A Planetary Awareness
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 26 Jan 2026
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service
22 Jan 2026 – Today, many individuals feel that a great awakening is taking place in the world. We are now crossing a threshold between our past awareness largely limited to a local and, at best, to the national sphere towards an emerging planetary awareness. We are developing an ethic of respect for all life.
The United Nations Charter begins with the promising words “We the Peoples…” Thereafter the peoples’ voice fades and that of governments takes over. However, there is a provision for non-governmental organizations to have a consultative status with the U.N. Today, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the U.N. play an increasing role in shaping global policy. Many NGOs are transnational with members in many countries and different cultures, giving them vital strength.
One issue on which NGOs have played an important role is the effort to eliminate sexual violence in armed conflicts. Sexual violence as defined by the U.N. refers to “rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced abortion, and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, girls, men, and boys linked to a conflict. The term also encompasses trafficking in persons when committed in situations of conflict for purposes of sexual violence or exploitation.”
There has been a slow growth of awareness for U.N. agencies to provide non-discriminatory and comprehensive health services including sexual and reproductive health services as every new wave of armed violence brings with it a strong tide of human tragedy. The Association of World Citizens first raised the issue in the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in March 2001 and again in a Special Session of the Commission related to human rights in what is today the Democratic Republic of Congo saying “There are numerous types of rape. Rape is committed to boast the soldiers’ morale, to feed soldiers’ hatred of the enemy, and to develop their sense of superiority. Rape is a weapon to spread political terror. Rape can destabilize a society. Rape aggravates women’s terror, producing a class of outcast mothers and children.”
At this time when there are violent conflicts and real dangers, it is essential to come together to champion positive values even if progress is slow as it has been on the issue of sexual violence in armed conflict. Planetary awareness is growing. There are many issues on which common action is possible. We know that there are many obstacles to the full enjoyment of human rights but strong common efforts are possible.
______________________________________
René Wadlow is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. He is President of the Association of World Citizens, an international peace organization with consultative status with ECOSOC, the United Nations organ facilitating international cooperation and problem-solving in economic and social issues, and editor of Transnational Perspectives.
Tags: Earth, Humanity, Rape, UN Human Rights Council, United Nations
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 26 Jan 2026.
Anticopyright: Editorials and articles originated on TMS may be freely reprinted, disseminated, translated and used as background material, provided an acknowledgement and link to the source, TMS: A Planetary Awareness, is included. Thank you.
If you enjoyed this article, please donate to TMS to join the growing list of TMS Supporters.
This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.
Join the discussion!
We welcome debate and dissent, but personal — ad hominem — attacks (on authors, other users or any individual), abuse and defamatory language will not be tolerated. Nor will we tolerate attempts to deliberately disrupt discussions. We aim to maintain an inviting space to focus on intelligent interactions and debates.