Nadia Murad, UN SDG Advocate

One of 17 SDG Advocates

Is gender equality and women empowerment important for you? Do you feel it is unfair that some people live in war with a constant fear of bombs, mines and weapons? Do you want to make the world a better place? Do you want to collaborate with others to make change happen? Great! The SDGs – the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – do emphasize these issues, among many others.

The SDG 5 is all about Gender Equality. The SDG 16 promotes Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. The SDG 17 emphasizes the fact that the SDGs can be realized only with strong global partnerships and cooperation.

In an article recently published in this blog, we presented the UN SDG advocate Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, who is a strong advocate for indigenous peoples, the environment and climate action representing the Mbororo people in the Sahel region.

In this article, we chose to focus on Nadia Murad. In 2016, she was appointed the first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking of United Nations. In 2018, Nadia Murad (born in Iraq) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with Denis Mukwege (born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo). They received the prize "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict".

Nadia Murad, a Yazidi human rights activist and survivor of ISIS gender-based violence, delivers remarks at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on July 25, 2018. (State Department photo/Public Domain.)

Nadia Murad

Nadia Murad was born in Kojo, Iraq, in 1993. Nadia belongs to the Yazidi ethnic and religious minority in northern Iraq. On 3rd August 2014, the Islamic State (IS) launched a brutal attack on Nadia Murad’s home village. Over the following days, the terrorist group executed hundreds of men and took captive thousands of women and children, publicly reviling them as 'infidels', according to a report from United Nations Human Rights.

“The Commission of Inquiry calls on the international community to recognize the crime of genocide being committed by ISIL against the Yazidis and to undertake steps to refer the situation to justice,” was the message from the Commission of Inquiry on Syria three years after the massacre, on 3rd August 2017.

“We need justice. Justice for women. We want people to accept women’s messages, so women won’t be afraid to talk about what they went through.”

- Nadia Murad

Iraqi Yazidi Islamic State survivor and activist Nadia Murad received the European Parliament’s 2016 Sakharov Prize during a ceremony in Strasbourg. Photo: ©European Union 2016 - European Parliament.

Nadia’s Initiative

In 2018, Nadia Murad founded the nonprofit organization Nadia’s Initiative. The aim of the organization is to “help women and children victimized by genocide, mass atrocities and human trafficking to heal and rebuild their communities”. 

Education, healthcare and women’s empowerment

Nadia’s Initiative works in the region of Sinjar in Iraq to help rebuild the local community by providing education and healthcare. Women’s empowerment is an important part of the work and the organization gives support to survivors of sexual violence worldwide. This means that Nadia’s Initiative and Nadia Murad is a strong advocate for SDG 3 – Good Health & Well-being, SDG 4 – Quality Education, and SDG 5 – Gender Equality, among others.

SDG 3 – Good Health & Well-being

The Sustainable Development Goal 3 is “to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. The Covid-19 pandemic has unfortunately interrupted childhood immunization programmes in around 70 countries and made the health situation very difficult.

According to UNSD, United Nations Statistics Division, less than half of the global population is covered by essential health services. Service cancellations due to covid-19 will lead to 100 percent increase in malaria deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, says UNSD.

Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health & Well-being

UN Digital Dialogue on 6th Anniversary of Yazidi Genocide

On the sixth anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, on 3rd August 2020, Nadia’s Initiative co-hosts a UN digital dialogue about the genocidal campaign against the Yazidi minority. Co-hosts are also the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations in New York and the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations in New York.

Message from Ato Dakheel to the world on the 6th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, August 3rd 2020. Experience advocate of Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions. 

Ato Dakheel, Goodwill Ambassador in Sweden representing the Yazidi people of Iran, Iraq and Syria. 

Interview with Ato Dakheel

On the 6th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide on August 3rd 2020, Globcal International Ambassador Maria Veneke Ylikomi had a conversation with Ato Dakheel, an indigenous Yazidi who currently lives in Sweden.

Today I am very sad, says Ato. There should be no difference between different groups of people in Iraq or other countries, says Ato Dakheel, who today lives in Sweden.

Ato Dakheel hopes that in the future, Yazidi children and young people will be able to live like everyone else and have the same rights as everyone else.

There should be no difference between different groups of people in Iraq, says Ato.

It was the city of Sinjar/Shingal that IS attacked on Sunday, August 3rd, 2014. Ato remembers the city of Sinjar very well. He says that he was 15 years old when IS came to the village with their big, new cars. Before the terrible event, Ato and his family enjoyed life very much in the village.

We lived in a small village that belonged to the town of Sinjar. It was very simple, but it was like a paradise for us. We were very grateful.

The Sinjar Mountains have always been and are still an important symbol for Yazidis, says Ato.

The Sinjar Mountains are like a mother who has taken care of me. IS could not get up there. It is very difficult to get up there by car. We were there for eight days before we went by foot to Syria. There were thousands of children, young people, women and men.

We ask Ato about his message to the world on the 6th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide. Ato replies that he hopes that there will be no war again.

I hope there will be peace. I hope that all people will be equal.

Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions

UN SDG Advocates for 2019–2020

The United Nations has appointed the following 17 SDG advocates for 2019–2020.

Sustainable Development Goals Advocates - Photo: United Nations

1. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
2. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
3. HM Queen Mathilde, Belgium
4. HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Qatar
5. HH Muhammadu Sanusi II Emir of Kano, Nigeria
6. Richard Curtis, United States
7. Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, Chad
8. Jack Ma, China
9. Graça Machel, Mozambique
10. Dia Mirza, India
11. Dr. Alaa Murabit, Canada
12. Nadia Murad, Iraq
13. Edward (Eddie) Ndopu, Namibia
14. Paul Poman, the Netherlands
15. Jeffrey Sachs, United States
16. Marta Vieira da Silva, Brazil
17. Forest Whitaker, United States

Agenda 2030

The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs – were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.

Agenda 2030. 17 Sustainable Development Goals - Illustration: United Nations

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health & Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water & Sanitation
7. Affordable & Clean Energy
8. Decent Work & Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities & Communities
12. Responsible Consumption & Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals

Learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at Act4SDGs, UN SDG Action Campaign or on the United Nations Sustainable Development Platform. 

Join us as a member of Globcal International if you have a project that you want to develop or you can also join us to become a goodwill ambassador for one of our programs under development.

Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, UN SDG Advocate

One of 17 SDG Advocates

Are you passionate about animals in your country? Do you feel peace of mind is important for a peaceful world? Do you think clean water for all is one of the world’s most important issues? Do you believe climate action is urgently needed? Great! The SDGs – the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – surely is something for you.

To raise ambition for the implementation of the SDGs worldwide, the United Nations has appointed 17 SDG advocates. They are all united in their dedication to a peaceful world, a healthy planet and prosperity for all. It is easy to think that the SDGs is someone else’s responsibility, but the fact is: the SDGs are responsibilities for each and everyone of us. As global citizens, it is our duty to care for our planet and our one and only human family. To really leave no one behind, we all need to get involved and start to take action.

