The
website where I obtained this document is no
longer active but I'm including the link anyway -
Green Cross
International
The Founding Principles:
- A
fundamental transformation of society's Values
with respect to the environment. Narrow
approaches to problem solving ignore linkages
between sectors or across local, national and
global spheres. Firstly, changes in values and in
the distribution of power are needed and secondly,
new ways of analyzing and acting are required.
Green Cross works worldwide to promote the
emergence of these values.
- A spirit of Dialogue and mediation,
both level-headed and constructive. Green
Cross plays the role of catalyst, and mobilizes
the strength of its whole network for
environmental conflict prevention and mediation.
One of the roles of Green Cross International is
to provide a constructive force across multiple
sectors, working with governments, the private
sector, religious groups, international
organizations, NGOs and individuals.
- A meshing of the economy, ecology and
society. The integration of ecological and
socio-economic principles should be promoted. The
clear link between these elements should be
integrated at all levels.
International Challenges :
Sustainability is one of the main concepts at the
start of this new millennium and its gist is
ambiguous and difficult to define. Most people
have difficulties understanding the meaning of the
word, and others react emotionally rather than
objectively. When philosophers, scientists,
businessmen, scholars, and individuals try to
define this word, the polemic and discussion is
never ended, proving if it was necessary, the
complexity of this term. To explore sustainability
at this junction in human history is to raise the
fundamental questions of how humanity defines
itself, and how each one of us will tackle the
challenges of the 21st century.
The
Sustainability debate started with the Brundland
Commission's definition: " Humanity has the
ability to make development sustainable, to ensure
that it meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs ". The most serious
independent analyses of the current development of
humanity prove that the world's development does
not tend towards sustainability. Recently, Mikhail
Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International
said: " we are at an essential moment in human
history, for the first time, we are widely aware
that our day-to-day decisions have the power to
destroy our own habitat, the Earth ". The growth
in world property and consumption levels, and the
population expansion, have created a heavy burden
on the environment and quality of life for
billions of people. To achieve sustainability, a
balance must be found between society's major
components: economy and technology, ecology and
demography, and governance and equity. Year after
year, the Economy is becoming predominant and the
myth accompanying of perpetual growth is
progressively replacing all the other essential
values which have contributed to the elaboration
of our civilization. The sustainability of
development can only be reached if citizens and
decision-makers take all the other above mentioned
components fully into account.
The
sustainable world will be a world of social and
technological innovations, experimentation, high
transparency, and a fully interconnected
community; a world in which agreements are reached
through mediation, and with respect for civil
rights. In this world, NGOs, governments,
concerned consumers and businesses would act as
partners. Thanks to dialogue and mutual respect,
continuous environmental and social values will be
incorporated into market mechanisms. Dream or
reality? President Mikhail Gorbachev has already
showed the world that when an idea or an intuition
is right and emerges at the right time, any " Wall
of difficulties like the Berlin Wall might fall ".
Earth Charter Initiative
The
Earth Charter is being developed as a general
human manifesto based on a global consultation
process involving 1000s of organizations and
individuals all over the world, the work of the
Earth Charter Commission of representatives from
all 5 continents, and the creative cooperation of
specialists motivated by the survival of our
planet.
In 1994, the
President of Green Cross International, Mikhail
Gorbachev and the President of the Earth
Council, Maurice Strong, on the initiative of the
Dutch Prime Minister, Ruud Lubbers, and with the
participation of UNESCO Director General, Federico
Mayor, signed an agreement to collaborate on the
Earth Charter.
Since 1994, GCI has participated jointly with
other organizations in the formulation of the
Earth Charter text. In the framework of the
consultation process, the organization
participated in meetings which took place in the
USA , the Netherlands, Switzerland and Brazil. In
the framework of the international forum Rio+5,
the first benchmark of the Earth Charter was
presented and discussed by the members of the
Earth Charter Commission consisting of 23
representatives from all the continents.
National
Earth Charter Committees have been created in more
than 30 countries of the world (Australia, Russia,
USA, Japan, etc.). In other countries the work
over the Earth Charter is run by a worldwide net
of organizations such as Green Cross
International, as well as by different
non-governmental national organizations.
A special Earth Charter Campaign has been
organized on Internet, as well as an Earth Charter
Discussion Forum, where one can easily share
information, ideas and suggestions regarding the
Earth Charter process and the Benchmark Draft.
The Earth Charter draft's elaboration and the
formulation of its preamble and main principles
were accomplished by an international group of
specialists, the Earth Charter Drafting Committee.
This group carries out the tremendous task of
collecting comments and amendments on the Earth
Charter draft from participants in the
consultation process from all over the world and
integrates all the material received into a
unified Earth Charter draft.
Green Cross National Organizations worked on the
Earth Charter from 1996 to 1997 in a series of
meetings. As a result, the Earth Charter
Philosophy was elaborated. From 1997 until the end
of 1998, Green Cross National Organizations
continued their involvement on two levels: the
first one deals with the improvement of the text
of the Earth Charter and the second aims at
spreading ideas and developing possible
organizational structures. All of these ideas were
discussed during several meetings of the Green
Cross National Organizations.
At the beginning of October 1998, the Green Cross
National Organizations were requested to describe
their Earth Charter activity and give comments and
recommendations for Benchmark N· II, as well as
proposals for future activities. The majority of
National Organizations participated in this
intense consultation process and their remarks and
suggestions were discussed in depth by the Earth
Charter drafting committee.
The Earth
Charter was presented on June 27-28 2000 in the
Hague in the presence of Her Majesty Queen
Beatrix, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ruud Lubbers and
Maurice Strong.
The ultimate
objective is for the Earth Charter to be discussed
and adopted by the General Assembly of the United
Nations and it is the willingness of people that
will make the difference.
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