Applauding Gordon Brown’s TEDGlobal Speech – EBBF Non-partisan NGO Comprising Businesspeople from more than 60 Countries Joins the Standing Ovation in Oxford Yesterday

London, United Kingdom – July 23, 2009

Members of the European Baha'i Business Forum (EBBF) were encouraged by the words of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his TEDGlobal speech this week. His statement echoed the views of EBBF, a non-partisan, not-for-profit network of business leaders. Since its inception EBBF has been flagging up the global nature of the economy and society and has been calling for new global institutions to address the growing number of global issues that national interests can no longer address effectively.

EBBF Secretary-General Daniel Truran said, "We have members in more than 60 countries and they are delighted a world leader has spoken out in favour of creating global institutions - we have been advocating this for years. Finally there seems to be the will to do it."

EBBF chair Wendi Momen pointed out that "As far back as 1990, in its publication Emerging Values for a Global Economy EBBF identified the need for ethical global institutions to deal with the then emerging global economic system and international financial markets, institutions that could tackle international corruption and crime, protect the environment, ensure sustainable development and alleviate poverty through wealth creation. EBBF believes that ethical business can play a significant role as a partner with government and civil society in developing, financing and sustaining these institutions. Especially at this time when business is perceived to have created many of the problems that confront the world, when its integrity is questioned and its values impugned, EBBF believes the need to develop the global ethic Brown calls for is imperative and urgent. EBBF members consider that their own efforts to introduce into business ethical values and practices such as moral leadership, accountability, consultative decision-making and socially responsible activity is making a significant contribution to the process of creating the "truly global society" based on a "global ethic" Brown has described."