The Shared Societies concept and proposals were one of the key thematic focus of the Symi Symposium (Rodhes, July 1-4), an annual gathering of leaders, activists and experts convened by World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid (WLA – CdM) Member George A. Papandreou to discuss some of the most global pressing issues. A specific session on Globalisation and the Role of Shared Societies was chaired by South African Human Rights activist Kumi Naidoo and included as the main speaker WLA-CdM Member Zlatko Lagumdzija.
The discussion demonstrated the increasing relevance of Shared Societies in a world in which fear of globalisation (one of the key inspirations for the Symi Symposium) inspires movements of exclusionary nationalism and nativism that collide with the idea of an open, Shared Society. Through fruitful interactions with participants at the symposium, such as Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz, the Shared Societies concept revealed itself as a roadmap for more sustainable and inclusive development in an era of technological awe, economic upheaval and a general retreat in democratic values.
