biannual report 2002 - 2003 - earth charter...

Biannual Report 2002 - 2003

Earth Charter International Secretariat

EARTH CHARTER INITIATIVEBIANNUAL REPORT

2002-2003

Earth Charter Initiative International SecretariatP.O. Box 138-6100, San José, Costa Rica

Tel. + 506-205-9000, Fax. + 506-249-1929E-mail: [email protected]

http://www.earthcharter.org

Earth Charter Initiative Mission

The mission of the Initiative is to establish a sound ethicalfoundation for the emerging global society and to help build

a sustainable world based on respect for nature, universal humanrights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.

Earth Charter Initiative Goals

• To promote the dissemination, endorsement, and implementationof the Earth Charter by civil society, business, and government.

• To encourage and support the educational use of the Earth Charter.

• To seek endorsement of the Earth Charter by the United Nations.

E A RTH CHARTER INITIATIVE BIANNUAL REPORT

2 0 0 2 - 2 0 0 3

C O N T E N T

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

POLITICAL PROCESS 5I. The Earth Charter in the World Summit on Sustainable Development Process 5

The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development 6An Earth Charter Type II Partnership 7State Government Intervention 8Earth Charter Events at the Summit 9The Ark of Hope – Not Constrained by National Borders 11Earth Charter presence in the PrepComs 11References to the Earth Charter in the Preparatory Process 13NGO and Local Government Endorsements 14

II. UNESCO 14

III. IUCN 15

IV. UNEP 15

EDUCATION PROGRAMME 17Earth Charter Education Philosophy 17Earth Charter Pedagogies 18Strategy and Main Activities 19

Highlights from collaborating organiztions 21 Educational Tools for All 21Primary/Secondary Education 23Higher Education 26Non-formal Education 29

Looking ahead 33

LOCAL COMMUNITIES PROGRAMME 35Local Community Advisory Group 35World Resources Institute - Indicators Project 36ICLEI’s New Charter has incorporated the Earth Charter 36City of Joondalup - Australia 37City of Melbourne - Australia 37City of Toronto - Canada 38Local Sustainability Certification Initiative - Chile 38

Municipality of Santo Domingo - Costa Rica 38A declaration of support from all municipalities of Jordan 39Earth Charter Promotion Group -Malaysia 39 Municipalities in Mexico 40Tribal Earth Charter - Papua New Guinea 41Building Local Community Bridges in Fife - Scotland 41Municipalities in Peru Committed to the Earth Charter 42Foro Soria 21 - Spain 42Fundación Deyna - Spain 42Åre Municipality - Sweden 43Local Community Summits – USA 43Sanibel Island, Florida - USA 44

YOUTH INITIATIVE 45Activities 45The University World Colleges Youth Action Summit (UWCYAS) 45Earth Charter Youth Groups 46Jordan 46Sierra Leone 46The Philippines 47Costa Rica Youth Concerts 47Inclusive Leadership Adventures 48

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 492002 492003 51

PUBLICATIONS 55

SECRETARIAT MANAGEMENT 61

Earth Charter Initiative Biannual Report 1

he role of the Earth Charter InitiativeInternational Secretariat is to facilitatecollaborative efforts to advance the

implementation of the mission and objectives ofthe Earth Charter Initiative.

In fulfilling this role, the Secretariat coordinatesthe core tasks of the Initiative namely, (1) majoractivities which aim to disseminate and promotethe Earth Charter and (2) the work of theEducation and Local Community Programmes.The realisation of these central tasks requiresthe support of a global network of volunteerorganizations and individuals, without whichit would be impossible to achieve the goals andobjectives of the Earth Charter Initiative. Thesmall Secretariat functions under the oversight ofthe Earth Charter Steering Committee, created bythe Earth Charter Commission, and benefits fromthe cooperation of committed individuals andorganizations whose expertise lends capacityand added value to the Initiative.

During the two-year period covered by thisreport, the Earth Charter Initiative has madesubstantial progress towards the objectives andpriorities determined by the Steering Committeeand the Commission, particularly in the areasof governmental support, Earth Charterdissemination and increased utilization of theEarth Charter in both formal and non-formaleducational settings.

With the growing numbers of individuals andorganizations embracing the Earth Charterand seeking its implementation, there is anincreasing need for guidance and coordination.Thus the Secretariat has been a catalyst of manyefforts, offering general information and

assistance, responding to organizations’interests in collaboration, and coordinatingthe various efforts of organizations andindividuals worldwide.

This Report provides information on theactivities of the Earth Charter Initiative andits Secretariat for the years 2002 and 2003.The Report is organised in the followingsections:

1. Political Process 2. Education Programme3. Local Community Programme4. Youth Initiative5. Calendar of Events 6. Publications7. Secretariat Management

Main Activities

It has been determined, in close consultationwith Commissioners and Steering Committeemembers, that to be effective, the Secretariatmust limit its areas of concentration to thosewhich match its financial means and are ofgreatest interest to our global network. Prioritieswere then given to those activities which securepolitical support and strengthen the Educationand Local Communities programmes.

The Secretariat continues to offer general supportto the Youth Initiative, which is now beingorganized by a core group of volunteer youngpeople. In dedicating its resources to thesepriorities, the Secretariat found it beyond itscapacity to act further upon the Commission’sinitial recommendation to work with thebusiness sector, media and faith groups.

“We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future.”

Preamble of the Earth Charter

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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2 Earth Charter Initiative Biannual Report

The day-to-day operations of the Secretariatinclude communicating with partnerorganizations, managing the Earth Charterinternational website -which is now availablein Spanish and French in addition to English-issuing Newsflashes, responding to publicqueries for additional information and following-up with a number of institutions that haveendorsed the Earth Charter.

Political Process

Starting with the Earth Charter’s launch in 2000,and through the end of 2002, much effort wasdedicated to gaining the attention and support ofgovernment officials in preparation for the WorldSummit on Sustainable Development.

The Secretariat organized a number of briefingsfor government representatives, and took part inseveral forums to generate interest in the EarthCharter. As a result of these efforts, the EarthCharter received wide acknowledgment fromgovernments, from the heads of state speeches inJohannesburg, and through endorsement lettersof the Ministers of Environment of Costa Rica,the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Honduras,Bolivia, Niger, Holland, Romania, Spain,Jamaica and Jordan. The Earth Charter was alsorecognized in a number of documents set forthin preparatory meetings for the Summit,including the UN regional roundtables, the LatinAmerican and Caribbean Ministerial Initiative forSustainable Development, and the report of theSecretary General’s High Level Advisory Panel. Additionally, endorsements fromnongovernmental organizations (NGOs)continue to grow, for which significant followup is still required in order to have suchendorsements become part of the organizations’modus operandi.

A noted achievement was the adoption of aresolution in support of the Earth Charter at theUNESCO General Conference held in October2003. According to this resolution, UNESCOmember states recognized the Earth Charter asan important ethical framework for sustainable

development and affirmed their intention to useit as an educational instrument, particularly inlight of the UN Decade on Education forSustainable Development. This process benefitedfrom the leadership of the Jordanian Governmentand was supported by Spain, Costa Rica andHonduras.

The Secretariat takes it as part of its main workin the coming year to follow-up on the UNESCOresolution and ensure the Earth Charter iscentrally placed within the implementation ofthe UN Decade of Education for SustainableDevelopment, which begins in 2005. This willrequire close collaboration with educationalinstitutions and UNESCO.

More endorsements, including from UNagencies, are expected and the pursuit of thisobjective remains an important goal of theInitiative. The Secretariat intends to build onexisting support and achievements to advancethis goal.

Education

For the past two years one of the priorities of theEarth Charter Initiative has been to advance theeducational uses of the Earth Charter. TheSecretariat relies on a growing number of expertsin education who take part either in theEducation Advisory Committee, or in the broaderinformal network of educators who help planand implement activities of the EducationProgramme.

An increasing number of educational institutionshave endorsed the Earth Charter and areincorporating it in various teaching and learningsettings. The Secretariat has been following upwith these institutions in order to explore areasof cooperation and offer guidance for theimplementation in education. As an initial effortto capture the diverse experiences and practicesof groups utilizing the Earth Charter, an OnlineTeaching Resource Database was developed.These living examples, which have arisenspontaneously, are the most important testimony


to the growing recognition of the Earth Charteras a valuable instrument for education towardssustainability. They reinforce the educationalvalue of the Earth Charter and highlight the urg e n tneed to provide both formal and non-formaleducators with the resources needed tocomprehensively implement education forsustainable development. Excerpts of theseexperiences can be found in the Educationsection of this report.

In December 2003, the Education Programmeinitiated and facilitated an on-line discussionforum that brought together education experts toguide the programme’s activities. The forumyielded input into processes such as theelaboration of a Guidebook for primary andsecondary school educators in using the EarthC h a r t e r.

Local Communities

For years, the Initiative has considered of majorimportance the need to bring the notion ofsustainable development to local communitiesand its integration within the policy frameworksand mechanisms of local governments.

To help move this forward, a project wasinitiated under the leadership of the WorldResources Institute, with the aim of assistingcommunities in the process of identifying keyelements of the Earth Charter and turning thoseelements into specific goals consistent with theirreality. This project is still in its initial phase butinvolves the development of software that willinclude a database of goals, targets, strategies,and indicators to guide communities.

So far, nearly 400 local authorities from differentparts of the world have endorsed the EarthCharter in addition to endorsements received byorganizations and associations that representlarge numbers of municipalities. This presents anopportunity for the Initiative and a need to offerguidance and assist local authorities that arekeen to go further in the process ofincorporating the Earth Charter in their planningand programmes. The Earth Charter Community

Summits have also contributed in the goal ofgenerating awareness and commitment withinlocal communities.

Financial Resources

Generous contributions from The HumaneSociety of United States (HSUS), the Center forRespect of Life and Environment (CRLE) andThe Philanthropic Collaborative (TPC) haveallowed the Secretariat to continue to operate.The University for Peace has provided in-kindsupport contributing with office space,administrative and computer support to theSecretariat. All those associated with theEarth Charter Initiative, deeply appreciate thesignificant financial support that the Universityfor Peace, HSUS, CRLE and TPC have offered incontribution to this endeavour.

However, increasing financial constraints andthe challenge of raising funds over the past year,which has been more difficult than anticipated,generates serious and continuing limitations forthe Secretariat. This situation has arisen mainlydue to the broad scope of the Earth CharterInitiative, in addition to restrictions and differentinterests of foundations, as well as the overalldecline in stock market values affectingcontributions from foundations.

In these circumstances, the Secretariat, with thestrong support of the Steering Committee,Commissioners and Senior Advisors, will place ahigh priority on fundraising activities over thenext year or two.

Publications

The Earth Charter Initiative has benefited froma number of remarkable publications andpromotional materials launched in the past twoyears that have served to encourage thedissemination and promotion of the EarthCharter. One example of that is the Music CD“Where we all belong” produced and performedby Raffi, a Canadian environmentalist and vocalperformer who has generously offered to


“The Earth Charter vision reflects the conviction that caring for peopleand caring for Earth are two interdependent dimensions of one task.We cannot care for people in a world with collapsing ecosystems, andwe cannot care for Earth in a world with widespread poverty, injustice,economic inequity and violent conflict.”

Prof. Steven C. Rockefeller,Chair, Earth Charter Steering Committee/

Earth Charter Commissioner

contribute his time and genius. Other examplesinclude books such as Just Ecological Integrity:The Ethics of Maintaining Planetary Lifeprepared and edited by Peter Miller and LauraWestra, and TerraAmerica by Leonardo Boff,which have given the Earth Charter increasedand important public exposure. Also, theexhibition Seeds of Change: The Earth Charterand Human Potential, launched in theJohannesburg Summit Exhibition Centre in 2002,has now been translated in different languagesand is travelling around the world sensitizing thepublic on sustainability issues. The exhibition isan effort led by Soka Gakkai International.