In this article, we chose to focus on Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, who is a strong advocate for indigenous peoples, the environment and climate action representing the Mbororo people in the Sahel region.

Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim is Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change. Photo: World Economic Forum

“For centuries, indigenous peoples have protected the environment, which provides them food, medicine and so much more. Now it’s time to protect and benefit from their unique traditional knowledge to bring concrete and natural solutions to implement sustainable development goals and fight climate change.”

Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim

Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim was born in Chad in north-central Africa in 1984. Today Chad is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the south-west, and Niger to the west.

The Mbororo people, who Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim represents, are a small subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group. The Mbororo people, also called the Wodabee or Bororo, are traditionally nomadic cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel region, a region situated to the immediate south of the Sahara Desert stretching east-west across the African continent.

The Association of Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad

When Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim realized the discrimination against indigenous peoples, and especially indigenous women, for example the exclusion from educational opportunities, she founded the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), promoting the rights of girls and women in the Mbororo community. By doing so, she also promoted the girls and women in the Mbororo community as strong leaders in environmental protection. 

International Negotiations

The organization Association of Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad has since 2005 participated in international negotiations on climate, sustainable development, biodiversity, and environmental protection. This means that Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim is a strong advocate for the SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 6 – Clean Water & Sanitation, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 15 – Life on Land, and SDG 16 – Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions.

SDG 13 – Climate Action

The Sustainable Development Goal 13 is “to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”. According to UNDESA, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019 was the second warmest year on record and global temperatures are projected to rise by up to 3,2 degrees Celsius by 2100.

Only 85 countries have national disaster risk reduction strategies aligned to the Sendai Framework, which is the roadmap for how we make our communities safer and more resilient to disasters developed by UNDRR, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The climate of the Sahel region, the home of the Mbororo people, is arid and hot with strong seasonal variations in rainfall and temperature. The region is vulnerable to climate change. The Sahel region will be at risk of drought which can reduce water supply for both animals and people. This is one example of how global warming may affect the people living in the Sahel region, especially the vulnerable Mbororo people. 

Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action

UN SDG Advocates for 2019–2020

The United Nations has appointed the following 17 SDG advocates for 2019–2020: 

Sustainable Development Goals Advocates - Photo: United Nations

1. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
2. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
3. HM Queen Mathilde, Belgium
4. HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Qatar
5. HH Muhammadu Sanusi II Emir of Kano, Nigeria
6. Richard Curtis, United States
7. Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, Chad
8. Jack Ma, China
9. Graça Machel, Mozambique
10. Dia Mirza, India
11. Dr. Alaa Murabit, Canada
12. Nadia Murad, Iraq
13. Edward (Eddie) Ndopu, Namibia
14. Paul Poman, the Netherlands
15. Jeffrey Sachs, United States
16. Marta Vieira da Silva, Brazil
17. Forest Whitaker, United States

Agenda 2030

The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs – were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.

Agenda 2030. 17 Sustainable Development Goals - Illustration: United Nations

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health & Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water & Sanitation
7. Affordable & Clean Energy
8. Decent Work & Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities & Communities
12. Responsible Consumption & Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals

Learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at Act4SDGs, UN SDG Action Campaign or on the United Nations Sustainable Development Platform. 

Join us as a member of Globcal International if you have a project that you want to develop or you can also join us to become a goodwill ambassador for one of our programs under development.

Sami People Adopt the Indigenous Unity Flag for Solidarity

International Indigenous Unity Flag in Stockholm

By Maria Veneke Ylikomi, Author and Goodwill Ambassador

At Riksbron bridge in Stockholm, Sweden, every Thursday between 11 and 12 o'clock, there is a group of devoted people who fight for land rights, clean water and a living cultural heritage. In all weathers, they stand up for the rights of indigenous peoples and protest against Sweden’s current mineral regulations. On Thursday, October 26th, Pierre Åhrén received the International Indigenous Unity Flag. The International Indigenous Unity Flag is an international symbol uniting all indigenous peoples in world peace calling for the need to unite to protect indigeneity and the planet earth (mother nature). The flag was created in 2012 by aboriginal Canadian, Col. Michael Lawrence Sher, one of the commissioning founders of the organization Globcal International.

Tidningen Gränslöst is a magazine published in Sweden, this article was published original article: "Riksbron every Thursday"

Pierre Åhrén became a Goodwill Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples Unity.

After demonstrating for 3 years with a homemade banner of the International Indigenous Unity Flag on Thursday, October 26th, Pierre Åhren received a genuine flag, representing unity among indigenous peoples, world peace and how we must become united to protect our planet. The gift was facilitated by goodwill ambassadors of Globcal International.

It all started in November 2013

Pierre Åhrén explains the background to the activities that take place on the Riksbron bridge every Thursday. It all started in November 2013 when activists demonstrated against the mining project in Gállok outside Jokkmokk during the summer. When Pierre stood there demonstrating he came to think of the women in Argentina, Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, whose children disappeared between 1976 and 1983, and who march on Thursday every week. Pierre decided that he also can march once a week, on Thursdays, and other people followed him.

The Poisonous and Destructive Mining Industry

Pierre is on the bridge half an hour before the other demonstrators arrive to prepare the activities. Through the years, they have had protest placards supporting different peoples and places in the world, for example Brazil. The purpose is to protect the earth from deforestation and destruction. The mining industry is poisonous to nature and contaminates our drinking water. The mass consumption society is destroying our planet.

If you follow the chain starting from the mine in the mine you extract metals, from the metal things are made that people should buy, then the things are thrown away and new things are bought. This is going on all over the world, says Pierre.

In Sweden, many of the mines are located in the Sami reindeer herding areas.

The Sami Cultural Heritage

Despite the severe problems with the mining industry, Pierre is quite hopeful when it comes to young Sami people. He means that young Sami people readopt the Sami languages and the Sami art. The young Sami people are the ones who feel the urgent need to protect their cultural heritage.

Kinship with all Indigenous Peoples

When talking about the Indigenous Unity Flag and the event on the Riksbron bridge on October 26th when Pierre Åhrén received the flag from Erica Lundström, he gets emotional.

I feel kinship with all the world’s indigenous peoples.

On October 26th Pierre Åhrén was awarded a medallion to acknowledge and recognize his contribution to the advocacy of human rights and future of indigenous peoples in Sweden.

Meet the Women in Charge of Change

When we are talking about votes the following female leaders of Globcal International often have the final word or the morale of the organization could become unbalanced as a civil society; so when we develop programs we need to ensure their best interests are at heart ethically, morally and aesthetically. This is one aspect of our organization that makes it more attractive to a cooperative audience, the ladies!

Role Models for Change

Ambassadors Deborah Levine, Dame Karen Cantrell, Maria Veneke Ylikomi, Dr. Sonia Ceballos and Ricki Landers all serve the organization as founders and commissioners and have all been involved since 2009. While we were full of growing pains, the Most Venerable Meena Persad joined us to help develop an embassy in Guyana and create funding sources for an orphanage she is developing there. Then just last month the Honorable Ricki Landers of Tennessee joined us to offer technical and expert support involving the social media.

