FIRST COMMISSION ON HUMAN DUTIES
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​Minutes
of the 1st meeting of the
COMMISSION ON HUMAN DUTIES
held on 25 June 2009 at the United Nations Headquarters.
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As Luck would have it, the United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development, initially scheduled on 1st July to 3rdJuly 2009 had been set forth at the same date as the 1st meeting of the Commission on Human Duties. This coincidence has forced very high personalities to be excused from participating to this commission meeting: notably the Secretary-General to the United Nations, the Under- Secretary-General of Peace Keeping Operations, the Under-Secretary-General of Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, the High Commissioner of Human Rights, the Director for Food and Agriculture (FAO) Liaison Office with the United Nations and the Bureau Director of the European Union Counsel to the United Nations.
Also, the President of the United States of America, the President of France, the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations, the advisor to H. M. the King of Morocco, the Mayor of New York City, the Mayor of Hiroshima, the CEO of Panasonic Corporation and the Director of the Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of St Petersburg have asked, as well, sent apologies for being unable to attend the Commission on Human Duties owing to previous commitments.
Finally, the Permanent Representative of the Comoros, of Israel, of Nauru, of Nigeria and of Trinidad and Tobago, who had initially planned to attend the meeting, have had to join their Head of States or Head of Government on the same day.
The vast majority of these High Personalities have sent their “wishes of success” to the Human Duties Commission.
In this context, were present:
1. Ms. Francoise Beremwoudougou/K, Attache for Academic and Cultural Affairs, delegated by H. E. Michel Kafando, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Burkina Faso to the United Nations
2. Mr. Michel Thao Chan, Executive President of the Cercle de Reflexion des Nations
3. Mr. Jean-Luc Perez, Honorary President and founder of the Cercle de Reflexion des Nations
4.Ms. Kieu My Perez, General Secretary of the Cercle de Reflexion des Nations
5. Ms. Soraya Ayouch, Manager of the PHD in Peace Administration Program at Cercle de Reflexion des Nations
6. Mr. Dominique David, Managing Director of Infopoche and Director of the Convergence Project.
7. Mr. Bruno Gareton, Director of Clearstone and Infoche Consultant
8. Mr Julian David, BDL Consultant
Welcoming statement (point 1 of the Agenda)
The session is opened at 10 am by Jean-Luc Perez who, after welcoming the participants, is unanimously named President of the Commission on Human Duties.
The Commission adopts both the Agenda and the Open Letter to the United Nations Members dated April 10, 2009 which is the source of the constitution of the Commission on Human Duties.
2. Analysis of the possible consequences of the world economic chaos (point 2 of the Agenda)
The President states that he wrote for the benefit of the Commission a preliminary report labeled “For a Universal Declaration of Human Duties, articulated by decisions of the General Assembly of the United Nations”. He explains that the Duties of Mankind are already visible in the decisions of the General Assembly and that he studied resolutions of the year 2007. He adds that, already then, the General Assembly was alarmed by the lack of transparency that lead to the World Financial Crisis and by the fact that all attempts to enforce the respect of Human Rights did not succeed. He expresses his conviction that Human Duties and Rights cannot be separated.
Along these lines, Mr. Chan specifies that Human Rights are the expression of the conscience when looking towards the outside, an instrument of imbalance when they are dictated according to personal interest and that, at the opposite, the duties are the expression of a self elevated conscience looking towards the inside. He concluded by saying that “rights without duties are blind and duties without rights are crippled” and that “combining rights and duties not only balances forces, but lead to their harmony as well”. The Representative of Burkina Faso adds that “Human Duties will help elevate one self conscience to act differently”.
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3. Discussion on the of “spirit of brotherhood” in the new world governance (point 3 of the Agenda)
The President proposes that the notions of “human family” and “Spirit of Brotherhood” coming from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 became the backbone of Human Duties. After debating the subject, the Commission adopts the President’s proposal.