Looking at the aspirations of the Earth CharterInitiative, we realize that although muchprogress has been made in many fronts, a greatdeal of work remains to be accomplished toensure that the Earth Charter is not only adocument but is indeed a living guide deeply

rooted in schools and other educationalinstitutions, as well as in the policy makingand planning of local and national governments.

In this spirit, we want to thank all of you whomade a difference and contributed greatly tothe Earth Charter Initiative. There is no doubtthat much of the accomplishment is due tovolunteer work offered by inspired andcommitted individuals and organizations.We invite you to continue to work with usas we move ahead towards the goals of theEarth Charter Initiative.

Mirian VilelaExecutive Director


I. The Earth Charter in The World Summit on Sustainable Development Process

verview: A major focus for the EarthCharter Initiative in 2002 was to seekendorsement of the Earth Charter by

governments and to gain recognition at the Wo r l dSummit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) heldin Johannesburg, 26 August to 4 September 2002.The Earth Charter Initiative actively participatedat the Summit and was involved throughout itspreparatory process, which started a year earlierand involved four Global Preparatory CommitteeConferences (PrepComs) among others. This effortsought to build political support, raise awarenessand present the Earth Charter to governmentdelegates and non-governmental org a n i z a t i o nrepresentatives, as well as to organize EarthCharter events alongside with the UNn e g o t i a t i o n s .

This section of the bi-annual report gives anaccount of the main Earth Charter outcomes andkey events organized at the Summit and building

up to it. A more detailed report on this can befound at:h t t p : / / w w w. e a r t h c h a r t e r. o rg / w s s d / P r e p _ R e p o r t _ W S S D .doc

During and prior to the Summit, members of theEarth Charter Commission, Steering Committee,and Secretariat worked together with Initiativepartners and supporters to persuade governmentdelegations and UN officials to supportrecognition of the Earth Charter in theJohannesburg Political Declaration.

In the year leading up to the JohannesburgSummit, the Earth Charter InternationalSecretariat approached a number of governmentofficials from all regions drawing their attentionto the Earth Charter and requesting them toconsider using the Earth Charter, endorse it orsimply express their support to the vision ofthe Earth Charter. In April 2002 for example,during PrepCom III, the Earth Charter Secretariatorganized a briefing session, which took placeat the Dutch Mission to the United Nations inNew York and had the participation of theDutch, Swedish and Japanese delegations.

In his address at the opening session of theSummit, President Mbeki of South Africa citedthe Earth Charter as a significant expression of“human solidarity” and as part of “the solid basefrom which the Johannesburg World Summitmust proceed.” A number of states includingCosta Rica, Romania, Jordan, Mexico, theDominican Republic and The Netherlands madea clear reference to the Earth Charter in theiraddresses at the Summit.

POLITICAL PROCESS

“We acknowledge the importance of ethics for sustainable development and, therefore,emphasize the need to consider ethics in the implementation of Agenda 21.”

Johannesburg Plan of Implementation

O


The Summit pursued two different types ofoutcomes. The Type I outcome being thePolitical Declaration—the JohannesburgDeclaration on Sustainable Development—andthe Plan of Implementation, a lengthy documentwith over 150 sections. Second, the Type IIoutcome being partnerships involvinggovernments, intergovernmental agencies,NGOs, and the private sector as well as others.The Earth Charter Initiative sought to have theEarth Charter included in both outcomes.

The Johannesburg Declaration onSustainable Development

Discussions on elements for the PoliticalDeclaration started at the final plenary session ofPrepCom IV held in Bali, Indonesia (June 2002),when government officials formally offered theirrecommendations on this theme. In this plenarysession several government representativesrecommended that the Earth Charter bereflected in the Political Declaration as animportant contribution towards a global ethic forsustainability. The State Secretary of Environmentfrom Romania made the first recommendationand was then supported by the Ministers ofEnvironment of Indonesia, the Philippines, CostaRica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Kuwait.Governmental representatives of Italy and Niger

previously mentioned their support and use ofthe Earth Charter.

As a result, the first unofficial draft elements forthe Political Declaration that were circulated inBali had reference to the Earth Charter and thePrepCom IV Chairman’s report mentioned inPoint 4 under the heading - the Plan ofImplementation: “several ministers reaffirmedsupport for the values and principles containedin the Earth Charter.” Point 27 in connectionwith the Political Declaration stated: “manycalled for inclusion of language that wouldreaffirm the Earth Charter as an ethical basis forsustainable development.” Efforts undertakenby the Earth Charter Secretariat and supportersduring the Bali PrepCom resulted in greatsuccess, in terms of its events and the gainedpolitical support.

At the Summit the South African Governmenttook leadership in drafting the declaration andonly released their first draft once negotiationson the Johannesburg Plan of Action werecompleted. The timing of the draft released,being the closing days of the Summit, limitedopportunities for input and open dialogue in itselaboration. The first draft of the PoliticalDeclaration included in paragraph 13:“recognition of the relevance of the challengesposed in the Earth Charter.” On the last day ofthe Summit in closed-door negotiations amonggovernment officials, the reference to the EarthCharter was deleted from the PoliticalDeclaration.

While this outcome was very disappointing,the Earth Charter did receive significant supportthroughout the Summit from a number ofgovernments. It also appears that the Earth Charterinfluenced the drafting of the Political Declaration.The final version of the Political Declarationincludes in paragraph 6 wording almost identicalto the concluding words of the first paragraph ofthe Earth Charter Preamble, which states that “it isimperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declareour responsibility to one another, to the greatercommunity of life, and to future generations.”Paragraph 6 of the Johannesburg Declaration states:

President Mbeki of South Africa.


“From this [African] Continent, the Cradle ofHumanity, we declare, through the Plan ofImplementation and this Declaration, ourresponsibility to one another, to the greatercommunity of life and to our children.”

These words express the spirit of globalinterdependence and inclusive ethicalresponsibility that underlie the vision in theEarth Charter. In earlier UN declarations andtreaties, there are references to nature, the

earth, and ecosystems, but in theJohannesburg Declaration one finds inparagraph six the first reference to the“community of life” in a UN internationallaw document. It is also noteworthy that theEarth Charter ethic of care finds expression inthe reference to a “caring global society” inparagraph 2 of the Johannesburg Declaration.For the full text of the JohannesburgDeclaration, see:http://www.johannesburgsummit.org

“We don’t have to share every value, every idea. But wedo have to have a common basis that we can share witheveryone; a certain set of ethical and moral principleswhich can guide the behaviour of people towards theEarth and towards each other.”

- Hon. Maurice F. Strong, Earth Charter Commissioner, Canada

“A working meeting of partnersheld at the end of June 2003 inUrbino, Italy, formulated an ActionPlan for the partnership initiative.While currently no funding existsfor the full implementation of theAction Plan, a funding proposalhas been developed and partnersare using, as possible, their existingresources to work towardimplementation.”

The Secretariat, in collaboration with partnerorganizations, put together a partnershipinitiative with the main purpose to ensure thatthe concept and principles of sustainabledevelopment are incorporated into educationalsystems as well as local community planning.This partnership “Educating for SustainableLiving with the Earth Charter” was publiclypresented on 1 September during the Summitsessions on Type II partnership launches. Joiningthis partnership were the governments of CostaRica, Honduras, Mexico, and Niger, UNESCO,and thirteen NGOs. The Summit acknowledgedthese partnerships as key to the successfulrealization of sustainable development and aspart of the formal outcomes of the Summit.

An Earth Charter Type II Partnership


State Government Intervention

Eight heads of states, or their representatives,included the Earth Charter in their officialintervention in the following way:

Costa Rica: “Our aspiration is to bring anethical and humanistic perspective toeconomic development. Later this month inCosta Rica, we will submit for theconsideration of our Congress aConstitutional Chapter on EnvironmentalGuarantees that includes the fundamentalprinciples of the Earth Charter.”

Dominican Republic: “As is evident, ourcommitment to sustainable development is apractical and real commitment, practicedevery day and supported by an ethicalconception of development. It is for thisreason that we also want to state that theDominican Republic supports the principlesestablished in the Earth Charter that putpeople and the natural environment aheadof short-term economic interests.”

Jamaica: “Jamaica supports the guidingprinciples of the Earth Charter as aframework for sustainable development. Weaffirm the wisdom that, for sustainabledevelopment to be realized, it must bepursued within a framework of truepartnership in decision-making and actionamong all stakeholders.”

Jordan: “As we strive through our collectiveefforts to reduce the disparities betweencountries, and enhance inclusiveness andequality, we would do well to draw on theethical vision of the Earth Charter. It is avision that seeks to inspire all peoples with anew sense of global interdependence andshared responsibility for the well being of thehuman family and the larger living world. Inour struggle to bring forth a sustainableglobal society, we must use this code ofconduct as a common standard by whichour actions are to be guided and assessed.”

Mexico: “Mexico supports the Earth Charter,which contains fundamental ethicalprinciples for sustainable development, andwill disseminate it.”

Niger: “Is there a need to recall that we livein a world increasingly interdependent andfragile, in which the future at once holdsgreat worries and great promises? To moveforward we must recognize that despite agreat diversity of culture, interest anddevelopment, we belong to one humanitysharing a common destiny. Given this, Nigersupports the Earth Charter which sets forththe fundamental principles for building ajust, sustainable, and peaceful globalsociety.”

Romania: “The targets set in Agenda 21,post-Rio conventions, MillenniumDeclaration, and more recently the DohaAgreements and the Monterrey Consensusprovide a sound basis for our renewedcommitment to specific action in line withthe implementation guidelines to be adoptedat this Summit. The proposed Earth Charterfurther offers a moral underpinning forpolitical action.”

The Netherlands: “We should encouragebusiness to make a commitment toaccountability not because they have to,but because they want to, inspired bysustainable development. Such inspirationmight be drawn from the Earth Charter.”

The main speakers’ podium from where 8 headsof state expressed their support to the Earth

Charter.


Earth Charter Events at the Summit

Prior to the formal opening of the Summit, theEarth Charter Secretariat organized a day-longmeeting of Earth Charter supporters in an effortto plan and coordinate their activities, as wellas to offer space for collaborating organizationsto present their experiences in working with theEarth Charter. Strategies were developed forpromoting the Earth Charter to governmentdelegations, NGO caucuses, and the media.A core group of over twenty-five Earth Chartersupporters functioned effectively as a teamduring the ten days of the Summit.

The Earth Charter was presented at manydifferent events in the course of the Summit,as per list below:

• “The Celebration of the Earth Charter” wasone of the most significant events as itbrought together a high-level panel ofspeakers and an audience that includedgovernment delegates, NGO representatives,the Minister of Environment of Holland,Earth Charter Commissioners and supportersto celebrate the achievements of the EarthCharter Initiative over the past decade. Itserved as an opportunity to strengthen therole of the Earth Charter in the search for amore just and sustainable future. Speakersincluded Secretary General of the Summit,Nitin Desai; Jan Pronk, Kofi Annan’s SpecialEnvoy to the Summit; Jane Goodall; CarlosManuel Rodriguez, Minister of theEnvironment for Costa Rica; Parvez Hassan,former chair of the IUCN Commission onEnvironmental Law; and Earth CharterCommissioner Steven Rockefeller, co-chair ofthe Earth Charter Steering Committee. JuliaMarton-Lefèvre, executive director of LEADInternational, chaired the panel of speakers.The event was held on 27 August 2002 atthe IUCN Environment Centre in the Summitarea.

