|
GLOBAL ETHICS FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM:
a series of interviews with outstanding personalities
Interviews by Patricia Morales
Globus Institute, Tilburg University, The Netherlands
Steven Rockefeller: The Earth Charter
Interview by Patricia Morales
Download
the word document --->here
(Note: this interview was made in October 1999 and therefore focuses on
the Earth Charter Benchmark II (1999). In the Appendix this version of
the Earth Charter and the final document of 2000 are attached.)
Q. Could you explain the innovative
vision that is offered by the Earth Charter and its system of values including
the meaning of the "intrinsic value of nature"?
A. The heart of the Earth Charter
is an ethical vision of the community to which we belong that is more
inclusive than the traditional visions that have been dominant in Western
culture and most other cultures as well. The Charter understands each
one of us to be part of an interdependent community that includes not
only the whole human family and future generations but also the greater
community of life.
It is the position of the Earth Charter that humanity's survival hinges
upon our willingness to recognize our interdependence with the larger
living world and the responsibilities that go with this interdependence.
The history of human ethics has involved the slow progressive evolution
of a sense of moral responsibility from the family and tribe to ever-wider
spheres of human association. Now this evolution of ethical consciousness
must expand further to include animals, plants, ecosystems, and the Earth
as a whole. As long as human beings tend to think of the Earth as just
a collection of resources to be exploited for human purposes, human beings
will continue on the destructive path that has characterized the spread
of industrial technological civilization in the twentieth century.
In truth, we belong to the larger community of being that is the cosmos
something vast, grand, mysterious, and wonderful. The deeper meaning and
joy of life involve the realization that we human beings are not here
in this world alone, and we are not here for ourselves alone. Our ethics
must make this clear, and we need forms of spiritual practice that empower
us to live in this truth.
In line with this outlook, the opening sentence of the Preamble of the
Earth Charter introduces the Charter as a declaration of interdependence
and responsibility. The Preamble makes clear that everyone shares responsibility
for the well-being of the whole human family and the greater community
of life. This is what is meant by universal responsibility, a concept
that is emphasized in the Charter. The spirit of universal responsibility
is expressed in the ideas of human solidarity and kinship with all life
and in the notion of global citizenship.
The Earth Charter makes reference to the "intrinsic value of all
beings." This affirmation seeks to change the way people think about
and relate to nonhuman species and nature at large. The point is that
animals, plants, and ecosystems are not just things to be used. They do
not exist merely as means to be exploited for human ends. Quite apart
from whatever utilitarian value nature and non-human beings may possess
for people, nature, and other living beings are worthy of respect and
moral consideration. Each living being is a unique manifestation of the
larger whole, which is the universe. Each living being is interdependent
with all others. Each living being should be treated as a subject, not
just as an object. This is the meaning of the concept of the intrinsic
value of all beings.
Q. Would you describe the Earth
Charter process as concerned with cross-cultural understanding and world
consensus?
A. Yes. One of the major purposes
of the Earth Charter international consultation process is to promote
dialogue on shared values and common goals, and to build consensus on
a vision of basic values that will provide an ethical foundation for the
emerging world community.
We live in an increasingly interdependent world. As a result, we must
cooperate together across all boundaries of nation, culture, faith, and
race and at all levels locally, nationally, regionally, and globally if
we are to achieve our basic environmental, economic, and social goals.
Furthermore, if we are to make wise choices and to cooperate together
effectively, we urgently need a shared vision of fundamental ethical values
to guide us. In other words, the development of global ethics is essential.
Our very survival as a species is in doubt if we cannot clarify our ethics
and develop common values around such basic issues as environmental protection,
justice, human rights, cultural diversity, economic equity, eradication
of poverty, and peace. The Earth Charter is part of the global ethics
movement.
Q. Do you believe that the Earth
Charter will contribute decisively to the empowerment of people? What
role do NGOs and civil society have in this process?
A. The Earth Charter is designed
to promote the empowerment of people in a number of different ways. It
clarifies the rights and responsibilities of people. It emphasizes the
importance of transparency and accountability in governance, access to
information, and inclusive participation in decision-making. Some of the
principles in the Charter explicitly call for the empowerment of local
communities, youth, women, and the poor. In addition, the Earth Charter
can be used to promote awareness and it can serve as an effective educational
instrument. It contains an integrated vision of basic environmental, economic,
and social aspirations that can provide individuals, NGOs, and civil society
at large with a clear sense of direction. The Charter can be used to mobilize
people and to generate commitment and action.
