In a world marked by war, crises, and polarization, dialogue and cooperation remain the only paths to peace. With this conviction, New Humanity NGO joined the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Global Forum that convened its Group of Friends at Cascais, Portugal, from November 25th to 27th. Under the theme “United in Peace: Restoring Trust, Reshaping the Future — Reflecting on Two Decades of Dialogue for Humanity,” the event brought together diverse stakeholders—including religious leaders, academics, youth, media, and civil society representatives. High-profile attendees included António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, the king Felipe from Spain, several current foreign ministers and previous prime ministers of European countries.

New Humanity NGO of the Focolare Movement and member of UNAOC’s Multifaith Advisory Council highlighted the organization’s commitment to fostering a just and united society, where faiths are spaces of encounter and collaboration. Rooted in decades of grassroots initiatives, New Humanity bridges local action with international diplomacy to tackle global challenges and promote peace. This participation underscored the importance of multilateral efforts to restore trust and reshape a future of harmony and collaboration among international institutions, religious organizations and the private sector.

Our commitment

During the Global Forum, Ana Clara Giovani and André Correia, youth representatives of the Focolare Movement, along with Maddalena Maltese, the main representative of the New Humanity NGO in New York, presented the document “Together to Care – For Our Human Family and Our Common Home.” This document represents a commitment by the Youth for a United World (Y4UW) to the Pact for the Future, approved by the United Nations last September.

Al Genfest 2024, un raduno di 4.000 giovani provenienti da tutto il mondo tenutosi in Brasile, sono stati lanciati otto hub di innovazione per promuovere l’unità della famiglia umana e prendersi cura della nostra casa comune. Le otto Comunità Mondo Unito hanno consolidato e sviluppato proposte e progetti ispirati alla spiritualità dell’unità del Movimento dei Focolari, in linea con i principi della Dichiarazione delle Nazioni Unite sui Diritti Umani e del Patto per il Futuro dell’ONU. Queste iniziative si concentrano su aree quali lo sviluppo sostenibile, l’azione per il clima, la promozione della pace e dei diritti umani, il dialogo interculturale, la coesione sociale e l’empowerment dei giovani.

These projects and proposals form the core of the document presented in Cascais. It opens with a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, acknowledging his tireless efforts to champion peace and sustainable development. Among the key proposals are the establishment of a High-Level Youth Forum to integrate youth perspectives into global decision-making, and preparations for the UN’s 80th anniversary and COP 30, showcasing youth-led solutions for urban sustainability and climate justice.

Presented to Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for UNAOC, and Felipe Paullier, High Representative for Youth Affairs, the document received enthusiastic support. Both leaders recognized New Humanity’s long-standing contributions and expressed interest in further analyzing the proposals. This engagement underscored the pivotal role of youth in shaping policies for a just and sustainable future, strengthening the connection between grassroots actions and international diplomacy.

Next Steps

To expand the reach and effectiveness of this work, United World Ambassadors, a youth network, will play a pivotal role in connecting grassroots initiatives to international frameworks like the United Nations, ensuring that local actions resonate globally.

New Humanity remains committed to bridging grassroots initiatives with high-level organizations, advancing its mission to promote fraternity, dialogue, and sustainable development. The connections established during the UNAOC Global Forum will be instrumental in strengthening the impact of our projects and amplifying the voices of youth worldwide.

To download the document, in English, click on the image

First published at focolare.org

L'articolo New Humanity NGO elevates GenFest proposals at UNAOC Global Forum proviene da New Humanity.

UN Side Event at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2024

The Politics for Unity Movement (MPPU) and New Humanity NGO are sponsoring an online side event during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), scheduled from July 8 to July 17, 2024, in New York. The event, titled “From Crisis to Collective Action: Co-Governance Solutions for Cities,” will take place on July 11 at 9:30 am ET.

The 2024 HLPF will focus on how to achieve the 2030 Agenda and eradicate poverty in the face of multiple crises. Our side event will explore how cities can advance the 2030 Agenda, emphasizing co-governance and participatory governance as innovative responses to urban challenges.

Concept Note

Cities hold immense potential for social innovation and resilience. However, governance poses significant challenges that require innovative solutions. Co-governance and participatory governance models have emerged as powerful, network-based approaches that foster collaboration among diverse policy actors. This paradigm shift towards collaborative urban governance aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including poverty reduction, hunger eradication, climate action, peace promotion, inclusivity, and partnership strengthening (Goals 1, 2, 13, 16, and 17).

