Welcome to the Autumn 2007 issue of Journal of Globalization for the Common Good! We are pleased to have received numerous encouraging and positive feedbacks from the readers of the journal since the inaugural Spring 2006 issue of JGCG.

The Digital Age continues to alter all aspects of our lives at personal, family, regional, national, and international levels. Most nations and people are now electronically connected via an array of communication technologies, including telephone, cell phone, fax, satellite, and the Internet. Our journal is just one of the advantages of this rapidly changing Digital Age. It allows us to serve as a communication channel for exchanging information and facilitating a constructive dialogue between and among diverse members of ethnic, religious, and cultural groups.

The Journal also publishes a selected number of outstanding papers presented at the annual conferences of the Common Good Initiative. In June 2007 we met for our 6^th annual meeting and conference at Fatih University in Istanbul. We can say much about our conference, what we did and what we achieved. However, we believe the best way to highlight our work, is to note our "Istanbul Declaration" below:

An Interfaith Perspective on Globalisation for the Common Good:
The Sixth Annual International Conference

             "A Non-Violent Path to Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding"
Istanbul 2007 • Fatih University

"All roads lead to Istanbul." Meeting place of two continents and capital of two empires [the Byzantine and the Ottoman], Istanbul has been a crossroads of cultures for nearly 1800 years. The city offers a powerful metaphor for understanding and reconciliation between East and West. We gather here on the beautiful campus of Fatih University, grateful for their warm hospitality and support. We come together from many countries, six faiths, and countless areas of expertise to continue our exploration of pathways to Globalisation for the Common Good. In Turkey we experience the vital bio-diversity of the Earth and the rich cultural diversity of humankind. Our time here has been richly inspiring and profoundly motivating. It has yielded a very fruitful dialogue.

In this sixth international conference we affirm our shared commitment to non-violent conflict resolution and the building of cultures of peace around the world. The urgency of the challenge is particularly apparent in a region of the world that is so tragically afflicted by violence. The time has come for concrete new democratic and non-violent strategies that reflect global, regional, and local cultural and spiritual realities.

We recognize the deep-seated human desire for harmony in diversity, the source of our strength. We strongly acknowledge the interdependence of peace with justice and ecological sustainability. We recognize the urgent need for dialogue not only among the religions but also between religion and the sciences and between the religious and secular spheres. The strong engagement of these dimensions of human endeavor is vital if we are to address the critical issues that arise in the wake of globalisation.

We believe that education is the key that unlocks the door to globalisation for the common good. We call in particular for approaches to education that nurture interreligious and intercultural understanding, awareness of interdependence, moral values, and global citizenship. These essential elements shape personal decisions of social consequence, concern for the well being of others, and respect for other human beings and for the whole of the planetary community. 

The movement from the myth of redemptive violence to the new story of restorative justice has informed our inquiry and inspired our deliberations. We urge the recognition of the spiritual dimension of the global dilemma in the early 21st century and of the spiritual component that must be present in the solutions we attempt.

We believe that enduring change emerges through the cooperative activity of men and women. Visionary activists must therefore work towards the evolutionary social transformation of fundamental values, especially those bearing on the empowerment of women.

We strongly acknowledge the vital importance of the following critical challenges for the 21st century. Each is a source of violence. But as we address each urgent issue, we open up a wellspring of peace. The path to that end leads through respectful encounter with the other, open dialogue, and cooperative common action to address the problems that face us all in the 21st century.

• Global poverty, hunger, disease, and unmet human life needs

• International militarization and obscene levels of military spending

• Unsustainable economic, political, cultural, and ecological structures of power

• Social and economic injustice and the systematic violation of universal human rights  

• Worldwide gender inequity in the social, economic, political, legal, and religious spheres

• Coercive violence against women and children, including the horror of children forced into combat

• Rampant ecological degradation and disregard for the sacredness of all life

• Intercultural and interreligious ignorance, mistrust, fear, and hatred

We must strengthen the influence of the majority of humans that wish to live in peace. We strongly endorse efforts to combine our collective intelligence to build globalization from the bottom-up: creating a global consensus of commitment to the common good. In this way, we declare our global sovereignty and claim our global citizenship for the first time.

We urge the development of consensus for a common global action plan, beginning with a multi-stakeholder consultation process, and culminating in a common vision for ending poverty, reversing climate change, financing sustainable development and creating structural reforms in global trade, finance, and energy policy.

• To create a network of organizations whose aims resonate with those of GCGI. This Internet-based network will facilitate the sharing of ideas, information, and courses of constructive action.

• To develop and maintain – on the GCGI web site and in the Journal of Globalization for the Common Good – a dynamic list of "what’s working": initiatives, projects, and civil society organizations that are making a significant contribution to the common good.

• To explore ways to encourage young persons from around the world to become actively engaged with Globalisation for the Common Good. This will include participation in future conferences, international exchange programs, interreligious and intercultural study and dialogue, and other initiatives.

Globalization for the Common Good has come a long way over the past six years. Six successful conferences and an increasingly influential journal and web site mark our progress. We have cultivated a diverse group of scholars, leaders of civil society, religious and spiritual leaders, and global activists for intense explorations of a value-centered vision of globalisation and the common good. We invite all others who share our vision to join us on the path to a better global future".

At our conference in Istanbul we were truly privileged to have speakers of the highest calibre, sharing their views with us all. Given the large number of papers this year, we decided that we should publish half of them at this issue and the remainder at the Spring Issue of 2008. Therefore, in the interest of the common good, the papers from the first six panels are published in this issue and the papers from the next seven panels will be printed in the Spring 2008 issue. We sincerely hope that all colleagues will agree with our decision and will have sympathy for this action.

We would like to emphasize that views expressed in this journal are not necessarily endorsed by our sponsoring web host, Purdue University Calumet, members of the Advisory Committee, or the Journal editors.

Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development Planned for October 2007

Finally, we are delighted that this issue of our journal will be published simultaneously with another 231 journals from around the world on October 22, 2007 to raise awareness, stimulate interest, and encourage research into poverty and human development. We are proud to be part of this global project which has been organised by the Council of Science editors.

For the list of participating journals and more details please see:

It only remains to be said that, we are eagerly looking forward to seeing all the friends of the Globalisation for the Common Good at our Melbourne conference in June 2008 (http://www.gcgmelbourne2008.info/ ).

With warm regards,

Yahya R. Kamalipour & Kamran Mofid
Founders and Co-Editors
Journal of Globalization for the Common Good