NGEC 3: The Contemporary World - Lesson 3 Part B, C & D PDF

BSMT 2 | 1ST SEMESTER PRELIM PERIOD NGEC 3: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD LESSON 3 PART B: MARKET INTEGRATION Different institutions operate independently, however, they...

BSMT 2 | 1ST SEMESTER PRELIM PERIOD NGEC 3: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD LESSON 3 PART B: MARKET INTEGRATION Different institutions operate independently, however, they share common goals such as: to reduce global poverty and improve Global market integration is a long term system that people's living conditions and standards; to support sustainable happened through the establishment of a global economy that includes economic, social and institutional development; and to promote a one line trading and commerce process. The existence of the trade regional cooperation and integration. The IFIs provide loans, credits and exchange internationally are already there before the 20th century and grants to national governments to fund specific projects for globalization and already been practiced. The shipping and navigation economic and socially sustainable development. They also provide developments helps cities and countries to extend the ra nge of their technical and advisory assistance to their borrowers and conduct trade and technology pattern according to Harvey (1990). extensive research on development issues. Furthermore, they also lend directly to non-sovereign guaranteed (NSG) actors. These include This becomes an obvious improvement in shipping and sub-national government entities, as well as the private sector. navigation aspect in the history. Colonialism and imperialism promote economic interrelationship among countries where there is the Canada is a partner and shareholder in the World Bank, evidence of equity, corporate ownership, management subsidiaries which is the major global IFI, and in several regional development and central head quarters that supply and distribute goods and banks. This membership permits Canadian firms and individuals to services. compete for procurement opportunities in bank-funded projects and programs. The global market integration started when the big American conglomerates began to emerge such as the International Telephone Attributes of global corporations and Telegraph, Avis Rent a Car, Continental Banking, Sheraton Hotels, and Hartford Fire Insurance (American History, 2018). Later, The global corporations as the international financial institutions Japan and Europe came into the limelight. Japanese global automobile play a crucial part in the growth of the global economy, as well as, the corporations like Toyota, Nissan, and Isuzu have been established. social and economic development of the transitional countries. These companies became the primary global suppliers of trucks for the Japanese military (Dower,1992). According to Iwan (2012), contemporary global corporation is simultaneously and commonly referred to as a multinational A French multinational automobile manufacturer, the corporation (MNC), a transnational corporation (TNC), an Renault automobiles also contributed in the provision of transportation international company, or a global company. He distinguished one during the post-war military operations. A great breakthrough, as well from the other. as further development in the international trade was observed because of these global American, Japanese, and European global International companies are importers and exporters, typically corporations. without investment outside of their home country; International Financial Institution Multinational companies have investment in other countries, but do not have coordinated product offerings in each country. They Almost all countries in the world faced great challenges to are more focused on adapting their products and services to each restore their economic status after the second World War. In lieu individual local market. of unsuccessful League of Nations, the United Nations which was established on October 24, 1945, took initiative to restore international Global companies have invested in and are present in many order and promote international cooperation. In 1944, two government- countries. They typically market their products and services to each sponsored international financial institutions were established during individual local market. the Monetary and Financial Conference held at Bretton Woods, New Transnational companies are more complex organizations Hamsphire (US). which have invested in foreign operations, have a central corporate They were the International Monetary Fund and the World facility but give decision-making, research and develop (R&D) and Bank. The IMF helps to foster global monetary cooperation, secure marketing powers to each individual foreign market. financial stability , facilitate international trade and also grants financial assistance and loans to developing countries. (imf.org/en/About). The Neubauer (2014) identifies the common attributes of WB is an intergovernmental institution which aims to end extreme these global corporations: (a) they serve as an agent of desired poverty and promote shared prosperity in a sustainable way economic development, b) they are considered as an economic prominence, and (c) they are identified as a very powerful entity that (worldbank.org). The five other organizations which belong to the WB can create a crisis. They can make their consumer products group are: International Bank for Reconstructions and Development, International Development Association, International financial available in many parts of the world and hit their target of economic corporation, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and development; for example the Nesle. Some TNCs and MNCs were only able to reach their global annual growth target by exploiting the International Center for Settlement and Investment Disputes. environment. In 1997, there was an Asian financial crisis wherein the In the earlier part of 1960s, some regional development global corporation put chaos to the economy of the region by banks were also established such as the Asian Development Bank controlling