4. Study of the first human duty: the protection of Earth and open debate on the panorama of human duties (point 4 of the Agenda)
The President sums up his preliminary report and brings back the themes of duties mentioned by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007 and, specifically, the duty to protect and care for the earth, the duty of integrity and loyalty, the duty of solidarity and mutual help in the human family, the duty to preserve the liberty of others, the duty of justice, of tolerance and of respect of others, the duty to reconcile, to forgive and the duty to live in peace.
About the protection of Earth, Mr. Chan adds “we have to be aware that nature and humankind are one”.
In this context of unity of living things, Mr. Julian David explains that, today, it is possible to produce a natural fertilizer made of oligo elements (without any chemicals or products made by chemistry) that naturally energizes photosynthesis, favors culture growth and protect the environment because “vegetal are cared for like a human being”. This relatively inexpensive product is already listed at FIBL and will soon be available worldwide (http://www.oligoprotec.com).
The representative of Burkina Faso suggests that it is necessary to review every duty to harmonize different points of view as, for example, the notion of protection of earth and the notion of family vary from one country to another. Mr. Gareton adds that as far as the protection of the world is concerned, changes will have to come from inside.
Along these lines, the President points out the necessity, already, to keep in mind the application of the duties as they are defined.
Mr. Dominique David explains that it is now possible, with this objective in mind, to build a machine that can read and understand what it reads as humans can (htpp://www.infopoche.com and htpp://www.bing-bang.com), said machine allows anyone to learn, at his/her own pace, human knowledge, reusing his/her own words or those which make sense in his/her own culture. He adds that with this paradigm shift, the Automated Natural Language Processing will bring everyone to reconsider, individually and collectively, his/her role in the world. The goal is to make this personal tool available to everybody so that, among other things, this data processing companion can help discover and better understand, daily, how to manage duties and rights according to the environment.
The self education provided by this machine will open the mind of its user for a better tolerance and better understanding of self and others, regardless of their origin, belief or knowledge.
He explains that this machine uses a finger touch screen that will always keep its shape. This will allow usage by people who do not know how to read and would like to learn.
Relying upon new relations between behaviors and human environments, this machine is “the heritage of people and nations”. It is the finality of data processing expressed in natural language as it can process all data of human knowledge, in all languages, across all industries. He concludes by saying that “this machine belongs to all”, that it should be distributed and made available to as many people as possible and that the know-how it is made of, to contribute to world peace, must benefit all Member States of the United Nations through national licenses.
Ms. Perez makes the parallel between the usage of this machine and a “pacemaker” helping human beings to elevate their conscience. To this, Mr. Chan states that these new tools will contribute to elevate the conscience within each culture echoing with the knowledge acquired from other civilizations, for the safety and preservation of earth.
The Representative of Burkina Faso suggests that the stakes of this technological revolution at the service of human duties should be explained in person, to the government of her country.
Mr. Dominique David adds that beyond Burkina Faso, it is all of Africa that should make itself heard as, for the definition of Human Duties, there are no small or large countries, only culturally rich countries.
The commission approves the proposition from the representative of Burkina Faso.
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5. Summing up (point 5 of the Agenda)
The Commission unanimously decides:
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a - To adopt the preliminary study of the President dated June 25th, 2009 and to recognize that the Human Rights and Human Duties cannot be separated.
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b - To have its President develop a first project about the Human Duties based on its preliminary study, within a month.
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c - To authorize the constitution of national committees in some countries to quickly contribute to a project of Universal Declaration of Human Duties that will be submitted to the Commission.
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d - To create a Technical Committee to promote Human Duties through the new technology and names Dominique David as President of said Committee, with mission to constitute a team to present a feasibility study to the Commission within 9 months.
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e - To gather at least 5 Member States from different continents that could conjointly request that a point be added to the General Assembly of the United Nations, regarding a project of the Universal Declaration of Human Duties in order to adopt its text.
​6. Adjournment of the meeting (point 6 of the Agenda)
All points having been covered and debated, the President closes the session at 1 pm.
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Jean Luc Perez,
President of the Commission of Human Duties