Deborah Levine

Deborah Levine is a cross-cultural communication expert, an award-winning author and a writing coach, passionate about cultural diversity in this world. Her great interest for cultural diversity work started to grow already in childhood as she grew up in one of few Jewish families in British Bermuda.

Deborah is an entrepreneur and innovator of multiple projects that share and teach cultural diversity. The American Diversity Report (americandiversityreport.com) received the 2013 Champion of Diversity Award from diversitybusiness.com. The Women’s Council on Diversity (womengroundbreakers.com) received the Excellence Award from the Tennessee Economic Council on Women.With degrees in cultural anthropology and urban planning, Deborah is a cross-cultural trainer whose clients include government, corporations, education organizations, and healthcare institutions. Her creative cross-cultural teaching strategies are outlined in her textbook, "Matrix Model Management System: Guide to Cross-Cultural Wisdom".

Karen Cantrell

Karen Cantrell is a successful entrepreneur and founder of Lady Golf. When it comes to empowering women in different parts of the world, Karen is very enthusiastic. She is among a great deal of other things involved in empowering women in for example India, Brazil, Africa, UK, European Union and Venezuela. Karen Cantrell is the International Vice President of several different organizations that are making great efforts for the empowering of women.

Karen Cantrell's educational background is of such, a Doctor of Humane Letters from Becket Theological Institute in Canterbury, England, for her great service to create peace, harmony, fraternity, understanding and tolerance. She is truly committed to seeing that those in need receive the best possible help available. Karen has voluntarily offered her services to humankind her entire life. Her actions speak for themselves. Karen's dedication, compassion, and generosity have made an incredible and positive difference in the lives of both people and animals.

Maria Veneke Ylikomi

Maria Veneke Ylikomi works as a language consultant. She enjoys writing and has among other things written a book about the four felines jaguar, tiger, lion and leopard in cooperation with the wildlife photographer Jan Fleischmann. Maria has studied at Lund University in Sweden, mainly within humanities and languages. Maria is administrator of International Observances and registrar for the Global Citizenship Registry. In 2014 Maria was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel.

Maria's great interest in traveling and curiosity about other cultures has brought her to more than 30 different countries (in Asia, Africa, North America and Europe). Her time spent as a volunteer at an orphanage in war-torn Cambodia is one of the circumstances that has led Maria to dedicate a part of her time to the non-profit organization Globcal International. As a Goodwill Ambassador, Maria is able to collaborate with other professional colleagues to promote humanitarian issues, environmental issues, human rights and peace.

Sonia Ceballos

Sonia Ceballos was born in Caracas, Venezuela and came by destiny into traveling and dealing with people around the world, She has studied psychology at the Central University of Venezuela and is always concerned about social issues, She first became involved in social work with youth at risk in the Caracas slums, and then she started to help minorities, such as indigenous peoples of Venezuela, with ecological and social protection and education. She is a great and warmhearted defender of human rights.

Dr. Sonia Ceballos currently works as the manager of Fundo Ekobius, which is a real functional and self-sustainable cooperative. It is an organization that has a clear focus on naturalism, ecology, indigenous knowledge and environmental enhancement. Sonia is collaborating in the area of psychology in various philanthropic projects through Globcal International. She is interested in personal development. Without political bias Sonia is a loyal fan of the trade union, and opportunities for all.

Meena Persad

Meena Persad is an Ambassador for Globcal International and Goodwill Ambassadors of the World representative for Guyana in New York City. She is a mother of four children, and have two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Business, and a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management and Finance.

Meena Persad has always had a passion for writing and has written the book ”Classic Bible Stories for Children”. She hopes that the book can help children to live with a sense of morality, and that it will touch their hearts so they can live with dignity. "If children live with honesty, love, and respect for themselves and others, it will make a big difference in our society today", says Meena. She is passionate about helping children in need especially in Guyana, where she has an orphanage. She loves to help the children to reach their highest potential. Meena would be delighted to be able to donate books to children in orphanages around the world, so that children can have a chance to educate themselves.

Ricki Landers

Ricki Landers joined Globcal International last month. She is a web designer, graphic designer, and Search Engine Optimization expert. She is a mother of three children and a wife of 26 years. Ricki has a vast educational background; she has a Master of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Science and an Associate of Science in Digital Design and Web Development.

Ricki Landers has owned several successful businesses and she has been a public speaker, and a professional radio and TV broadcaster. She is an author and a travel writer with a focus on sustainable tourism. She does most of her work in marketing and online marketing is her great specialty. She is a dedicated human rights advocate and has led many international campaigns using social media. Ricki freelances for companies who are seeking to increase their revenue and brand awareness. She is now working on several projects that will work to bring sustainable and environmentally friendly food and housing to areas that are in desperate need of both.

Other Members

We also have several women who work with us as volunteer ambassadors who have helped periodically to promote events with us online: Astrid, Irmgard, Lakshmi, Hira, Sahro, Maya-Lis, and Nikija, We will present them all soon in an upcoming article in January about our volunteerism program.

Taking Measures to Assist Europe's New Residents

Globcal International is an organization that takes a very serious view on all matters relative to human rights and our great civilization. Currently we are involved in the development of a global program involving citizenship alternatives for those who have been marginalized by the system, those who live and work internationally, and for those who have had enough of the day-in-day-out nation-state politics based in envy, plunder, racism, and greed resulting in societies that were built on discrimination and nationalism (most national governments).

Preparing Europe for Global Citizenship

Goodwill Ambassadors Karen Cantrell and
Antonino Landi meeting in Palermo, Sicily 

Over the past 20 years those responsible for the changes that are occurring in our society (people like you, me and others) have been focused on creating a global society that is rooted in fairness, best practices, equality, peace and sustainability. We have all had our ideals challenged by organizations influenced by their sponsors seeking an advantage over these horizons including religious institutions and nation-states that seek to possess and control the world, its riches, people and their advantage through corrupt controls.

In late September we took on and adopted a 'new deal' with new goals proposed by world leaders who unanimously agreed at the United Nations under the framework of a 15 year plan to revolutionize our great civilization eliminating poverty, bringing equality to humanity, and saving the planet from global warming and climate change. They labelled the world-wide program the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s for those who work within the framework and nicknamed the project the Global Goals.

Our organization is delighted with the Global Goals as a way to bring equality to our planet and the people who inhabit it; however there are many issues and a great deal of resistance from those who want to retain their brute force control over the humanity. The pain and toil that built their nations over the years combined with organizations and corporations corruptly invested in country economies are at the helm of the disagreements. Despite the resistance of the shift toward a globalized world, the world leaders including monarchs and those elected democratically have all (193 of 196) agreed to the changes proposed by the 17 SDGs with 169 prime targets over the next 15 years.

