*{Recasting Diversity: From Tolerance to Celebration [http://www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/Content/Recasting%20Diversity%3A%20From%20Tolerance%20to%20Celebration?open&topic_id=300250000&theme_id=300] 04.02.2002 Annual Meeting 2002} What does diversity mean in a globalized world? Why is it imperative to embrace it? What should be the role of government, business and civil society in encouraging it? asked Susan F. Martin, Director, Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University, USA, upon opening the interactive session. Agnès Touraine, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vivendi Universal Publishing, France, argued that globalization does not mean domination or standardization. "The more the world gets global, the more local needs must be met," she said. Her company is a major player in the French music business. Yet, her roster of artists comprises artists of all ethnic origins. This enables her to meet the demands of international markets and, at the same time, bridge the cultural divide. Touraine mentioned the debate currently taking place in France concerning the demands from Corsica and Brittany that French be taught as a second language in local schools. If those demands were met, France would become a trilingual state. How far can one go in recognizing diversity? she asked. Xóchitl Gálvez Ruiz, Head, Presidential Office for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, Mexico, feels that celebrating diversity is just as important as respecting what unites us. Collective rights are just as valuable as individual rights. Globalization should not be an impediment to the peaceful coexistence of ethnic minorities. She cited the plight of the indigenous inhabitants of Chiapas, Mexico. Their demands to be considered as "an entity" have yet to be met. Ayisi Makatiani, Co-Founder and Chairman, Africa Online Holdings, Kenya, related his experiences in South Africa, East Africa, West Africa and Egypt, where he maintains regional offices. He has found the cultural diversity of his various staffs very conducive to the good running of his business. Because of their different backgrounds, his employees strive to learn more about each other. The only requirement he imposes on them is that they communicate in one language only, English. "I have learned many things from this year’s Annual Meeting," Makatami said. Globalization is here to stay. Now we must learn how to live with it. We must strive to understand diversity, within and outside our borders. "Diversity has to be celebrated, accommodated and enjoyed." Civilizations result from the cross-fertilization of ideas, according to Jiro Nemoto, Chairman, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, Japan. All cultures have within themselves remnants of the cultures that preceded them. Hence "the universal values of love, the value of family and community, liberty, discipline and harmony". Aryeh Neier, President, Open Society Institute, USA, raised the issue of "the abuse of diversity." He was referring to individuals or collectivities who, in the name of diversity, make demands that infringe on other people’s fundamental civil and political rights. *{Contributors: Gálvez Ruiz Xóchitl Makatiani Ayisi Martin Susan F. Neier Aryeh Nemoto Jiro Touraine Agnès}