• At the Ubuntu Village complex, the EarthCharter Initiative Secretariat, in collaborationwith the Centre for Respect of Life andEnvironment, The Australian National

University, Florida Gulf Coast University, andSoka Gakkai International held a successfulWSSD parallel event on “Educating forSustainable Development with the EarthCharter.”

• At the Local Government Parallel event, TheInternational Council of Local EnvironmentalInitiatives (ICLEI) organized a special sessionon “Just and Peaceful Communities,” whichincluded several presentations on EarthCharter endorsement initiatives.

• On 1 September the Earth Charter Type IIpartnership was formally presented andlaunched in the Sandton Convention Centrewhere formal governmental sessions wheretaking place. The event includedinterventions from the Minister ofEnvironment of Mexico, as well as partnersfrom Bolivia, Japan and Jordan. Earth CharterCommission, Wakako Hironaka also spokeon this occasion.

• Earth Charter Exhibitions - At the UBUNTUVillage, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) inpartnership with the Earth Council presenteda beautifully designed exhibition title“A Quiet Revolution: The Earth Charterand Human Potential.” Joan Anderson ofSGI reported that roughly 15,000 peopleattended the exhibition, which won thirdprize in the “Independent Exhibits” categoryat the UBUNTU Village. Another Earth

Steven Rockefeller, Co-chair of the Earth CharterSteering Committee, at the Earth Charter event on

Education in the Ubuntu Village.


Charter exhibition, sponsored by the EarthCouncil, was featured in the IUCNExhibition Hall at its Environment Centre.

The Earth Charter was also presented at:

• An event entitled “Engaging People inSustainability: future and action orientateddiscussion on education for sustainabledevelopment” organized by the IUCNCommission on Education andCommunication.

• A parallel event held in the NASREC Centreentitled, “Education and Values forSustainable Development,” organized by theInternational Environment Forum.

Earth Charter Exhibition tent in Ubuntu Village.

“I believe that the Earth Charter gives ethical and moral orientationsthat will help to strengthen the human spirit. Only a person who has self-confidence and is open to friendship and solidarity, cananswer the challenges of our time. The Earth Charter opens a newphase not only in ecological movement, but also in the world’spublic life. We must do everything we can, so that this Charter isaccepted exactly as it was designed: a set of vitally important rules.”

-Hon. Mikhail Gorbachev,President of Green Cross International/

Earth Charter Commissioner, Russia


The Ark of Hope – Not Constrainedby National Borders

Under the leadership of Sally Linder, a groupof artists and educators from the United Statesbrought the Ark of Hope to the JohannesburgSummit in an effort to help promote the EarthCharter. The Ark of Hope is a large woodenchest beautifully decorated with images of theplanet’s cultural and biological diversity, and theEarth Charter is inscribed on papyrus parchmenton the inside of its lid. The Ark is filled withprayers, poems, and images expressing thehopes and aspirations of thousands of people.

Supporters of the Earth Charter in the UnitedStates walked the Ark of Hope from the state ofVermont to the United Nations in New York Citywhere it was on exhibition during PrepCom II. InJohannesburg, Sally Linder and her colleaguesbrought the Ark of Hope into the blacksettlements of Soweto, Zandsprite, andDiepsloot, where they spent over a week sharingwith children and young people the vision of theEarth Charter and exploring with them throughdialogue and art, hopes and aspirations for thefuture.

Earth Charter presence in thePrepComs

PrepCom II –January 2002 –– New York, USAEarth Charter Briefing Session

The purpose of this event was to present theEarth Charter to government officials and NGO

representatives involved in the preparation ofthe WSSD and to engage them in a dialogue.This session provided an overview of the EarthCharter and considered the relevance of itswidely shared vision of fundamental values onthe World Summit on Sustainable Development.The panel had participation from the followingEarth Charter Commissioners: YolandaKakabadse, Wangari Maathai, Steven Rockefellerand Mohamed Sahnoun. Each participantpresented an in-depth vision with differentperspectives on the Earth Charter. This was anofficial Side Event that took place at the UNHeadquarters on 29 January.

PrepCom III – April 2002 – New York, USA

An Earth Charter/Earth Council Side Event tookplace to address the need to deepen andbroaden civil society participation in sustainabledevelopment policy making. Erna Witoelar,Indonesian National Director for WSSDPrepCom IV and Earth Charter Commissioner,described the Indonesian experience in settingup the National Council for SustainableDevelopment (NCSD) and the challenge ofcreating such a multisectoral process underconditions of political crisis. She stressed the factthat political realities can support or ruinsustainable development and underscored theneed for an ethical framework, such as the EarthCharter, to be embedded within civil society andgovernment actions.

PrepCom IV - June 2002 – Bali, Indonesia Earth Charter Activists Working Session(1 – 2 June)

The Earth Charter Secretariat organized ameeting that brought together severalorganization representatives that collaboratewith the Earth Charter Initiative. The aim of thisgathering was to offer a space to shareperspectives and concerns regarding possibleoutcomes for the Earth Charter at theJohannesburg Summit, as well as to share theirexperiences in working with the Earth Charter indifferent parts of the world.

Ark of Hope event at WSSD, Sandton Convention Centre.


Earth Charter Cultural Event (2 June)

Over 1,000 people attended the “Earth CharterCultural Festival” held at the Candra LokaAmphitheatre in Nusa Dua on the evening of 2June. The event brought together Indonesianartists and singers and served as a wonderfulopportunity to promote the Earth Charter. Thecultural event was sponsored and organized bySoka Indonesia and Soka Gakkai International(SGI) in cooperation with the Earth CharterSecretariat and Indonesian NGO Kehati.

Earth Charter official Side Event (3 June)

Can we achieve sustainability without acommon ethical framework? The promiseof the Earth Charter .Cielito Habito, former Minister of State of ThePhilippines, chaired this Earth Charter OfficialSide Event at PrepCom IV, held whereintergovernmental negotiations were takingplace. Participants included Minister Jan Pronk,from The Netherlands, Kamla Chowdhry, EarthCharter Commissioner from India and AlvaroUmaña, head of the Sustainable DevelopmentDivision of UNDP. A number of governmentdelegates were in the room and expressedinterest. A representative from the RomanianGovernment expressed his government’sendorsement of the Earth Charter. Participantshighlighted that political debate on ethical issueswas lacking in the WSSD process. The eventfulfilled its purpose of raising awareness of andsupport for the Earth Charter.

Earth Charter official Side Event (6 June)

This event entitled “Toward a Common visionfor Sustainable Development” was organized incollaboration with the Indonesian Ministry ofEnvironment. Minister Jan Pronk (The Netherlands)spoke first, inviting all governments to supportthe Earth Charter and making a plea to have theEarth Charter discussed among parliamentarians.He was followed by Juan Mayr, former Ministerof Environment of Colombia, who was veryvocal in the WSSD process in stressing the needfor an ethical dimension to be embedded in thepolitical agreements. Then Maurice Strong,co-chair of the Earth Charter Commission,and Her Royal Highness Princess Basma BintTalal of Jordan offered their contributions by

Jan Pronk, Special Envoy of theUN Secretary General.

Singer at the Earth Charter cultural event.

Alvaro Umaña, Cielito Habito, Jan Pronk and Kamla Chowdhry at the event.


presenting their perspectives on the importanceand the need to have such an instrument as theEarth Charter considered in policy making.Nabiel Makarim, the Indonesian State Ministerfor Environment, chaired the event.

Earth Charter Exhibition

An Earth Charter exhibition was displayed alsoin Bali, organized by Soka Gakkai Internationaland the local Soka Indonesian group; all localstaff involved did an incredible job in setting upthe exhibition and staying throughout the 10days of the PrepCom on a volunteer basisoffering information on the Earth Charter to theexhibition visitors.

References to the Earth Charter inthe Preparatory Process

In addition to the PrepComs, which were globalformal gatherings bringing together governmentdelegations and NGOs, a significant number ofother preparatory events took place in thebuilding up to the Summit. These preparatoryevents issued a number of documents tocontribute to the WSSD process, many of whichcontained references to the Earth Charter. Forexample:

The U.N. Secretary-General’s Advisory Panelfor WSSD.

In the report of this panel’s discussions held inFebruary 2002, the panel issued a statement

expressing strong support for the Charter andrecommending WSSD to consider recognizingthe Earth Charter as an important ethicalinstrument towards sustainability.

The Regional Forum of Ministers ofEnvironment of Latin America and theCaribbean elaborated the “Latin American andCaribbean Ministerial Initiative for SustainableDevelopment” which states the need forcollaborative work on: “construction of a newethical practice for sustainable development thattakes into account the processes developed sofar, such as the Earth Charter.”

Following is a list of international meetings thatproduced statements that expressed a specificreference in support of the Earth Charter.

Organized by the United Nations

• Regional Roundtable for East Asia and the Pacific Region

• Regional Roundtable for Central and South Asia

• Asia Pacific High Level Regional SessionFor WSSD

• African Regional Prep conference forWSSD - Youth statement

• Ministerial Latin American and Caribbean Forum in preparation for WSSD

Organized by other groups

• Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED)

• Pan-European ECO meeting preparing Ministerial Conference

• WSSD Youth Political Declaration issued after PrepCom IV

• Southern NGO Summit Towards Johannesburg and Beyond

• The Earth Dialogues

Part of the Earth Charter supporter team in front ofSoka Gakkai’s Earth Charter exhibition in Bali.


Building onprevious effortsthat generatedsignificantpolitical

support for the Earth Charter and given the factthat the United Nations General Assemblydeclared the UN Decade of Education for

Sustainable Development starting in 2005, theEarth Charter International Secretariatapproached a number of Earth CharterCommissioners and government representativesto engage them in presenting a Draft Resolutionto the UNESCO General Conference in supportof the Earth Charter. This effort was undertakenbetween July and October of 2003.

National Reports

The following national reports, which alsoserved as inputs for the Summit, includedreferences to the Earth Charter:

• National report of Costa Rica

• National report of Honduras

• National report of Tajikistan

• National report of Chile

(The statements and links to all the original textsmentioned above can be found in a full report ofthe preparatory process placed on the EarthCharter website)

NGO and Local GovernmentEndorsements

During the course of the Summit, a number ofgroups, NGOs and other organizations affirmedtheir support for the Earth Charter. Following is alist of these:

• The Statement on Education for Sustainable Development issued on 29 August by representatives of National and Regional Professional Associations for Environmental Education, which has members in 73 countries and all continents.

• The Ubuntu Declaration , issued by eleven of the world’s foremost educational and scientific organizations, called for the greening of classroom curricula at all levelsand endorsed the Earth Charter.

• The Johannesburg Call endorsed by over 700 mayors, and local community leaders from around the world included a reference to the Earth Charter. This was part of the Local Government conference organized under the leadership of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).

• The Local Government Declaration to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, issued at the closing plenary of the Local Government Session atthe Summit, sets forth local government principles and commitments relevant to thegoals of the Johannesburg Summit, and includes the Earth Charter.

• The Youth Major Group Statement on Governance, Globalization, Finance, and Trade, issued on 30 August by the Youth Caucus, recommended the Earth Charter as a valid ethical framework.

II. UNESCO

UNESCO adopted a resolution “recognizing the Earth Charter as an important ethicalframework for sustainable development.”

As generating politicalsupport for the EarthCharter continues to beone of the goals of theInitiative, the

Secretariat has been exploring ways to have the

Earth Charter play a significant role in theactivities undertaken by UNEP. One way to carrythat out is by following up on the LatinAmerican and Caribbean Initiative forSustainable Development, issued by Ministers ofEnvironment of the region, and which has a


The IUCN has beena leader in thedevelopment of afocused and well-

understood ethical consensus globally aboutnature. “Caring for the Earth” and “The WorldCharter for Nature,” provide a strong rationaleon the need of ethics as essential to achievingthe objectives of sustainable development.

