Vatican City, 28th February 2005 (CNA)
- The conclusions of a Report of the World
Commission on the Social Dimension of
Globalization was presented Friday afternoon at
the Lateran University in Rome.
Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the
Pontifical Council Justice and Peace, and Juan
Somavia, director of the International Labor
Office (ILO), presented the conclusions of the
commission, which was established by the ILO in
2002. The Report was published in
2004.
A press release announcing the event at
the, summarized the findings of the Report, which
said, "The current functioning of the world
economy suffers from deeply rooted and profound
imbalances that are unacceptable from an ethical
point of view and politically indefensible.”
“For the majority of men and women in the
world”, it said, “globalization does not respond
to their legitimate aspirations to have a
dignified job and a better future for their
children."
The communique also summarized Cardinal
Martino's talk, in which he stressed the need to
re-think policies and institutions of world
governance.
He said that now is the moment to place the
question of human work and its dignity in the
front line of action for a just and fair
globalization. He also stated that work is the key
to the social question which today is a global
question.
Work, when recognized and appreciated, is
the path for individuals to get out of situations
of absolute poverty in a sustainable way and
is also the key for a change in societies and
institutions. The possibility of work transforms a
poor person from being a "problem" that has to be
taken care of to becoming a "resource."
