Nr. 116 - May 2012
Insight
SEKEM‘s Journal for Culture, Economy, Society and Ecology in Egypt
Editorial Dear Readers, In the name of SEKEM Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish has for a while been committed to support the work of the World Future Council (WFC) as a Councillor on the Council’s working group on future economies. The WFC was founded in 2007 by Jakob von Uexküll as an international non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of good legal frameworks (“best practice”) for a sustainable, future-oriented development of the world. Therefore, among other activities, the WFC awards the annual „Future Policy Award“ to the world‘s best laws and regulatory frameworks for the protection of natural resources. The WFC’s annual strategy meeting 2012 was recently held in SEKEM. On the occasion, WFC Councillor and long-time friend of SEKEM, Scilla Elworthy reports on the Council’s 5th anniversary and the results of the meeting in an extensive guest article. It also gives a vivid portrait of the work of the WFC and its future focus. SEKEM is delighted with the success of the WFC in the five years of its existence and hopes for a similarly prosperous development in the years to come!
Your Team of Editors Find SEKEM also on the Internet at:
WFC at SEKEM
SEKEM Festival
Awards
Annual Meeting of the WFC Held in Egypt
Performance of Mozart‘s Magical Flute
Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish Receives Oslo Prize
A Place Where the Impossible Has Become Possible The World Future Council (WFC) recently held its annual strategy meeting in SEKEM to discuss the successes of the first 5 years of its existence, and to focus on new tasks ahead. In a commentary, council member Scilla Elworthy reports on the organisation, its goals, and the outcomes of the meeting.
SEKEM’s greening of the desert illustrate the possibilities that natural farming may open up even in extreme cases.
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hirty-five years ago, the land north-east of Cairo was a desert – parched and barren. Today it is transformed; lush fields are nourished by abundant water and shaded by the trees originally planted as windbreaks, now helping turn sand into rich soil.
future where every human being can unfold his or her individual potential; where mankind is living together in social forms reflecting human dignity; and where all economic activity is conducted in accordance with ecological and ethical principles.
The initiative is called SEKEM, founded in 1977 by the Egyptian pharmacologist and social entrepreneur Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish. His vision was of sustainable development towards a
He’s done it. The SEKEM enterprise now includes successful biodynamic farms, trading companies for agricultural produce, phyto-pharmaceuticals, herbal teas and beauty SEKEM Insight | May 2012 | Page 1
Economy
products. But it’s not merely a question of highly successful business; SEKEM takes care of people and society with a medical centre, two schools, a vocational training centre and a vibrant cultural life. They also have trained over 1000 farmers to grow organic vegetables. SEKEM Shows: Change is Possible
Participants of the strategy meeting in SEKEM, 2012
SEKEM is living proof that a healthy, balanced, sustainable and beautiful future is possible. So this was perhaps the most apt place in the world for the World Future Council to plan its work over the next five years. The Council consists of 50 experienced specialists in Climate and Energy, Sustainable Economies, Future Justice, and Peace and Disarmament. Coming from all five continents, together they form a voice for the rights of future generations. Their first job is to make politicians worldwide assess every decision they make on the basis of how it will affect the future, and second, to drive legislative change in support of regenerative policies. For example, the Council instantly recognised and encouraged Germany’s energy policy of Feed-in Tariffs - an advantageous rate paid by the government to homeowners, business and community groups to generate their own electricity through small-scale green energy installations such as solar panels. The Council has helped to spread this legislation globally and to implement it in various countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. Ombudsmen for Future Issues Another example: the Council is calling for Ombudspersons for
Future Generations. That mouthful of words means that guardians are to be appointed at global, national and local levels whose job will be to safeguard environmental and social conditions by speaking up for future generations in all areas of policymaking. This could take the shape of a Parliamentary Commissioner, Guardian or Auditor, depending how it fits best into a nation’s governance structure. This person will facilitate coherence between the separate pillars of government to overcome single issue thinking, and hold government departments and private actors accountable if they do not deliver on sustainable development goals. Such a post already exists in Hungary, filled by the redoubtable Sandor Fulop who has already managed to prevent the building of a large power plant in a world heritage site and, responding to the complaints of community groups, saved thousands of hectares of green lands around large cities. This policy of the World Future Council will come to a head at the Rio+20 International Summit in June this year. As a result of the Council’s work, the Summit’s working draft refers to a High
Commissioner or Ombudsperson for Future Generations to promote sustainable development. A number of governments and leading UN agencies support this proposal, including UNEP which is calling for a global and national Ombudsman. The Elders have also given their support. Exceptional Laws and Regulations As a way to honour just policies on a global level, the World Future Council makes international awards. The Future Policy Award 2011 was presented to the three most effective policies preserving the world’s forests at a ceremony in New York in partnership with the UN Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. In 2012, the Award will be presented to the world’s best ocean policies at the UN Biodiversity Summit in Rio, June 2012. Since the WFC founded the African Renewable Energy Alliance (AREA) in October 2009, this network has grown steadily, now comprising about 760 members from 70 countries. In order to promote renewable energies in Africa, AREA has co- organized international conferences and meetings on Renewable Energy for Sustainable African Development in South Africa, SEKEM Insight | May 2012 | Page 2
Economy
The planning meeting was held at SEKEM because it is a place where the impossible has become possible. A desert has become a paradise for people living in harmony with nature, being educated, earning money in successful enterprises and nourished by culture. At the World Future Council, the impossible is also seen as possible in other ways – namely that challenges of pollution, violence, resource shortages, climate change and overpopulation can be met by cooperation of ordinary people and governments.
