Information and knowledge as a tool in facing global challenges

Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Bohdan Hawrylyshyn

Chairman of International Management Institute (IMI-Kyiv)

On Boards of Swiss Forum for International Politics

Advisor to: First President of Ukraine

Three Prime-Ministers

Four Chairmen of the Parliament

Member of The Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Address: Ch. Rieu

CH-1208 Conches-Geneva

Switzerland

E-mail: bohdan@swissonline.ch

49 Suite, 24/7 Instytutska St.,

Kyiv, Ukraine

E-Mail: bhoffice@voliacable.com

The world is sick in its main components, i.e.

Demography: aging population in rich, excess population in poor countries. Emigration from the latter to the former is difficult, lack of capacity of rich countries to integrate diversity of religions, cultures, colors.

Technology: knowledge, technology are growing exponentially. Each technology has positive and harmful potential. Social wisdom for choosing only the positive is not growing at similar pace .

Ecology: impact on biosphere of human activities has grown with population and technologies, hence pollution of air, water, soil, resulting in dangerous climate change. Short term vision and interests, lack of political courage may get us to the point of irreversibility.

Economy: the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer both between nations and within them. Maximization of shareholder value and treating employers as a resource is not justifiable, philosophically or morally. All products can be produced with 1/4 of energy and materials now used. The economic system must change.

Geopolitics: uni-polar world with one military, economical and political superpower (USA) with the right to impose its ideas, wishes on the rest of the world caused a lot of damage to the world and to itself. Tri-polar geopolitical constellation (USA, EU, China) and then a multi-polar world could allow healthy coexistence of different ideologies, economic, political, social systems.

Institutions: family, school, church (except Islam) have lost much influence to the TV, Internet. Democratic governments are degrading because of the role of money in politics. Election cycles push politicians to be populist, short-sighted. We need “Organization of People of the World” rather than United Nations (governments) Organization.

Conclusion: knowledge of how to deal with global challenges exists. It needs to be packaged and delivered the electorates and decision-makers. This challenge must be met by those who create knowledge, technologies, information and know to whom and how to deliver it. Hopefully this includes all of us at this conference?