Over the decade of the 1990s, the IUCNCommission on Environmental Law (CEL) playeda significant role in the drafting of the EarthCharter. The 2nd World Conservation Congressheld in Amman, Jordan in the year 2000,requested members and commissions, inResolution 2.96, to study the Earth Charter andoffer a recommendation to the 3rd Congressregarding its endorsement and use.

Building on these efforts, in early 2003, theIUCN Ethics Specialists Group of the CELprepared a draft resolution on IUCNendorsement to the Earth Charter, which waspresented to the IUCN Council meeting in May2003. The Draft Resolution, which was acceptedby the IUCN Councillors as a policyrecommendation will be considered in the 3rdWorld Conservation Congress in Bangkok inNovember 2004.

The Earth Charter Initiative, together with keycollaborators, will be actively working on theprocess of getting IUCN members to support theEarth Charter Resolution and also integrate it inIUCN programmes. The Secretariat has beencontacting the IUCN Commission on Educationand Communication to explore areas ofcollaboration.

III. The World Conservation Union (IUCN)

As a result, the 32nd General Conference ofUNESCO, which took place in October 2003,adopted a resolution in support of the EarthCharter “recognizing the Earth Charter as animportant ethical framework for sustainabledevelopment” and acknowledging “its ethicalprinciples, its objectives and its contents, as anexpression that coincides with the vision thatUNESCO has with regard to their new Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007.”

The draft resolution submitted by thegovernment of Jordan and supported by

Costa Rica, Honduras and Spain, also affirmedmember states’ intention “to utilize the EarthCharter as an educational instrument,particularly in the framework of the UnitedNations Decade of Education for SustainableDevelopment” which begins in 2005. Thisrepresents a significant expression ofacknowledgement of the importance of the EarthCharter and recognition of it as an importantinstrument. The Earth Charter Secretariat plans tofollow up by seeking close collaboration withUNESCO and member-states toward theimplementation of this resolution.

IV. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)


reference to the Earth Charter under the need toconstruct a new ethical base for sustainability.The Secretariat has also started to approach anumber of Ministers of Environment requestingthem to consider presenting a Draft Decision toUNEP Governing Council. The purpose is tohave the UNEP Secretariat and members affirminterest in using the Earth Charter andincorporating it in their different programmestowards environmental education and in UNEP’seffort in working with an ethical framework forsustainability.

As a result of the Annual meeting of theEuropean Regional UNEP National Committeesheld in Geneva, 26 – 28 November 2003,participants submitted a letter to the head ofUNEP. Point 7 of said letter stated: “We believethat UNEP should follow the UNESCO exampleand adopt the Earth Charter. We think it wouldbe a positive step in convincing the others tofollow. In our opinion, Earth Charter can play avery important role as an ethical base forsustainable development, particularly foreducation in this sphere.”


verview: The Earth Charter has beenendorsed and utilized by educatorsaround the world in various settingsincluding schools, institutions of higher

education, community and professionaldevelopment. Primary and secondary schoolteachers have found the Earth Charter aninspiring vehicle for engaging students to thinkpositively and creatively about their futures.University educators have found the EarthCharter a useful resource in courses on ethics,the environment, social justice, sustainabledevelopment, globalisation, peace educationand international relations. Communityeducators have found that the Earth Charter canraise people's awareness of the globalchallenges we face, and assist them inevaluating their own situation and deciding onpositive courses of action. Undoubtedly, allthese different groups have found that the EarthCharter explains the abstract concept ofsustainable development by offering concreteprinciples around which an educationalprogramme can be constructed.

There is a community of educators grapplingwith questions such as: ”What basic valuesshould be at the core of education forsustainability?” or “What are the challenges

associated with educating in the 21st century?”Our Education Advisory Committee, which wasformed in 2001 with the participation of aninternational group of leading educators,believes that the Earth Charter offers a uniqueframework for responding to these queries.The Earth Charter reflects shared valuessupported by people in many different cultures,religions and societies from around the world. This section of the report offers an overview ofthe Initiative Education Programme’s activities aswell as some examples of the remarkableactions inspired by the Earth Charter’s vision.

Earth Charter Education Philosophy

The Earth Charter Education Programme worksfrom the understanding that cultural, economicand political change is necessary to advance thesustainability agenda. The programmerecognizes the educational importance ofarticulating the implicit values of sustainabledevelopment.

A growing number of organizations,governments, and individuals recognize that theEarth Charter is a valuable educational resourcefor the necessary reorientation of educationalcurricula. In order to advance this process andensure that the Earth Charter plays a moreeffective role in the educational field, the EarthCharter Secretariat facilitated a dialogue, overthe past two years, among experts in education,including our Education Advisory Committee.This collaborative effort was instrumental inelaborating the Earth Charter educationphilosophy, suggested pedagogies for workingwith the Charter, and in identifying the mainactivities on which the programme shouldconcentrate.

O

EDUCATION PROGRAMME

“Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that sounds abstract – sustainabledevelopment – and turn it into reality for all the world’s people.”

Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General

A mind is like a sponge.


The following unique themes and perspectivescan provide focus for developing neweducational materials for learners: to know whatthe critical challenges and choices are; to feel asense of universal responsibility; to recognizethat there are differentiated responsibilitiesbecause of the wide economic and developmentgaps among people; to see the interdependenceof social, economic and environmental domains;to value partnerships; to recognize theimportance of ecological integrity, socialand economic justice, and democracy andnon-violence in order to advance sustainability.

Despite this broad philosophical andpedagogical outline, the Education AdvisoryCommittee suggested that it is neither possiblenor advisable for the International Secretariat toproduce a single, generic set of instructionalmaterials with which to “teach” the EarthCharter. Instead, the Education Programme iscommitted to supporting the development ofmaterials appropriate to different educationalsettings and to working with the growingnetwork of educators who currently use theEarth Charter in their teaching and learningprogrammes and activities.

“What can we do to live more simply, so that others can simply live?

How can you bring this above message to students who are growing up in aconsumer-oriented, materialistic world, in which your very identity is defined notby who you are but by what you wear, the house you live in, the car you drive,the holidays you take. What is it that lies behind this absolute warping of moralvalues? Perhaps teachers have been trying too hard to be neutral and objective,because in education we have been taught that is the professionally ethicalthing to do.”

Taken from John Fien’s series of breakfast addresses, ‘Leadership and Management in Education’. http://www.griffith.edu.au/school/ctl/clme

Earth Charter Pedagogies

The practice of Earth Charter pedagogy involves:

• Open, participatory and inclusive education processes• Shared resources and materials• Experiential learning activities• Holistic learning• Transdisciplinarity

This gym class relies onrecycled materials.


Strategy and Main Activities

The Education Programme works with theconviction that both top-down strategies andgrassroots efforts are necessary to bring aboutthe necessary transformations in the educationalfield. The Programme aims to develop andincorporate into educational systems a holisticeducational pedagogy based on the EarthCharter with learning materials to support itsimplementation.

The main activities of the Education Programmeare to:

a) Follow up with educational organizations that have endorsed the Earth Charter,engaging them in the further work of incorporating its values and principles into their teaching programmes and activities;

b) Seek and strengthen collaboration with educational institutions towards the common goal of advancing education for sustainable development with the Earth Charter;

c) Elaborate, in collaboration with others, an Earth Charter Education Guidebook;

d) Continue to improve the Earth Charter Online Education database with the goal ofturning it into an Online Education Resource Centre;

e) Collaborate with educators who are making use of the Earth Charter in a varietyof settings and document their work as case studies or living examples for other educators;

f) Nurture and reinforce communication withinterested educators, toward developing aninformal global Earth Charter Educators’Network.

The following is an outline of the main streamsof activity the Education Programme undertookin 2003:

Collaboration with Educational Institutions

The International Secretariat is collaboratingclosely with a number of educationalorganizations to encourage the use of the EarthCharter as an educational tool, and to find areasof synergy and mutual support. Much of thisactivity was follow-up to the Earth Charterpartnership Action Plan that was developedduring a meeting held in Urbino, Italy in June2003. The Action Plan set priority activities aswell as mechanisms of coordination andimplementation. It also helped to clarify leadorganizations for specific activities. TheSecretariat began to seek funding to ensureimplementation of this global partnership and toenable partner organizations to have an ongoingcommitment to move forward with the ActionPlan.

“An integrated vision of the different challenges that weface would help to guide us towards a better future...One of our biggest challenges now is to come to a betterunderstanding of the inter-relationship of the variouscomponents needed to ensure a more just and peacefulworld.”

- Dr. Ruud Lubbers, Earth Charter Commissioner,The Netherlands

The people and the place where theAction Plan was developed.


United Nations Decade of Education forSustainable Development and the EarthCharter

In December 2002, the United Nations GeneralAssembly adopted a resolution declaring 2005the beginning of the United Nations Decade ofEducation for Sustainable Development.National governments, relevant internationalorganisations and NGOs were asked toconsider their contributions to the Decade,and UNESCO was designated the lead agencyin this endeavour. The Earth CharterInternational Secretariat submitted a documentrecommending that UNESCO use the EarthCharter as an educational instrument and anethical framework for the Decade.

Moreover, pursuant to the UNESCO resolutionin support of the Earth Charter, the Secretariatbegan to explore efforts to build on itsmomentum and identify areas of collaborationwith governments and educational institutions.

Online Educators’ Discussion Forum

In December 2003, responding to the need tofurther elaborate and shape the EducationProgramme’s activities, the Secretariat hosted anOnline Forum focused on “The Earth Charter asan Educational Framework for Teaching andLearning about Sustainable Development.”The Forum brought together 120 registeredparticipants from around the world to shareperspectives and experiences of utilizing theEarth Charter as an educational tool.

During the two-week forum, participants postedover 200 messages, offering comments, insightsand advice for the Education Programme.A summary document capturing the richnessof these discussions can be viewed on theEarth Charter website. The synthesis of thesediscussions, which builds upon the first online

discussion in 2001 involving just the membersof the Earth Charter Education AdvisoryCommittee, will be used to guide the actions ofthe Education Programme in 2004.

Earth Charter Education Guidebook

Despite the sentiment of some members of ourEducation Advisory Committee that, “In thehands of a good educator, the Earth Charter isits own best resource,” the Secretariat receivednumerous requests indicating the need for anEarth Charter Education Guidebook and resourcematerials. In late 2003, the Secretariat developedan outline and work-plan for the developmentof the Guidebook. Education experts are beingconsulted on issues of content, form, choice oftarget audiences, and potential funding sourcesfor the development and production of theGuidebook.

The concept of the Guidebook is a user-friendlyresource that aims to facilitate the educationalimplementation of the Earth Charter at differenteducational levels. It would include anintroduction to Education for SustainableDevelopment, the philosophy and pedagogiesfor teaching with the Earth Charter, livingexamples of the Earth Charter in action, andsuggestions for implementation at variousdifferent levels.

Inspired by the Earth Charter.


“Where we all Belong” CD by Raffi, Canada

In the summer of 2003, Raffi, a famousCanadian children’s troubadour, launched amusic CD inspired by the Earth Charter. WhereWe All Belong invokes the power of music tohelp promote the Earth Charter message. Itcontains three beautiful songs inviting people tocelebrate life. The songs convey the inclusivevision of the Earth as an abundant home, “acircle where we all belong.” The CD is helpingto promote the Earth Charter and it is also anexcellent learning tool for students. It is givingan opportunity for diverse groups to share theEarth Charter with their membership and isalready being used in many different educationalspheres, from elementary schools in the BalearicIslands, Spain to St. Thomas University, USA.For more information, please visit:http://www.raffinews.com

UNESCO - Multimedia Teacher EducationProgramme, International

As part of its programme, “Educating for aSustainable Future,” UNESCO led thedevelopment of a multimedia teacher educationprogramme entitled Teaching and Learning fora Sustainable Future. In 2002, a third versionof this online module was launched. Theprogramme contains 100-hours of professionaldevelopment modules for teachers, curriculumdevelopers, education policy makers, andauthors of educational materials. It provides avaluable overview of the holistic andinterdisciplinary concept of sustainability, itsimplications for teaching across the curriculum,its emphasis on values and ethics, and teachingmethods that can be used for such subjects. Themultimedia format of these modules means thatthey can be used by teachers eitherindependently or in small self-study groups –even in isolated locations – thus avoidingtraditional barriers of access to training and newinformation. This material includes a substantialsection on the Earth Charter and also suggestsways to be involved in the Earth Charterprocess. It is available at:http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/

Highlights from collaborating organizations 1

“We translated Raffi’s song toCatalan and sang it in our class.”

