Page 2 - ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

of peace. In the 1950s and 1960s, people across the colonies were
awakened, and with a powerful voice, proclaimed that they would shake
off their shackles and struggle for independence. Since the end of the
Cold War, the most ardent aspiration of people everywhere has been to
foster greater cooperation and pursue common development.
Peace and development: throughout the past century this has been
the prevailing aspiration of humanity. However, this is a mission far
from fulfilled. It is now up to us to respond to the people’s call, take up
the baton of history, and continue on the marathon toward peace and
development.
Mankind is currently in an era of great development, profound
transformation, and dramatic change. The trend toward multipolarity
and economic globalization is deepening. IT application in social
development and cultural diversity continues to progress. A new round
of scientific and industrial revolution is in the making. Interconnection
and interdependence between countries have become crucial for human
survival. And the forces for peace far outweigh the factors causing
war. In a word, the trend of our times toward peace, development,
cooperation, and mutually beneficial outcomes grows only stronger.
At the same time, however, mankind is also in an era of myriad
challenges and proliferating risks. Global economic growth is sluggish,
the impact of the financial crisis lingers, and the development gap
continues to widen. Armed conflicts are a frequent occurrence,
the mentality of the Cold War and power politics persist, and non-
conventional security threats, particularly terrorism, refugee crises, major
communicable diseases, and climate change, are spreading.
Our universe has only one earth and we humans have only one
homeland. Stephen Hawking has raised the proposition of a “parallel
universe,” in the hope of finding another place where mankind may
settle. When, or if, this wish can be realized is anyone’s guess. Whatever
the case, at present, earth remains the only home mankind has, thus
caring for and cherishing this earth is the only option we have. In the
dome of the Federal Palace of Switzerland is inscribed the Latin motto,
“Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno” (One for all, and all for one).
We must not only think about our own generation, but also fulfill our
responsibility to the generations of the future.

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