Our event aims to share best practices in co-governance that can address the multiple crises experienced locally and globally. By promoting discussions on climate resilience policies, equitable food access, and sustainable development implementation capacities worldwide, we highlight the critical role of collective action and active engagement from a broad range of stakeholders. These include city networks, academics, policymakers, citizens, associations, and activists.

Fostering collaboration among these groups, our ultimate goal is to catalyze positive urban transformation and achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. We aspire to create a committed network of partners dedicated to promoting collaborative governance practices, thereby enhancing sustainable development and resilience in cities around the world.

Join us on for a transformative discussion on co-governance solutions that can lead cities from crisis to collective action.

Event Details

• Date and Time: July 11 at 9:30 am EDT (ET) (Use this tool to find out what time will be at your end)
• Main Language: English
• Translation Availability: Simultaneous translation will be available in Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.
• Links to Follow:
  • Event Livestream – for English only: Watch Here
  • Event Livestream – to follow the translations: Enter here (Meeting ID: 844 5043 2857 – Passcode: 580743)
  • Additional Information: mediaoffice@new-humanity.org 

L'articolo From Crisis to Collective Action: Co-Governance Solutions for Cities proviene da New Humanity.

On Wednesday, Feb. 21, NetOne together with the NGO New Humanity in collaboration with the Holy See Mission to the United Nations, co-organized the initiative “AI: A Pathway to Global Peace and Integral Human Development,” which took place in New York, UNHQ, Conference Room 6, from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. and was followed online from different parts of the world.

The Opening remarks by His Excellency Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, set the tone for the reflections, We stand at the precipice of a technological revolution unlike any other in human history. The emergence of AI is reshaping our world in profound and unprecedented ways. From revolutionizing industries to transforming the way we live, work, and interact, AI has become a driving force of change in the 21st century”.

In recent years, digital progress has brought significant opportunities and challenges, with serious implications in all areas of society. In this era of rapid technological change, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the most powerful tools with the potential to transform societies, advance peace and achieve sustainable development. However, its ethical implications remain a subject of intense debate.

Maddalena Maltese, journalist and representative of the NGO New Humanity, moderator of the event’s panel discussion, recalled that “on January 1, Pope Francis, in his message for the International Day of Peace, raised urgent questions about AI: “What will be the consequences, in the medium and long term, of these new digital technologies? And what impact will they have on individual lives and societies, as well as on international stability and peace?” She also highlighted that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, discussing priorities for 2024, stressed that AI will affect all of humanity, reiterating the need for a universal approach to address it.

The panel discussion with multi-stakeholder dialogue on the ethical challenges posed by AI and strategies discussed the interplay between technical, ethical, political, legal and economic considerations.

Father Philip Larrey, professor of philosophy at Boston College, former dean of philosophy at the Pontifical Lateran University, and president of Humanity 2.0. laid out a number of pressing issues starting with the theme of peace. “ChatGPT or Gemini could write a perfect peace plan, looking at the situations we are living, but would we be willing to follow its directions?” Fr. Larrey said, emphasizing the human factor as decisive in the decisions to be made, even when it comes to lethal weapons. Another central theme of his talk was the empathy that machines can demonstrate and are sometimes preferred over the human element. “Humans understand meanings. Machines don’t, as much as machines are getting very, very good at simulating what we consider meaningful,” the Boston College professor insisted, warning of the increasingly difficult challenge of discerning what belongs to humans and what belongs to technology, with machines that in the future may even be programmed to feel feelings.

Laura Gherlone, a researcher in semiotics at the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research in Argentina and a professor at the Catholic University of Argentina and a member of NetOne’s International Commission, spoke about Artificial Intelligence and, more generally, digital technologies in light of the thinking of digital decolonization. She argued that: “today, post-colonial contexts are at a crossroads: either falling behind or catching up. They are obliged, in other words, to dramatically accelerate certain processes that today embody a techno-centric, supposedly universal, model of knowledge: digitization and the implementation of AI systems are among these processes.”

She states that this process ” almost always comes at a very high cost, on at least three levels: at the economic and technical-structural level, at the social level and lastly, the accelerated and forced adoption of technological progress as a path towards a universal model of knowledge. She suggests: “the The ethical debate on AI could be greatly enriched through decolonial reflection, integrating, for example, the work of those collective movements committed to rethinking and redesigning technical architectures “from the South”, that is, theoretical-methodological and practical solutions that are often sidelined because they are far from profit logics”.

