Preface

A Thought and Action
Entering the New Era of World Citizens

2010 World Summit on Human Rights for World Citizens


Ever since the beginning of the 21 st century, the development of technology has soared to new heights and made communication faster, buildings have grown higher and resorts more splendid through large land reclamation from the sea. And, diversified cultural exchanges have enriched humans' spiritual vision.

However, in the first decade of the new century, human being's living environment experience d very difficult conditions that never existed before. Mother Earth has warned human beings in every possible way, signaled by frequent events such as: 2004 Tsunami in Southeast Asia, 2008 Sichuan earthquake and natural disasters which have been rarely seen in the past hundred years from 2009 to the present, the beginning of 2010, including flood, drought, ice storm, and glaciers m elting, plus great earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, and a great sand storm hurling debris over a thousand miles. These events serve the purpose of informing humans that selfishness and looting bring bitter fruit to their lives.

In addition to natural disasters happening one after another throughout the world, m an-made calamities continue , such as wars, a financial tsunami, p olitical turmoil, economic oppression, violation of legal rights and abusive taxation, and deterioration of the living environment. All these deprive humans of their inherent rights to freedom from fear, and loss of life and property. External events may cause human panic; at this moment, if they lose their direction, then they may be unknowingly deprived of their rights endowed from heaven.

When world citizens are at the crossroad of living and death, what are we thinking and what actions do we take for the future?

With this understanding in mind, on the 9 th anniversary of World Citizenship Day in Taiwan, the UN/NGO Association of World Citizens and AWC Taiwan co-host the 2010 World Summit on Human Rights for World Citizens on April 1, 2010 and invite global elites to contribute to the issues of global health as it closely relates to the attainment of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and echoes the implementations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights around the world.

The foundation of sustainable development for world citizens and the earth is to establish respect among human beings and respect between humans and nature, and co-existence between humans and all living creatures and between humans and the environment. Therefore, the summit puts emphasis on the subjects of respect, law, tax affairs, and the environment by utilizing in-depth discussions on human rights conditions in Taiwan and various nations. This format is intended to advance human rights concepts of world citizens and find the way of co-existence between the Earth and all living creatures.

Participation and cooperation among elites from all circles and international societies via paper and oral presentation, distribution and moral support are what world citizens can do to join and contribute to leading towards improvements for human beings. In the beginning of the second decade of the 21 st century, world citizens have come to expect that the value of life will be respected and advanced and the natural environment that humans have relied on for tens of millions years can be sustained by practicing natural rights based on the people and the rule of law, as well as to protect human rights and safeguard the Earth!

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Welcoming Addresses by Presidents of 2010 WSHR
-Mr. Douglas Mattern, President of AWC
-Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, President of AWC Taiwan