the foreign direct investments. At that time, more (ADB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to foster sustainable infrastructure projects were done, big corporations spending depended development in their respective member countries. on bank borrowings, the real estate values increased, and the government became more aggressive. The international financial institutions (IFIs) play a major role in the social and economic development programs of nations with Economic Integration Overview developing or transitional economies. The IFI’s role includes advising on development projects, funding them and assisting in their Economic integration involves the reduction or elimination of implementation. trade barriers among nations, aimed at coordinating monetary and fiscal policies. This integration is designed to lower costs for both consumers and producers while increasing trade among participating countries. BSMT 2 | 1ST SEMESTER PRELIM PERIOD NGEC 3: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD As economies become more integrated, trade barriers Cars diminish, leading to heightened political coordination. Economic integration can be achieved through various Toyota arrangements, each reflecting different levels of commitment Nissan among member nations. Isuzu "The more integrated economies become, the fewer trade barriers International Trade and exchange of goods and services were exist." already practiced in this century Types of Economic Integration Countries were able to extend their reach beyond borders and patterns of trade and technology because of developments in shipping Countries can enter into different types of economic and navigation. integration. A preferential trade agreement allows members to reduce or eliminate tariffs on certain goods traded within Lastly, Colonialism and Imperialism rose as the new ways of their region. In contrast, a free trade area expands this putting order to the economic interrelationships among countries concept by allowing member nations to remove tariffs on all goods traded among them, exemplified by the North LESSON 3 PART C: THE GLOBAL INTER-STATE SYSTEM American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Globalization and the Government A customs union goes a step further; member countries not Going through the history, the governments of the states only eliminate tariffs among themselves but also impose a were instruments for globalization. It is the government that sets common tariff against non-member nations. In a common policies for or against tariffs, calls to carry out naval expeditions, and market, members can exchange goods, services, labor, and promotes economic enterprises that lead to a rise of technological capital freely. An economic union builds on this by sharing a advancements which manifest globalization. However, there are some collective trade policy regarding non-member countries, and who argue that governments are far less able to control their own a monetary union entails the adoption of a single currency, politics without concern for the outside world, and that “government such as the Euro. matters less and less in a global economy. Instead of being directors, nation-states become simply other actors on the global stage. "An economic union is a common market block among members that also shares one trade policy with non-members." According to Osland (2003) globalization has both positive Benefits and Risks of Economic Integration and negative impacts to the government. The following positive impacts are: increased economic development benefits to some One key advantage of economic integration is that it enables governments;increased jobs and expanded infrastructure benefit to member nations to incur smaller expenses in trading, some countries; transfer of modern management techniques into potentially fostering economic growth. However, a significant business sector; greater interdependence among trading and risk is that if one member's economy falters, it can adversely investment partners may deter war; proliferation of nongovernmental affect the entire bloc. organizations (NGOs) to counter- balance, thus, decreased governmental power Moreover, a higher level of integration limits the flexibility of On the other hand, the negative impacts member nations' governments to make necessary are: increased power of multinational enterprises (MNEs) to regulate adjustments that could benefit their local economies, business at the expense of government power, sovereignty, and emphasizing the delicate balance between cooperation and ability; externalization of some MNEs costs to countries; competition independence. for factories and foreign direct investment (FDI) resulting in too many "The more integrated the economies become, the less flexibility the concessions to MNEs by some governments; influence of some MNEs governments have to make adjustments." to local government policy like threatening to leave if demands are not met; fewer taxes paid by MNEs to the governments where tax rate is History of Global Market Integration lowest, depriving their own country of revenue; and decrease social benefits that may affect stability. Global Market Integration – did not start overnight. It is the result of establishing of a global economy that involved the homogenization of According to Stiglitz (2007), “a government’s inability to trade and commerce. control the actions of individuals or companies is limited by international agreements affecting the right of sovereign states to 20th Century Market Integration make decisions. A government that wants to ensure that banks lend a certain fraction of their portfolio to underserved areas, or to ensure that The Integration of the global market – started when a big accounting frameworks accurately reflect a company’s true status, may American corporations began to emerge after the Second World War find it unable to pass the appropriate laws. Signing on to international with the rise of new conglomerates trade agreements can prevent governments from regulating the influx and outflow of hot, speculative money, even though capital market Examples: liberalization can lead to