Introducing Healthy Threefolding Strategies to World Leaders
 The U.N. Millennium Summit Project of the
Global Network for Social Threefolding
(GlobeNet3)

“At the beginning of the 20th century, national governments were the primary actors on the world stage. At the beginning of the 21st century, governments share the stage with two non-state actors—the business community and civil society, increasingly well organized and articulate. This presents unique challenges to the institutions of global governance which, almost without exception, were designed exclusively for representatives of sovereign states. . . .

“Successful global governance must include not only governments but the private sector and civil society as peers in a co-creative process of discernment and cooperation. Only when these three major sectors of society are included in the deliberations concerning the human future will the answers we seek begin to emerge.”

(from a State of the World Forum announcement of Forum 2000)

A Unique Education Opportunity in New York City in September 2000

  1. The U.N. Millennium Summit, September 6-8, 2000, in New York brings together over 180 heads of state to explore the role of the U.N. in the 21st century. Kofi Annan, U.N. Secretary General and convener of the Summit proposes that the U.N. must re-conceptualize global governance to give globalization a “human face.” Annan stresses the importance of “global public policy” networks to address world problems spawned by globalization. “Global public policy networks” is the U.N.’s term to describe tri-sectoral partnerships between civil society, government, and business.
  2. Concurrently, The State of the World Forum 2000, September 4-10, in New York brings together an international gathering of heads of the world’s largest businesses and of its most influential civil society organizations. The intent of holding Forum 2000 during the U.N. Millennium Summit is to convene a "global town meeting" in which the private sector and civil society can together have substantive dialogue with selected Heads of State concerning the great issues confronting humanity as globalization takes hold and affects us all. The centerpiece of Forum 2000 will be a ‘post Seattle’ dialogue on ‘Shaping Globalization: Convening the Community of Stakeholders,’ opened by its Chairman, Mikhail Gorbachev.
  3. Leaders from all three sectors at both meetings will meet with one another in a variety of more informal networking venues, where close relationships can be forged for future partnerships.

The Need — Social Threefolding as the Sound Foundation for Policies and Development Projects

Tri-sectoral partnerships, if authentic, can be an entry point to social threefolding. These partnerships are increasingly being recognized as a necessary strategy for healthy social institutions and policies. These terms are now in use at the World Bank and U.N. and many other institutions. They describe a comprehensive approach to planning and implementing large-scale development projects in all parts of the world, through the cooperation of representatives of business, government and civil society. For civil society, tri-sector partnerships can be an opportunity or a trap depending on how civil society balances its role as both defender of values, meaning and all forms of life in society with its task to inaugurate new modes of development for the future.

Since the Seattle 1999 WTO demonstrations, there is a growing consensus that civil society organizations must have representation and decision-making authority along with business and government. How can the three sectors work together in healthy ways that do not subvert or dominate each other’s legitimate identity and role in social life? How can the sectors develop and apply together critical values to general problems of human and planetary sustainability and scale and to more specific or local development projects?

There are no quick formulas. Each situation must be approached with respect for its uniqueness. However, in general, a healthy relationship between these potential partners depends on a recognition of the independent identities and contributions of political, economic and cultural life to a healthy society. This recognition at present awaits the awakening of civil society to its identity and role as a creative, nourishing and protective agent of the cultural sphere (e.g. human values and ideals), and as a conscience to business and government. In addition, this must be accompanied by an awakening and recognition on the part of business and government, as inhabitants of the economic and political realms of society respectively, to civil society’s unique role regarding culture and its special contribution to the other two realms of society.

Mission of The U.N. Millennium Summit Project of GlobeNet3

To educate citizens and world leaders in the three sectors (business, civil society, government) to consider and adopt healthy social threefolding approaches to local, national and international development challenges. This means representatives of business (economy), government (polity) and civil society (culture) can learn to cooperate together, where appropriate, to develop and manage solutions to small and large social problems. The September meetings are a first step in connecting world leaders, citizens and organizations who are seeking to educate themselves and others as to how healthy tri-sectoral partnerships and social threefolding can work around the world.

Project Organization

The realization of this mission will be carried out as a collaborative project between The Center for Social Renewal (CSR) of the Saratoga Institute, a US 501(c)(3) in Saratoga Springs, NY, The Center for Alternative Development Initiatives (CADI) in Manila, Philippines, the Center for Israeli Civil Society and The Global Network for Social Threefolding (GlobeNet3). The project will evolve and apply creative networking and communication to educate citizens at the New York meetings to realize and apply healthy threefolding to development projects around the world.

The project is directed by Nicanor Perlas, a recognized world leader in advancing sustainable development through threefolding approaches, including authentic tri-sectoral partnerships. Nicanor will attend the U.N. Summit as an adviser of the Philippine delegation and as a key shaper of PA 21. (PA 21 is the Philippine’s pioneering national policy on sustainable development. It incorporates threefolding by making tri-sectoral partnerships the cornerstone of national sustainable development efforts.) Nicanor is also on the International Coordinating Council for Forum 2000. Nicanor is gaining recognition for his book Shaping Globalization: Civil Society, Cultural Power and Threefolding which provides the historical and theoretical foundations for threefolding as the standpoint from which to grasp and act constructively on the phenomenon of globalization. The book is illustrated with cases from current history and from PA 21.

Project Objectives

  1. Plan and conduct educational activities during 3 major sets of meetings (U.N. Millennium Summit, State of the World Forum, related less formal civil society meetings) in New York, September 2000.
  2. Plan and conduct meetings in New York, immediately after the three major sets of meetings, to enable continued relationship and insight-building among our constituencies.
  3. Supporting Activities - Develop and implement a communications strategy for the three major meetings, to include publishing / distributing information and education materials, and implementing a media presence for meeting attendees and the public, via appropriate media vehicles.
  4. In follow-up meetings immediately afterward the conferences, plan next steps and strategies to further support educational activities on tri-sectoral partnerships and threefolding around the world.

Sponsoring Organizations of the UNMS Project

The Saratoga Institute in Saratoga Springs, New York, founded in 1985, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational institute, which supports programs to empower people and humanize organizations. It has served as an incubator and home for many innovative educational initiatives. The Institute’s Center for Social Renewal (CSR) is a community-based organization, founded in1998, to awaken public interest in important issues of the time and to support those making enlightened efforts to solve world problems. The Center for Alternative Development Initiatives (CADI), founded in 1988, is a Philippine-based civil society organization dedicated to the study, encouragement and implementation of sustainable development through threefolding, including tri-sectoral partnerships. The Global Network for Social Three Folding (GlobeNet3) is an international network of individuals and organizations committed to advance social threefolding. The Center for Israeli Civil Society (CICS) was founded in 1999 to serve and support Israeli civil society organizations active or interested in partnering with government, business and other NGO’s to create a healthier society with greater individual freedom and initiative.

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