William Soto: "Articulating efforts will achieve a better world"
The Executive President of the Global Embassy of Activists Peace, William Soto Santiago, addressed an inaugural message for the 3rd Peace Integration Summit, and the opening remarks for the Session: Science for the Preservation of the Life of the Mother Earth and the human being.
"Articulating efforts, generating synergies, combining efforts, we will achieve a better world," he assured.
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Soto addressed scientists and researchers, academic and political authorities, indigenous leaders, medical specialists, and environmentalists present at the Latin American Parliament, the headquarters of the event.
Speech
I want to start this session by citing a phrase that caught my attention, for which I quote: “Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty,” Albert Einstein.
Recalling this sentence from the great scientist of the twentieth century and confronting it with our present reality, it seems necessary to conclude that we have left aside one of the most important feelings of human beings: Compassion. This empathy is elevated with actions to help, care for and protect others, but on the basis of Love. Although this feeling survives in the hearts of men, it seems to only come afloat and manifest itself amid catastrophes and serious damage. I think we must aim to work to maintain it present always, especially in every action that affects our fellow neighbor.
In the name of freedom, civilization, and the progress of mankind, we have caused core damage to our Mother Earth; and with it we are destroying ourselves and all other living things in an accelerated and disproportionate way.
Five years ago, at the Rio +20 Summit, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the Heads of State and Government and the high-level representatives present issued a statement called Our Common Future, where they expressed and I quote:
"We renew our commitment to sustainable development and the promotion of an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable future for our planet and for present and future generations."
We as civil society have welcomed these resolutions and other high-level decisions with great hope, in order to comply with all these agreements, whose global need and urgency is evident.
We see that most of the nations of the world express that they make true effort to fulfill the objectives of the Paris Agreement; but we also witness with deep concern that other voices and opinions, that are also very valid as being essential, based on alternative knowledge and ancestral wisdom, are ignored, such as the Indigenous Peoples of the world, that can also be transform into effective and easily applicable actions.
It is urgent to continue to be aware of the unenthusiastic reality that we are living, but at the same time we have to act to stop the damage that we are causing Mother Earth and ourselves.
It is necessary to reconcile developmental needs with actions to protect Mother Earth. It is necessary to listen to the scientific proposals and indigenous ancestral knowledge. Expanding the range of voices, we will expand the range of action, and, perhaps, in joint effort, we may be able to stop what today seems inevitable.
With these words, I declare the 2017 Peace Integration Summit inaugurated. Thank you very much.