Guillem Ramis, school teacher

Educational Tools for All

1These highlights are by no means an exhaustive listing of institutional and individual works utilizing the Earth Charter.

CD cover.

UNESCO’s Multimedia Teacher EducationProgramme website.


“There is no way out of poverty and no possibility to build the road toSustainable Development without education. Access to formal basicand high-level education and to information is a priority.”

- Yolanda Kakabadse, Earth Charter Commissioner, Ecuador

Additional Resources for All


Vivim Plegats (Living Together) Programme,Spain

This multicultural education programme forpeace and cooperation was established in 2000by the Ministry of Education and Culture and theDepartment of Social Welfare of the BalearicIslands, in collaboration with the local officesof UNICEF and UNESCO and other public andprivate entities.

The programme Vivim Plegats (Living Together)seeks to promote understanding, tolerance,peace, and cooperation. It was initiated tocounter racism and xenophobia in the BalearicIslands in response to the arrival of newimmigrant populations from NorthernEuropean, African and American countries.

The Programme has been implemented at alleducational levels, but it is most active inelementary schools. During the last three years,over 76 schools in the Balearic Islands have putinto practice the principles of the Earth Charter,with students working on themes related tomulticulturalism, education for peace, andcooperation. A team of teachers developed amethodology to bring to the students anunderstanding of the values of the Earth Charterand to incorporate them into the curriculum.

The ideological base of Vivim Plegats stressesthe knowledge and practice of human rights. Forthis reason, the programme uses the texts of theConvention on the Rights of the Child and theEarth Charter to foster a broader vision of humanrights. Pedagogic materials have been edited forthis programme, including adaptations of theEarth Charter for children and youth. Theseadaptations have been translated into a numberof languages including Catalan, Spanish,Gallego, Euskara (Four languages of Spain),French, English, Russian, Portuguese, Greek,Japanese, German and Arabic to facilitatemulticultural work; in this way, students studythe text in Catalan at school and then share withtheir families the same text in their ownlanguage. Another priority has been to workwith the communities in which the schools arelocated.

An 11-page detailed description of the VivimPlegats programme can be found in the EarthCharter Education Database along with EarthCharter adaptations for youth and children.For more information visit:http://www.earthcharter.org/resources

Secondary School Experience inAguascalientes, Mexico

The “Educating for sustainable development withthe Earth Charter” programme was initiated and

Primary/Secondary Education

An intercultural presentation has the childrens’full attention.

Students and teachers of the school ofAguascalientes during an Earth Charter activity.


is being carried out by two teachers, GinaRamírez and Ana Lilia Martínez, in theSecondary General School No.15 ofAguascalientes.

First, a curricular proposal was drafted using themain principles of the Earth Charter, with thepurpose of stimulating a change in attitudesamong the students and community. The goalwas to turn them into agents for change, tocultivate a deep sense of caring for the Earth andthe larger living world, and to generate a senseof responsibility to protect the environment.

The school board accepted the proposal andagreed that engaging the whole schoolcommunity in this process would ensure anintegrated understanding and commitment tothe Earth Charter vision. Before the school yearbegan, educational, administrative and supportpersonnel attended a workshop about the EarthCharter, its history, content, and how it relates totheir work. Teachers were encouraged to relatelesson topics with the principles of the EarthCharter. Both teachers and students learned toadopt an active and participatory role inworking towards solutions to communityproblems.

Given the success of this Earth Charter-basededucation programme, the founding teachershave planned to share their experience andspread the Charter and their methodology toother schools in the Morelia and Zacatecasregions. For more information, please e-mail: GinaRamírez at [email protected]

Bringing the Earth Charter to PrimarySchools, France

The Earth Charter has been utilized as apedagogical instrument in the work of the French organization Actions Pour Une Chartede la Terre, which involves schools in differentregions of France. These learning workshopswith primary school children were organizedunder the theme “I will do something for my

planet.” In November 2003, the organizationcoordinated three-day workshops for 150students and teachers in Paris. The workshopsconcluded with the decision to develop apedagogical kit on the Earth Charter, produce anEarth Charter song, and create a French EarthCharter website.

In addition, Foundation of France agreed toprovide seed funds for Action Pour Une Chartede la Terre to further their work linkingeducation, art and the Earth Charter. It involvedthe preparation of teacher-training materials forthe Centre of Education and the Protection of theEnvironment in Auvergne, France. For moreinformation, please e-mail Josianne Troillet [email protected]

The Brink Expedition, Global

The Brink Expedition, anAustralian initiative thatbegan in May 2003, is a wayto take positive social andenvironmental messagesaround the world. TheExpedition is travellingthrough 30 countries usinghuman power and the natural elements. The aimof the Brink Expedition has been to bring socialand environmental issues into mainstreamawareness – through technology (internet),media (radio, documentary), schools(curriculum) and sport (cricket).

Students from one of the participatingschools.


As the Brink Expedition teamvisits a community, theycommunicate with thoseresidents the message of theEarth Charter and spend timein schools to discuss the EarthCharter and the sustainabledevelopment Brink hotspots.All schools registering with

the Brink SchoolRoom receive aSchool Pack,containing the EarthCharter, a children’sadaptation of theEarth Charter andthe UNESCO CDRom – Teachingand Learning for aSustainable Futureas well as otherBrink materials. TheSchool Room of theBrink websitecurrently includes45 schools from

Australia, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina andBrazil. These are schools that are eitherfollowing the Brink Expedition through journals,studying the Brink Curriculum materials that areavailable online, or communicating with otherschools. The first Curriculum Module – “TheBrink Expedition and the Earth Charter,” exploresthe Earth Charter and outlines the understandingthat the Expedition itself is an example of theEarth Charter in action.

The story of the Brink Expedition has made itsway to television, radio and newspapers inAustralia. People otherwise uninformed havegained exposure to social and environmentalissues because they have been attracted to theadventure of the Expedition. For moreinformation, please visit http://www.brinkx.org

Ministryof Education - Costa Rica

The Costa RicanMinistry of Educationhas incorporated the

core principles of the Earth Charter into thetransversal curriculum themes for primary andsecondary schools under the “EnvironmentalCulture for Sustainable Development” effort.Programme implementation is underway andincludes a consultation in which members of theCosta Rican Earth Charter Group gave input onthe Government’s proposals. This effort tointegrate the core values of the Earth Charter intomainstream curriculum on a national level, ledby the Ministry but in consultation with keystakeholders, is a model example of the EarthCharter Education Programme as catalyst tocurricular reform.

As the Secretariat is located in Costa Rica, thereis special interest to have the Earth Charterrooted in the Costa Rican educational system.The Secretariat has called for the collaborativeefforts of the Costa Rican Ministry of Education,The Costa Rican National University and theMinistry of Environment in a joint project toproduce educational materials based on theEarth Charter for primary and secondary schools.The Ministry of Education previously expressedthe intention to work on this project but neededsupport as well as financial assistance, whichhas yet to be secured. Planning is underway todevelop these materials over the course of 2004and launch them at the beginning of the UNDecade for Education for SustainableDevelopment in 2005.


The University for Peace (UPEACE) wasestablished in 1980 “with a clear determinationto provide humanity with an internationalinstitution of higher education for peace.”From its headquarters in Costa Rica, UPEACEcarries out peace education and research.

The “Introduction to Peace Studies” course, partof the core curriculum of the University,introduces students to the field of peace studiesas an integrated, interdisciplinary area of

research. As part of that course a 3-hour sessionis devoted to the Earth Charter with the goal ofintroducing it as a document, a process, and atool. In 2002, the Earth Charter Secretariatcollaborated with UPEACE professors in puttingtogether this class and offering specific exercisesthat engaged students in using the Earth Charteras an instrument or a catalyst for multi-sectoral,cross-cultural and interfaith dialogue on globalethics.

In another initiative at UPEACE led by ProfessorAbelardo Brenes, the Earth Charter has beenused as a reference for the development of aMaster’s Degree programme in Peace Educationwith a focus on training education policy makersand teachers.

The programme is geared to professionals informal education who are working or would beinterested in working in the development ofpeace education programs, particularly in thecontext of countries and regions experiencingconflict and development challenges. Thepreamble of the Earth Charter was used toarticulate the learning goals of the program.

Higher Education

University for Peace, Costa Rica

“The Earth Charter is also incorporated into the structure of one ofthe programme’s courses ‘Sustainable Development Education’.Its overall purpose is to develop a sound understanding of therelationships among worldwide economic development trends,environmental constraints and conflicts, and potential avenues forconstructing a more peaceful and sustainable world economicorder. This serves as a framework for considering the role ofeducation in preventing and managing conflict through thepromotion of sustainable development policies and lifestyles.”

For more information, please see http://www.upeace.org

University for Peace campus in San Jose, Costa Rica.


Michigan State University - USA2

In spring 2002, Professors Terry Link and LaurieThorp of the Department of ResourceDevelopment, taught a course entitled EarthCharter: Pathway to a Sustainable Future? Thiscourse focused on the Earth Charter documentas a vehicle for personal, institutional,community, national and global transformation.The professors designed the course as analternative model for students, both in terms ofpedagogical approach and learning assessment.

The class met twice a week for 80 minutes. Inthe first session of the week a featured speakeror group of speakers addressed a specificprinciple of the Earth Charter and were asked toprovide short recommended readings. Thesecond session was a discussion based upon the

readings and presentation of the first session.Each student was required to participate in asemester-long project of engagement with theEarth Charter and their community. The projectwas documented through the compilation of apraxis portfolio.

Students chose their own projects and wereencouraged to find areas in which they werepassionate or deeply curious about. Projectsincluded school gardens, literacy programs,underprivileged tutoring programs, greenbuilding standards, recycling lists, performancewith a international dance for peace effort, andso on. Students learned about themselves andthe complexities of life in a much deeper fashionthan in the typical classroom experience. Theuse of various media presentations was also animportant feature.

University Leaders for a Sustainable Future,Global Initiative

The mission of the association of UniversityLeaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF) is tomake sustainability a major focus of teaching,research, operations and outreach at collegesand universities worldwide.

ULSF uses the Earth Charter as a key documentin its programmes and partners with the EarthCharter Initiative on a range of activities. ULSF isalso a partner of the Global Higher Education for

Sustainability Partnership (GHESP), an effort tomobilize higher education institutions to supportsustainable development teaching. Together thepartners represent over 1000 universitiescommitted to making sustainability a centralfocus of their teaching and institutional practice.From its founding, GHESP has used the EarthCharter as an inspiration and framework for itsprogrammatic planning and is developingresource materials for teaching sustainabledevelopment in higher education of which theEarth Charter plays a central role. For moreinformation, please see http://www.ulsf.org

"The Earth Charter is not a sacred writ, not something that we wantsimply people to sign on to. We want them to use it as a tool, toexamine their own spiritual, ethical and moral motivational structures,to see how these can apply in practical ways to their own life, to theinstitutions they serve, to the governments and to internationalorganizations.”