Jakob von Uexkull, WFC Founder, Alexandra Wandel, WFC Director, Hon. Isatou NjieSaidy, Vice President of The Gambia and Secretary of State for Women’s Affairs
Ghana, Cape Verde, Nigeria and Morocco - and Egypt is waiting. To address the funding deadlock that handicaps the kind of financing needed for the world to move fast to renewable energy, the Council has proposed Special Drawing Rights of the IMF to develop renewable energy in developing countries. This proposal has caused a stir in developing nations, leading to briefings with the IMF and governments of Germany, France and Norway. This is just one example of how the Council conceives new ideas, develops them in consultation with policy-makers, and enables them to grow. Regenerative Cities ‘Regeneration’ is the latest passion of the World Future Council, who worked with their host city Hamburg to found the international Expert Commission on Cities and Climate Change in 2008. Six expert commission meetings and three published reports later, they have the blueprint for the overarching vision of ‘regenerative cities’. Given their direct advisory mandate for UN Habitat’s World Urban Campaign, they authored the lead story in Urban World showing
how communities can produce 100% of their energy demand from renewable sources. Nuclear Disarmament To pave the way for a nuclear weapon-free world, with the support of the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, the Council recently launched the Nuclear Abolition Forum – a joint-project of 8 leading organizations in the disarmament field, to examine and critique key nuclear disarmament issues. Recognizing the widespread disregard of the rights of persons with disabilities, the WFC and the Essl Foundation have agreed on a five-year cooperation, under the name Zero Project. The goal is to determine exemplary laws and policies to implement the rights of persons with disabilities. Positive Developments After 5 Years The media is taking notice of the World Future Council. The number of media articles rises every year, topping 756 in 2011 when it was featured in 41 countries and widely in international media, also increasing its online and social media outreach.
SEKEM was an inspiration to recognise the urgency of agricultural reform in order to create food security for all, while minimizing the ecological footprint, meaning that the World Future Council needs to have a commission working on agriculture. Such a commission could revolutionise farming methods, and outlaw such practices as the marketing of seeds that cannot re-produce, which has led to the suicides of 200,000 Indian farmers. At SEKEM, a new five-year plan for the World Future Council was agreed. Based on a paper by WFC Founder Jakob von Uexkull, Councillors and advisers identified 22 civilisation-saving tipping point policies in the fields of environment, economics, governance and education. They agreed strategies for each sector of work, including the mobilization of ‘bottom-up’ grassroots power that links ordinary people together and is phenomenally effective. They tackled the perennial challenge of generating funding for an organisation that must remain independent of any particular corporate or government interest – a David in a world of goliaths. In 2012, the World Future Council is just five years old. If the trajectory of the last five years is anything to go by, the next five years will be exciting. Scilla Elworthy Scilla Elworthy is a member of the World Future Council and a longstanding friend of SEKEM.
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More information: http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org
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Economy
The Business Development of the SEKEM Group in the First Quarter of 2012 Turnover (consolidated)
51 Mio. EGP
2011
57 Mio. EGP
2012
Sales in this year‘s first quarter exceeded the previous year‘s sales over the same period by 6 million EGP, which represents an increase of more than 10%. The sharp increase is due to unexpectedly strong sales of ISIS products in the local market. Increased promotional activities for dairy products, eggs, and dates formed the basis for the augmentation. In addition, the causes for the economic crisis of last year, a source of uncertainty caused by the political developments that also influenced purchasing behaviour, have begun to abate.
Shares of Sales (domestic vs. foreign)
2011
73%
2012
27%
80% Lokal
In the first quarter of 2012 the local share of the revenue mix increased significantly from 73% to 80% over the same period of last year. This is also due to the strong performance of ISIS in the local market, which for the first quarter substantially exceeded originally projected revenue plans.