Closing the event were two best practices from civil society. Marianne Najm, a communications engineer based in Beirut, spoke on the ethics of AI and the concept of the digital oath for engineers and anyone active in the digital world. The project started in 2019 inspired by the Hippocratic Oath, the oath that most doctors take at the end of their academic journey. Just as the Hippocratic oath aims to awaken the human obligation of doctors, similarly the digital oath aims to awaken the human obligation of digital actors by directing their work toward ethically human-centered design.

Marcelle Momha, Cameroonian living in the United States, policy analyst and researcher specialized in artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and cybersecurity, had prepared an intervention on the AI 2030 community, which due to timing was not possible to illustrate, but her paper is available on this link bellow. “AI 2030 is a vibrant community of business leaders, data scientists, technical builders, and pioneering researchers dedicated to harnessing the transformative power of AI to benefit humanity while minimizing its potential negative impact.” She explained in his theme.

In his message for the World Day World Peace, the Holy Father remembers that “technological developments do not lead to an improvement of the quality of life all humanity, but on the contrary aggravate the inequalities and conflicts, can never be considered a real progress.” As organizations of civil society, we want to accompany the efforts of the United Nations and all those institutions that are working for an ethical commitment in the field of technology that sustains digital developments as a contribution to the promotion of human principles of peace and fraternity.

To review the live stream, you go to link: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1h/

To see the speeches again and for more information, go to: https://www.net-one.org/ia-una-via-per-la-pace-globale-e-lo-sviluppo-umano-integrale/

Source https://www.net-one.org

L'articolo AI: A Pathway to Global Peace and Integral Human Development proviene da New Humanity.

Celebrates

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HUMAN FRATERNITY

A PATHWAY FOR PEACE & UNITY

On February 4th 2023 at 9.00 am (EST) / 15.00 (CET)

[LIVE on www.youtube.com/UnitedWorldProject]

Program

Opening
What is Human Fraternity?

• Chantal Grevin, Main Representative of New Humanity NGO at UNESCO

Partners in Human Fraternity

• Nihal Saad, Chief of Cabinet, Spokesperson of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (New York) – Invited
• Catherine Thiounn, Main Representative of Buddhists World Organization at UNESCO
• Christian Renoux, International Fellowship of Reconciliation IFOR
• Younès Aberkane, Department Culture of Peace in AISA NGO
• Mabih Nji Helvisia, United World Ambassador and member of Together for a New Africa

Voices of Human Fraternity

• Carlos Palma, Founder and Coordinator of Living Peace International (Italy)
• Tamara Awwad, Executive Director AMU for Middle East
• Irene Duffard, President of the Politics for Unity Movement in Argentina
• Esther Salamanca, Associate Professor of Public International Law at the University of Valladolid (Spain)
• Antonino Puglisi, Scientist – International Board of EcoOne (United Kingdom)

Closing remarks
The Future of Human Fraternity

• Marco Desalvo, President of New Humanity NGO (Jerusalem)

L'articolo International day of Human Fraternity: A pathway for peace & unity proviene da New Humanity.

Do you want to contribute to a united world, representing the United World Project and New Humanity NGO in your country and working with national and international institutions such as UNESCO and the United Nations? You are invited to join us!

Who are we ?

The United World Ambassadors program is promoted by New Humanity International NGO, a Non-governmental organization of the Focolare Movement. The mission of the NGO is to be the expression of the values, ideas and good practices that are born from the life of the Focolare Movement in every sphere of society, the idea of a united world, promoting the spirit of universal fraternity at all levels, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1987 it obtained Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Social and Economic Council (ECOSOC), and has held General Consultative Status since 2005. In 2008 it was recognized as an NGO partner of UNESCO. New Humanity NGO is one of the main promoters of the United World Project.

The ‘United World Ambassadors’ program aims at creating a worldwide network of youth who become spokesperson of New Humanity NGO at national and international level, being the bridge between local and global efforts for a united world. Specifically, the ‘United World Ambassadors’ will be in charge of establishing a collaborative relationship with national Institutions (such as the UNESCO National Commissions,) Governments, and Civil and Religious Organizations. Their task is to identify, collect and present the best practices promoted over the years in their respective countries, with the final aim of obtaining the recognition of the United World Week at the United Nations.

Who are we looking for ?

Young people between 18 and 30 years old who share a passion for universal fraternity and a united world, who are enthusiastic to learn more about international and intercultural relations and ways to have an impact by being global citizens, and by working together with others from all over the world.