Q. What is distinctive about
the Earth Charter in comparison with other international documents being
prepared for the next millennium? Could you compare the Rio Declaration
and the Earth Charter, in particular, with respect for species and respect
for all individual living beings?
A. First of all, the Earth Charter
is the product of a unique international consultation process that has
extended over ten years and has involved tens of thousands of individuals
and hundreds of organizations. No other international document has involved
such an extensive consultation process. Secondly, the Earth Charter sets
forth both an inclusive and an integrated ethical vision for the next
millennium. These qualities distinguish it.
I have already commented in response to the previous question on the inclusive
nature of the ethical vision in the Earth Charter. The Charter is also
based on the conviction that humanity's social, economic, environmental,
ethical, and spiritual problems are interrelated, and therefore, humanity
must cooperate in developing integrated strategies to address them. For
example, poverty is both a cause and a consequence of environmental degradation.
Consequently, the eradication of poverty and the protection of the environment
are indivisible goals. Caring for people and caring for the environment
are interrelated objectives.
The Earth Charter builds on the Stockholm Declaration, the World Charter
for Nature, the Rio Declaration, and many other international law instruments
as well as dozens of NGO declarations and the seven major UN summit meetings
held during the 1990s. It seeks to give coherent expression to the emerging
world consensus that one finds taking form in these documents and international
conferences. The Earth Charter may well be the best concise summary to
date of this emergent way of thinking and acting that understands the
interrelation of humanity's fundamental environmental, social, economic,
and spiritual aspirations.
Regarding the Rio Declaration and the Earth Charter, there are several
especially important differences to note. The Earth Charter does build
on the Rio Declaration and includes many of the principles found in the
Rio Declaration. However, the first principle of the Earth Charter, which
is a call to respect Earth and all life, is not found in the Rio Declaration.
In short, the Earth Charter affirms the moral standing of all life forms
and all beings, and here lies the major difference between the two documents.
The Rio Declaration is focused primarily on the needs and interests of
people, and its call "to conserve, protect, and restore the health
and integrity of the Earth's ecosystem" is stated from that perspective.
Implicit in this language found in the Rio Declaration is a concern to
protect biodiversity, but the Rio Declaration makes no explicit reference
to nonhuman species and biodiversity. The Earth Charter has a more inclusive
and balanced approach than the Rio Declaration. It emphasizes the needs
and interests of people, but it also emphasizes humanity's interdependence
with the greater community of life and the moral responsibilities to nonhuman
species that go with this interdependence. The Earth Charter gives special
attention to the urgent need to protect biodiversity.
Like the Stockholm Declaration, the Rio Declaration affirms the sovereign
right of states to "exploit" their natural resources. This language
is unfortunate. One definition of the verb "exploit" is to use
in an unethical way. For example, the exploitation of people is generally
viewed as immoral. If humanity is to change its destructive patterns of
behavior in relation to the environment, it is important that people cease
thinking of nature as just a warehouse of resources to be exploited. Therefore,
the Earth Charter avoids this language.
In addition, the Rio Declaration does not contain principles on environmental
justice and on the urgent need for environmental education. The concept
of environmental justice involves the notion that all persons have a right
to an environment supportive of their dignity, bodily health, and spiritual
well-being. This principle is especially important because it integrates
the agendas of the human rights and the environmental movements. The Earth
Charter includes principles on environmental justice and environmental
education.
Q. Do you believe the Earth
Charter will become a sort of world constitution?
A. The Earth Charter sets forth
an inclusive and integrated ethical vision that can provide individuals,
organizations, corporations, and governments with much needed guidance
in making the transition to sustainable living and sustainable development.
As an ethical vision, it provides foundations on which future international
and national law can build. Endorsement by the United Nations General
Assembly in the year 2002, which is the tenth anniversary of the Rio Earth
Summit, would enhance the influence of the Earth Charter in both civil
society and government circles. It is my hope that the values and ideals
expressed in the Earth Charter will increasingly become embodied in the
new world order, helping tocreate a bright future for humanity.
