Statement from Ashot Ayrapetyan, Chairman of Respect International – West-East Bridges at the 2012 High Level Segment of the United Nations the Economic and Social Council. New York, 2-27 July 2012
Statement from Ashot Ayrapetyan, Chairman of Respect International – West-East Bridges at the 2012 High Level Segment of the United Nations the Economic and Social Council. New York, 2-27 July 2012
The necessity for a new world development programme
Our civilization develops unequally. If modern planes, trains, houses and computers were created by engineers, then the global economy was created by politicians and the military in order to control other States. In the world's leading countries, such as France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America, it was understood a long time ago that the stability of the State depended on the provision and guarantee of the rights and needs of citizens. Unfortunately, in reality, the relationship between countries is quite the opposite. Rich and prosperous countries are becoming increasingly richer, while the poor are becoming increasingly poorer. As a result, many people from Africa, Asia and Latin America are prepared to take any means in order to move to developed countries. There are also those who want to restore justice, but being unable to find legal routes, resort to terrorism.
A widening gap between the living standards of developing and developed countries will lead to a gigantic power consolidation that centres on Islamic or communist fundamentalism, proclaiming the Christian West as the main evil of the world. All States should admit that everybody, no matter where they are born or what
colour their skin, has the same right to lead a normal life. This process has already partially begun: there are many people from Asia, Latin America and Africa living in the United States, Canada and within the European Union. However, in order to conquer poverty it is necessary to develop the usage of economic regulating mechanisms within developed States for the regulation of inter-State relations. Every State should pay a specific percentage of its gross domestic product to a world development fund. The fund should be controlled by the United Nations. It
should be the purpose of the United Nations to create structures similar to the European Union and European Commission, however much more decentralized. With the help of these structures it should be possible to lead a world development programme to build factories and plants in developing countries, to open universities for training local citizens to become engineers, builders, agronomists, doctors and teachers, and to provide microfinancing for the development of small- and medium-sized businesses. Local Internet service and televisions should be
provided. It will also be vital to create structures for effective control of programmes to develop resources. Governments taking part in such a programme should proceed according to relevant legislative acts, which would allow, in particular, United Nations specialists to monitor the implementation of development programmes in those countries. The United Nations should also follow the example of the International Court of Justice for the criminal prosecution of any participating country leaders who misuse allocated development funds. A special grant programme for non-governmental organizations from both developing and developed countries
should be created in order to control the implementation of the programme.
For many, this proposal might seem far-fetched, but in 1943 the idea of the European Union was also pure fantasy.