In 1980, when North-South, the Brandt Commission Report, sold nearly a million copies and was unanimously endorsed by the UN General Assembly…

In 1981, as the G-7 Summit and the Cancun Economic Summit of 22 national leaders closely considered the Brandt Commission proposals for restructuring the international economy…

In 1982, when the AIDS virus was identified, demonstrating the urgency of eradicating communicable diseases, expanding healthcare services, and improving access to clean water and sanitation in developing nations…

In 1983, when the United Nations announced that 800 million people across the world could neither read nor write, and set the goal of universal education for all children…

In 1984, as famine and starvation stalked the African continent, focusing unprecedented attention on the crisis of world hunger…

In 1985, when the global Live Aid rock concert raised the prospect of a major emergency relief program for developing nations…

In 1986, as Latin American governments teetered on the edge of default, exposing the limitations of international financing for development and the need for debt cancellation in poor nations…

In 1987, when the Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'…

In 1988, as media conglomerates grew ever larger, and many non-governmental organizations warned of a narrowing access to alternative sources of news and information around the planet…

In 1989, as the Cold War ended, and various nations advanced a long-term plan for international peace and security, and the channeling of military expenditures into global development…

In 1990, when dozens of eminent economists petitioned for international taxes on industrial pollution and global currency transactions to raise new revenues for global development…

In 1991, when the South Commission urged reform of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and greater assistance for the jobless and homeless in poor nations…

In 1992, as 10,000 representatives at the Rio Summit decried the effects of globalization and reaffirmed the link between development and the environment…

In 1993, as the Internet exploded, increasing the gap between the 'information rich and poor', and illuminating the need for advanced technology and skills in developing nations…

In 1994, when numerous development agencies concurred that global inequality is gender-driven, and proposed more schooling, new jobs, and equal rights for women everywhere…

In 1995, when the Global Governance Commission called for good governance in developing nations and multilateral coordination of the global economy…

In 1996, as world population approached 6 billion and numerous development studies correlated rapid population growth with poverty, disease, child mortality, and illiteracy…

In 1997, when international delegates to the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change launched a global treaty to limit greenhouse gas emissions by 2012…

In 1998, after a major currency crisis spread across Southeast Asia, and US Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin raised the possibility of a 'new financial architecture' to prevent global instability…

In 1999, when demonstrators in Seattle clambered for an end to the protectionist subsidies and trade barriers permitted by the World Trade Organization…

In 2000, when international aid would have risen to 1.0% GDP under the plan put forward by the Brandt Commission, but had actually slumped 40% since 1980 from .35% to .21% GDP…

In 2001, as the collapse of Enron, WorldCom, and other companies revealed the complete lack of global regulation on international corporations and world financial markets…

In 2002, when George Soros suggested expanding the IMF's Special Drawing Rights as a world reserve currency to increase monetary liquidity and stimulate development in poor nations…

In 2003, when the Global Peace Movement chanted with one voice that the cause of terrorism is poverty, and that justice and peace are the surest means to global security…

In 2004, when more than half of the world's poorest nations are significantly behind schedule in meeting their UN Millennium Development Goals for 2015…

And in 2005, when the Commission for Africa issues its comprehensive report, calling for a new financing facility for development assistance and substantial increases in global aid to Africa…

This long wait reminds us that, 25 years ago, the Brandt Commission included all of these measures in an action plan for the global economy  – and further avoidance and indifference to these planetary responsibilities will have tragic consequences. The world community must tackle these problems now as a whole and in one forum – or face more false starts, unfulfilled promises, and massive social breakdown. We urge world leaders, along with representatives of government, business and civil society, and the international public, to engage in negotiations for a new economic framework based on interdependence and cooperation, ensuring that the vital issues of development are linked at last together in a common agenda for every person in every nation.