The 8th Annual Conference of the Aspen Junior Fellows addressed the issue of solidarity at a time when the global crisis is widening social gaps. Indeed, imbalances in the concentration of global wealth and poverty are increasing, no longer merely signaling economic disparity but also a geopolitical – as well as a moral – differential that is impacting more and more on our future and on the carrying capacity of our planet.
The Conference, which brought together the Aspen Junior Fellows in a debate aimed at formulating proposals, explored the central theme of solidarity along three main lines:
1. In the first session, dedicated to “the costs of globalization: stagnation vs. development”, the debate focused on the new global distribution of wealth and poverty and on the unmet challenges of the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2000. It was noted that, in this regard, the contradictions are significant. On the one hand, there has been an explosion of prosperity in areas that were once marked by poverty, such as India and China, whilst on the other, there has been an increase in situations of marginalization (with 80 of the world’s population living in countries where income disparities are growing). The topical relevance of the theme of the Conference was underlined by focus on the need – rendered urgent by the current crisis – not just to reform the global economic governance system but also to restore its ethical legitimacy.
2. The second session was given over to discussing “ways of reducing poverty in Italy: analyzing solidarity in terms of commitment and outcomes”, with various poverty-reduction policies and models examined. In this regard, the participants particularly emphasized the importance of horizontal subsidiarity, with specific reference to the role of the various actors, including the non-profit sector, and the need for financial resources to match set objectives within a coherent framework.
3. The third and final session analyzed the relationship between “Italy and poor countries” with a view to placing Italian solidarity within a global context, exploring new models for international cooperation and dealing with the immigration crisis – a crisis which, even as the Conference was underway, saw Italy once again in the front-line in the debate over large migration flows and the furtherance of human rights.