Topic of Interest
| View the answers to this topic >> | View other topics >> | Suggest a Topic>> |
A Hunger for Ethics*
In Latin American societies there is a growing and promising process
of democratization, which is giving momentum to the promotion of ethics.
Civil societies that are increasingly mobilized and participatory are
pressuring for the complete eradication of corruption, for more transparency,
and for social control of state management. But the demand for ethics
is not limited to the topic of corruption; it goes much further than
that. There is a now demand for a renewed discussion about economics
that incorporates ethical dimensions. It is generally recognized that
the region has urgent ethic challenges including; widespread poverty
(around 50% of the population is poor), a lack of care for children
(60% of children under 14 years of age live in poverty), a breakdown
of the family (30% of homes have been broken due to the onslaught of
poverty), lack of opportunity for youth (the jobless rate for young
people is above 20%), lack of health coverage (18% of childbirths take
place without medical assistance), and high levels of inequality (the
richest 10% have 84 times the income of the poorest 10%) also considered
as a central cause of poverty. All of these situations violate the basic
ethical convictions of our societies.
Likewise, public opinion is insisting that principle social actors assume ethical responsibilities. They are demanding ethical behavior from political leaders, social responsibility from businesses, a commitment to honest service from public functionaries, as well as ethics from labor leaders, universities, and NGOs. As it becomes more mature and mobilized, society is signaling that to not rob is elemental, that it is intolerable. However, together with that we need a continuous ethical dialog about what kind of society we want; what the priorities should be in the designation of limited resources; and how to provide solidarity in the assumption of the biblical idea that we should all be responsible for each other.
The ethical debate can lead to very concrete results. In more developed societies, those that have had the best results as measured by the human development scales of the UN, such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and Holland, this debate is a key component of their cultures and development. An active debate of this kind allows for the mobilization of volunteering (a great force in those countries), social responsibility by the private sector, and strategic alliances between the State and civil society. In this framework and to propel forces in this direction, the IDB has recently established the Inter-American Initiative of Social Capital, Ethics and Development (http://www.iadb.org/etica/ingles/index-i.htm). Various universities in the region are beginning to teach and research on topics of ethics and development. The OAS, via its Educational Portal of the Americas, is actively joining in the diffusion of the discussion of this new agenda. We cannot postpone this essential debate any longer. Pope John Paul II has repeatedly suggested what is required of an ethics for the globalized world and in those areas such as Latin America where poverty is urgent and something that we cannot wait on any longer.?
Likewise, public opinion is insisting that principle social actors assume ethical responsibilities. They are demanding ethical behavior from political leaders, social responsibility from businesses, a commitment to honest service from public functionaries, as well as ethics from labor leaders, universities, and NGOs. As it becomes more mature and mobilized, society is signaling that to not rob is elemental, that it is intolerable. However, together with that we need a continuous ethical dialog about what kind of society we want; what the priorities should be in the designation of limited resources; and how to provide solidarity in the assumption of the biblical idea that we should all be responsible for each other.
The ethical debate can lead to very concrete results. In more developed societies, those that have had the best results as measured by the human development scales of the UN, such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and Holland, this debate is a key component of their cultures and development. An active debate of this kind allows for the mobilization of volunteering (a great force in those countries), social responsibility by the private sector, and strategic alliances between the State and civil society. In this framework and to propel forces in this direction, the IDB has recently established the Inter-American Initiative of Social Capital, Ethics and Development (http://www.iadb.org/etica/ingles/index-i.htm). Various universities in the region are beginning to teach and research on topics of ethics and development. The OAS, via its Educational Portal of the Americas, is actively joining in the diffusion of the discussion of this new agenda. We cannot postpone this essential debate any longer. Pope John Paul II has repeatedly suggested what is required of an ethics for the globalized world and in those areas such as Latin America where poverty is urgent and something that we cannot wait on any longer.?
*The ideas, thoughts, and opinions expressed are not necessarily of the OAS nor of its member states. The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors.
Questions: