In the last ten years and so, similar to all those who have discovered the wonders of love, kindness, generosity, hospitality and the common good, I, too, have also realized that, “From the great oceans, vast plains and highest mountains that sustain our fragile and vital ecosystem, to our village friends and city dwellers that bring meaning to our common journey, we are quickly realizing that everyone and everything is interconnected and interdependent.
With each passing day, it is also increasingly evident in every corner of our world that great change is upon us and that by standing together in mutual respect, honour and dignity for one another, we will answer this call with creative, viable and sustainable solutions.
We must take the necessary steps now to reach out to our fellow humans and extend our hand in forgiveness, acceptance and genuine friendship. Our choices shall be made from compassion while embracing the richness of our amazing diversity. The love and acceptance we have for ourselves will be the source of our strength to assist others. Together we can and will make a difference through love.
These necessary changes may challenge us to the depths of our courage and test the very essence of our personal character, yet with each ensuing breath we shall remain in love and this love will be the very basis of a new era of peace and abundance, equality and goodwill for all”.
The Globalization for the Common Good Initiative (GCGI) first came into being at an international conference held in Oxford, United Kingdom in 2002. An extraordinarily diverse group of scholars, academics, students, policy experts, entrepreneurs, and activists, from multiple nations and faiths came together at that time to implement our vision to rekindle the human spirit in order to make globalization compassionate. We recognized the multitude of crises faced by humanity and the need to provide a multi-cultural/multi-ethnic and inter-faith framework to address the global issues raised by globalization- a framework to both analyze the problems and to propose solutions. Ever since, these annual conferences have been held in many countries on different continents providing a gathering place for those committed to our vision to build community, encourage dialogue and openness, while developing rewarding and fruitful relationships.
In our work and research, since the early days of 2002, we have offered a vision that positions the quest for economic and social justice, peace and ecological sustainability, ethical and corporate social responsibility within the framework of a spiritual consciousness grounded in the practice of open-heartedness, generosity, and caring for others. The GCGI concept is inclusive, mindful of environment and the human connection to nature. Our vision encourages us to believe that real, viable, sustainable, ethical, and profitable capitalism is possible. What is needed to realize our vision is a more inclusive holistic view of “the bottom line.” Success needs to be redefined in a manner that leads to dramatic transformation of people and societies spiritually, economically, socially, and environmentally, if we desire to pass on a better world to our children and grand-children.
Kamran Mofid,
Founder, Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative (GCGI)
Previous Conference Locations:
Plater College, Oxford (2002)- St. Petersburg, Russia (2003)- Dubai, UAE (2004)- Nairobi and Kericho, Kenya(2005)- Chaminade University, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA (2006)-Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey (2007)- Trinity College, University of Melbourne, Australia (2008)- Loyola University, Chicago, USA (2009)- California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, California, USA (2010)- Alexandria Bibliotheca, Alexandria, Egypt (2011—Postponed, due to the Revolution in Egypt)- School of Economic Science, Oxford Campus, Waterperry House, Oxford (2012)
Oxford 2002- Announcing the 1st Conference
An International Conference on
An Inter-faith Perspective on Globalisation:
Common Goals, Common Crises, Common Call and Common Hope
Plater College, Oxford, July 27 - August 3, 2002
“At a time of profound crises there must be an opportunity for new vision, new understanding and new thinking. There is a desperate need for new practical ways of relating in an increasingly inter-dependent global community: a time to re-introduce spirituality, ethics and faith into the debate on globalisation.”…
http://gcgi.info/conferences/2002-oxford-conference-program
Oxford 2012- Announcing the 10th Annual International Conference
Waterperry House, Oxford
September 2-5, 2012
Theology, Philosophy, Ethics, Spirituality and Economics: A Call to Dialogue
Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative (GCGI)
Annual Conference Series
"Sharing the Wisdom, Shaping the Dream:
Reclaiming the Moral and Spiritual Roots of Economics and Capitalism"
September 2-5, 2012
School of Economic Science
http://www.schooleconomicscience.org/
Waterperry House, Oxford
http://www.schooleconomicscience.org/waterperry-house/
School of Economic Science is delighted to announce that it will host the tenth annual conference of Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative.
This major global conference is being convened by Dr. Kamran Mofid, Founder, Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative and Mr. Ian Mason, Principal of the School of Economic Science.