The Global Summit

Social, Economic and Environmental Forum

S.E.E. Humanity Uniting for a Secure Future

“An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”

-Victor Hugo, 1852

Purpose / Anticipated Outcomes:

1. Set forth a citizen input driven system of international policy making, while achieving “Millennium Challenge #8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development” in a comprehensive Multi-sector Dialog, integrating the capacities of Civil Society, Private Sector & democratically elected Representatives.
2. Align global trade policies with grass-roots economic development to reduce poverty and assure human rights.
3. Advance immediate and appropriate climate change solutions, through the integration of appropriate technology and international sustainable development.

The Global Challenge

In the face of Climate Change, the spread of AIDS and totalitarian regimes in Africa, continued unrest in Middle East, world population approaching 7 billion within the decade, exacerbated by the depletion of the earth’s primary resources and fresh water supplies, humanity is challenged to make dramatic social and economic shifts to assure a secure future.

Our time is as hopeful as it is precarious. The sustainable development solutions, technology, human capital and capacity to assure a secure human destiny exist. The hope of our generation - and those of tomorrow - depends on the compassion, courage and will of ALL peoples to make the discovery and procurement of these empowering solutions, the foremost.

Changing the Status Quo

Often conferences, UN Charters, and other policy making systems abandon the principle of stakeholder participation in planning – and yet these processes are fundamental to democracy, peace and sustainability. Technology itself is not the root cause of the issues like global climate change. Rather it is way in which the status quo relates to people and the ecology of the planet that allows ineffective approaches to develop as the status quo. One thing is growing increasingly clear, our failure or success in applying true alternatives will be the legacy of our time and for many generators to come.

To address the growing divides and communication gulfs between the powerful and powerless, a new, remarkably inclusive framework for collaboration is called for in 2009.

Enter “The Global Summit”

The Global Summit (TGS) is an eight year initiative to catalyze the implementation of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), via the equitable transfer of appropriate technologies and unification of the world social, economic and environmental movements.

The Global Summit will make history with the establishment of an international policy making input system incorporating and responding to the voices of people living below a dollar a day. Based on the foundation of local self-determination, stakeholder participation & equity, the full scale Global Summit 2009 will be an evolutionary hands-on solution building event, integrating themes of cultural celebration, human capacity building and a policy action summit, with the shared purpose of “Humanity Uniting for a Secure Future.”

Development Phases/ Overview of Core Events 2008-2009

TGS YR1: Laying the Foundation- September 2008 – 3 Day Technical Planning Symposium, Santa Clara, CA.
Year One of The Global Summit will occur as a Technical Planning Symposium, utilizing the most appropriate and advanced Internet Communication Technology to engage participation from the worlds most marginalized citizens in the most economically challenged communities.

This event will showcase emerging internet technologies of the Open Digital Village, enabling real time communication between grass-roots communities in the developing world with TGS Policy Action Summit. To assess milestones and needs of this system (for full integration of Open Digital Village in Global Summit Policy Action Session, 5 Pilot programs will be presented.

TGS YR 2: July 2009, 5 Day, full scale public conference Los Angeles, CA. USA
The ^1st of 7 annual, full-scale Global Summits (one to be held in each continent from 2009 – 2015) strategically integrates 5 mutually-supportive impact components, including:

1. Social, Economic & Environmental Capacity Building Forum - Capacity Building Workshops and exchanges between social entrepreneurs, NGO’s & the Public. This is where NGO’s/collaborating non-profits share skills, tools, etc., following the model of the world social forum. The process will enable engagement with various professional actors and sectors and will afford people with opportunities to present their research and methods to all involved to allow them to be reviewed and evaluated as best practices.

2. Appropriate Technology Expo – Where Civil Society, Business & Government converge to integrate best practice and technical capacity (based on collaborative assessments, academic peer review) in local, regional & global strategies promoting regional health, economic and environmental solutions. Awards will be given to businesses & inventors for the most innovative technology & sustainable business models in diverse categories, industries, market caps, etc. to reinforce & promote participation.

3. Policy Action Summit - “Climate Change - Social Impact and What the World Can Do About It”= policy recommendations and responses from policy makers. This is where the lessons learned and conclusions of Appropriate Technology Expo & SEE Forum representatives will be made to world leaders, appropriately pre-identified and attending US Senators, Congressional Committee members, etc. and be exchanged and discussed. The world will be watching a super-bowl of Social pro-Action and understanding.

4. Concert & Art Performance in Public Broadcast Arena - Live Music, Art installation and performances will be woven throughout the Summit’s venues and events as a vehicle for public integration and inspiration. Separate concerts and ceremonies will be held in the Coliseum to build common understanding and community around the above sessions.

5. www.1pie.org will serve as TGS online community portal for post-event follow up and collaboration between participants. It will host working Groups, Blogs, Community Portals to promote cutting edge methods, solutions and idea bank for sustainable human and economic development. Via 1pie.org, not only will PROMISES BE MADE in front of world audience, but they will be tracked & reinforced by Post Conference online forum which will have a policy action score card (publicly reviewed, like a consumer reports index).

Methodology: PIE - A Multi-sector Framework for Collaboration

EW’s Partners In Empowerment™ model is based upon the proven virtues of mutually-supportive collaboration and adaptive, whole systems Complexity Science models. The simplified PIE model builds upon and advances existing methodologies. It was developed by Empowerment Works as a methodology for diverse local and global communities to resolve critical threats to human and environmental security. The model serves as a template for diverse, universally applicable inclusion of six core sectors of society, in the co-creation and participation of the Summit.

TGS, as supported by the PIE systems approach, embraces and seeks to exemplify the trimtab principle as defined by the Buckminster Fuller Institute: “Trimtab metaphor is used to describe an artifact, or system, specifically designed and placed in the environment at such a time, in such a place, where its effects would be maximized, thereby effecting the most advantageous change with the least resources, time and energy. Doing more with less.”