Our activities and expectations: The ambassadors’ role

• Engage in an online formation program to be prepared to interact with international and other institutions.
• Collect good practices on concrete ways in which people are living for universal fraternity in our cities, countries or regions to show how a united world is possible.
• To be the spokesperson for New Humanity NGO and the United World project both locally and with the international institutions.
•  Active participation in the United World Ambassador Network, working with professionals from the New Humanity Offices all around the world and partner associations. Concretely as ambassadors we commit ourselves to learn, to share and to act for a united world. We commit ourselves to do this for at least two years to ensure the continuity of the program. In this way we make steps to realize change in our communities and in the international institutions and we have a chance to live valuable life and professional experiences together.

On Tuesday May 4th 2021, 20h-21h (Rome time) during the United World Week, we will hold a webinar on this call for those who are interested.

How to apply ?

Please fill out the application form (click here).

The application process will close on Friday June 4th 2021.

Do you have any questions ?

Contact us at: uwa@new-humanity.org

L'articolo Call for ‘United World Ambassadors’ proviene da New Humanity.

The good of each human person is a precondition for the good of everyone

The 57th session of the Commission for Social Development (11-21 February, 2019) was the opportunity for the international NGO New Humanity to present some good practices and experiences carried out by the members of the Focolare Movement on the theme of economic and social freedom.

The Golden Rule. Joe Klock, head representative of the NGO in New York, presented the Economy of Communion project, where more than 800 companies worldwide are committed to putting into practice the Golden Rule contained in the Gospel and in many others sacred and philosophical texts: “Do to others what you would like done to you”

Recommendation. In his speech, Joe Klock pointed out how New Humanity recommends that the UN Commission on Social Development apply the Golden Rule in a conscious manner in all its deliberations.

“The good of each human person is a precondition for the good of everyone”. After sharing a reflection on the topic by the late Igino Giordani, a member of the Italian Parliament and member of the Focolare Movement, the New Humanity representative concluded with these words: “Freedom from poverty is both an individual good and a social good. The Golden Rule gives clear guidance for individuals, institutions, and nations to achieve economic freedom and every freedom.”

Watch the video of the remarks
Download the remarks

L'articolo New Humanity offers a reflection on freedom and economy at the UN Commission for Social Development proviene da New Humanity.

Civil Society Forum

Paul Catipon, President and CEO of Netpro Communications Inc. presented the experience of his company and of the Economy of Communion, at the International Forum for Social Development at the United Nations.

Watch Paul Catipon’s intervention

The Economy of Communion (EoC) involves entrepreneurs, workers, managers, consumers, savers, citizens, scholars, economic operators — all committed, at various levels, to promoting an economic culture and practices based on communion, gratuity and reciprocity, by proposing and living a lifestyle alternative to the dominant one in the capitalist system. It reflects the vision of New Humanity in the economic field.

Netpro, a US-based communications and security systems company, has taken inspiration from the Economy of Communion principles of relationship and reciprocity since it was founded nine years ago.

Winning values. “Based on those values – Paul Catipon said during his speech – during the 2012 recession I hired a few people who couldn’t find work (…) That opportunity was the springboard for them to contribute to the development of our company in a surprisingly innovative way.”

Universal values. Paul Catipon used his professional experience to underline the value of the Economy of Communion proposal from various points of view:

•    The EoC is a real, operating sustainable model.
•    The EoC focuses on engaging those in need bringing out the best in everyone and developing new skills and self-esteem in each member of the company
•    The EoC encourages a new shared culture of giving, seeing the others as brothers and sisters who needs our help, but also can help us

Human values. “This culture of giving upon which the Economy of Communion is based – Paul Catipon concluded – might seem difficult, ambitious, heroic, but it is not so, because human beings… find their fulfillment in loving, in giving.”

The Civil Society Forum was planned by the NGO Committee on Social Development, with the purpose to create an inclusive dialogue and foster cooperation between Member States, Civil Society and the United Nations, and to unify behind a common vision in furtherance of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Private sector. The New Humanity intervention was particularly appreciated, as it brought into the debate the contribution of a protagonist from the private sector.

(Photos by http://webtv.un.org)

L'articolo A company which is part of the Economy of Communion presented its experience at the UN Civil Society Forum proviene da New Humanity.

Read the Report
Read the card of the 9 projects presented by New Humanity

40 Good Practices and Policies. “We believe – the Report reads – that the time is ripe to circulate a compendium of good policies and practices that relate directly to Compact goals and that Member States, Civil Society and other actors have already implemented with shared interest, effort and commitment.”

The Host-Spot Project is presented as an international initiative funded by the European Commission, promoted in 2016-2017, with the purpose of “spreading a culture of understanding and of promoting respect for human rights”. The project engaged “young volunteers from 9 countries volunteering at welcoming centers in Jordan” where they experienced “face-to-face encounters with refugees and what they experienced each day”.