Q. Could you mention the major
tensions around the Earth Charter?
A. In the course of the consultation
process, the Earth Charter Drafting Committee has had to deal with a number
of differing perspectives and points of view. It is, of course, not possible
to satisfy all groups. The Drafting Committee seeks to identify principles
around which there is consensus. When it encounters differing points of
view, it works with the groups involved in an effort to find common ground.
In what follows are four examples of controversial issues and of the way
the Drafting Committee has sought to deal with them.
First, some groups would prefer a short Earth Charter that is a prayer
or poem, or a declaration with five to ten principles only. Others strongly
favor a more substantial document that is more like an intergovernmental
declaration. In an effort to address these different concerns, the Drafting
Committee has created a layered document with a Preamble, sixteen main
principles, fifty-five supporting principles, and a conclusion. The principles
are divided into four parts. Part I contains four General Principles,
which can be used as a very short articulation of the Earth Charter vision.
Part II (Ecological Integrity), Part III (A Just and Sustainable Economic
Order), and Part IV (Democracy and Peace), contain a total of twelve additional
main principles that follow from the General Principles. The Preamble
and sixteen main principles can serve as a relatively short version of
the Charter.
The supporting principles offer clarification and elaboration of the ideas
in the main principles. The fifty-five supporting principles provide an
overview of the many issues that have been raised by various groups in
the course of the international consultation process. Those who favor
a very short Earth Charter would like to see the supporting principles
significantly reduced in number or eliminated. Others feel passionately
that the supporting principles are an essential part of the Charter because
they make explicit the practical meaning of the main principles with reference
to critical issues. The supporting principles are especially important
to groups that feel marginalized and excluded from decision-making processes.
Second, some Western philosophers object to use of the term "intrinsic
value" on technical philosophical grounds, and many Buddhists object
to use of the term, arguing that it suggests the existence of some fixed
self in persons and things which Buddhism denies. However, the concept
of the intrinsic value of all species is affirmed in international law,
and many environmental philosophers strongly support use of this language.
In an effort to resolve this conflict, the Drafting Committee links the
reference to intrinsic value with a reference to the interdependence of
all beings. The concept of interdependence is one that is strongly supported
by Buddhism, and it is also, of course, a central idea in the science
of ecology. The reference to "the interdependence and intrinsic value
of all beings" in Benchmark Draft II combines Eastern and Western
philosophical concepts. However, the controversy over intrinsic value
has continued, and it may be that the term should be deleted and that
the Earth Charter should use other language to express the idea associated
with intrinsic value. For example, the Charter might simply affirm: "All
beings are interdependent and worthy of respect regardless of their utilitarian
value to humanity."
Third, the Earth Charter recognizes that the dramatic rise in human population
is putting great pressure on the resilience of ecological systems and
has overburdened social and economic systems. In addressing the population
problem, the Charter has adopted the approach worked out during the UN
summit meetings in Cairo and Beijing in 1994 and 1995. This means shifting
the focus from an emphasis on population stabilization to an emphasis
on the empowerment of women through access to education, health-care,
and economic opportunity. At Cairo and Beijing, the discussion about health-care
involved a special emphasis on the importance of reproductive health care
and women's rights to such care. In the light of all of these considerations,
the Earth Charter addresses the population issue by calling for gender
equality and access to education, reproductive health-care, and economic
opportunity for women. However, a number of conservative religious groups
have strongly objected to the Charter's reference to reproductive health
on the grounds that this language involves support for abortion. The argument
is made that the link between reproductive health and abortion is established
in the Beijing Platform. In response to these objections, the Drafting
Committee modified some of the language in the original Earth Charter
Benchmark Draft issued in 1997, because it does not want the Charter to
become mired in a debate over abortion. The Charter does not take a position
for or against abortion. However, universal access to reproductive health-care
is fundamental to achieving sustainable development and the language about
reproductive health-care reflects the international consensus worked out
at Cairo and Beijing. Therefore, there are compelling reasons to retain
this language in the Charter. If the Charter were to be perceived as having
retreated from the consensus worked out at major international meetings,
the document would lose much of its credibility.
