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It’s the month of May and the air is crisp as the seasons are changing, no matter where you are in the world. It’s a month that reminds us that we are almost at the halfway mark of the year. It’s a good time to reflect on what we have accomplished and to remind ourselves of our goals that we set for the year. It is also an important month on the United Nations' calendar considering the international commemoration of two very important days.

16 May marked the UN International Day of Living Together in Peace. The idea behind the commemoration of this day is that there will be more than a mere passive acceptance that we are striving for peace. It is a day to recommit and reembrace active participation in ensuring peace becomes a lived reality.

21 May was the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. This day places the focus on three particular areas, namely: sustainable development, the inclusion and celebration of natural cultural diversity across the world, and the appreciation for the fact that cultural diversities are able to contribute in a unique way to sustainable development across the world.

On 1 May 2023, Globethics launched its new centre in Southern Africa, and while we embrace, celebrate, and commemorate peace, sustainable development, and cultural diversity and development, we are also very aware of the fact that Southern Africa is not contributing and practically living these sustainable outcomes as set out by the United Nations. We have fallen short of these values and have been corrupted in our way of living. As the Southern Africa Centre, we will therefore work tirelessly to build just, caring, and sustainable moral communities in everything we do.

We commit ourselves to focusing on building upon foundations that have been laid by those who have worked for freedom and better futures. One of the Southern Africa Centre’s main aims will be to educate young leaders by focusing on working together with Higher Education Institutions in order to ensure that our future includes the constant reminder that we cannot fully embrace and celebrate peace, sustainable development, and cultural diversity if we do not reinforce our foundations with sustainable ethical values, leadership, and lifestyles. It is only when we understand the importance of implementing sustainable ethical leadership into our lifestyles that peace will prevail, and cultural diversity, found in so many forms in Southern Africa, will start to flourish.

People in Africa are people who know hardship, but we also know hope. It is this very hope that will inspire the Southern Africa Centre to shine its light as far as it can reach to bring about change in civil society. We do not want to merely exist in a society crippled with moral decay. We want to flourish!

Dr Carike Noeth
Globethics Southern Africa Centre (Cape Town) Manager