December 1996

New York, NY -- BikeAbout and the Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer pour le Progrès de l'Homme (the Foundation for the Progress of Humankind) (FPH), having recognized a concordance between their respective goals and objectives, have entered into a promising agreement of mutual benefit.

The action and thinking of the FPH, a Swiss-registered foundation established in 1982, is focused on the relationship between the accumulation of knowledge and the progress of humankind in the constructive dissemination of this knowledge. To this effect, the FPH has developed policies that emphasize the importance of: meetings between people engaged in exchange activities; publications; exchange networks; and the formulation of an experience bank -- all in the interest of capitalizing on experiences born of a need for action.

Since 1993, the FPH has spread word of their Platform for a Responsible and United World. Through this document and its Future of the Planet program, the FPH is working to unite other networks and foundations, as well as any Platform signatories, into an Alliance for a Responsible and United World, composed of men and women involved in active initiatives to make life more peaceful in a diverse world.

BikeAbout is proud to be a signatory of the Platform and an active member of the Alliance for a Responsible and United World. As a result of the agreement signed with FPH, BikeAbout will spread word of the Alliance to people and organizations all around the Mediterranean and will edit a series of notes, based on journals and experiences, which will be distributed to all interested parties as a contribution to the Alliance's experience bank and its "collège jeunes."

BikeAbout gratefully acknowledges the financial contribution that the FPH has made toward the realization of its goals.

More information about the Foundation for the Progress of Humankind is available at their Web site http://www.fph.fr. For more on the Alliance for a Responsible and United World, please visit their home page at http://www.echo.org.