economic crises”. ITT Engineered for life Simply put in another way by Brazalote and Leonardo Continental Bank (2019), the following are the impacts of globalization on governments: Sheraton Hotels & Resorts (1) It imposes a forced choice upon nation states. They are confronted The Hartford with the dilemma to conform with the neo-liberal ides and free-market principles of deregulation, privatization and free trade or run the risk of being left behind in terms of development. The government can put in policies, yet receiving pressures from the global corporations because BSMT 2 | 1ST SEMESTER PRELIM PERIOD NGEC 3: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD the policies should be in consonance with the principles of free- trade. This is in part a recognition that nations acting alone cannot For example, in 1999, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations solve the multiple problems they face. Issues that face the nation-state (ASEAN) established the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in order to are increasingly trans-national (such as environmental pollution and encourage the member-states to deepen their commitments in the drugs trade) and thereby necessitate a multilateral (or bilateral) investment trade and industrial collaboration to increase the region’s response. economic activities. (2) It establishes economic and political integrations. For example, the establishment of the European Union Moreover, the only means by which one can resolve (EU) and the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The EU complex and multi-faceted issues is to tackle the cause of the problem has single currency and monetary system among 17 states, parliament from an international perspective. For instance, the issue of illegal with legislative powers asylum seekers may require a co-ordinated multilateral approach from an alliance of countries. It may even justify the use of military action in As globalization brings about business opportunities and areas of the world associated with terrorist groups (such as the Af-Pak new technologies, activists seek to further ensure that governments border). held accountable for their domestic and international actions. Globalization has allowed activism that challenges rights abuses, Several well-established organisations within the field of usually committed by the state. international relations seek to provide a forum in which nations may co-operate. Some of those organisations can play a major role within With the United Nations, international actors came together global relations, and in doing so; their actions can greatly undermine and work on international legal treaties, thus, state sovereignty was national sovereignty. reduced through agreements demanding respect of human rights law. The states frequently violate treaties and conventions, however, some International organisations such as the United Nations enforcement some mechanisms were made such as having (UN), NATO and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bring the International Criminal Court and exposure to media. nations together to advance shared goals and common interests. International organisations may even consist of supranational With the rise of political globalization, the international institutions such as the European Commission and the European human rights norms also increased. There are many human rights Court of Justice. In the EU, supranational institutions exist above the activists who demanded the state to live up to its role as the protector nation-state and have the authority to impose decisions binding upon of its population. all the member states. Institutions that Govern International Relations Internationalism also seeks to generate a belief in cosmopolitanism in which the world may be said to consist of a The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ~GATT! and single community. Cosmopolitan notions emphasise the need to think the World Trade Organization ~WTO! have been touted as premier beyond national borders, reach out to others and ultimately go beyond examples of international institutions, but few studies have offered the confines of nationalism itself. We should therefore accept a sense empirical proof+ This article comprehensively evaluates the effects of of duty towards fellow humans regardless of their nationality. However, the GATT0WTO and other trade agreements since World War II+ Our one of the major weaknesses of cosmopolitanism is the negligible analysis is organized around two factors: institutional standing and impact of international law. The national sovereignty of powerful institutional embeddedness+ We show that many countries had rights countries (notably the United States) has greater political power than and obligations, or institutional standing, in the GATT0WTO even measures taken by international bodies. though they were not formal members of the agreement+ We also expand the analysis to include a range of other commercial LESSON 3 PART D: CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL GOVERNANCE agreements that were embedded with the GATT0WTO+ Using data on dyadic trade since 1946, we demonstrate that the GATT0WTO The United Nations was founded shortly after World War II substantially increased trade for countries with institutional standing, with the goal of preventing any future such conflicts. Essentially it and that other embedded agreements had similarly positive effects+ functions to moderate the disputes between nations. It also serves to Moreover, our evidence suggests that international trade agreements protect the freedoms and human rights of people around the world. have complemented, rather than undercut, each other+ The United Nations offers a forum for nations to discuss and resolve issues and conflicts diplomatically. Each member nation has Internatonalism vs Globalism representatives that meet with representatives of other nations at the United Nations' assemblies. Internationalism is the state of being international, or happening in and between many countries: Every member nation has a seat at the UN General Assembly. The General Assembly serves to make