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Testimonials
 
General Lee Butler (ret.)
Commander in Chief, U.S. Strategic Air Command (1990-1994)

"The invitation to address the State of the World Forum in late 1996 was the catalyst that prompted me to make public my concerns regarding the continuing role of nuclear weapons as instruments of national security. The warm response of the Forum audience to my remarks encouraged me to undertake a global campaign to make my voice heard on this issue. This effort has been enormously gratifying, and I am indebted to the Forum for its continuing support. I know of no other organization better suited to sustain the cause of nuclear disarmament, nor a more credible figure than President Gorbachev to lead the campaign."


Sonia Gandhi
Chair, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation

"The State of the World Forum has appropriately identified many changes in perception which have taken place in the last two decades. Basic, is the recognition that our earth is a vast interconnected system built upon mutual interdependence and interrelationship. In such systems, the tiniest, the micro is as essential as the largest, the macro. "


Fritjof Capra
Physicist; Author

"The Forum’s collective intellectual power and moral authority are awe-inspiring."



Thabo Mbeki
Deputy President, Republic of South Africa

"I would like to make bold to say that the next century will face a process of the reformation of governance driven by the pull of two seemingly contending forces at either end of a magnet - the one being the globalization of governance and the other, the devolution of power to the citizen."


Mikhail Gorbachev
President, Soviet Union (1985-1991); Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1990

"During the years since its inception, the State of the World Forum has come a long way. It has created a large network of activists, many of whom I call my friends. Working together and interacting with them is a thought-provoking experience that enriches one’s mind, a practical study in achieving unity in diversity. In our globalizing and increasingly interconnected world, we must learn to listen to and hear each other, to assure that change, which is inevitable, works for the benefit of all. Our meetings in San Francisco and follow-up activities are part of this quest."


Rigoberta Menchú Tum
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1992

"This is the first such conference, the first State of the World Forum. This means that each time, more and more people will be able to come together and meet again. The indigenous people of America, the indigenous people of the world are alive and very willing to participate and to try share whatever knowledge we have and to share our experiences."


Vicénte Fox
Governor, State of Guanajuato, Mexico

"We have learned much in the last year from experiences with people we have met through the State of the World Forum network. In our meeting with Muhammad Yunus we learned about microlending, and about how to extend a financial system to all those citizens who do not have access to vital resources. We are very proud to say that in the next four weeks, we will open an institution very similar to the Grameen Bank. The Bank will open in Guanajuato, Mexico and will bring to all citizens in our State the opportunity to receive small loans to begin individual businesses."


Jose Ramos-Horta
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1996

"Should great crimes against humanity be forgiven? I ask another question: are the culprits of the great crimes against humanity prepared to apologize? ... It is a show of our own greatness if we are humble to say, we apologize for what happened to you. This would be the beginning of the process of reconciliation, the process of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not only an act of legislation. It cannot be something legislated by a court, by an international tribunal. It has to be an act of the heart."


Mahbub ul Haq
President
Human Development Center, Pakistan

"The annual Forum Conferences are unique in combining intellectual ferment with practical policy initiatives. We are deeply impressed by the global outreach of the Forum and its deep commitment to causes which touch human lives."


Marga Bührig
Former President
World Council of Churches

"I was attracted to the Forum by the style of its invitation: ‘Come with your deepest questions - be ready to listen to all different perspectives.’ The Forum is about commitment. Could such an attitude become reality with so many people and in such a short time? Very soon I shared the feelings of Peter Goldmark, who said: ‘I am only here for a day and a half and I am overwhelmed by the impression that all of us are walking in the same direction.’ The Forum has a search for and a presence of spirituality, to say a hidden trend in a world full of contradiction. My own visions were deepened, widened and confirmed."


John Naisbitt
Author; Futurist

"...I think it is time to start a ‘State of the World Forum Network’, a network of the global brain-trust that we speak of, a network that will link all of us and expand our number for continuous dialogue on the creation of the first global civilization."


Hazel Henderson
Futurist; Economist; Author

"The three State of the World Forums for me were inspiring, offered opportunities to meet important new allies and, most of all, to share visions for a brighter human future."


William Ury
Director, Project on Preventing War, Harvard University

"The State of the World Forum is the most original convener I know of cross-fertilizing and productive conversations about how to deal with the world’s problems."


Marianne Williamson
Author, "A Woman’s Worth"

"The State of the World Forum is a chance to share the vision of a reborn world. The Forum is, for me, a very energizing experience — a kind of Central Headquarters for the Consciousness Revolution."


Mahnaz Afkhami
Minister of Women’s Affairs, Iran (1976-1978)

"The Persian poet Jalaludin Rumi has said: ‘Out beyond ideas of right and wrong doing there is a field. I will meet you there.’ The Forum with its atmosphere of tolerance, understanding, empathy, and intelligence has been the field wherein I have met the most wonderful allies. For this I am grateful."


Tom Spencer
Member, European Parliament

"The State of the World Forum has been a valuable stimulus to the work of GLOBE. We have been happy to spread ideas discovered in San Francisco amongst our parliamentary members in fifty-four countries."

"The State of the World Forum is quite simply the best publicly available conversation on the planet - stimulating, relevant and action-oriented."


Marc Luyckx
Member of the Forward Studies Initiative, European Commission

"The State of the World Forum is a place where I personally feel at home. When I fly back to Europe, I feel enriched by the intellectual and spiritual energy of so many women and men who are silently creating a new culture and a new world."