The Baha’i International Community (BIC) has launched its statement titled Embracing Interdependence: Foundations for a World in Transition as a contribution to the United Nations’ upcoming Summit of the Future taking place at UN headquarters in New York later this month.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene the Summit to encourage greater cooperation among world leaders and UN Member States to address present and future global challenges.

“On the occasion of the Summit of the Future,” the BIC statement says, “the international community faces both a profound opportunity and a vital imperative: the tremendous task of centering humanity’s interdependence at the heart of the global governance system.”

“This is a significant moment in humanity’s collective history, a moment when we are called to recognize that our present trajectory is no longer a viable path to the future,” said BIC Representative Daniel Perell. Mr. Perell has worked closely with various Member States, UN agencies, and civil society actors, ahead of this month’s Summit.

“We see it in the way we deliberate on international matters; the way we treat the earth; the way we define progress; the way we relate to one another—in nearly every facet of existence, we need new approaches and even a new understanding of how we conceive of progress,” Mr. Perell added.

The statement invites the arbiters of international affairs “to consider the implications of an alternative central organizing principle—the oneness of humankind.”

BIC Representative Liliane Nkunzimana, who has hosted a series of off-the-record conversations between civil society actors and Member State diplomats on peacebuilding, added that “there’s no shortage of proposals or recommendations for institutional reform. Each has potential benefits, but this moment calls for something more—a new set of underlying assumptions if we are to achieve lasting peace and harmony. Embracing Interdependence invites all of us on the international stage to consider new approaches that meet the true needs of our time.”

A shared conception of identity, a reconceptualization of the principle of justice, and new models of leadership are key elements of a framework explored by Embracing Interdependence that addresses the root causes of current challenges.

“Principles such as unity, justice, and integrity in leadership are often dismissed as unrealistic, even if they are cherished in rhetoric,” Ms. Nkunzimana said. 

“But, as the statement highlights, there are communities around the world that are committed to these ideals, and they are generating significant experience about how these principles can be applied in their everyday lives, community settings, and institutional arrangements. I believe there is something we can learn on the international stage from these experiences.” 

Mr. Perell added that “the Summit of the Future should not be treated as an isolated event—another conference resulting in another set of promises. Instead, it should be seen as an invitation to ongoing conversation and exploration.  Ultimately, it could be a catalyst to set in motion something profound and enduring, something around which all of humanity can rally.”

In closing, the statement reads, “... the Baha’i International Community invites participants at the Summit of the Future, and the processes that follow, to join together in a profound, collective act of learning.” 

“Rather than continue to hold on to outworn concepts and unworkable assumptions, leaders, together with the peoples of the world, must arise, and with resolute will, consult together in search of appropriate solutions.”

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