declarations, the belief that countries can achieve more advantages by working toge resolutions, and policy recommendations representing the overall ther and trying to understand each other than wishes of the member nations. It also elects judges to the International by arguing and fighting wars with each other Court of Justice. Internationalism is the very antithesis of nationalism. Perhaps because The United Nations Security Council is a smaller body within of this, an awareness of internationalism shines a light upon the UN. This branch wields a significant amount of power. It consists of nationalism and helps us to better understand the continued appeal of fifteen member nations. France, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, nationalism within the global political realm. and the United States are permanent members of the UN Security Council. Ten other nations serve two-year terms. The Security Council Internationalism is based upon the view that world peace may be makes decisions relating to the deployment of UN peacekeeping advanced when nations put aside their rivalries. Nations should troops, imposing sanctions, and ordering ceasefires. work together to find common ground and build a safer and more stable world. The United Nations also includes the International Court of Justice which meets at the Hague, Netherlands. This court can put on trial people accused of international war crimes and crimes against humanity. It handles any judicial issues in the United Nations. BSMT 2 | 1ST SEMESTER PRELIM PERIOD NGEC 3: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD The United Nations is also one of the biggest providers of IOs can be an effective tool in meddling global problems but international aid. It delivers food to areas of famine, protects and it can also turn it backs on the major global issues of today if it has shelters refugees, provides doctors and medical personnel, and conflict of interest in dominant countries. That is why this contemporary assists with disaster relief. governance is not an end point, and UN was never perfect governing body for global community, but it is recognized because of its eminent The United Nations also conducts a vast amount of research role. International institutions like the UN are always in precarious into international matters. Issues like global health, economics, position in global governance. We knew that they are composed of education, and human rights are researched by the UN Secretariat's several sovereign states which makes them a collective group, but office to provide useful information to the other bodies of the United they are also an organization with their own rationalities and agendas Nations. creating conflict on their own interests. As the most representative inter-governmental organization 3. Defending Dignity: The Universal Declaration of Human of the world today, the United Nations' role in world affairs is Rights (From: Amnesty International) irreplaceable by any other international or regional organizations. The United Nations has made enormous positive contributions in Source(s): The following are resources gathered verbatim to maintaining international peace and security, promoting cooperation a short course offered by Amnesty International among states and international development. Today, people of the world still face the two major issues of peace and development. Only One of the accomplishments of the end of the barbarous by international cooperation can mankind meet the challenges of the Second World was that the need to consider human rights to be global and regional issues. The United Nations can play a pivotal and universally respected was recognized to be important. The positive role in this regard. Strengthening the role of the United Nations extermination of almost 17 million people during the Holocaust in the new century and promoting the establishment of a just and horrified the entire world. After the war, governments worldwide made reasonable international political and economic order goes along with a concentrated effort to foster international peace and prevent conflict the trend of history and is in the interest of all nations. This resulted to the establishment of the United Nations in June1945. In order to strengthen the role of the United Nations, efforts In 1948, representatives from the 50 member states of the should be made to uphold the purposes and principles of the Charter United Nations came together under the guidance of Eleanor of the United Nations. The authority of the Security Council in Roosevelt (Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly) to maintaining international peace and security must be preserved and devise a list of all the human rights that deserve universal protection in role of the United Nations in development area should be order for every individual to live their life freely, equally and in dignity. strengthened. To strengthen the role of the United Nations, it is Two of the chief drafters of the Declaration were Charles Malik from essential to ensure to all Member States of the United Nations the right Lebanon and Peng Chun Chang from China. Women from a range of to equal participation in international affairs and the rights and interests countries played a crucial role in shaping the Declaration, including of the developing countries should be safeguarded. Minerva Bernardino from the Dominican Republic, Hansa Mehta from India and Begum Shaista Ikramullah from Pakistan. The drafting The United Nations ( Five Active Organs) committee of the Declaration and the Human Rights Commission that contributed to the development of the Declaration further consisted of It was not perfect but so far it achieved its primary goal of members from France, India, the former Soviet Union, Chile, Australia, preventing another global five active organs: United Kingdom and Canada. 