Clearing the Way for Refugee and Migration Services

In an effort to better prepare our projects for implementation and development we had to take a first hand look to examine the crisis situations around the world especially those which involve discrimination. To accomplish this we needed to depend on our ambassadors in Europe to provide their first hand experience with the refugee crisis there. Coincidentally our goodwill ambassador, Princess Karen Cantrell traveled to Europe on October 13 and has taken time to meet with other Globcal International ambassadors regarding the refugee and migration issue.

Ambassador Cantrell is an executive council member and co-founder of Globcal International, she is the key person in the administration and development of the Hospitallers Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem (HOSLJ), a philanthropic charity and priory of the Roman Catholic Church located in the United States. During her trip she has shared some critical viewpoints and first hand knowledge relative to the refugee crisis in an effort to provide Globcal International better understanding over the issue.

When leaving Germany where she noted some discrimination against arriving Syrian refugees, she went to consult with our volunteer representative for Italy, Ambassador Antonino Landi in Palermo, Sicily to discuss the refugee crisis and to justify an aspect within the formation of our global citizenship project especially for refugees and their families.

Ambassador Cantrell reported that; "there was a great deal of debate and misgiving," she witnessed, "first hand a great deal of discrimination, but also a great deal of pro-refugee awareness and activism." She said in closing, "Germany is run by people with great minds and they have accepted this enormous social responsibility when others have turned their heads. Chancellor Merkel has stood fast on this issue and has the support of the majority of the German people. Those who fear a takeover have to live with their narrow mindedness and discriminatory nationalist ideals." She also cited the example of the Turkish wave of immigration years ago which has turned out historically to be very beneficial to the country's economy and the betterment of the society in general.

Including Everyone in the Global Agenda

After careful review of international law all the recent immigrants to Europe each and all possess particular human rights as refugees under the United Nations and may potentially become new global citizens under the Globcal International program based on the updated development of our project as soon as this January.

Wealthy Investors may pay a Global Citizen Tax

Conclusions of the 3rd Global Citizen Forum - October 14th, 2015, Monaco

Kofi Annan addressed the refugee
crisis in Europe and its root causes.

Global Citizen Forum concludes in Monaco with a call for greater cooperation between governments, private sector and individuals to address global migration challenges.

Story: Global Citizen Tax

The 3rd annual Global Citizen Forum concluded in Monaco on October 9, 2015. Global Citizens, world leaders, policymakers, philanthropists, celebrities and thought leaders gathered to discuss an array of issues currently facing the world, focusing on the escalating refugee crisis in Europe and the need for a political solution.

In his keynote address, Kofi Annan, the 7th Secretary General of the United Nations and Founder and Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation, said that Europe is facing the greatest movement of refugees since World War II. “The historic refugee crisis Europe is facing today is so hard to solve because it is not a one-off, humanitarian phenomenon. It is, in fact, a by-product and symptom of much deeper political problems that beset regional and global order. It will therefore require concerted action not just in and by Europe, but among the regional powers of the Middle East, and the global powers of the Security Council.”

Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, addressed the forum with the message that global citizenship lies in the future leaders of the world, the youth, and the great need to address issues such as access to education and teaching tolerance and peace among the world’s children. “To move forward, we need every actor on board, from civil society to the private sector, to connect the dots, to foster the innovation the world needs today. Each of us has a responsibility to others; each of us has a responsibility to the world. This is about human rights and dignity. This is about inclusion and peace. Fundamentally, this is about the kind of societies we want to live in.”

Refugee Solutions

During his address, José Manuel Barroso, former Prime Minister of Portugal and 11th President of the European Commission, looked at the meaning of borders and the role of global governance today. “We have learned that today we are more interdependent than ever. We can be proud of our local, national and regional identity, but also realizing that we are part of mankind. This refugee crisis is a time to show that we are serious about our values, that we can make them work in favor of common interest of mankind. The idea of this global citizen tax is one way. It shows that countries are not just interested in receiving the wealthy, but also sharing that wealth with those most in need.”

One proposed solution that was discussed was the idea for a Global Citizen Tax, endorsed by José Manuel Barroso. The tax would be a simple levy on investor applications for residence or citizenship in EU countries. The proposed tax could mean big changes, potentially delivering revenues of over a billion euros in the next five years. These impact of these funds could be realized through the creation of jobs, aid for the agencies working with refugees or other economic stimulation to the impacted countries.

Three-time Grammy award-winning artist and activist Wyclef Jean delivered a moving speech about his experience as a refugee and becoming a global citizen. Various panel discussions were held including a panel on peace and security that explored current geopolitical challenges and trends in the Middle East, Africa and other regions, and discussion on innovative approaches to addressing the refugee crisis and foreign direct investment’s impact in countries around the world. Leadership expert Robin Sharma spoke of the importance of individual leadership and becoming a “change-maker” in the global citizenship community during his session at the forum.

Global Citizenship Gala

The forum hosted the Global Citizen Gala on the evening of October 8th. Each year the GCF bestows Global Citizen Award at the Gala dinner and this year’s award was presented to Regina Catrambone, co-founder of the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) for the contribution the company founded by herself and her husband has made to bring awareness and aid to refugees. The Gala also featured a special performance by forum speaker, activist and performer, Wyclef Jean.

This year’s event aimed to inspire change, provoke innovation, encourage engagement and empower future generations. Attendees and speakers alike were challenged to think differently about global challenges and new ways to address them. Armand Arton, founder of the Global Citizen Forum, said: “This Forum was founded to focus on global challenges and opportunities related to migration and the concept of global citizenship from the perspective of individuals and governments. The past two days have seen energetic and thought-provoking discussion on a full spectrum of issues relating to global citizenship that have gone a long a way to building and deepening the global community that we aspire to create.”

Please find a short video here about this year’s event: https://youtu.be/mmklSRQ9mjc

21st Century Identity, Passports and Travel Documents

Cover design Frank Verspoor,
Creative Commons

New Start as a Global Citizen

When Globcal International developed the Global Citizenship Registry on Facebook, the ideal was for individuals to declare their personal intellectual independence from the jurisdiction of nation-state governmental and corporate democratic authority they exist within (the matrix). We finally managed the concept through a complex horizontal infrastructure (cooperative) development based in our own practice as a organization established through offshore jurisdiction (at sea) between living natural persons collaborating under private international, admiralty, and maritime law.

Our project began October 9 as is the only register that incorporates the United Nations Global Goals (SDG)s and exists as an offshore international non-governmental organization commission. Our efforts are supported by the contemporary international law of this moment in time. There is a one time lifetime fee of 13€ Euro to add your name to the registry; the fee includes a certificate of registration, an identity registration card, and access to the global citizenship library (100+ books on citizenship and our project concept).

The objective here-forth will be to establish a cooperative group of people from around the world with similar values and interests through the social media and Internet networks (the socially conscientious noosphere) to fulfill the purposes of creating the registry and a civil community or sustainable society therefrom. The ideal also is to unite all those who would otherwise be disconnected through their diverse individual organizations and projects with special legal powers as global citizens to develop mutual understanding.

