 and reduction of carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere. This is a far greater task than is acknowledged politically, but it is achievable given the will and statesmanship which humanity has demonstrated in previous emergencies.

Every effort must be made to reach an agreement at Copenhagen built on the latest science, however unlikely that may be. If an unsatisfactory compromise does materialise, or no agreement is reached, the danger is that the pressure for further change will evaporate, locking in potentially catastrophic outcomes as carbon emissions continue to accelerate. From a global peace and security perspective, let alone from moral and ethical considerations, that cannot be allowed to happen.

In these circumstances, the Copenhagen process should be halted and global leaders immediately called into emergency session to chart a new path for transformative change. Whilst this action may seem extreme, that is what the considered science, and prudent risk management, now implies.

To be successful, this initiative must involve a very personal commitment from key world leaders. In the interests of world peace and security, the Nobel Peace Laureates urge global leaders to make that commitment without delay, as others have done in the past.

Participants in the 10^th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates works

Mikhail Gorbachev, Frederik Willem De Klerk, Lech Walesa, Muhammad Yunus, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Thomas Stelzer from the United Nations, Mohan Munasinghe from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Vappu Taipale and Ehase Agyeno from International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Urban Gibson from International Peace Bureau, Mary Ellen McNish from American Friends Service Committee, Paolo Cotta- Ramusino from Pugwash Conferences, Alexander Liebeskind from International Committee of the Red Cross, Morten Hovda International Labour Organization, Walter Veltroni, José Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission, Bo Hla Tint Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burma’s Government in exile, Ahmed Kathrada representing Nelson Mandela, Martin Frick from Global Humanitarian Forum, David Steward on behalf of Frederik Willem De Klerk Foundation, Piotr Gulczynski on behalf of Lech Walesa Foundation, Alexander Likhotal representing Green Cross International, David Ives representing Albert Schweitzer Institute, Jonathan Granoff from Global Security Institute, Maria Sachs, Mario Luis Rodriguez Cobos aka Silo representing the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, Giulietto Chiesa representing World Political Forum, Luisa Brunori representing Italian Observatory on Microfinance, Peter Spiegel representing GENISIS-Institute for Social Business and Impact Strategies, Prof. Franz Josef Radermacher from the Club of Rome and Global Marshall Plan initiative, Ian Dunlop from the Club of Rome, Jacob Romer being Member of the Student Peace Bureau Heidelberg, Emily Büning being German Youth Delegate to the UN General Assembly, Falko Mohrs being German Youth Delegate to the UN General Assembly.

About

The Permanent Secretariat of Nobel Peace Laureates Summits derives from a new and more broadly based collaboration between the International Gorbachev Foundation and the City of Rome for realizing the World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates. The Permanent Secretariat, based in Rome, is a non-profit association without political aims.
As well as organizing the tasks of the Summit, the Secretariat monitors the activities of Nobel Peace Laureates, while promoting the adoption of the "Charter for a world without violence" and supporting the work of the Nobel, who participate in the annual Summits at Rome, as mediators in various conflicts around the world (Article 3 of the Statute).