1. The General Assembly On 10 December 1948, the General Assembly of the United ”main deliberative policymaking and representative organ” Nations adopted a revolutionary new document, the Universal annually elects GA President to serve a one-year term Declaration of Human Rights. Human Rights were not invented in all member states (currently at 193) have seats in the GA. December 1948. The need for security, dignity and freedom is part of human nature, and the idea that those in power have an obligation to Philippines played a prominent role when Carlos P. Romulo respect and realize these needs has been around for hundreds of was elected (1949-1950) years. What made the Declaration of 1948 truly revolutionary was that Although GA is the most representative organization, the UN member states acknowledged that all human beings, all over Security Council is considered to be the most powerful the world and without any discrimination, were born with the same, indivisible human rights that deserved international protection, and all 2. Security Council nations and every people had a right and a duty to stand up for the Consists of 15 member states rights of everybody else. GA elects 10 of these 15 to two-year terms Other 5 (sometimes referred to as permanent 5 (P5)) are Right to Equality (Article 1): All human beings are born free China, France, Russia, United Kingdom & United States and equal in dignity and rights. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated Security Council’s P5 in the same way. The notion of human dignity and freedom is the very essence of the Declaration. Each country holds veto power over the council’s decisions. Right to Life, Liberty and Personal Security (Article 3): We all It only takes one veto vote from a P5 member to stop an SC have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety. The action dead in its tracks. right to life is the prerequisite for the enjoyment of all other Russia has threatened to veto any SC resolution against human rights. Syria Freedom from torture and other ill-treatment (Article 5): United States sought to Iraq in 2001, claiming that Saddam Nobody shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMS) that or degrading treatment. Freedom from torture is an absolute threatened the world. UN vetoed the resolution for right and can never be taken away from us. Torture is intervention. There were no WMS. considered as one of the most severe human rights BSMT 2 | 1ST SEMESTER PRELIM PERIOD NGEC 3: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD violations and a gruesome attack on our dignity as human Article 19: Right to freedom of expression. When I post beings. issues, I’m interested in on social media. Right to recognition as a person before the law (Article 6): We are all entitled to all human rights and we all have the Article 23: Right to work and form or join trade unions. same right to use the law wherever we go. Being recognized When I get the same salary as other people doing the same job as me as a person before the law enables us to enjoy and exercise Article 12: Right to privacy. When I know the information I the rights tied to our dignity. To put it simply, Article 6 is “the provide to websites I use is not going to be shared with other right to have rights”. Right to privacy (Article 12): Privacy enables us to protect Article 26: Right to education. When I am able to attend our dignity from unjust interference in our lives by states or school any other power holders. It enables us to determine who we are and how we want to engage with others. Principles of Human Rights Right to social order (Article 28): We have a right to a social Interdependent and Indivisible: All human rights in the and international order in which we can all enjoy our human Universal Declaration have equal standing. There is no hierarchy of rights. States have an obligation to respect, protect and fulfill human rights. The guarantee of one human right facilitates the our rights and create a society that preserves the dignity of guarantee of the others. Likewise, the deprivation of one human right everyone. often causes the violation of others. Freedom from interference in these human rights (Article 30): Nobody, no government, company, individual or group Inalienable: Human rights are unconditional and do not can take away the rights and freedoms from us. have to be bought, inherited or earned. Human rights cannot be taken away, renounced or exchanged – no one has the right to deprive The Universal Declaration of Human Rights relates to all another person of their rights or to give up their rights for any reason. aspects of our lives, whether it is work, education, health, food or housing. When human rights are respected, they often go unnoticed Universal: All human beings, everywhere in the world, have and only become visible when they are being denied. human rights. While the significance of national, regional and cultural particularities must be kept in mind, it is the duty of all states to Important Issues Addressed by the Declaration promote and protect all human rights. Rights belong to and are to be enjoyed by all human beings without distinction of any kind, such as 1. People should receive equal pay for equal work regardless of race, color, sex or language, religion, political and other opinion, their gender national or social origin, property, birth or other stature. In other words, Art. 1 (Right to Equality) human rights belong to everyone. More so, it means that it must be Art. 2 (Right to Non-discrimination) internationally recognized that human rights are the basic core Art. 23 (Right to Work) minimum to be observed everywhere. 2. People who have to flee their country because of war or persecution should be able to seek shelter The Notion of Equality Art. 14 (Right to seek asylum) Right to Equality (Article 1): Without equality there cannot Art. 13 (Freedom of Movement) be justice. If people are viewed as “less than” others it opens doors to Art. 25 (Right to Food and Shelter) further discrimination, and communities without equality are more likely 3. When People Love each other they should be able to express it to suffer additional human rights violations. and marry Art. 2 (Right to Non-discrimination) Freedom from Discrimination (Article 2): Regardless of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or Art. 16 (Right to Family life) belief, ethnicity, disability, age, political opinion, nationality, language Art. 19 (Freedom of Expression) or any other status, we deserve to be treated equally. Freedom from 4. Children should be able to play and sing, grown ups should be discrimination is important in every community because it shapes the able to have a break from work relationships that exist between individuals and power holders. Art. 25 (Right to Health) Art. 2 (Right to Non-discrimination) Right to equality before the law (Art. 7): The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly. Every human being is Art. 22 (Right to Social security different, but we are all equal before the law. 5. People should be allowed to play music, read books, dance or engage in other cultural activities Right to seek asylum (Article. 