Many individuals and organizations that have similar ideals to our own, however most fail to realize their heart felt goals and are halted in their paths, because they get tied up in the business of their national foundations (under administrative legal compliance) and are otherwise incorporated within or under the nation-states where they are geographically located. Some organizations are even controlled or sponsored by other organizations (governments and foundations) instead of natural persons resulting in the individual role of each natural person being diminished and overpowered.

New Non-Governmental Identity

Our organization (Globcal International) began years ago to develop a travel document and personal credential for our Goodwill Ambassadors of the World project in 2009 so that they could travel liberally, acquire visas, and enter countries as a special visitor or volunteer working with a non-governmental organization.

Now with our registry our plans intuitively changed to include creating an organization based on preserving our individual identity with the creation of a special 'de facto' personal identification based on an individual's digital, bio-metric, and global social identity which they personally own and declare through the cooperative register. The action (act) removes all those elements of personal identity that cannot be owned by anyone except the individual.

Global Citizenship RFID Prototype

Our products unlike others are not passports, nor substitutes for passports, we call them "e-passport companion credentials" which are personally owned identity documents that are chartered and created for you through our offshore cooperative foundation to create global citizen-ships. They resemble passports for convenience and to provide the bearer with a personally owned identity document developed and prepared under individual personal authority.

Our e-passport companion document will be made available to those who become part of the registry and the cooperative, it will be valid in 120 countries under the same development and pretenses as the Laissez-Passer we have developed for our ambassadors. We are certain it will work to serve members of our new objectives well, it has worked for us so far as a legitimate form of identity verification, further our document does not appear, nor shall appear in the European Union's passport blacklist, because it is not a passport.

The particular e-passport version we are working on now version 2.0 (for release in January) is much more as it is a highly sophisticated RFID electronic high-tech device that uses NFC and WiFi that protects the user and their resources in complete confidence. The device has 81 programmable features using a smartphone and 27 layers of security. The extreme version even has a solar panel and battery, a waterproof holder, all very compact and very formal.

There will be several e-passport companion identity document versions available for students, volunteers, individuals, private persons, and a quasi-diplomatic credential which provides special visitor status in some nations.

Our current plans are to make the special document available and with customization to well-known and accepted international organizations that sign the Global Citizen Treaty with our new cooperative. Members will be able to get their own personal credential with a selection of color jackets, cover embossing, and content theme for their personal credential. Those who order the credential are not necessarily required to be members of the cooperative, but they do need to have their name inscribed in the register.

We have already agreed to prepare passports for Kentucky Colonels International, an international fraternal group, the credential will include a special page indicating they were commissioned and by which governor. There will be thousands of possible entries in each credential, it is as diverse as the options available in the social media.

Historical Efforts with Citizenship and Passports

There have been many attempts and great debates defining and gaining control over who owns or can authorize our human identity as individuals, us or the state. There have also been a number of efforts to become independent of the state through the creation of a world passport. Aristotle asked the question 2000 years ago and called for cosmopolitanism, since then we have all gone the opposite way and chose to ally under the protection of nations, leaders and kingdoms to reside and become their citizens in an unjust unconscious state.

World Citizenship Freedom Garry Davis in 2013 shortly
before he died defending his right to be
a citizen of the world instead of his nation.

If we research well we will quickly discover that there has nearly always been an association movement pushing for the ideal of global citizenship. According to Rene Wadlow, President of the Association of World Citizens, "The first organization was the Commonwealth of World Citizens in 1938 with Hugh Schonfield, followed in 1939 by the World Citizens Association created in the USA and England. After World War II, the movements were restarted in Paris in 1948. In 1975 the Association of World Citizens (AWC) was founded."

My research took me much deeper and to many countries and I learned everything about the WSA and spoke with Garry Davis (deceased 2013), founder of the World Service Authority (WSA) and World Government, he is also self-declared as the world's first global citizen in 1948 with the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Eleanor Roosevelt endorsed Davis as well. His product was the World Citizen Passport or World Passport which he began development of with the founding of his organization; it was recognized as valid for travel to many nations for a great many years.

His venture was popular, he sold the world passport to a million people and gave them world citizenship over 59 years; but it was unsuccessful because it was inconsiderate of world affairs and the existent diversity when he declared a separate world government overriding all the laws and statutes in existence in all nations, and soon viewed skeptically. Today using the passport in absence of a national passport results in immediate detention, it happened to the passport's founder a half-dozen times since he began in 1954. The Garry Davis story is very interesting, but we do not recommend using the World Passport.

One of the other things is that we noticed that the organizations including Davis' never thought to understand that they could not exist as incorporated under a particular government register for tax purposes and have global jurisdiction.

Passport produced between
several organizations together in France.

I went further to cross language barriers and found what seems like several organizations working together to set-up a replacement or alternative governmental system in France who also offer a passport that calls for free movement and settlement. We found two different projects in France with two different intents.

One is the Universal Citizen Passport (2010) and the other is is a bit different Citoyens du Monde (2014). Though they are not blacklisted they offer very little in comparison with our project, the passports are not currently in use for crossing international borders and are not accepted by airlines. The problem with all the attempts to create a passport is that none of them were founded within the legal and jurisdictional bounds of international law and other bodies of law beyond the jurisdiction of France.

All the identification documents named and those which appear in the list are legal identification documents within a country, but not valid for crossing borders or affixing visas, now prohibited in 2014. Strict new regulations in 2016 will make the RFID national passport a standard and cut back on identity fraud is less frequent and is less likely at international borders. 

We discovered early when performing our investigation and research that Interpol and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with the European Union maintain an extensive list and reference of 178 passports that they consider to be fantasy, unrecognized, fraudulent, or camouflage passports which they prohibit all border control agents in all countries to accept or affix visas to. That does not make them illegal though, camouflage passports are widely used civilly for a number of purposes, personal I do not recommend any of them, because it is very likely that they can get you detained or arrested.

There are a number of passports that are valid for travel issued by organizations among them are the Red Cross, the Knights of Malta, and the Vatican which are not a members of the United Nations, they are observers however.

Goodwill Ambassadors call for Social Media Integrity

Professionalize your Social Media Profile for Transparency

New days, innovations, and ideals are ahead for us all as the world embraces and comes to grip with the new United Nations' Global Goals (SDG)s that promise to change humanity and the world-view. Consider the fact that we are going to end poverty, alleviate hunger, and change the world to create the equality we all want around the world. Now is the time to adapt!

The conversion will be in many ways abrupt, well-controlled, orderly, stubborn, and exhausting, but will involve a high-degree of transparency. This change must involve transparency because if trust and integrity become an issue there will be a disaster. Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, YouTube, and many other Internet based enterprises are already directly involved with the globalization of local micro-economies and their integration with the macro or global economic system; they would probably be indirectly involved anyway whether or not they support the United Nations SDGs or not.

Using the Social Media to Create Trust and Transparency

The social media will play a big role in updating our world to comply with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, or Global Goals that were signed last week by world leaders at the Sustainable Development Summit in New York. Now nations fear losing their sovereignty while people gain more control their personal human rights and over the destiny of the planet within the guidelines to meet the goals. This will all be done using the Internet (super-connected world) to govern the rule of law and monitor progressive development within the nations. Its our understanding international transparency teams are also being used to eliminate corruption in governments.

