Welcome to GADR

Columbia Tragedy

(2005-11-30 12:11:00.0)

This is an attempt to express our sympathy in the best ways I know how to the families of the seven astronauts who, as you know, died yesterday during the re-entry of the space shuttle, Columbia. The astronauts were uncommon people who had several notable characteristics in common: 1) Each had special skills and could have been very successful in other endeavors, but each was totally and passionately committed to reaching extraordinary goals for the ultimate benefit, not for themselves, but for all of the people of the world, 2) Each was willing to live with the risk associated with their chosen job, and 3) Each wanted to explore the unknown as a strategy to give future generations throughout the world more choices for enhancing and sustaining their quality of life.

I believe that, like them, members of the Global Alliance are also uncommon people who are passionately committed to reaching extraordinary goals for the ultimate benefit of the peoples of the world. GADR's members are now engaged in a myriad of projects and activities that are being designed to give this generation, and future generations who will follow, and who will also be living with risk, more choices for enhancing their quality of life in the face of unacceptable risk from the inevitable natural and technological hazards.

GADR's strategy--a focused and sustained effort to build technical and political capacity in each geographic region--is the way we have chosen at present to accelerate and sustain all of the social, technical, administrative, political, legal, and economic processes that will hasten the day when we can achieve successful sustainable development in every community in every geographic region: 1) Sub-Sahara Africa, 2) Mediterranean, 3) Pacific, 4) Latin America and Caribbean, 5) Europe, 6) Asia, and 7) North America. I believe in the noble effort we have started and, like space exploration, it must be continued and enhanced through creative solutions, in spite of the risks.

Contributed By:
Dr. Walter Hays
walter_hays@msn.com