14): If we are being Art. 24 (Right to Leisure) persecuted in our community or country for who we are, we all have Art. 22 (Right to Social security & Culture) the right to go to another country and ask for protection as a refugee. Art. 19 (Freedom of Expression) Right to adequate living standard (Article 25): Right to Human Rights in your Every Day Life adequate living standard (Article. 25): We all have the right to an adequate standard of living, including food, clothing, housing, and Article 25: Right to a standard of living adequate for health healthcare. Mothers and children, people without work, old people and and well-being. When I buy food and clothes, and have a place to persons living with disabilities all have the right to receive special care. sleep Right to education (Article. 26): We all have the right to an Article 3: Right to life and to live in freedom and safety. education, and to primary school, which should be free. At school, we When I walk freely in my town without fearing for my life should be able to develop all our talents and learn to respect others, whatever their race, religion or nationality. BSMT 2 | 1ST SEMESTER PRELIM PERIOD NGEC 3: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD Right to Participate in cultural life of the community (Article. 27): We have the right to participate in the traditions and 2. Participation in Decision Making: Ensure that all people learnings of our community, to enjoy the arts and to benefit from can take part in the conduct of public affairs and have scientific progress. effective opportunities to make their voices heard. The right to political participation and to take part in government is Responsibilities to the community (Art. 29): We have a protected by the UDHR and is an essential element of duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms inclusive society in our communities and beyond 3. Independent and Impartial Court: Every person whose rights have been violated, including their right to non- Participation and Social Inclusion discrimination, has the right to an effective remedy. And anyone who is accused of a crime has the right to a fair trial. Our rights to participate in decision making processes and Independent and impartial courts are crucial for this, and shape our societies is key to further developing the rights enshrined in thus they should not be subject to improper influence from the Declaration and crucial to fulfilling the promise to ensure all of us the other branches of government or from private or partisan live free from want and fear. Below are some of the rights that enable interests. This is to ensure that the judiciary is impartial and people to participate in and influence the processes and decisions independent of all external pressures so that those who which affect their lives. appear before them and the wider public can have the 1. Freedom from slavery (Article. 4): Under no circumstance can confidence that their cases will be decided fairly and in a human being be enslaved or perform forced labor. Nobody has accordance with the law. any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone else our slave. A truly fair and inclusive society must be free of slavery, servitude, forced labor and trafficking. Slavery is the most severe form of social exclusion. 2. Right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article. 18): We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, or to change it if we want, and to manifest it in public or private. We also have a right not to profess any religion or belief. No one can be compelled to reveal his or her thoughts or adherence to a religion or belief, nor interfere with our own choices. 3. Freedom of opinion and expression (Article 19): Without being able to freely receive, seek and impart information, we cannot form an opinion and make informed decisions, engage in public debate or share our thoughts and concerns. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people wherever they live, through books, radio, television and in other ways. 4. Freedom of association and peaceful assembly (Article. 20): When people join forces, they can hold governments to account, draw attention to an issue and stand up against power-holders that commit human rights abuses. We all have the right to group with others and to work peacefully together to defend and promote human rights and shape our societies accordingly. 5. The right to participate in public affairs (Article. 21): Being able to choose who represents us in government, or being able to be part of the government ourselves, is essential to shape our societies and influence decisions that affect us. 6. Right to work and to form and join trade unions (Article. 23): Every grown up has the right to a job, to get a fair wage for their work, to have just and favorable conditions of work and to join or form a trade union. Being a part of a trade union allows for workers to unite and have collective power to make their voices heard. Participating in a trade union allows workers to enjoy fair treatment in the workplace. Employers can not penalize you for participating in trade union activities or for trade union memberships nor force you to join a particular trade union. Crucial Elements of a Participatory Society 1. Free and Independent Press: A participatory society allows opinions, ideas and information to flow freely through various media, newspaper, radio, blogs and social media.