Social media and online personal profiles will play a gigantic role in the implementation of these Global Goals. The protagonists of the great development will be expected to be transparent in the delivery of their work as social entrepreneurs and members of international organizations otherwise the public, donors, and other organizations will not be able to trust to receive their funds and execute projects.

Focus on your Presentation

Create a well-elaborated social media profile that people can find using Google and Bing search engines. You can create profiles on Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, XING, VK, and other social media platforms that are compliant with the new emerging Internet Governance under RDFa and Schema.org/

A good social media profile allows people to reach you by email or through your profile directly, include your place of employment, where your currently reside and your home location. It will include your personal photograph or resemblance. Your social media posts should be adjusted so everyone can see your work, if you use Facebook or other networks for family and personal purposes too, you can adjust your posts.

Goodwill ambassadors working with Globcal International are encouraged to keep a public figure profile that provides a transparent curriculum vitae of their life's work, and expect that all others responsible for handling funds derived through donations, philanthropy, or other bequests do the same if they work with non-governmental organizations (NGO)s, with government, foundations, or with corporations. Transparency best practices start with the person working within the NGO or corporation not under the political protection of a corporate body and reputation.

There are a great number of other organizations, corporations, and Internet social entrepreneurs that are jumping on the bandwagon to take advantage of the 176 trillion dollars being spent by the World Bank to realize the SDGs over the next 15 years to create "the World We Want." Many players are very skeptical because they know that there is too much work involved of value from our former social generation that needs to be adapted so the matrix or system does not come tumbling down upon itself; so it may be some time before we fully understand how these 17 goals will be pursued and realized.

Best Practices and Business

Using the Internet, organizations like Globcal International, the Rand Corporation, the Council on Foreign Relations and other think tanks (public policy institutes) are examining and analyzing the world playing field with the advent of the UN's new Global Goals and Post-2015 Agenda we are prepared to adapt and understand a global rule of law involving ecological integrity with other nations and as it seems corporations. 

Directly ahead we can expect to see a great degree of sovereign, national, and corporate imperial policy manipulation to maintain control and ties over land, mining, and exploitable natural resource interests. Utilizing the ideals of best practices and transparency (as stipulated) corporations and non-governmental organizations established under the jurisdictional laws of the United States of America will have both the most to gain and most to lose when it comes time to adapt, beginning now to the Post-2015 Agenda.

Transparency is the Key

It is our understanding as advocates of goodwill, the Global Goals, fair-globalization, and social reform will greatly depend on the social media based on the design and development integrity involving Internet RDFa, those who operate quietly in the shadows as unknown or global corporate citizens will be required step-up and show themselves so that other non-corporate global citizens can believe in them and trust them. Be understood without the corporate veil, people trust people not corporations, it would be unnatural to trust a non-human corporate person. With the Global Goals the system of trusting governments, corporations, and non-profits became much more difficult or challenging for everyone involved, but much better too!

Irresistible SDGs to Change our World-View

What are the Sustainable Development Goals and why do they matter?

Barcelona, Spain - Sept 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - In late September, world leaders will meet at the United Nations in New York to adopt a new global plan of action for ending poverty, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

President Barack Obama views Bear Glacier on a boat
tour of Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward, Alaska Sept. 1.

What are the SDGs? A set of 17 goals and 169 targets aimed at resolving the social, economic and environmental problems troubling the world. Covering the next 15 years, the SDGs replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which expire this year. Who decided the SDGs? Governments came up with the idea at the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development in Brazil in 2012. A working group with representatives from 70 countries then drafted a proposed set of goals.

At the same time, the United Nations ran public consultations around the world and an online survey asking people about their priorities for the goals.

This summer governments negotiated a final version of the SDGs, due to be adopted by 193 countries at a Sept. 25-27 summit at the United Nations in New York. What did the MDGs achieve? The United Nations says the MDGs led to achievements including: - a drop in the number of people living in extreme poverty by more than half, to 836 million in 2015 - gender parity in primary schools in the majority of countries - a reduction in the rate of children dying before their fifth birthday by more than half since 1990 - a fall of 45 percent worldwide in maternal mortality - over 6.2 million malaria deaths averted and 37 million lives saved by tuberculosis prevention and treatment - access to improved drinking water sources for 2.6 billion people between 1990 and 2015 So why do we need the SDGs? - Around 800 million people still live in extreme poverty and suffer from hunger, with fragile and conflict-torn states experiencing the highest poverty rates - Between 2008 and 2012, 144 million people were displaced from their homes by natural disasters, a number predicted to rise as the planet warms, bringing more extreme weather and rising seas - Water scarcity affects 40 percent of the global population and is projected to increase - Some 946 million people still practice open defecation - Gender inequality persists in spite of more representation for women in parliaments and more girls going to school. If we meet the SDGs, how will the world improve? The 17 goals aim to achieve these wider aims by 2030: - end poverty and hunger everywhere - combat inequalities within and between countries - build peaceful, just and inclusive societies - protect human rights and promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls - ensure lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources - create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and decent work for all. What's new and different about the SDGs? The United Nations says the SDGs go much further than the previous goals, because they address the root causes of poverty and pledge to leave no one behind, including vulnerable groups

They also emphasise the need to tackle climate change urgently and protect the environment through a shift to sustainable consumption and production.

The SDGs are intended to be universal, applying to all countries rather than just the developing world.

They recognise the key role of the private sector in pursuing and financing sustainable development, in partnership with governments and civil society. (Sources: United Nations Development Programme and other U.N. agencies. Further information: sustainabledevelopment.un.org )

(Reporting by Megan Rowling; editing by Katie Nguyen. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit trust.org )

Take Action: Become Part of the Change!

Join us at Globcal International as a Global Citizen or Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations SDGs and the Post-2015 Agenda. Members will have special access to thousands of locations around the globe as well as gain special privileges, benefits, entitlements, and other perks through our pilot program which is available to all people willing to leave behind religious, monarchical, and state based populist political systems to adopt the new emerging global perspectives based on the ecosystem, the rule of law, and Internet governance.

Most involved participants will be asked to travel and use the social media to promote their work and adventures as global citizens and goodwill ambassadors. 

Belize the Most Destin Nation

Globcal International selected Belize to establish an international foundation because it offers the best accommodations for our special global work, plus the official language is English. They offer the most flexible international business law, respect private international law, are well-adapted to a tourism based economy, they offer offshore investments, anyone from any nation may own property here, and Belize is a member of the United Nations and Non-Aligned Movement (politically neutral states).

Everyone loves Belize, now we do too, perhaps now more than some, for lots of reasons!

Geography, Population, Languages

Belize (before 1973 British Honduras) is a picturesque country that has an unspoiled environment, with barrier reefs, woodland, caves, rivers, mountains, waterfalls and jungle. It is located in Central America in the south-eastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. Its shores are washed by the Caribbean Sea. The area of the country is approximately 23,000 sq. km, and it is bounded by Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west and south. The administrative capital is Belmopan, but the major commercial centre is Belize City, situated on the east coast close to the major International airport. Less than 2 hours from Miami and only 4.5 hours from Los Angeles. 