A fourth example of a difficult controversy has involved the way the Charter
uses the word "compassion." In Benchmark Draft II, Principle
7 reads: "Treat all living beings with compassion ..." This
principle is strongly supported by large numbers of people, and especially
by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, and other religious groups as well as animal
rights and animal liberation organizations. However, some indigenous peoples
have objected tothis language, arguing that one cannot hunt with compassion.
These groups are also concerned that this language may be used by animal
rights organizations in an effort to stop their traditional hunting practices.
These objections have come from indigenous peoples in the circumpolar
North and sub-Saharan Africa. However, there are other indigenous peoples
who support use of the word "compassion" in Principle 7. This
issue has been debated in a number of conferences over the past two years.
It now appears that a mutually-satisfactory solution has been found. The
word "compassion" will be moved from Principle 7 to Principle
2, which will be revised to read: "Care for the community of life
with understanding and compassion." Principle 7 will then be reworded
so that it states: "Treat all living beings with respect and consideration
..." This seems to be a happy solution to what was a very difficult
problem reflecting significant cultural differences regarding the use
of language.
These are but a few examples of controversial issues. The good news from
the Earth Charterconsultation process is that a substantive consensus
seems to be emerging, and, along with honest differences, there is a sincere
interest among many groups to find shared values and common ground.
Q. What kind of cooperation
do you recommend between traditional human rights defenders and the supporters
of the Earth Charter?
A. It is my hope that the human
rights movement and the environmental movement will recognize the interdependence
of human rights and environmental values and form an enduring partnership.
Sustainable development requires justice, human rights, economic opportunity,
peace, and environmental protection. These goals are interrelated and
indivisible. Furthermore, human rights law is in the process of clarifying
a new set of human rights related to the environment. These rights are
set forth in the "Draft Declaration of Principles on Human Rights
and the Environment," which was prepared by an international team
of human rights lawyers and is under consideration by the UN Commission
on Human Rights.
Q. Do you believe that the Earth
Charter can establish a complementary view between its ecocentric and
anthropocentric positions?
A. It is the position of the
Earth Charter that the well-being of people and the well-being of the
greater community of life are interdependent and indivisible goals. Therefore,
caring for people and caring for the Earth must be seen as part of one
integrated agenda for the world community. Furthermore, there is good
reason to believe that human beings can only realize their moral and spiritual
potential by living with a sense of belonging to the universe, adopting
an attitude of respect for all life, and embracing an attitude of universal
responsibility. It is possible to love and care for people and the larger
community of life at the same time. It is necessary for humanity to learn
to do so if it wishes to survive and find wholeness and happiness in the
future.
Q. The Earth Charter pays particular
attention to the rights of vulnerable groups (women, children and indigenous
peoples). Do you believe that there is also a particular contribution
of these groups to the realization of the Earth Charter?
A. Every individual, family,
and group has an essential role to play. Women make up over half the population
of the world, and without their empowerment, full participation, and leadership,
the world will not achieve sustainability. The future belongs to our children,
and if there is to be a major change in how we think and act, our children
will have to implement it. Many indigenous peoples have retained a deep
sense of belonging to the universe and Earth, and their spiritual and
ethical traditions are being rediscovered and are exercising a very positive
influence today. The Earth Charter seeks to give expression to many values
that have long been fundamental to the traditions of indigenous peoples.
Q. Could you compare the role
and complementary characteristics of the Charter of the United Nations,
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Earth Charter?
A. The Charter of the United
Nations puts special emphasis on human rights, living together in peace
as good neighbors, and equitable economic and social development. The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasizes human rights as the foundation
of freedom, justice, and peace. Beginning with the UN Stockholm Conference
on the Human Environment in 1972, the world community added environmental
protection to the agenda of the United Nations, recognizing that a secure
and healthy environment is essential to enjoyment of human rights. The
Earth Charter builds on this tradition, affirming the interdependence
of environmental protection, freedom, justice, human rights, equitable
human development, and peace. The inclusive and integrated vision in the
Earth Charter defines a new holistic way of thinking and acting.
Q. What are the major challenges
for the Third Millennium, with respect to caring for the Earth and humanity?
A. The Earth Charter offers
a concise overview of the challenges that humanity faces in the next millennium.
The four General Principles in the Earth Charter are a good summary of
the goals and ideals that humanity should strive to achieve:
Respect for the Earth and life in all its diversity.