-Hon. Maurice Strong, Earth Charter Commissioner, Canada

2Based on the Syllabus and Course Review by Terry Link and Laurie Thorp.


Both the 5-page syllabus and course review(which details course design, evaluation andoperation) are available on the TertiaryEducation section of the Earth Charter EducationDatabase athttp://www.earthcharter.org/resources

Florida Gulf Coast University, USA

The Earth Charter has been adopted in severalcourses and programmes at Florida Gulf CoastUniversity (FGCU). “The University Colloquium:A Sustainable Future,” for example uses theEarth Charter. This course is a graduationrequirement in all five colleges of the University.

The Charter is also used in English compositionclasses and in the Learning Academy – anacademic community-building programme fornew students. Professor James Wohlpart relies onthe Earth Charter when he introducessustainability as an organizing principle into hisEnglish courses. The undergraduate programmein English is currently under revision to includean emphasis on humans’ relationship to theenvironment, a focus that will also be key to thenew Master’s programme in English. Students inthese courses are asked to consider ways inwhich culture creates narratives that providemeaning in life and the way in whichsustainability functions as a twenty-first centurynarrative. In an environmental literature coursetaught by Professors Wohlpart and Peter BlazeCorcoran, former Colloquium Coordinator,students are introduced to the Earth Charter as anew approach to global ethics and sustainability.In Professor Corcoran’s environmental education

course, the Earth Charter is the focus ofeducation for sustainable development.

In late 2003, FGCU received the approval toestablish a Center for Environmental andSustainability Education. The Earth Charter willbe used as inspiration in reconceptualizingenvironmental education. The Center will workwith the Secretariat in Costa Rica on specificprojects including teacher education related tothe Charter.

Federal University of Mato Grosso, Brazil

The Federal University of Mato Grosso in Brazilhas been using the Earth Charter in a number ofdifferent areas. In November 2003, theUniversity organized a seminar onEnvironmental Education involving over 500participants, with the Earth Charter as a centraldocument and theme. The event, which tookplace in Mato Grosso from 6 to 8 November,was televised throughout Brazil.

The University is developing formative courses,for public schools teachers, to exploreimplementation of the Earth Charter withinschool curriculum and political and pedagogicalprojects. The State Secretariat of Education ofMato Grosso collaborates with the Universityworking towards building new socio-culturalparadigms of behaviour that reaffirm theprinciples of sustainable development.They have used the Charter in various regionalseminars and meetings, teacher training courses,and in community education.For more information please see:http://www.ufmt.br/remtea/

“In the Earth Charter, besides scientific, technological and economicdirections, you will also find there is a running thread of spirituality, ofpeace and non-violence, of the need for compassion for others. The EarthCharter pleads for a new vision, a vision that recognizes that we are allone human family with a common destiny in spite of different social,cultural and biological diversity.”

-Dr. Kamla Chowdhry, Earth Charter Commissioner, India


The Paulo Freire Institute, Brazil

The Paulo Freire Institute (IPF) recognizes theCharter’s potential as a powerful tool to inspirepositive change in individuals and communities.In its last 10 years of involvement in the EarthCharter movement, IPF organized andparticipated in many national and internationalgatherings to promote the Earth Charter’s valuesand developed a new eco-pedagogy based onthe Earth Charter.

In the IPF “JOVe m PAZ” project (the Youth PeaceProject), social educators are trained to generateschool and community activities that focus on thedevelopment of a culture of peace ands u s t a i n a b i l i t y. The Earth Charter serves as a keyelement in this training, to encourage reflection onhow a change in lifestyle can contribute to socialchange and the common good. In 2002- 2003,

over 200 educators were trained through thisproject in three regions of Sao Paulo.

The Citizen School Project which involves some150 schools in Sao Paulo, works to develop andimprove relationships among members of theschool community—parents, teachers, studentsand administrators. The project invites schools todevelop democratic management practicesincluding participatory development andevaluation of the school curriculum. Schools areinvited and conducted to utilize the EarthCharter as a project guide.

In IPF’s literacy projects, the Earth Charter isutilized as a document to teach sustainability.“It is useful not only for environmentaleducation but as a guide to all our curricula,”says Moacir Gadotti, Director-General of IPF.For more information, please see:http://www.paulofreire.org

Saint Thomas University, USA

Two-thirds of all ethics courses taught at St.Thomas include the Earth Charter as a requiredtheme and reading. Professors Elisabeth Ferreroand Joe Holland have co-authored a 100-pagehandbook entitled The Earth Charter: A StudyBook of Reflection for Action (see section“Educational Tools for All”)

In Professor Ferrero’s classes, students applyEarth Charter principles by doing organicgardening and documenting their experiences

and reflections via journals, reflection papers,etc. In 2003, the University partnered with alocal NGO, Florida Yards Neighbours, in a fieldcourse involving students and communityresidents in organic gardening and zerolandscaping. According to the organizers, theproject was successful and will be repeatedevery spring semester. Beyond multimediapresentations of their work, students are alsoasked to reflect on the content of the EarthCharter as part of the course. For moreinformation, please e-mail Elisabeth Ferrero [email protected]

Non-formal Education

“The Earth Charter is useful not only for environmentaleducation but as a guide to all our curricula.”

Moacir Gadotti, Director General, Paulo Freire Institute


Earth Scouts, USA

Organized by the Institute for Ethics andMeaning, the Earth Scouts was developed asan outgrowth of the Earth Charter CommunitySummits hosted in the U.S. It is open to allyouth and adults.

The mission of the Earth Scouts is to empoweryouth to “change the world one fun badge at atime,” through learning about the Earth Charter,and participating in fun activities that willbenefit themselves and the earth community.

“Trailblazer” groups are developing programmeand badge templates for children and youthfrom ages 3 to 13. Similar to other scoutingorganizations, Earth Scouts will be workingtowards earning badges. In each age group,there is one badge for each Earth Charterprinciple. Badges prescribe specific steps foryouth to follow. Youth will be given age-appropriate guidance and support in designingtheir own requirements for fulfilling the badgesteps.

The process of earning a badge is based onthe ‘Learn, Show, Do’ model often used in

cooperative learning environments. First, thescout will learn the principle through research,answering guided questions, interviews,fieldtrips, etc. Second, the scout willdemonstrate their knowledge of the principle bysharing it with their Earth Scout group. Finally,the scout will participate in an activity thatexemplifies the principle. More information canbe found at http://www.earthscouts.org

Earth Scout ProgrammeObjectives:

• to sensitize the youth about the fragility of the planet and its people

• to help youth become adults who raise their voices against war, hunger, injustice, and environmental destruction

• to help youth grow into a generation of stewards who work for change and live their lives according to the principles of the Earth Charter.

NAIA (Nucleus of Friends of the Childhoodand Adolescence), Brazil

Teachers and populareducators, who act inthe sphere of formaleducation, looking forways to organizealternative educationalspaces to address

themes not normally addressed in formaleducation, formed NAIA. In that search for aneducational space for liberation, reflection, andaction, they found in the Earth Charter adocument that contains the fundamental valuesin the formation of eco-citizens, who respectthemselves, others and the environment. With

that, they also hosted a 3000-person eventwithin the World Education Forum, entitled“Living Together: to Know and to Live the EarthCharter” held in January 2003 in Porto Alegre,Brazil.

Site for the fórumZINHO.


Soka GakkaiInternational (SGI)is a lay Buddhistassociationheadquartered inJapan, with 12million membersin 185 countriesand with a strongtradition of socialengagement. It isalso an NGOactively promotingpeace, culture,environmentalawareness and

education. Its members are encouraged tocontribute to their local communities andwork for change.

In 2002, SGI, in collaboration with theEarth Charter Initiative InternationalSecretariat, produced an Earth Charterexhibition entitled “Seeds of Change: TheEarth Charter and Human Potential,” whichwas first launched at the JohannesburgSummit on Sustainable Development.

The exhibition describes the need forsustainable development and introducesthe positive vision of the Earth Charter. Itpresents individual experiences from India,Costa Rica and Kenya, showing howpersonal commitment can make adifference when acting to solve localenvironmental problems such asdeforestation and water shortage. Theexhibition highlights the Earth Charter asa “map” showing the way towards asustainablelifestyle.

During theJohannesburgSummit, thevideo “A QuietRevolution”complementedthe exhibitionstrengtheningthe message that“empoweredindividuals canchange theworld.” Theaccompanying

NAIA works with the Earth Charter to allowchildren to have a voice in their own futurethrough proposing actions be accomplished inschools, communities, and global events relatedto the environment, human rights and ethicalvalues. The goal is to help foster attitudes, habitsand related values for a sustainable and peacefulglobal society.

In addition, and for the second year in a row,NAIA organized a parallel event to the 2003

World Social Forum, entitled ‘FórumZINHO’(Forum for Children). The event was marked bythe free distribution of an illustrated booklet withan adaptation in Portuguese of the Earth Charterfor Children, developed by NAIA. This bookletwas developed to offer key Earth Chartermessages to children. NAIA plans to carry on itson-going contribution to the formation andawareness raise of children and youth.For more information, please see:http://www.forumzinho.org.br/

Seeds of Change Exhibition, Soka Gakkai International


video was later broadcast internationally byNational Geographic.

Since then, SGI has taken the “Seeds ofChange” exhibition to different parts of theworld in order to promote public awarenessof the Earth Charter and stimulate discussionabout the Charter's educational potential. Theexhibition is being produced in manylanguages, so it can be mounted in regionalvenues where there is the greatest need forgrass roots education and informationactivities. To date, the exhibition has beentranslated into French, Italian, Spanish,Japanese and Chinese. The English versioncan be downloaded from the Earth Charterwebsite.

Following is an overview of the itinerary ofthe exhibition in 2003:

•In May, SGI-United Kingdom opened the “Seeds of Change—the Earth Charter and Human Potential” exhibition to the publicat its Taplow Court centre.

• In June, the exhibition was held in Urbino, Italy, at the Earth Charter in Action Conference.

•In October, SGI-Canada showed the exhibition at a celebration held at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, entitled “The World is yours to Change,” which was attended by 700 people. The programme featured dance from different cultures, drumming and songs.

•In October, a Chinese-language version of the exhibition opened in some 120 locations throughout Taiwan. The

exhibition, with its theme of individual empowerment, formed a central element of Taiwan Soka Association’s“Community Friendship Cultural Festivals.” The aim of the festivals was to promote friendship and energize local communities. Screenings of “A Quiet Revolution” were held together with showings of the exhibition.

•In November, the exhibition together withthe screening of “A Quiet Revolution” featured in an event held in Nantes, France and which brought together 230 participants.

Further showings of “Seeds of Change” areslated for venues in the U.S., South America,Asia and Europe in 2004. For moreinformation, please see http://www.sgi.org

Joan Anderson and Rick Clugston haveboth been seeds of many changes.


Earth Education Academy, Denmark

The Earth Education Academy seeks to develop,offer and host-learning programmes to assistlearners in acquiring the vision, values and skillsneeded for regenerative care of Earth. TheAcademy aims to train teachers and educators incommunity-based learning which draws on theconcept of lifelong learning for sustainability bysituating local and region-specific needs withinteaching and learning programmes. The EarthCharter is incorporated in their courses andprojects.

The Academy is involved in projects in Nepal,China, Ghana and Romania to assist in creatingcommunity-based training and capacity-buildingopportunities that help people live in anddevelop their communities in sustainable ways.Earth Education Academy draws on a visionaryand highly qualified interdisciplinary teaching-team and a number of new-thinking andpioneering practitioners and is part of the globalEarth Charter. For more information, pleasecontact Jesper Saxgren at e-mail:[email protected]

Educational activities with the Earth Charter,Mexico

Through its new Civic and Ethical Foundationprogramme, the Ministry of Public Educationintroduced the Earth Charter as an educationaltheme for primary and secondary school levels.Teacher training courses and companioninstructional materials are being planned fornext year. (see Primary/Secondary education –School of Aguascalientes example).