The total population of Belize is about 300,000, of which about a third lives in Belize City. Much of the country’s population is ethnically diverse and includes descendants of the original Mayan culture, as well as people of Caribbean, Caucasian, Chinese and East Indian descent. Over 50 per cent of the population is urban. English is the official language although Spanish, Creole, Garifuna and Mayan are widely spoken throughout the country.

History, Political Structure and Law

Belize became a British Crown Colony in 1871 and achieved complete self-rule in 1981. Since that time it has enjoyed stable and democratic Government. Now Belize is an independent democratic Commonwealth country. Government policy is set by the Cabinet, under the leadership of the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is made up of the Prime Minister and Ministers appointed by him from an elected 29-member House of Representatives, and the 12-member Senate. Belize is also a member of the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. There are two main political parties, both of which encourage the economic development of the country and overseas investment.

The type of law is Common Law, based on English Common Law. Legislation is modelled on the earlier British Virgin Islands legislation.

Economy and Infrastructure

Belize’s main income is from tourism. There are forest reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, marine resort areas, the world’s only jaguar reserve, as well as Mayan archaeological sites that are a magnet for tourists from all over the world. The major exports are sugar cane, bananas, fruit juices, canned fish, garments and timber and wood products. The offshore finance industry is generating an increasing proportion of national income. The currency used is the Belize Dollar (BZ$). Offshore activities are exempted from exchange control.

The second through fourth sections were copied and pasted from a publication of Company Express, a legal firm in London, called Jurisdiction of the Month: Belize. They go on to discuss Belize IBCs and offshore incorporation in Belize based on the 1990 law. Our enchantment is with what we learned we could accomplish in Belize that can help humanity and the environment through philanthropy, charity, and prosperity making it a foundation state. Belize has a new law from 2010 for the establishment of International Foundations and International Charitable Foundations. 

Establishing an International Foundation in Belize

The Belize government under Sir Colville N. Young, Governor General of HRM Queen Elizabeth the Second, established a new Act to provide for the establishment, operation and regulation of international foundations; it is called the "International Foundations Act, 2010" it includes revisions in 2013.

International Foundation Act

The benefits of establishing an international foundation are extraordinary and you can also establish an international charitable foundation which interested us a bit more. As a charity one guarantees that at least 10% of the foundation is permanently administered in Belize in social programs, this is a very fair trade-off and will help Belize develop sustainably over the coming years if enough organizations establish foundations as a result of this "moderately recent" new law. 

International charitable foundations are considered non-governmental organizations too, and are not subject to national taxes, local taxes, or customs duties on imports. The civil status of a respectable charitable foundation is preferable and more integral to that of a minor state diplomat, a church, or a religious institution.

There are many benefits to establishing a foundation in Belize especially if you have funds that you want to reserve for a more global purpose or more funds than you want to share with your state. International investors know that once they pay their taxes on their income they should not have to pay tax on it again, so they don't if they invest it offshore. The great thing with a foundation is you can invest and still enjoy its benefit with a tax-exempt international foundation.

The popular trend may become the establishment of personal foundations (in someone's name) for literally hundreds or any purpose, those who are truly benevolent will see the 10% permanent investment in programs and services that benefit Belize such as managed educational training, sustainable energy development, and other capital sustainable programs will serve them better than a private foundation, either are just as good. It makes good business sense especially if you are involved in international fundraising. 

Globcal International in setting up our organization decided we should share this information and assist others in becoming more involved in globalization for good. 

Who can Establish a Foundation?

You must be an international, you may not currently be a Belizean national or a permanent resident here as the founder of a Belize International Foundation (you do not even have to visit). The founder can come and go to the foundation as its guest; but may not take up permanent-residence or become a citizen in Belize, unless honorarily or through a separate petition following the foundation. You may be a tourist, temporary resident, investor, business person, diplomat, special visitor, or natural person from any of the United Nations member states with a valid passport. 

You must invest in a permanent endowment (usually a piece of land or a fund) to serve as the foundation base itself. You will need to create a foundation charter stating the purposes, make registration, assign a protector who in turn shall be in charge of finding a registered agent, and employ a secretary. The legal character of the international foundation is civil incorporation with offshore designation and powers that can only be compared to a great foundation ship at sea.

All international investment should be in currency (as stated in Belize Law, US Dollars) foundations may not source their funds from Belizeans or predominantly from any of its immediate neighbor states. The value of an endowment is generally accepted as being $100,000 USD, but in Belize the minimum founder's endowment can be as low as $10,000 USD to establish a foundation. 

Currently there are lots of rain forest tracts of 100-1000 acres or more, that could be purchased as a conservation interest foundation development of Belize, then it can be used for carbon-offsets, biodiversity, and ecotourism as well, to produce ecosystem services. All excellent modern sustainability investments. 

Open-Source Foundation

Globcal International learned about international foundations and charitable foundations by establishing a presence in Belize with the initiative to develop a cooperative international development foundation, so here we are as the "new top experts and practitioners" with a global network made up of goodwill ambassadors living all around the world, we have local attorneys that can have your foundation established in several days. We are also offering private individuals the opportunity to participate in group foundations with smaller investments. Really few people have taken advantage of this special opportunity, we hope you do. It will mean a better Belize and also help people become sustainable all around the world.

Find me here in Belize! If you need help or want to join in the founding of a collective foundation perhaps a rainforest, ecovillage, or a tourist resort, here I am at the center of all the activity and your author, Ambassador Col. David Wright, Globcal International Commissioner and Goodwill Ambassador. Get involved now with Globcal International in time for the founding of the Goodwill Ambassadors Foundation here in Belize, your involvement will earn you special privileges here in Belize and elsewhere in the world. Learn more by contacting me for details david@globcal.net .

Are you a social dissident or a civil society advocate?

I read an email this morning that asked me if I were a dissident of society, since I consider myself a revolutionary (re-evolutionary or re-voluntarist) which is often confused with 'dissident' so I decided to read it through. At least in my mind "dissident" is the complete opposite, so it was a psych trigger response, it is the revolutionaries that bring positive changes, dissidents are usually abstainers or objectors, they could be lots of other things too like alcoholics, pessimists, or drug addicts.

Dissidents today are also those who promote the status quo and refute positive and otherwise needed change. Have you ever heard the quote, "If you are not part of the solution then you are the problem." that would be a dissident too. But maybe dissent can be good? Thomas Jefferson said, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

George Washington, Ben Franklin, Francisco Miranda, Thomas Paine and Jefferson were all great revolutionary leaders, all very liberal and progressive, the monarchs definitely saw them as dissidents. Today we enjoy modern revolutionaries including Barack Obama, George Bush, the Dalai Lama, Queen Elizabeth, and Pope Francis who have all been revolutionary in their own ways forging major global changes, among their constituencies, and with other world leaders that will affect everyone's future on the planet indefinitely. None of them were ever considered dissidents though.