20% Export
Share of Sales (by product category)
13% 14% 7%
Farming
Pharma
66%
Textiles
FMCG
The share of FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) in the revenue mix increased from 39% to 66% as compared to the first quarter of last year, also reflecting a good performance of the first quarter of 2012. As for the general sales figures, the extraordinary political and economic circumstances of the Egyptian revolution in 2011, which have had a particularly negative impact the FMCG sector, have begun to ease off.
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Culture
Mozart‘s Magic Flute Enchants Everyone at SEKEM Spring Festival The annual SEKEM Festival is always a special occasion, specifically for the children of SEKEM’s schools. They get the chance to show off their skills before a large audience. SEKEM’s intern Marilena Bekierz reports on this year’s event.
Waltraut Bandel from the German SEKEM support association and Mieke von Asbeck of the Dutch Vriendenkring agreed and pledged further support.
SEKEM‘s pupils during the performance of Mozart‘s opera.
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his year’s SEKEM Spring Festival took place in glorious spring weather and surrounded by fragrant chamomile fields on 22nd March. Trumpet sounds opened the meeting ground to all members of the SEKEM community to start of the celebrations with a well-known “SEKEM circle”. The innermost one was literally packed with students while trainees of the Vocational Training Centre and co-workers of the companies and the Heliopolis Academy joined the group in additional circles. After the meeting, the group of several hundred people moved to SEKEM’s Roman theatre, which welcomed everyone with 10 rainbow-coloured flags. Helmy Abouleish led through the programme. Firstly, Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish was presented with words of thanks and gifts by representatives of the companies and schools on the occasion of his birthday. Dr. Hans Werner, a German medical doctor who has supported the growth of SEKEM from the very beginning, then asked the audience in the packed theatre the question if, 35 years ago, there really had been “nothing” at all at the site of SEKEM’s later inception. He answered the question himself: „There was a man with a vision worthy of support.“
After a musical introduction by the school choir the event approached its climax: the presentation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute as a eurythmy programme with over 80 contributors from the professional SEKEM eurythmists to the school’s students, the apprentices of the vocational training centre, and even children from the kindergarten. The very first scene, in which Tamino is attacked by the serpent, called forth great enthusiasm among the spectators. The appearance of Papageno with his bird cage amused especially the children who enjoyed seeing their eurythmy teacher in a way so different from what they were used to. The spectacular eurythmy costumes, a mixture of dresses inspired by fairy tales and animal figures, which had been designed by the participants, had then received their special touch from Sandra Bloch, who assisted the production with great artistic talent, imagination, and creativity. The colourful costumes were especially effective on the stage on which the light beige tones of the theatre’s building material - clay with straw - dominated. The mighty robe of the queen of the night stood out in particular. A classic stage was not needed for the production, because the light and shade produced by the canvas canopy of the theatre provided for a very special atmosphere in the first place. The presentation of the emotions of You can visit SEKEM yourself: www.SEKEM-reisen.de www.aventerra.de
the two lovers figuring in the play proved to be particularly impressive. But the whole play came to live through the plastic and careful play of the opposing forces of the key characters. That is, for instance, the contrast between Sarastro and his priests, which appeared in ancient Egyptian robes, played by students of the 9th grade, and the black Monostatos with his slaves, a character particularly enjoyed by the 3rd graders. After successfully passing numerous tests such as the walk through the fire (demonstrated live by the children of the 5th grade) and through the floods (performed by pupils of the 6th grade) everyone gathered for the final scene. A big “Thank you!” was extended by the audience to honour the musical performance of Sherif Mustafa, who accompanied the famous melodies of Mozart‘s opera on the piano, Konstanze Abouleish, which chimed in on her flute, and specifically Nashwa Ahmed, who helped develop the singing voices of the performers in a wonderful way. The applause of the audience confirmed the magical impression the work of the choreographer and director Christoph Graf had made. He had succeeded in integrating the many children, young people and students of the different grades and ages, and the professional eurythmists of SEKEM into the larger whole of a eurythmic performance in which each participant could personally excel while contributing to a lasting community experience. An truly enchanting Magic Flute! Marilena and Renate Bekierz Marilena Bekierz is an intern at SEKEM. Renate Bekierz is her mother.
