Guest Commentary

By His Highness The Aga Khan

 

Increasingly, I believe, the voices of Civil Society are voices for change, where change has been overdue.  They have been voices of hope for people living in fear. They are voices that can help transform countries of crisis into countries of opportunity.

There are too many societies where too many people live in a culture of fear, condemned to a life of poverty.  Addressing that fear, and replacing it with hope, will be a major step to the elimination of poverty.  And often the call for hope to replace fear will come from the voices of Civil Society.

An active Civil Society can open the door for an enormous variety of energies and talents from a broad spectrum of organisations and individuals.  It means opening the way for diversity.  It means welcoming plurality.

I believe that Canada is uniquely able to articulate and exemplify three critical underpinnings of a quality Civil Society — a commitment to pluralism, to meritocracy, and to a cosmopolitan ethic.

A cosmopolitan ethic is one that welcomes the complexity of human society.  It balances rights and duties, freedom and responsibility.  It is an ethic for all peoples, the familiar and the Other, whether they live across the street or across the planet.

The Aga Khan Development Network has worked over five decades to assist in the enhancement of Civil Society. And as we look to its future, we are honoured that Canada views us as a valued partner.  

One key to Canada’s success in building a meritocratic Civil Society is your recognition that democratic societies require more than democratic governments. 

I have been impressed by recent studies showing the activity of voluntary institutions and not-for-profit organisations in Canada to be among the highest in the world.  This Canadian spirit resonates with a cherished principle in Shia Ismaili culture — the importance of contributing one’s individual energies on a voluntary basis to improving the lives of others.  This is not a matter of philanthropy, but rather of self-fulfillment — “enlightened self-fulfillment.”

During my Golden Jubilee — and this is important — six years ago Ismailis from around the world volunteered their gifts, not only of wealth, but most notably of time and knowledge, in support of our work.  We established a Time and Knowledge framework, a structured process for engaging an immense pool of expertise involving tens of thousands of volunteers.  Many of them traveled to developing countries as part of this outpouring of service — one third of those were Canadians.  Their impact has been enormous in helping us to achieve best practice standards in our institutions and programmes, making us we hope an even better partner for Canada!

Such efforts thrive when multiple inputs can be matched to multiple needs, which is why Canada’s immense economic diversity is such a valuable global resource.  

One of the foundational qualities of Canada’s Civil Society is its educational emphasis. Studies show that Canadian students — whether native or foreign born — perform in the very top tier of students internationally, and indeed, that more than 45 per cent of the foreign born population in Canada has a tertiary degree.

This record of educational opportunity resonates strongly with the Shia Ismaili belief in the transformative power of the human intellect, a conviction that underscores AKDN’s massive commitment to education wherever we are present — not only education for our faith, but also of education for our world.  To do this we are engaged in all levels of education.

The Aga Khan University in Karachi and East Africa are expanding to create a new Liberal Arts faculty, and to establish eight new post-graduate schools in collaboration with several Canadian universities.

We also share with Canada a deep appreciation for the potential of early childhood education.  It is the period of the greatest development of the brain.  This education is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve the quality of life for rural as well as urban populations.  Congratulations, Prime Minister, for your initiative on this.

In this regard, let me take a moment to salute the late Dr Fraser Mustard, whose work in Early Childhood Development will impact millions of people around the world. The AKDN has been fortunate to have been inspired and counselled by this great Canadian scientist and humanist.

Quality education is fundamental to the development of a meritocratic Civil Society, and thus to the development of pluralistic attitudes.  

The history of Canada has a great deal to teach us in this regard, including the long, incremental processes through which quality civil societies and committed cultures of pluralism are built.  One of the watchwords of our new Global Centre for Pluralism is that “Pluralism is a Process and not a Product.”  I know that many Canadians would describe their own pluralism as a “work in progress,” but it is also an asset of enormous global quality."

 

Extracted from the Aga Khan’s address to Canada’s Parliament.