Former President of the European Commission Romano Prodi said in Beijing Tuesday the world should create more opportunities for dialogue and strengthen collective decision making.

(Xinhua) He made the remarks when addressing the opening ceremony of the 21st Century Forum in Beijing.

“If we want to build a new era, we must devise myriad opportunities for dialogue and strengthen collective decision making,” he said.

He stressed that the problems of climate change, water, food and peace are not issues of national interest, but rather issues for all of humanity.

The two-day forum that began Tuesday was organized by the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top advisory body.

The forum has the theme “New Era, New Challenges, New Vision — Building a Future for All.”

More than 100 officials, scholars and business executives from home and abroad are participating in the forum.

The foreign attendees of the forum include: former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo; former European Commission President Romano Prodi; former Australian Prime Minister John Howard; former Russian Prime Minister Evgeni Primakov; former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder; and former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.