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Impressions
Impressions from SEKEM
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presentation of the fairy tale storybook „Of Loris and Irina or The Swan“ was recently held at SEKEM’s Heliopolis Academy as part of its weekly cultural events. Margret Lewerenz, who wrote the book, dedicated it to Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, „because his love for the fairy tale has always been a source of inspiration for me.“ Margret Lewerenz’ major concern is to make the treasure trove of tales of various cultures - especially of Germany and Arab countries - available to the greatest number of people. Fairy tales can help us to new imaginations and inspire us to better cope with our everyday tasks as they mostly depict highly unique paths of development of an individual hero or heroine on a journey. Such a plot is also at the centre of the tale of Irina and Loris that, in the book, is given in German and Arabic. It is supposed to encourage us to also learn from fairy tales and read them to our children. „Story hours are the highest form of teaching“, says neurologist and researcher Gerald Huether. „Fairy tales, told to each other by people, have a structuring force which is not only a decisive influence on the development of relationship skills, creativity, and imagination of human beings and benefits communities, but also helps to structure neural connection patterns and challenge the production of mental images.” In this sense the event at SEKEM was a direct encouragement to begin reviving the culture of reading and telling fairy tales! SEKEM Insight | May 2012 | Page 6
News in Brief
Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish Receives Oslo Award
Anti-Corruption Project Started in Egypt
Symposium on Social Eurythmy
The Business for Peace Foundation and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have announced the seven recipients of the 2012 Oslo Business for Peace Awards. Honourees Ibrahim Abouleish (Egypt), Eduardo Eurnekian (Argentina), Vladas Lasas (Lithuania), David MacLennan (USA), Reginald Mengi (Tanzania) and Latifur Rahman (Bangladesh) have received their Awards during a ceremony on 7 May. Recipients were selected by a committee comprised of Muhammad Yunus, and A Michael Spence (winner of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2001).
A multi-year anti-corruption collective action initiative was launched at the Anti-Corruption Policy Dialogue and Collective Action Seminar, “The Role of Companies in Fighting Corruption in Egypt” in Cairo. The seminar brought together 200 government officials, members of parliament, business leaders and other experts from Egypt and international organizations. Helmy Abouleish ideologically supports the project.
Eurythmy is a fundamentally social art. Each eurythmist works with social issues and needs to develop his or her social skills in the course of the work. What does „social“ mean in the context of professional eurythmy? And how is its meaning related to contemporary social and spiritual needs? These are the questions the symposium at the Alanus University Alfter (Germany) will focus on. The event takes place on 12 +13 May. The questions will be answered during exercises, lectures of, and interviews with Werner Barfod and Wolf-Ulrich Klünker.
“The Business for Peace Awards demonstrate the potential of the private sector to contribute to world peace. ICC is honoured and dedicated to support the advancement of the Oslo Business for Peace Awards which also reflect the resolve of ICC founders to promote peace through private enterprise,” said ICC Secretary General Jean-Guy Carrier. “The aim of the Award is to inspire business people worldwide to recognize the role of responsible ethics in strengthening the business case, through a marriage of performance with higher purpose which leads to businessworthy behaviour,” said Per Leif Saxegaard, Chairman of the Business for Peace Foundation. The Business for Peace Foundation was founded in 2007 in the belief that socially responsible initiatives will stand the test and gradually constitute an integral part of modern business.
A joint project of the Egyptian Junior Business Association (EJB) and the UN Global Compact, the new initiative aims to promote collective action as a mechanism to address corruption risks affecting businesses. In order to create enabling environments for anticorruption, the project will convene a series of public-private dialogues to seek a range of stakeholders’ input toward developing methodologies for enterprises. The project will also work closely with the Ministry of Administrative Development and the Ministry of Trade and Industry to enhance the tendering and procurement processes. A series of workshops and dialogues will be organized to develop a set of recommendations conveying the private sector’s perspectives to these government ministries. By the end of this year, the project aims to launch a business-led coalition, the Egyptian National Integrity Network, to facilitate these efforts. “Dismantling corruption is on the priority list of every Egyptian seeing Egypt assuming its rightful place amongst great nations,” said Eng. Omar Sabbour, Chair of the Egyptian Junior Business Association.
Source: Oslo Business for Peace Foundation
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More information: http://businessforpeace.no/2012-honourees/
Source: Global Compact
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Since 2004, many people have been at work on the development of the concentration field “Social Eurythmy” at the university. SEKEM co-worker Martina has scientifically examined selected issues at in the framework of a Master Thesis. Source: Alanus University
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More information: http://www.alanus.edu/729.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_ news%5D=383&cHash=887c43970c85234f46992 ae5acf3898a
Masthead: The editors of SEKEM Insight wish to thank all contributors to this issue. Editor: Bijan Kafi Contact: SEKEM-Insight c/o SEKEM Holding P.O.Box 2834, El Horreya, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt insight@SEKEM.com Pictures: Seite 1: Bijan Kafi; 2, 3: WFC; 5, 6: Martina Dinkel. No republication without written consent by the publisher.
More information: http://www.unglobalcompact.org/news/204-0327-2012
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