Care for
the community of life with understanding and compassion.
Build free,
just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful societies.
Secure the Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations.
Q. What is your dream for the
Third Millennium?
A. It is my hope that a growing
number of people and communities throughout the world will progressively
realize the true meaning of peace. The Earth Charter defines peace as
the wholeness that comes with balanced and harmonious relationships with
oneself, other persons, other cultures, other life, the Earth, and the
larger whole of which we are all a part. Through peace in this sense human
beings can find the happiness for which they yearn. I am confident that
humanity can manage the practical and technological challenges that lie
ahead. However, the most fundamental problems we face are ethical and
spiritual. They concern our ability to master our selves and to employ
our freedom with wisdom, love, and compassion. This challenge requires
the full commitment of our minds and hearts. We are at a critical moment
in the evolution of our species and time is running out. However, it is
still possible for humanity to change course and to embrace ways of living
that will bring peace on Earth.
Appendices
The Earth Charter, March 2000 (abbreviated version)
Preamble
We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity
must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent
and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To
move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity
of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community
with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable
global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights,
economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative
that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another,
to the greater community of life, and to future generations.
Earth, Our Home
Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. Earth, our home, is alive
with a unique community of life. The forces of nature make existence a
demanding and uncertain adventure, but Earth has provided the conditions
essential to life's evolution. The resilience of the community of life
and the well-being of humanity depend upon preserving a healthy biosphere
with all its ecological systems, a rich variety of plants and animals,
fertile soils, pure waters, and clean air. The global environment with
its finite resources is a common concern of all peoples. The protection
of Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust.
The Global Situation
The dominant patterns of production and consumption are causing environmental
devastation, the depletion of resources, and a massive extinction of species.
Communities are being undermined. The benefits of development are not
shared equitably and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Injustice,
poverty, ignorance, and violent conflict are widespread and the cause
of great suffering. An unprecedented rise in human population has overburdened
ecological and social systems. The foundations of global security are
threatened. These trends are perilous but not inevitable.
The Challenges Ahead
The choice is ours: form a global partnership to care for Earth and one
another or risk the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life.
Fundamental changes are needed in our values, institutions, and ways of
living. We must realize that when basic needs have been met, human development
is primarily about being more, not having more. We have the knowledge
and technology to provide for all and to reduce our impacts on the environment.
The emergence of a global civil society is creating new opportunities
to build a democratic and humane world. Our environmental, economic, political,
social, and spiritual challenges are interconnected, and together we can
forge inclusive solutions.
Universal Responsibility
To realize these aspirations, we must decide to live with a sense of universal
responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as
well as our local communities. We are at once citizens of different nations
and of one world in which the local and global are linked. Everyone shares
responsibility for the present and future well-being of the human family
and the larger living world. The spirit of human solidarity and kinship
with all life is strengthened when we live with reverence for the mystery
of being, gratitude for the gift of life, and humility regarding the human
place in nature. We urgently need a shared vision of basic values to provide
an ethical foundation for the emerging world community. Therefore, together
in hope we affirm the following interdependent principles for a sustainable
way of life as a common standard by which the conduct of all individuals,
organizations, businesses, governments, and transnational institutions
is to be guided and assessed.
Principles
I. Respect and care for the community of life
Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.
Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.
Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable,
and peaceful.
Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations.
II. Ecological integrity
Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with
special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that
sustain life.
Prevent harm as the best method of environmental protection and, when
knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach.
Adopt patterns of production, consumption, and reproduction that safeguard
Earth's regenerative capacities, human rights, and community well-being.
Advance the study of ecological sustainability and promote the open exchange
and wide application of the knowledge acquired.
III. Social and economic justice
Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative.
Ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels promote
human development in an equitable and sustainable manner.
Affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development
and ensure universal access to education, health-care, and economic opportunity.
Uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social
environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual
well-being, with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples
and minorities.
IV. Democracy, nonviolence, and peace
Strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, and provide transparency
and accountability in governance, inclusive participation in decision-making,
and access to justice.
Integrate into formal education and life-long learning the knowledge,
values, and skills needed for a sustainable way of life.
Treat all living beings with respect and consideration.
Promote a culture of tolerance, nonviolence, and peace.