Goal 17. The report also highlights how the documentaries on the stories of migrants produced by the young people involved in the project helped spread real-life stories of refugees at a European and international level, thus contributing to “eliminating all forms of discrimination and promoting a public debate based on factual data in portraying the phenomenon of migration”, as envisaged in Goal 17 of the Global Compacts for Migrants and Refugees.

Contribution to SDGs. The report also highlights how the Host-Spot Project contributes directly to the achievement of Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and it is in agreement with paragraph 8 of the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants (NYD) and paragraph 84 of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).

The other projects presented by New Humanity although not present in the final version of the report are Back to Africa, Together for a new Africa (Africa, 2018-2021), Interfaith Welcome Coalition (San Antonio, USA, 2014 to today), Sewing Peace (Syria, 2012), Creating a system – Beyond the Initial Welcome (Italy, 2016), The Village of Joy (Seoul, South Korea, 2003-2016), Africa’s Friends (Freiburg, Switzerland, 2002 to today), Maison Notre Dame (Lebanon, 2005 to today), Social Cooperative “Missione Famiglia (Italy, 2018).

L'articolo The HOST SPOT Project of New Humanity Among the Good Practices Promoted by the NGO Committee on Migration (CoM) proviene da New Humanity.

Prometeo World UN 2019, the international project promoted by the association New Humanity (NGO of the Focolare Movement) and the Mario Diana Onlus Foundation from Caserta (Italy) offers two training and research grants worth € 5,000 each for young people with strong motivation and interest in international issues and for the promotion of dialogue and peace among peoples. The internship will take place at the UN headquarters in New York from February to May 2019.

The selection is open to graduates or undergraduates of the following subject areas: humanities, political sciences, international relations, law, international cooperation, communication, social management.

The selected young people will be accompanied on their journey by experts from New Humanity, an association that has been accredited for more than thirty years at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The aim of the internship is to conduct research on one or more issues related to the work of NGOs and UN projects, aimed at achieving the objectives defined by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Part of the project involves the creation of criteria and processes for the recognition, by the United Nations, of the “United World Week”: the international expo of good practices oriented to fraternity and social sustainability which, for over 30 years, has been promoted and organized by the youth of the Focolare Movement.

The deadline for the application is December 15, 2018. The announcement is available on the websites of the sponsoring bodies www.new-humanity.org,  www.fondazionediana.it.

“Our Foundation through the ‘Seguimi’ environmental education project and the Prometeo section, from which this call is named, has been committed since long time ago with and for young people in order to witness, once again, how much it is necessary to put the new generations as the fulcrum of present and future strategies, and  to promote growth and sustainable development – Antonio Diana, president of the Mario Diana Foundation has declared – Confronted with the global challenges facing humanity today, we need to train a generation of young people who are appropriately prepared, find spaces where they can best spend their energy and talent, develop transversal skills and ethical leadership skills, in so far as to be the bearers of an authentic social renewal.”

Marco Desalvo, president of New Humanity stressed the international opening of the initiative. “We wanted to open the call for young people of all nationalities, regardless of their culture and religious beliefs. As Pope Francis said: too often we talk about young people without being challenged by them. With this project we want the new generations, with creativity, style and originality that characterize them, make their voices heard in the locations where they take the most important decisions for the future of the planet. The role of a civil economy and of communion in the fight against poverty, policies on refugees and migrants, the strengthening of the role of women, the leadership of the new generations, are some of the areas on which we await proposals and ideas from young beneficiaries of the project.”
On September 24, 2018, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres announced “Youth2030”, the new strategy for young people promoted by the UN, to increase global, regional and national actions that respond to the needs of the new generations, realize the their rights and offer them the opportunity to be agents of change.
To amplify the voice of the youth world for the promotion of a peaceful, just and sustainable planet, to support young people as a catalyst for peace and humanitarian actions, aimed for the common good, these are some of the priorities of “Youth2030” and these are also the objectives of the project Prometheus with the establishment of these two research grants.

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L'articolo INTERNATIONAL CALL PROMETEO WORLD UN 2019
 proviene da New Humanity.

Call for Proeteo World UN 2019

Pursuant to art. 9 of the International Call for internships of training and research at the UN headquarters in New York, here is the ranking publication with the results of the selection.
Download the Elegible Candidates Graduatory
Download the List of Non-Eligible Candidates

Click here for more information about the Call

L'articolo Ranking of Eligible Candidates Call Prometeo World UN 2019 proviene da New Humanity.