With Sri Lanka’s two major political parties working together in a National Government for the first time since independence and with intensified moves for inter-religious and inter-racial dialogue and unity in diversity, International Solidarity Day yesterday was of deep significance for our country.
According to a United Nations website, in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Solidarity is identified as one of the fundamental values of international relations in the 21st century. Those who either suffer or benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most. Consequently, in the context of globalization and the challenge of growing inequality, strengthening of international solidarity is indispensable. Therefore, the UN General Assembly convinced, that the promotion of the culture of solidarity and the spirit of sharing are important for combating poverty, proclaimed December 20 as International Human Solidarity Day. Through initiatives such as the establishment of the World Solidarity Fund to eradicate poverty and the proclamation of International Human Solidarity Day, the concept of solidarity is promoted as crucial in the fight against poverty and in the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, the UN says.
The UN’s outgoing Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in a message strikes a positive note but also underlines realities. He says the world has achieved significant progress in human development over the past two decades. The global poverty rate fell by more than half. People are living longer and healthier lives and are better educated.
According to Mr. Ban, discrimination and prejudice remain major barriers to building inclusive societies. Many vulnerable social groups find their situation worsening. The impacts of climate change will fall most heavily on those who did least to cause the problem.
Solidarity is essential to address these gaps in sustainable development. Leaving no one behind, promoting prosperity and ensuring inclusiveness and equality are core principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by world leaders in September 2015 and of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change adopted in December of that same year.
The UN Chief says that as nations strive to uphold their promises and to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, mutual support will be crucial. Global problems require collective solutions. “On International Human Solidarity Day, let us emphasize the role of human solidarity in building lives of dignity for all on a healthy planet. We must work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and secure the future we want,” he says in his appeal.
In Sri Lanka, the National Government has repeatedly pledged its commitment to the vision of sustainable, eco-friendly and all inclusive development whereby the gap between the rich and the poor could be significantly reduced. Next year has been declared as the poverty alleviation year and we all hope that practical and effective steps will be taken not only to dole out charity but to bring about social justice.
The millions of people trapped in oppression and enslaved poverty, suffer from a lack of food, shelter and clothing, lack of healthcare, education and job opportunities. But what hurts them even more than all of these are the humiliation they suffer and their exclusion from mainstream society and decision making processes. Thus we need to go beyond charity or just doling out money to the higher vision of social justice whereby we will see the restoration of the human dignity of these oppressed and enslaved people. For that to happen we need to see major structural changes that will bring about a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources.
Political, religious and other leaders also need to set an example. Their lifestyle needs to be humble and simple in line with the hallowed principle of ‘alpechchathawaya’, which has been part of Sri Lanka’s culture and civilization for thousands of years. Wasteful expenditure, luxuries and extravagance cannot be indulged in.
For instance on Monday, a public interest litigation activist filed a petition in the Supreme Court calling for a probe on the abuse of the tax-free vehicle permits given to government and opposition parliamentarians during the previous and present administrations. He says this abuse of funds has caused the country thousands of billions of rupees. We were told that the frauds, corruption and the abuse of public funds had ended with the previous regime but the petitioner alleges it is still continuing. This will not bring about good governance or human solidarity which will come only when the leaders practise what they preach.
