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Message from Walter Veltroni, Mayor of Rome
To the inaugural Interdependence Day in Philadelphia
Read on Interdependence Day 2003 in Philadelphia by Mr Aldo Civico
Dear Friends,
More than half a century has passed since the UN passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This ratified an inalienable principle of responsibility for every human being. But that declaration is only the historical and juridical basis of a process of moving towards the mutual respect, dignity and defense of human values. The text that Benjamin Barber prepared and which I am happy to sign, marks a futher commitment, emphasizing the need to consider the entire world population as an inseparable set of lives, destinies, hopes, apportunities and dreams in interdependent relationships with one another, tightly tied to each other. I am firmly convinced of this need - how the hope for a better future for everyone resides in building, promoting, defending the understanding that the world is just one great immense "community". We must work precisely bearing this common idea in mind, in order to ultimately protect every human being's right to live with dignity, to express his or her own convictions, to live in peace. There can be no exception or shortcuts because history has shown many times that without respect for these fundamental principles, only destruction, injustice, hardship and tragedy are born.
So our effort must be to try to create a great network among peoples, to promote exchanges and reciprocal knowledge, to think in terms of a common future destiny. I am also convinced that it is precisely the local realities which can have an important role in accomplishing this project. This is why, as mayor of one of the world's great cities, I try to promote the sense of belonging to the same community, among the citizens. At the same time, I try to widen this community to that network of interdependence among other cities, among other countries, among other peoples. My wish therefore is that the greatest number of people possible, practially support this declaration so that every person anywhere in teh world can have a fair chance to live in peace with dignity and justice, as a result of this common work.
From the Capital, September 4, 2003
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