Editor’s Note: A World of Nations, Building Unity for Sustainable Development

Yap Kwong Weng
Editor-in-Chief, THINK!

The Millennium Declaration in 2000 was a key milestone in international cooperation. It not only presented a solid foundation for development efforts, the declaration enabled a clear direction to execute concrete strategies and plans to meet the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2015.

Nevertheless, is human development sufficient to create real sustainable change today? Has development work been applied successfully? These questions create an impetus for change. The lack of human development and improvements to poverty remains as a challenge for several states in this part of the world. While there is significant progress over these years, new challenges in maintaining stability and fighting non-traditional threats have overtaken such developments, which made peace far more elusive in the contemporary landscape.

New security threats have also intensified the dangers the world faces. Such threats do not just come from terrorism. Other threats come from a combination of threats from both state and non-state actors, posed from asymmetric warfare and violence from domestic to foreign extremist violence.  There are also terrorist groups that leverage on the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) to disrupt international peace and stability.

It is now a reality that Information Technology, the Internet and other technologies have become a convenient tool for terror groups to extend their efforts to attack humanity. But also, because of globalization, people communicate in a much faster and efficient manner. The paradigm shift to a global village is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, civil society can work together to strengthening old alliances and modernize them to make meaningful change. On the other hand, organizations and people alike could politicize radical ideologies and forward their agendas for a variety of reasons, which denounces the very principle of maintaining peace. Here, the notion of lasting security and prosperity is rejected simply because it is not realistic in this crisis-ridden world. After all, actions speak louder than words.

So what can we do? One, we can ignore it. Two, we can sit down, talk about it, and do nothing. Three, we can create change for the common good. The UN MDG set the stage for universal development for it builds upon the basic principles for human development, progress and equality. If civil society can come together to make the necessary changes to challenge the status quo, strengthen governance, and work seamlessly with each other, our society will thrive and become stronger. Otherwise, we will just have to follow the trends and clutches of realities. All of us will have a role to play by communicating our ideas, sincerity and integrity to transpose the language to the context on the ground.

THINK! hopes to get there. It hopes to make a difference to how civil society can work together. It hopes to bring people together to make changes – for the good of society – in big and small ways. We want to share what we think, and what we do. We want to share our views in a fair and objective manner. We want to create a voice of reason that complements the universal peace process as we take into account the current realities that stifle it. We firmly support an international architecture of cooperation for peace and stability.

Often, we learn as we go. But to achieve our desired outcomes, people, allies and partners must pursue a strategy of inclusiveness. First, our commitment to respect for people includes support for development. Second, we need to lead change, and move a pace that is sometimes uncomfortable. Many of the MDG targets are likely to be overlooked across the globe. We must act to fill up these gaps by thinking about it, and addressing the concerns via thought and practical leadership.

This is a time of sweeping change, unprecedented economic upheavals and a changing climate, which baffles the world. The UN MDG represent human needs and basic rights that global citizens should be able to enjoy. Improvements in the lives of the poor have been unacceptably slow in some regions in Asia, as hard-earned gains are lost by the recent global financial crisis and an array of natural disasters that ravaged the lives of thousands.

Having said that, creating new initiatives requires courage and new energy. Sacrifices will have to be made in some cases. But if we manage to unlock diamonds from the coal, and take small bites that could result in larger momentums without creating too much flux, leading change can sometimes change lives.

The critical question today is how to transform the pace of change and progress within this region. As Southeast Asia rises economically, it still lacks progress in human development and an emphasis to meet up with the MDG. Even the poorest countries should be given the right to determine their own destiny, and live with peace and dignity.

This forum will be a great opportunity for civil society to translate ideas into concrete action, explore uncharted waters, and lead change for the common good. As millions of people look to the international community to realize peace and harmony, we can help to start by creating a new voice to forward that ideal.

Let us start. Let us start now.