The Earth Charter Benchmark Draft II, April 1999 (abbreviated version)
(for the interview with Steven Rockefeller)
Preamble
In our diverse yet increasingly interdependent world, it is imperative
that we, the people of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another,
to the greater community of life, and to future generations. We are one
human family and one Earth community with a common destiny.
Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. Earth, our home, is alive
with a unique community of life. The well-being of people and the biosphere
depends upon preserving clean air, pure waters, fertile soils, and a rich
variety of plants, animals, and ecosystems. The global environment with
its finite resources is a primary common concern of all humanity. The
protection of Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust.
The Earth community stands at a defining moment. With science and technology
have come great benefits and also great harm. The dominant patterns of
production and consumption are altering climate, degrading the environment,
depleting resources, and causing a massive extinction of species. A dramatic
rise in population has increased the pressures on ecological systems and
has overburdened social systems. Injustice, poverty, ignorance, corruption,
crime and violence, and armed conflict deepen the world's suffering. Fundamental
changes in our attitudes, values, and ways of living are necessary.
The choice is ours: to care for Earth and one another or to participate
in the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life.
As a global civilization comes into being, we can choose to build a truly
democratic world, securing the rule of law and the human rights of all
women, men, and children. We can respect the integrity of different cultures.
We can treat Earth with respect, rejecting the idea that nature is merely
a collection of resources to be used. We can realize that our social,
economic, environmental, and spiritual problems are interconnected and
cooperate in developing integrated strategies to address them. We can
resolve to balance and harmonize individual interests with the common
good, freedom with responsibility, diversity with unity, short-term objectives
with long-term goals, economic progress with the flourishing of ecological
systems.
To fulfill these aspirations, we must recognize that human development
is not just about having more, but also about being more. The challenges
humanity faces can only be met if people everywhere acquire an awareness
of global interdependence, identify themselves with the larger world,
and decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility. The spirit
of human solidarity and kinship with all life will be strengthened if
we live with reverence for the sources of our being, gratitude for the
gift of life, and humility regarding the human place in the larger scheme
of things.
Having reflected on these considerations, we recognize the urgent need
for a shared vision of basic values that will provide an ethical foundation
for the emerging world community. We, therefore, affirm the following
principles for sustainable development. We commit ourselves as individuals,
organizations, business enterprises, communities, and nations to implement
these interrelated principles and to create a global partnership in support
of their fulfillment.
Principles:
Together in hope, we pledge to:
1. Respect Earth and all life.
2. Care for the community of life in all its diversity.
3. Strive to build free, just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful
societies.
4. Secure Earth's abundance and beauty for present and future generations.
In pursuit of these goals, we will:
5. Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with
special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that
sustain and renew life.
6. Prevent harm to the environment as the best method of ecological protection
and, when knowledge is limited, take the path of caution.
7. Treat all living beings with compassion, and protect them from cruelty
and wanton destruction.
8. Adopt patterns of consumption, production, and reproduction that respect
and safeguard Earth's regenerative capacities, human rights, and community
well-being.
9. Ensure that economic activities support and promote human development
in an equitable and sustainable manner.
10. Eradicate poverty, as an ethical, social, economic, and ecological
imperative.
11. Honor and defend the right of all persons, without discrimination,
to an environment supportive of their dignity, bodily health, and spiritual
well-being.
12. Advance worldwide the cooperative study of ecological systems, the
dissemination and application of knowledge, and the development, adoption,
and transfer of clean technologies.
13. Establish access to information, inclusive democratic participation
in decision-making, and transparency, truthfulness, and accountability
in governance.
14. Affirm and promote gender equality as a prerequisite to sustainable
development.
15. Make the knowledge, values, and skills needed to build just and sustainable
communities an integral part of formal education and lifelong learning
for all.
16. Create a culture of peace and cooperation.
As never before in human history, common destiny beckons us to seek a
new beginning. Such renewal is the promise of these Earth Charter principles.
Fulfillment of this promise requires an inner change a change of mind
and heart. It requires that we take decisive action to adopt, apply, and
develop the vision of the Earth Charter. Every individual, family, organization,
and government has a critical role to play. Youth are fundamental actors
for change. We can, if we will, take advantage of the creative possibilities
before us and inaugurate an era of fresh hope.
|