Prime Minister Gordon Brown has told faith leaders and representatives of NGOs that the world must adopt global economic rules based on common values.

During a speech at St Paul’s Cathedral, 31 March 2009 the Prime Minister said G20 leaders need to make decisions that will shape the global economy in the interests of everybody.

And he said the new rules needed to be based on the same principles that apply to families, neighbourhoods and communities: “Shared global rules founded on shared global values.”

Mr Brown told the audience that G20 leaders needed to join together to fight global recession, climate chaos, and unemployment, insecurity, poverty and hopelessness.

He said: “Instead of a global free market threatening to descend into a global free for all, we must reshape our global economic system so that it respects the values we celebrate in our everyday lives.”

Mr Brown added that world leaders must not forget their obligations to the poor when agreeing the economic solutions for the future.

He added: “I believe that both markets and governments have a responsibility to serve the public interest, that the poor are our shared responsibility and that wealth carries unique responsibilities too.”

Notes for Editors

Read the full speech here

Back to newsroom

Back to top