Global Marshall Plan Initiative

“Nothing in the world is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.”
Victor Hugo

The global economic system has become detached from the national frameworks – this is a consequence of globalization and new communication technologies.

At present, the existing global framework is unsatisfactory. Politics has lost its primacy to the economy, as the political structures are still oriented on nations and continents, and not to the world as a whole. We have also seen enormous growth in the world’s population, thus resulting in an increase in the consumption of natural resources.

As a consequence of such developments we have already seen extensive damage to ecological systems and the creation of new political tensions. Individuals have little power to act against this while the supra-state systems pursue a path that threatens peace or is not sustainable. In light of this, numerous representatives from economics, politics, science, the media and the not-for-profit sector came together in 2003 to found the Global Marshall Plan Initiative.

The aim of the Initiative is to encourage people from business, civil society and politics to co-operate across the globe, with the goal of creating global security, peace and prosperity for all. The Initiative seeks to incorporate the successful strategies employed by the Marshall Plan for Europe in the aftermath of World War II, with the positive experiences of the EU enlargement. Co-financing as a reward for compliance with European standards could serve as a model for development co-operation. The support of all state governments, the United Nations and international organizations must be gained for the effective implementation of such a plan.

The initiators want the EU to commit itself, with all the means at its disposal, to implementing the Global Marshall Plan, i.e. a global eco-social market economy, and to put this project on the agenda of negotiations for separate global treaties. By adopting this new orientation the EU could then have a clean slate and form new partnerships with third world countries.

The Global Marshall Plan Initiative is a continually expanding network of information, members and activities. The task of the Global Contract Foundation is to maintain, co-ordinate and extend this network.

Helge Bork

helge.bork@weltvertrag.org

040 - 822 904 27