It has been a real privilege serving as President of the Goi Peace Foundation located in Tokyo, Japan since it’s founding in 1999. Along with Dr. Ervin Lazslo, Founder of the Budapest Club and my wife Masami Saionji, Chairperson of the Goi Peace Foundation, I am one of the three initiators of the Fuji Declaration.

Here I would like to briefly share with you the circumstances leading up to the launch of the Fuji Declaration.

In 2005, the Goi Peace Foundation launched the “Creating a New Civilization Initiative” along with our partners the Club of Budapest, the Club of Rome, the Gorbachev Foundation and the World Wisdom Council among others. This initiative brings together organizations and individuals who see the pressing need to respond to the environmental, social and economic crises confronting us today. Our aim is to network various innovative activities and people creating positive impact on the world, and build a critical mass of humans that could facilitate the transformation of our cultures and co-create a sustainable and peaceful planetary civilization.

Our approach in creating a new civilization is based on the “4-S Concept”—an integrated platform with four foundational pillars: Sustainability, Systems, Spirituality and Science.

The first “S”—Sustainability—concerns the survival of the Earth itself, with its nature and ecological systems. Environmental, social and economic problems—such as global warming, resource depletion, wealth disparity and cross-cultural conflicts—are all interconnected global issues caused by human activities that are threatening our very survival. We must first and foremost ensure sustainability of our planet, if we are to have any future.

The second “S”—Systems— refers to the various systems we human beings have established, including our economic and political systems. Humanity is a part of the larger natural living systems of Earth. How can we harmonize our human systems with the principles of nature and the ecosystems? Our current institutions and various sociocultural systems are unsustainable and need to be transformed to operate as a whole system on a planetary scale.

The third “S”—Spirituality—includes personal experience, but also has a more universal implication. The inner awakening and the empowered creativity of individuals are the real forces that will shape our collective future. Our behaviors and priorities will drastically change if we evolve our consciousness to a higher level and experience the interconnectedness of all life. We must ensure that all human activities in our future global society, whether politics, economics or business, are founded on spiritual values.

The forth and final “S”—Science—is an important component in creating a new civilization. At the cutting edge of the sciences—including physics, cosmology, the life sciences, and consciousness research—new world views are emerging together with a deeper understanding of life. These new sciences could bring about a paradigm shift that could be the key inspiration and foundation for building a new civilization.

These 4 interdependent components serve as the integrated platform and framework of the Creating a New Civilization initiative proposed ten years ago. The transformation of our basic value system and our consciousness which lies at the core of this platform is an important task which confront us even today.

In launching the Fuji Declaration we hope to throw more attention on the 2 vital components, namely that of human values and consciousness which are essential to the new civilization. The essential human values we seek lie in the conviction that “Human kind is originally sacred and good – in other words, they are values based on the theory of fundamental goodness.” The essence of the consciousness we seek lie in the conviction that “humans co-exist in an interconnected web with other fellow humans, as well as with nature, universe and all of existence. We live life by the grace of others – they are values based on oneness, unity and consciousness.”

In short, the Fuji Declaration aims “to revive the sacred spirit and the good inherent within each of us and to give expression to it within our daily lives. It is to live with the recognition that all of existence lives within an interconnected web of oneness”. As such, it is the purpose of the Fuji Declaration to bring awareness to the vital role of consciousness and values in creating pathways leading to the new civilization. Therefore, we can say that the Fuji Declaration is very much a personal declaration.

In addition to the actual Declaration itself, there will be a research component to the Fuji Declaration making this a unique initiative. The research section will be headed by Dr. Laszlo and explore how transformations in human consciousness and values can shift and have impact on various social spheres such as politics, economy, business, science, education, health, religion, arts and the media by giving specific strategies and examples.

The smooth transition from a world of chaos to one of harmony, depends upon the consciousness, values and actions held by each and every individual. The Fuji Declaration encourages the conscious renaissance of each member of humanity leading in turn to a conscious transformation in the various social spheres representing our global community.

We launched the Fuji Declaration with the support of over one hundred founding signatories and partners from over thirty countries. We now look forward to many more supporters the world over who will join us in this worthwhile call to humanity. As important as the number of endorsers, I feel it is crucial for each and every one of us to give expression to the values set forth in the Fuji Declaration and put them into action within our everyday lives.

If we could build a critical mass of global citizens and communities living with the ideals of the Fuji Declaration, I believe that we will be on our way to creating a harmonious sustainable new civilization.