E/2012/NGO/104*

Economic and Social Council Distr.: General 24 April 2012

Original: English

Substantive session of 2012 New York, 2-27 July 2012* Item 14 (b) of the provisional agenda** Social and human rights questions: social development

Statement submitted by Korea Institute of Brain Science, a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council

The Secretary-General has received the following statement, which is being circulated in accordance with paragraphs 30 and 31 of Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31.

______* Reissued for technical reasons on 9 July 2012. ** E/2012/100.

12-31187* (E) 100712 *1231187*

E/2012/NGO/104

Statement

Brain education for reducing poverty and promoting welfare

On 12 January 2012, the Korea Institute of Brain Science and the International Brain Education Association co-hosted a conference at United Nations Headquarters that saw the participation of representatives of United Nations agencies and Permanent Missions, neuroscientists, non-governmental organization (NGO) leaders and global educators. United in their conviction to eradicate poverty and achieve universal welfare, participants focused on the role of the human brain in that context. The poverty gap is one of the most pressing issues confronting mankind. For decades, the international community has concentrated efforts in providing technical and financial assistance to address this urging situation. However, the problem persists, as demonstrated by the statistics presented by the United Nations Development Programme. Although the number of poor people as defined by the United Nations has gone down from 1.7 billion in 2011 to 1 billion in 2012, the problem persists. One out of three people in the world live in poverty. Every day, 25,000 people around the world die of hunger or hunger-related causes. In the last two decades, the number of least developed countries has increased from 17 to 48. Brain Education understands that when people are in despair, they cannot take action. However, as some of the speakers pointed out, so many people and so many societies have grown out of poverty, conflict and political instability during the course of history. Why is this? Because they used their brains well. That is all we need to do in order to resolve the poverty gap and build productive societies. “Every brain has love and every brain desires peace”, said Ilchi , President of the Korea Institute of Brain Science and the International Brain Education Association. “Even if no one teaches us this, it’s primal information that everyone already has”. What the Korea Institute of Brain Science and the International Brain Education Association suggest is that when each person discovers the huge potential of their brain, they become healthy, happy and peaceful. At the same time, we want people around us to be healthy, happy and peaceful. People realize that they are truly fulfilled not when they are happy themselves but when everyone around them is. And that is when our brains are in a healthy and functioning state. No country, or person can solve the problem of poverty. It must be humanity. Every human being has a brain; the only question is how the brain develops and how society helps that process. The important thing is for people to believe in themselves and their brain potential. Then, they naturally create productive and inclusive societies. The Korea Institute of Brain Science and the International Brain Education Association presented brain education to the United Nations as a tool to contribute to solving the world’s most pressing problems such as poverty. Brain education is a five-stage process of awakening the brain and achieving health, happiness and peace through breathing and . The Korea Institute of Brain Science and the International Brain Education Association suggested that financial and technical assistance will not solve the poverty issues of the world. People must change inside. They must unleash their brain potential in order for the changes to be lasting and to impact those around them. Only when people have that kind of self-respect and dignity can things really change.

2 12-31187