Platform on Global Progress
Turning to the theme of "Global Progress", António Guterres underlined that while social democratic values and principles remained constant, the global democratic socialist family had to adapt to new circumstances, and he signalled two challenges in the modern world. Firstly, the transition to a knowledge-based society: "There is a socialist answer to the knowledge-based economy and society, it is a learning society", he declared, and so it had to be in order to avoid the risks of exclusion. Secondly, the globalisation of economies, markets and communications and cultures: "We socialists have learned to live and to take profit from market economies in our societies, in our countries. But a market economy has to live together with a regulatory State and with a strong civil society. The same does not apply worldwide. We have a market economy worldwide without sufficiently efficient regulatory bodies, without a strong worldwide civil society. That is why globalisation has brought so many benefits to humanity, and has also brought so many situations which are unacceptable to humanity". Global progress, he continued, was the socialist answer to globalisation.
Felipe González, Chair of the Global Progress Commission, emphasised the importance of developing a truly global platform to include and represent "the thinking, ideas and proposals" of all in this large international family, with coherent regional platforms to address specific priorities. He went on to note historic changes in society, "of such enormity that we can call it a change of era", that necessitated a debate on the elements and concepts, which defined the new situation and took into account the positive and negative aspects of globalisation. Such historic changes were the advance of the 'knowledge' or 'information' society and 'the new economy'.
González underlined that the driving force for future debate would not only be "that we want to make the new economy compatible with social cohesion in each society and internationally, but that we want to show a model which is more sustainable socially and economically". This, he said, would have concerns for the environment, peace, political stability and governance at all levels.
Turning to the role of the SI as an instrument for global progress, González stated: "We are the most extensive, widest organisation with the greatest number of militants, men and women, sympathisers and voters in the world... It is an organisation with unimaginable potential to change the reality which we propose to change for all".
Following a number of contributions, it was agreed that the discussion would continue at the next meeting, on which occasion a "Platform on Global Progress" would be agreed, incorporating the movement's vision and its policies and values.
Socialist International Campaigns
Another central theme of the work of the Council in Brussels was the discussion of four campaigns, which were agreed and launched by the International. These different campaigns set their objectives on: 'Cancelling the debt of the poorest countries and providing them with unrestricted market access'; 'Making the fight against poverty in Africa an urgent priority'; 'Stopping violence against women'; and 'Abolishing the death penalty'.
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