Since 2000, the Network of EnvironmentalEducators in Michoacan prioritised theiractivities around the Earth Charter. In 2002, theNetwork launched youth, adults, and a yearlongworkshop for teachers at the Centro EducativoMorelia. They also introduced the Earth Charteras a didactic tool at the University of Vasco deQuiroga and the University of Morelia. Theyhave developed a youth and adult trainingprogramme on utilizing the Earth Charter and a

pilot project of companion materials andexercises. In 2003, the Network continued theireducational workshops and added a trainingclass for Montessori teachers.

Mateo Castillo Ceja, President of the EcologyState Council for the State of Michoacán, hasbeen instrumental in Mexico’s activities with theEarth Charter.

Individual Efforts

The above highlights from our network representorganizational efforts of working with the EarthCharter. It presents selected examples of how theEarth Charter is being implemented and is not anexhaustive list. In actual fact, the Earth Charter isbeing used as an educational resource by somany organizations in varied settings that we arenot able to keep track of its usage.

In addition to these, a number of dedicatedindividuals have been working with the EarthCharter as an educational tool. A few peoplewho have been collaborating closely with theInternational Secretariat on the development ofmaterials include Guillem Ramis from Spain,Stephanie Tansey, currently based in Ashgabat,Karine Danielyan from Armenia, GwenHallsmith from Vermont, USA, Patricia Morales,based in Holland, and Valerie Brown, inAustralia. Their materials can be accessed fromthe Education Database, at:www.earthcharter.org/resources

Looking Ahead

The year 2004 holds tremendous opportunity forthe Earth Charter Education Programme as it isthe year leading up to the launch of the Decadeof Education for Sustainable Development.While the Decade may not yet have attainedhigh visibility in all circles, a growing number ofschools, universities, non-formal educationalorganizations, local and national governments,and multilateral agencies will be undertakingprojects for the Decade, and even more can bemotivated to do so.


The Earth Charter Initiative InternationalSecretariat envisions to not only continue to actas a catalyzing agent, working with our partnersin coordinated action towards the Decade, butwe also plan to help develop new resources toallow our network to realize the Earth Charter’s

educational potential. Within this context, theEducation Programme will be expanding itsdatabase project into an Online Resource Centreand will develop an Earth Charter EducatorsGuidebook in response to many requests.

Words from Louise Erbacher, Brink Expedition Coordinatorand schoolteacher, Australia

“Having always been interested in social and environmental issues, it hasalways been a difficult task for me to divide my time and energy between thetwo main fields. When I first heard about the Earth Charter in November2001, I was overwhelmed to realise that there was something out there,supported by people all around the world, that connected all the issues andpointed out the need for interdependence, cooperation and understanding inorder to reach solutions to those issues. Hearing all the personal stories,during the Asia Pacific Earth Charter Conference in Brisbane in 2001, gaveme a very real opportunity to see that the Earth Charter was not just a flatdocument with a series of vague principles. Instead, it was a livingdocument that inspired people to take action on so many different levels.

Working in the field of education, I am also continually searching for waysto encourage my students to become more aware of the world around themand for them to understand that they have a role to play in the future.The Earth Charter is a very valuable tool that helps people to see that weare all part of a much bigger picture and we all need to work together.”


verview: Of great importance to theEarth Charter Initiative is the need tomake the concept of sustainable

development accessible to local communitiesand to operationalize principles of sustainabilitythrough local government programmes, planningand activities. Local communities andgovernments are where the consequences ofnational and state policies and programmes aremost felt. It is also where individual actors canbe most involved and influential.

In this context, the Initiative aims to have EarthCharter principles incorporated as a guide forsustainability planning and assessment in theLocal Communities and has taken up the task tofirst promote awareness and endorsement of theEarth Charter by local authorities. Much of thiswork has been done with the support of keyorganizations such as the Local GovernmentsAssociation for Sustainability (ICLEI) andFundación Deyna in Spain. Since 2000, forexample, ICLEI has promoted the Earth Charterwithin its membership and encouraged publicdebate, adoption and use of the Earth Charter.

Since 2000, nearly 400 local authoritiesworldwide have endorsed the Earth Charter. Inaddition, endorsements have come fromorganizations that represent large numbers ofmunicipalities such as: ICLEI, mentioned above;the Catalonia Network of over 100municipalities, created by the Government ofBarcelona; the Florida League of Cities; and theU.S. Conference of Mayors, which draws its

membership from 1,183 cities with populationsover 30,000. In Jordan, all 99-city governmentshave endorsed the Earth Charter. In Spain, theprovincial government of Soria has a) worked tomake the Earth Charter a guide for its planninginitiatives; b) promoted the Earth Charter to allmunicipal governments in the province; andc) made a commitment to establish the SoriaWorld Forum for Sustainability.

The present challenge for the Local CommunityProgramme is to help local governments thathave formally endorsed the Earth Charter tomove forward in the process of realizing theircommitment to incorporate the Earth Charter intheir mechanisms for planning and operations.Efforts must be made also to assist, guide andtrain community actors and leaders in theirparallel process of utilizing the Earth Charter asa framework for community visioning, planning,project implementation and evaluation. TheSecretariat, in collaboration with organizationsand field experts, seeks ways to encourage theseprocesses, which require not only a considerablecommitment on the part of the municipality butalso the dedication of financial resources.

Local Community Advisory Group

In early 2003, the Secretariat called forrecommendations from those who had beeninvolved either in the Earth Charter Initiative orin the work of the Local CommunitiesProgramme on establishing programmepriorities, strategies and actions. The group,

O

LOCAL COMMUNITIES PROGRAMME

“Local Governments implementing sustainable development are determined to enter adecade of accelerated, effective action to create sustainable communities and protectthe global common goods… We call upon national governments to recognise localgovernment as a vital sphere of government that is the most visible face of thedevelopmental state.”

The Local Authorities Johannesburg Call, ICLEI


named the Earth Charter Local CommunitiesAdvisory PaneL (LOCAL Committee), helped toclarify that the programme’s mission should be“to further encourage the endorsement andimplementation of the Earth Charter at the localcommunity level, in coordination with the otheractivities of the Earth Charter Initiative.” Therewas consensus that priority actions should bedocumenting, creating and disseminating toolsand resources to assist local communities toimplement the Earth Charter at all levels.

Following are examples of groups whose workand enthusiasm in local communities haveadded value to the Earth Charter Initiative.

World Resources Institute -Indicators Project

In 2002, the World Resources Institute (WRI)began a project to develop a set of indicatorsthat could act both as a road-map tosustainability for local government and as apractical checklist for community activities totrack local progress against Earth Charterprinciples.

To help advance this project and to develop itsconceptual framework, the Project AdvisoryCommittee convened for the first time inDecember 2003 and agreed that the projectshould be broadened and refocused. A decisionwas made that the project should first provideguidance to assist communities in implementingEarth Charter principles, finding that indicatorsalone are not useful if it is not first determinedwhat the Earth Charter means in the context oftheir community. As a result, the project will firsthelp communities through the process ofidentifying elements of the Earth Charter mostrelevant to their needs and to develop thoseelements into specific goals.

The project requires the development of softwaretools that would be available online and anonline database of goals, targets, strategies andindicators. This could be used by localcommunities and governments to help identifytheir own community goals, strategies and

indicators. In 2004, project materials will bedeveloped and tested in a few communities, andWRI will help them adapt the indicators to theirparticular context. The Advisory Committeeplans to have a prototype ready to present at theSustainable Communities conference in July2004.

In addition, WRI has included the Earth CharterInitiative in the case studies of its 2002-2004World Resources Report, “Decisions for theEarth.” The report can be found at:http://pdf.wri.org/wr2002fulltxt_173-214_chap08.pdf (see Chapter 8 page 212)

ICLEI’s New Charter has incorporatedthe Earth Charter

The 3rd ICLEI World Congress took place inAthens, Greece from 3 – 7 November 2003,bringing together over 400 mayors, local leadersand representatives under the theme “LocalAction 21 and Local Governments ImplementingSustainable Development.” In the session on“Principles that are essential to guide localaction,” ICLEI members addressed the need for aset of principles by which to measureperformance. The Earth Charter and otherinstruments were considered when discussingthe question “What principles fulfill theseexpectations, and how can they be underpinnedby performance indicators?” The congressunanimously agreed that ICLEI would includethe Earth Charter in its new Charter and continueto explore ways of combining its Local Agenda21 efforts with the Earth Charter. As a result,ICLEI seeks to identify areas of complementaritybetween the two initiatives. For furtherinformation and the outcomes of the Congresssee:h t t p : / / w w w. i c l e i . o rg / w o r l d c o n g r e s s / p r e f a c e . h t m l


“The Earth Charter embodies our shared destiny. By adopting theprinciples of the Charter, we, the community of Earth in all itsdiversity, reinforce our commitment to protect our common home.”

-Princess Basma Bint Talal of Jordan

City of Joondalup - Australia

The City of Joondaluphas effectively appliedthe Earth Charter intoits strategic planningprocess. The City’sstrategic plan was

developed with input from communities andother stakeholders including councillors andstaff. The Integrated Planning Frameworkprovides staff with a clear role in achieving keyresults and enables greater organisational andcommunity alignment with the strategic plan.

In this process, the Earth Charter assisted theCity of Joondalup to incorporate sustainabilityprinciples into the City’s Strategic Plan. Much ofthis was done through a comparison of the EarthCharter with existing Council policies, whichshowed that many policies relate to orcorrespond with Earth Charter principles. Thecomparison also showed that existing policiestend to focus on specifics rather than the broadintent of Earth Charter principles. It served tohighlight policy gaps, for example, in economicobjectives relating to poverty alleviation.

From this experience, the City’s Planning Unitconsiders the Earth Charter to be ideal forhelping communities and organizations toestablish and determine their strategic direction.The Unit found that the Earth Charter haspractical applications as a comprehensivechecklist for developing sustainability indicators,an educational tool for teaching and learningabout sustainable practices, and an inspirationalset of guiding principles in their community’s

activities. Joondalup won a state governmentaward for sustainable development planning.For more information see the City of Joondalupwebsite at: http://www.living.joondalup.wa.gov.au/buorgnstrategic/sustainability/revised/living_services_sustainability_earth_charter.asp

City of Melbourne - Australia

Melbourne, with a population of three million,has incorporated the Earth Charter into itsstrategic plan, which envisions the city asthriving and sustainable by 2010. The citygovernment undertook a comparative evaluationof their existing policy with the Earth Charter'smain principles, finding the vision and manypoints in its Objectives Plan for 2010 to beconsistent with the Earth Charter. The citygovernment plans to explore opportunities todemonstrate their adoption of the Earth Charterprinciples through the Council's environmentalprogrammes. The Mayor of Melbourne was

Personnel from the City of Joondalup at theEarth Charter Briefing.


selected to represent all major Australian citiesat the World Summit on SustainableDevelopment and supported acknowledgementof the Earth Charter in the Local AuthoritiesSummit resolution. For more information seehttp://www.melbourne.vic.gov.auor contact: Angela Lecomber, Earth CharterVictoria, at e-mail: [email protected].

City of Toronto - Canada

The Toronto & Region Conservation Authority(TRCA), after endorsing the Earth Charter, begana process in 2002 of comparing the EarthCharter principles with existing TRCA policies.It involved identifying, analysing, interpretingand commenting on those Earth Charterprinciples most relevant to the work of TRCA.

