User talk:Goodluckdiigbo

On April 26, 2006, the Statute for the Foundation Global Village Congress, GVC was signed at about 10AM Dutch Time. The historic event took place at Generaal Foulkersweg 11, Wageningen (City of Life Sciences) in the Netherlands. It was signed by the president of the Foundation for Traditional Tibetan Medicine, Linda Docter, who is also the President of GVC and a Project Manager, Dutch Advisory Council for Research on Spatial Planning, Nature and Environment (Raad voor Ruimtelijk, Milieu en Natuuronderzoek, RMNO) and Mr. H.G.N Moormann of Smit & Moormann notarissen, who is also a Mediator. To witness the ceremony was a journalist, Goodluck Diigbo who is engaged in mobilizing and organizing internationally with the aim of repairing and building inter-group networks and peaceful inter-group relationships. Mr. Diigbo, who is also the President of Partnership for Indigenous Peoples Environment, PIPE* had arrived the Netherlands from New York, where he oversees the affairs of PIPE. The Global Village Congress, GVC is an assembly of delegates drawn from villages worldwide meeting in The Hague, The Netherlands, or the gathering of delegates in their own villages,cities or towns. GVC is a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to empowering people at the grassroots to help them become self-supporting. GVC developed through collaborative effort of the increasing international movement engaging civil society, led by the Partnership for Indigenous Peoples Environment, PIPE inter-group networks working to promote data collection, inter-village friendship and peaceful co-existence bottom-up.

GVC is a smart investment in global peace and security. GVC is dedicated to building peace and security from the village level. By moving issues from the dialogue table into development initiatives and actions, GVC is fighting poverty, diseases and desperation to improve the lives people at the bottom. By promoting the empowerment of villagers to join hands in partnership for grassroots development, GVC is building a global action against the dangers posed to global peace and security.

Villagers want actions to improve their own lives. They want to: 1) Identify their own problems; 2) Choose their own priorities; 3) Cooperate internationally; 4) Establish inter-village friendship; 5) Establish global partnership, and  6) Solve grassroots problems. A five-year-village study sponsored by the Partnership for Indigenous Peoples Environment, PIPE captures the vision of villagers. The villagers interviewed from all continents of the world emphasized different dreams and aspirations. But there was a consensus amongst them. They all want to see the gap between the bottom-poor and top-rich wiped out. The five-year village study was undertaken as a follow-up to a 17-point agenda priorities set by the Indigenous Peoples Global Conference, IPGC. The conference was held on February 21 – 24, 2002 at the United Nations headquarters, New York. PIPE had sponsored the conference. The Republic of Peru was a co-sponsor. PIPE also received moral support from the United Nations system. The Ford Foundation of New York provided the funds. The conference brought 400 participants together. Conferees drawn from all walks of life, attended from 35 countries, representing six continents of the world. PIPE moved swiftly to establish Partnership Electronic Communication System, PECS, which was officially launched in May 2005. But when information started flowing from around the world into the system, the problems facing those at the bottom became very obvious. The information became a great resource, but there was urgent need to address serious situations facing villagers whose voices were never heard. This prompted the setting up of GVC that was an outstanding project since 2002.

For all villages affiliated to GVC, (in summary) our goals are to: Create bottom-up environment conducive for international cooperation, economic investment, inter-village exchange / friendship and sustainable tourism, democratic dialogue, using new ideas to transform lives of people who have remained at the bottom.

Advance village level development by involving the villagers working to reduce poverty, diseases and desperation, known to have been responsible for violent conflicts and bloodshed.

Engage men and women at the village level in local, regional and international entertainment, including music and sporting activities.

Promote economic, political, social and cultural awareness through working together to strengthen practices that support principles of justice, common understanding and enhance safety of the environment.

Engage people- men and women in their villages to acknowledge and define their own problems, set urgent priorities and adopt viable strategies that can sustain development activities through collaborative partnership.

Enlarge the circle of villagers that are aware of their human rights and willing to accept corresponding responsibilities.

Build knowledge among villagers through protecting their freedom to enable them to think, make choices and act critically to improve their own lives.

GVC Model

The Village Congress serves as a model to unite people worldwide in dialogue. Thus, GVC embodies a multicultural education platform, where village delegates, men and women directly designated by their fellow villagers, organizations, and communities come together to think for themselves, share cross cultural experiences on economic, political, indigenous, social and environmental issues.

The GVC respects individual dignity and rights. It offers an opportunity for the individual to focus on oneself, bring forth new ideas and represent their own people, or group of villages, organizations, and or, a group of registered individuals selected according to the relevant guidelines. GVC-GLOBAL VILLAGE CONGRESS