15 years ago, the World Philosophical Forum was launched in Athens, aimed at reawakening the "bright morning" of Hellenism and the cradle of Western civilization by means of philosophical ideas that educate, consolidate, and unite humanity. In doing so, it returned the Dialectical Symposium to Greece. It was based on the belief that Greece remains a source of practical knowledge—infinite and inspiring—with wisdom that comes through philosophy and through the grace of God. Throughout the 15 sequential dialectical symposia, we can identify one recurring message: From civil strife and global suicide to global citizenship and peaceful coexistence.

Standing alone today, the World Philosophical Forum continually runs into brick walls at home and abroad but, though dazed, insists on asking, Does anybody hear? As the Olympic Games returned to Athens 127 years ago, the coal-driven industrial revolution was in full swing, genocide occurred in the Balkans, and WWI was on its way. Today, on the one hand, we witness excessive man-made floods, droughts, storms, heat waves, all-destructive “forest fires,” destroying infrastructure, entire towns, living quarters, agriculture, production, and industry centers—entire economies—causing havoc, famine, misery, extreme poverty—and eventually death. The question is: which men? On the other hand, the international community and governments are reluctant to talk about philosophy!

Emanating from the corridors of the 15th Dialectical Symposium, 2024, Athens held the Municipal Center and its three satellite activities held in Delphi, the Georgian Center, Athens, and now in Belgrade as Honorary President of the World Philosophical Forum. I condemn all ongoing violence and voice our deep concern with respect to existential threats hovering alarmingly over humanity.

Here and now, the World Philosophical Forum calls for an immediate ceasefire wherever war rages, protection of civilians everywhere, the release of all hostages captured in conflict, and without exception, all prisoners held unjustly in prisons. The World Philosophical Forum demands a formal reinstatement of the Universal Declaration on the Illegality of Wars on Earth, which the World Philosophical Forum in Athens first proclaimed six years ago in the Athens Municipal Center. Our proposal that a symbolic peace and a ban on war must be re-proclaimed in the sacred place of Delphi, Greece, and orchestrated in the Old Hellenic Parliament, Athens, still stands. In Delphi, we continue to reflect on the health of humanity and man’s habitat and aim, in subsequent years, to put forth a brief Health of Humanity and Mankind’s Habitat Report.

From Belgrade today, the World Philosophical Forum calls for the education of more beautiful minds, minds that can address humanity’s most urgent task, which is to create crucial and reliable conditions as an initial step in the building of an unbreakable and unwavering peace on planet Earth. Its endgame is the prevention of all wars and the banning of all nuclear weaponry in the noble and cognitive spirit of Socrates, the first global citizen. It can only be achieved by a radical change in the universal mindset, but no one seems interested in a deep examination of the mindset responsible for these problem fields. Radical mindset change implies the reinstatement of Education First, propounded by Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, and an emphasis on the concept of no humanity without philosophy in all societal policy development and in the halls of the global community. Pillars of support are civic education, interdisciplinary public health, and philosophy and should be built anew or retrofitted by each and every government.

The Climate COP is a global event, and COP29 is now taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan (November 11 and 22, 2024). It is conducted at great expense but without philosophy! This year, the Delphi Economic Forum community will participate in COP29, Baku, with insightful presentations and expert analysis during a discussion on "Geopolitics and the Environment in the Region of Southeast Europe," and that is good. But no philosophy! Youth is also present with ambition and hope!

For a few days each year, it brings together a great diversity of actors: representatives of states, dignitaries of indigenous populations, lobbyists, philanthropists, journalists, members of non-governmental associations, political leaders, and a few representatives from academia, mostly researchers, but never from philosophy! Not only is climate change denied, but in the conference of parties, so is philosophy. How far will agreeing to disagree negotiations get us in holding destroyers of our world accountable, except for even more money being spent on COP30? Of interest, is that climate change in the Gulf State countries is not in the next few decades considered a threat (a non-worry) to the environment perhaps coupled with the expectation of a tripling of renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade.

Renewable enery will again be in focus and with offshore wind farm projects as well as water desalination projects on Azerbaijan’s coastline of the Caspian Sea. But will anyone in Baku ask for the release of Armenian hostages and journalists and activists still being held? Will anyone comment on the destruction of thousands of Christian heritage sites throughout Azerbaijan? Will anyone note that Azerbaijan is not committed to phasing out oil and gas and is actually increasing oil and gas production? Will special circumstances of lower contribution to the problem space and higher vulnerability to its impact on health and agriculture be more realistically considered? Will dissidence bring further imprisonments? Will anyone make a comparison of Azerbaijan’s strategy to inflict “serious bodily or mental harm” on Armenians, the use of starvation, denial of medical aid, and forced displacement during the First World War or the Holocaust, and enforced starvation of Athens in WWII? Hitler subverted public health and its institutions to instruments of death and relegated the work of German philosophy to the rubbish heap.

In commemoration and commiseration of COP26 (Glasgow, 2021), I wrote Blunder on the Clyde, a poem for our past, present, and a hopeful future. It was dedicated to my mother, who protested nuclear weapons, and to Queen Elizabeth II. A few extracts: A homeless world, no baby cries, the world no more a stage, entrances and exits now all closed... Let’s not let this world come all undone, in filling pockets deep of just a few and many cronies too. Olive branches will be waved when springs come round again next year... while on the bonny, bonny banks of Clyde, no more blooms the red rose or heard sweet melodies of love... for rocks now melt, my dear, and seas are running high. Our time has come to fill one final cup of kindness yet and wait for Auld Lang Syne.

The first satellite event of 2024 is now known as the Delphi Accord, Delphi [DAD], and consisted of a special gathering of International Gusi Peace Prize Laureates. Its mandate was to map out meaningful activities for future ventures of the World Philosophical Forum in Delphi. It was sponsored by the Municipality of Delphi and its Honorable Mayor. One outcome was Delphi’s green light for the Greek National Branch of the World Philosophical Forum to conduct small and smart retreats in 2025, with the participation of prominent individuals (thinkers) who will exchange philosophical viewpoints on our modern world order disorder, the future of humanity, and life on the planet Earth. Future retreats will present a cultural opportunity to enjoy the mysteries of ancient Hellas, a country chosen by the gods, and the opportunity to communicate with those ancient gods, and while in their company, to present personal philosophical concepts to a unique audience of like-minded people. Pythia has given her thumbs up!

We believe that the global community is in need of an independent, politically neutral center or institute focused on the scientific study of major disruptions to humanity’s wellbeing and degradation of its habitat as the World’s Weather Cock while holding a firm course of activities towards global citizenship. Will it be in Belgrade or Delphi? This institute and center of excellence will make use of appropriate artificial intelligence and the world's best expertise and scientific practices to analyze potential threats and develop scientific measures to prevent crises in human security, civil strife, civil war, and genocide. We believe that preventive measures, supported by scientific data and interdisciplinary research, will help save human lives and prevent massive tragedies.

We call on all philosophers, all men and women of good will, and individuals capable of reflection and analysis to unite their efforts in the fight against all manifestations of genocide on our planet. We believe that only through critical thinking, the spread of civic knowledge, and the promotion of humanistic values can we prevent new manifestations of hatred and violence.