The world is undergoing accelerating change, with internationally-coordinated environmental stewardship lagging behind economic and social development. Environmental gains from new technology and policies are being overtaken by the pace and scale of population growth and economic development. The processes of globalization that are so strongly influencing social evolution need to be directed towards resolving rather than aggravating the serious imbalances that divide the world today. All the partners involved – governments, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, the scientific community, NGOs and other major groups – need to work together to resolve this complex and interacting set of economic, social and environmental challenges in the interests of a more sustainable future for the planet and human society.
The intensive use of information has become a major component in models of economic systems and development, a phenomenon which now offers vast new opportunities, such as the creation and maintenance of wholly new markets. This trend requires new schools of thinking at individual, organizational, governmental and public levels, and the establishment of new organizations, institutions and enterprises, especially as related to information technologies. This will obviously have a significant impact on employment and other labour issues.
The globalization process of world-wide accumulation and exclusion amounts to a global attack on elementary human rights, with very visible consequences: misery, hunger, homelessness, unemployment, deteriorating health conditions, landlessness, illiteracy, sharpened gender inequalities, explosive growth of the "informal" sector and the underground economy (particularly production and trade of drugs), the destruction of community life, cuts in social services and labour rights, increasing violence at all levels of society, accelerating environmental destruction, growing racial, ethnic and religious intolerance, massive migration (for economic, political and environmental reasons), strengthened military control and repression, etc.
The globalisation of capital has to a very significant extent dispossessed workers of their ability to confront or bargain with capital in a national context. Most of the conventional trade unions (particularly in the privileged countries) have accepted their defeat by the global economy and are voluntarily giving up the conquests won by the blood and tears of generations of workers. In compliance with the requirements of capital, they have traded solidarity for "international competitiveness" and labour rights for "flexibility of the labour market".
The process of globalization in trade, finance and technology will accelerate. But the main question is whether people will accept this process, as many fear for their culture, their language and their identity. The real battle for the human success of globalization will be won or lost in the cultural field.
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian aid, Poul Nielson, said : "following the 'Battle of Seattle' it is clear that the future benefits of continued trade liberalisation cannot be reaped without some compensation for the marginalised. While free trade without any doubt leads to global growth, there will – on balance – be severe negative consequences in certain sectors, certain countries and maybe even certain continents. The point is that the gains of the winners are sufficient to more than compensate the losers. If only we could get organised. It would be an illusion to believe that Europe or for that matter any industrialised country could stay an island of freedom, wealth and democracy, if rewards of politics and globalisations are not shared in the future (15 December 1999)."