The global struggle to separate the church from the state is an ongoing one, cooperative global governance remains a top-priority in the United Nations to establish global universal equality among all people. Prejudice, politics, discrimination, fundamentalism, and intolerance for personal freedoms under a global understanding continue to plague humanity. Many fear corporate governance and fascism, that's the category I fall into.

I am a goodwill ambassador not a dissident, or can I be both?

Goodwill defined means friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude. "the plan is dependent on goodwill between the two sides" synonyms: benevolence, compassion, goodness, kindness, consideration, charity; cooperation, collaboration; friendliness, amity, thoughtfulness, decency, sympathy, understanding, neighborliness "your acts of goodwill have not gone unnoticed"

The subject line in the email read, "Are you some kind of dissident? Personally I am not, but I soon realized when reading it that many of my friends may be in some way from my perspective; this is because they are not in sync with the changes, indisposed, uninterested, or just too self-centered (ego-isolated) struggling to survive and pursue a decent life, I can't blame them for that, but I often pity them as victims of the matrix instead of its playing characters. They have little time to take to understand all the changes that are really occurring (now so quickly) in and all over the world or how our futures are connected in a single sustainable global ecosystem.

Making the change we want is required of all people living in a society or community. Being a responsible member of society also means being informed, getting involved, and showing personal goodwill!

It said in the email: "Some of us might like to call ourselves the more positive-sounding "civil society advocates" - which seems to be a label popping up at the Summit of the Americas​ now going on in Panama​. Being a "civil society advocate" is positively tame and a helluvalot less aggressive than being an "activist" or "agent of change" or than being an underground-sounding "agent of resistance", let alone being a system-changing "revolutionary"." -Sustainability Doings, Newsletter

Time for Change?

Are you in tune with the mostly "untalked about" "big changes" occurring in the heart of all political and economic circles? Are you ready for big changes to make the world a better place?

Do you find yourself or know someone preoccupied or more worried than they should be about sports scores, fashion, and other nonsense or caught up in local political strife, religion, and over human rights at the state level? Forget about national politics, the only globally accepted laws are the new course of the day. Many years and great pain of labor developed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Declaration on Sustainable Development, they are all global treaties nations collectively have ratified under the UN that must be adhered to in order to establish the kind of world we want. It is difficult to see the sensibility of some of these perspectives like human rights, indigenous peoples, or the environment when we find ourselves embroiled and clouded in less relevant politics like who will be the next president, governor, or mayor.

All elected officials need to comply and respect the same global international laws since established whether they are Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or from the People's Party unless they decide to separate from the rest of the world. The only change anyone can make anymore is in favor of these laws. We ratified the first Universal Human Rights law in the 1940's, nations still today have not fully complied with its measures or been able to fully implement it. Perhaps local politics has to do with expedience, which candidate will do a better job, personally I see it is a waste of time, a political official that does not do a good job will be sacked and removed by his own people. The global international system is always fair and based on pretext of many nations, best practices, equality for all people, the laws provide equal administration.

The only way we can really see or understand one may need or want to remove themselves (or part of yourself) from the nation to empower your voice globally and become more capacitated from an international perspective. Study and observe the developments at international level summits and events, like the Summit of the Americas this Friday. Then decide if you want to adopt a new perspective and enfranchise yourself in the international perspective and globalization.

We should all be concerned more with the whole planet than with just our community? Personally I am more concerned with the global aspect, everyone I know today lives someplace else in different countries, including my children and friends; its only natural that I am concerned with the whole planet.

I have a strong sense for all of us to be equal in some way, with equal good fortune, and prosperity under equal collaboration and work efforts that are earnest to grow and flourish in life, no matter what country we live in. These sentiments are at the root of society everywhere within most people on the planet, it's not a national ideal. So how do we get there?

Sustainability is at the heart of all this in case you did not know! Its also the solution through international cooperation. Our global compliance with a pact made by 178 nations in 1992 called Agenda 21 and the development of a resource based economy in a balanced and ecologically sustainable planet scheme is under implementation everywhere on the earth, every nation 180 of them now as of 2012. How it is actually implemented and applied though is the controversial part, and managed under each nation, often corruptly. No matter how you look at it, you are hard pressed to understand "any of it" very well from a nationalistic perspective and may find yourself on the unfortunate or unwilling side of it with a different perspective as a "subject of the changes" we must all yield to as a dissident, instead of promoting a better tomorrow.

Change is the Only Constant

Become part of all of these changes now. Remember, "the future belongs to those who prepare for it!" Get informed, get involved, become a key person in building a balanced sustainable planet and ecosystem where there is no fear or uncertainty, let us create balance. Use your best abilities, your goodwill, to render justice personally in overseas missions and international exchange programs making the world better for everyone.

Today you can now become a global citizen or perhaps even become a goodwill ambassador through Globcal International's special programs like the "Global Citizenship Registry". Global citizenship is a legal status and process developed by Globcal providing special benefits that are available to individuals when traveling promoting goodwill through advocacy and education. It is 100% legal, provides new dual and multiple citizenship opportunities, and is exclusive through our special international pilot program being observed by the United Nations and other international organizations.

I think people really need some real positive change, especially if they have been held down to the system or one place with no real logical ties; or especially if they don't like their current job.

What I notice is that so many people with great skills and abilities, with grand motivations to travel and work globally feel trapped wasting their lives being held in place by family members or through obligations, debts, and financial uncertainty. I say take a chance and dedicate yourself to world service. You do not have to go on a mission right away, there are many things you should know, learn, and must prepare for.

Globcal International

Globcal International sees the future, a globalized future based on local cooperation at an international level, many countries, nations, states, cultures, and people all integral parts of a global world. We see well-intentioned private individuals united through a "cloud of consciousness," through many thousands of organizations effecting positive change (thinking similarly) to ease the pain of change, and giving their goodwill to make change happen.

Industrialized everything was seen many years ago as our own doom, but we were already on the roller-coaster. In 1970 we created Earth Day to be a wake-up call for our ecological downfall, for as long as we have known that we were harming the planet, corporations and governments have been on a spree to claim and dominate the world's remaining resources.

Currently we are seeking global citizens, new ambassadors, social media activists, and reform advocates to promote environmental projects involving international cooperation, ecotourism, sustainability education, and much more. Our goal is to be the change we want to see and teach others our vision.

If you think you can see the world from a different perspective, if you can maintain a non religious, non political, and nongovernmental stance over global issues please contact us and get involved. We have special opportunities for associate, annual and lifetime members with additional programs for volunteers. Be the change you want to see, be part of the future and not a subject of it; join the cooperative. To learn more write to: goodwillembassy@gmail.com

This is a commentary article by Col. David Wright, Col. Wright is a co-founder and chairman of the Globcal International Cooperative Development Commission founded in 2009 during the Summit of the Americas held in Trinidad, this month is their 6th anniversary. For more information about Globcal International or the author please use Google. Opinions and comments may be directed to goodwill@globcal.net