This process helped TRCA to find ways ofreflecting or incorporating Earth Charterprinciples into its programmes and activities.It also contributed to the comprehensive reviewundertaken by TRCA staff of the challenges andopportunities facing the TRCA, its membermunicipalities and communities in the decadeahead. The review took place between 2002and 2003 and involved extensive consultationsboth internally and externally, to assess strategicproposals and help prepare its strategic plan.Designing the strategic plan took into accounta summary of consultations, assumptions aboutthe future and an examination of the challengesto be faced in pursuit of the vision, values andprinciples of the TRCA (drawn largely from theEarth Charter). TRCA’s strategic plan is called“The Living City.” More information can befound at http://www.trca.on.ca

Local Sustainability CertificationInitiative - Chile

The Instituto de Ecologia Politica has beendisseminating the Earth Charter to schools andlocal communities throughout Chile in order to

raise awareness and commitment to the EarthCharter principles. Its activities have includedtraining workshops for community leaders onsustainable development and the principles thatshould guide communities towards a moresustainable future.

As part of that, the Institute’s Local SustainabilityCertification (LSC), is a voluntary process, thatoffers guidance and certification to encouragecommunities working toward a sustainablesociety, in which social justice, economicequity, ecological integrity and participatorydemocracy are addressed in a balanced way.Community progress is assessed against a set ofpredetermined standards. These standards arebased on the principles of sustainability asexpressed in the Earth Charter and a set of coreLSC criteria. To date, LSC has been introduced toseveral communities, generating interest fromboth local authorities and communities.

It aims to create a mechanism for cooperationthat enables diverse sectors of society to interactat the local level (institutions, civil society,private enterprise, state agencies and non-profitorganizations) and build consensus onsustainability issues.

Canela and Tirúa are the first communities to beinvolved in the certification process. Both areworking on the initial steps for complying withthree LSC pre-requisites: a local sustainabilityplan, a commitment with Earth Charterprinciples and a website for reporting progresson sustainability certification. For moreinformation see: http://www.iepe.org

Municipality of Santo Domingo -Costa Rica

The Ministry of Environment, the Earth CharterCosta Rican Group, and the ICLEI local officeestablished an alliance to collaborate on atraining project for local community leaders onwhat sustainable development means and waysit can be implemented in their communities.The project uses the Earth Charter to sensitiseparticipants to sustainability concerns and


stimulate theirreflections on thosevalues andprinciples thatshould guide thecommunitytowards a moresustainable future.The project wasinitiated with aseries of meetingsthat broughttogethercommunity actorsand organizedgroups linked tocommunitydevelopment. This

led to the first training workshop in May 2003,for the staff of the Municipality of SantoDomingo of Heredia. Once participantsreflected on ideal guiding principles for thecommunity, the workshop went on to examinetopics related to local sustainable development.

The work carried out in this workshop generatedthe identification of individual and group valuesthat should be adopted by the community as abasis for efforts toward sustainable development.Complementing this work was an analysis ofproblems specific to the community andpossible solutions and a reflection on the EarthCharter. Plans are underway to address therequired additional steps involving other keyactors in the community and incorporate gainedknowledge into community planning.

A declaration of support from allmunicipalities of Jordan

In May 2002, the heads of the Kingdom ofJordan’s 99 municipalities jointly endorsed adeclaration of support for the Earth Charter.According to the Jordan Times, the adoption ofthe Earth Charter by local municipalities is

intended to promote an integrated and strategicplan in Jordan to advance sustainabledevelopment. This significant event occurredunder the patronage of HRH Princess Basma andwas organized by the Jordanian Hashemite Fundfor Human Development (JOHUD), togetherwith the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairsand Environment, in cooperation with theGeneral Corporation for EnvironmentalProtection. The City of Amman’s Deputy Mayorshared this information and plans for animplementation phase at the World Summit ofLocal Authorities held in Johannesburg inconjunction with WSSD. For more informationcontact: http://www.johud.org.jo

Earth Charter Promotion Group -Malaysia

For the past two years the Earth CharterPromotion Group in Senlangor has worked withlocal community leaders to ensure broaderunderstanding of sustainable development.The Group includes individuals activelyinvolved in residents associations, politicalparties, NGOs and other community-basedorganizations. The work is done through lecturesand presentations on the Earth Charter, its historyand content and the need to implementsustainable development policies at the localauthority level. It also involves widedissemination and group discussions about theEarth Charter with departmental heads of localgovernments to raise awareness and familiaritywith the Earth Charter. For more informationcontact: [email protected]

Cover of the report of thefirst workshop.


The municipality of Apatzingan, in Michoacán,implemented a programme called “Induction toan Integral Management of Solid Waste for aHealthy Apatzingan,” geared to youngsters andecological groups from all high schools of thecity.

This programme was inspired by the EarthCharter and the workshop “Internalization ofvalues and principles: Earth Charter” was offeredby the Network of Environmental Educators ofMichoacán. Participants continue theirinvolvement as environmental promoters in theirschools, acting as agents of change and raisingawareness of an integrated approach toprinciples of sustainability.

Municipality of Mazatlan

To celebrate the endorsement of the EarthCharter by the Municipality of Mazatlán, theInstituto Cultural Occidente organized a series ofactivities and local radio programmes on RadioCultura in November 2003. Activities involvedprimary and secondary school students andeducators to reflect on ways Earth Charterprinciples can be implemented in their lives.Participating children and adults expressedenthusiasm for further collaboration to make the

Earth Charter vision part of their communityvision of the future. In one of the radiointerviews, a member of the ecologicalcommission of the State Congress committedhimself to bring the Earth Charter before theChamber and request endorsement on behalf ofCongress.

A mobile Earth Charter exhibition was preparedwith background information and pictures, factsabout the consultation process, the Earth Charterin different languages, and poems by youth. Formore information please see the Events Sectionof: http://www.cartadelatierra.org

Municipality of Morelia

During the “First National Gathering of Ethics forSustainability: Educating for Sustainable Livingwith the Earth Charter,” held in Morelia,Michoacan in November 2003, the City Councilin formal session endorsed the Earth Charter andexpressed its intent to adhere to the EarthCharter principles and use the Earth Charter toraise citizen awareness of sustainability. Thisdecision followed the local government’s earlierdecision to incorporate the Earth Charter into itsEnvironment Education Programme and launch a

A working group at the “Internalization of valuesand principles: Earth Charter” workshop.

Víctor Meneguzo, Director of Instituto CulturalOccidente, with staff and students.

Municipalities in Mexico

Municipality of Apatzingan


Tribal Earth Charter - Papua NewGuinea

The 870 tribes of Papua New Guinea (PNG)used the Earth Charter as a model to create theirTribal Charter through a public consultationprocess similar to the drafting process of theEarth Charter. The Tribal Charter describeshistorical and natural challenges faced by PNGtribes and how these challenges are linked tothose faced by all tribes globally. It outlinesfundamental principles and offers suggestions forforging partnerships with other stakeholders todevelop and implement sustainable, peacefuland equitable practices in managing naturalresources for long-term survival.

The final text of the “Mama Graun TribalCharter” can be viewed at the Earth Charterwebsite as an example of what a community orgroup can achieve with the Earth Charter as aninspiration vision.

Building Local Community Bridges inFife - Scotland

Members from a region called Fife, betweenEdinburgh and Central Scotland, helped toorganise, support and participate in Scotland’s

second Earth Charter Community Summit, whichwas held at Lochore Meadows Country Park on11 October 2003. The “Propagating the Seeds ofChange” event was billed as “a grassrootsopportunity for all those who care about theinterconnectedness of life and the need forpeace, who want to build bridges and planactions for learning for the years to come.” Onthis occasion the exhibition “Seeds of Change”was displayed and attracted much interest fromparticipants and the public. A variety ofworkshops explored key themes throughinteraction, reflective dialogue and art. The dayculminated in the planting of a “Peace Tree” andthe webcast viewing of the 33 Earth CharterCommunity Summits taking place on the sameday in different locations.

The main organizers were members of EarthCharter Scotland in conjunction with the FifeCouncil, who co-sponsored it with BRAG(Benarty Regeneration Action Group).The Lochore Country Meadows Country ParkRangers were also involved as well as Rev.Monica Michelin-Salomon from TIBAL, aninterfaith organization. For more informationcontact: Enid Trevett at:[email protected]

Formal endorsement of the Earth Charter on behalfof the Morelia’s City Council.

publication for youth about the Earth Charter.Considering the need to strengthen the ethicalawareness of citizens of Morelia, localgovernment faces the challenge to promoteprinciples to guide and facilitate theimplementation of Agenda 21 as well as toraise awareness and understanding of valuessuch as respect and care for the community oflife. In that context, the environmentprogramme promotes the Earth Charter as aneducational tool for its citizens. For moreinformation see:http://www.morelia.gob.mx


Municipalities in Peru Committed tothe Earth Charter

Over the past three years the Foro EcológicoRegión Lima has promoted the Earth Charter inPeru, approaching local governments and NGOsto raise awareness and support. As a result ofthis and in the context of the 6th NationalReunion of the Peruvian Network celebrated inLima on 22 – 25 April, twenty-four Peruviancities freely and formally endorsed the EarthCharter. With that, their purpose was to createconsensus around the values and principles onwhich the renewal of harmonic relationsbetween our society and our planet depend. Formore information contact Carlos FrancoPacheco at e-mail:[email protected]

Foro Soria 21 - Spain

Since the initial gathering in March 2001, inwhich HRH Prince of Asturias and MauriceStrong participated, Forum Soria 21 hasundertaken activities to make the Soria Provincea continuing example of local initiative forsustainable development. With the support ofthe Mayor of Soria, Forum Soria 21 encouragedpublic authorities and the private sector towardlong-term commitment to the Earth Charterprinciples and implementation of a local Agenda21 programme. A representative of the SoriaInitiative attended the Johannesburg WorldSummit on Sustainable Development,participating in a number of Earth Charteractivities.

In March 2003, Forum Soria 21 organized itsfirst meeting to address “Social and EthicalResponsibility of Private Companies TowardsSustainable Development.” This event broughttogether key representatives from the privatesector in Spain and served as an opportunity forkey actors to reiterate their commitment to joinforces in making the Soria Province a worldmodel for implementing sustainabledevelopment at the local level. Its concludingdeclaration states, “the participants endorse theEarth Charter and have committed to promote acollaborative effort between the public and theprivate sector to implement and promote theprinciples of the Earth Charter.” For moreinformation see: http://www.soria21.org

Fundación Deyna - Spain

The Foundation Development and Nature(DEYNA) is a non-governmental organisation(NGO) that, since its creation in 1992, haspromoted and shared guidance with localauthorities on implementing Local Agenda 21.

DEYNA’s activities focus primarily in theprovince of Soria—but include other areas ofSpain—to guide local authorities in the processof translating the theory of sustainabledevelopment into practice, in accordance withparticipatory democracy and by making thepublic aware and sensitive to ecoethics. In1997, DEYNA published a guidebook to servelocal authorities in their task to elaborate andimplement Local Agenda 21. The guidebookHon. Maurice Strong (to the left) at the first

International Conference of Soria.

Authors of Project DEYNA, from left to right,Pelayo del Riego, Raúl Pisano and

Victoria Palacios.


has been disseminated to many municipalitiesin Spain. For the past three years, DEYNA hasincorporated the Earth Charter into its efforts tohelp local authorities implement sustainabledevelopment policies.

The Project Model of DEYNA entails anarticulated system of interrelated spheres ofaction. It offers local authorities guidance toestablish coherent efforts between the variouslevels and areas in which the local authoritiesprojects should take place— includingeducation, structural programming, health andtourism. This DEYNA model of Local Agenda 21is a direct response to the call of the 1992 RioSummit to promote and stimulate local andpolycentric action. DEYNA’s activities alsoinvolve a Monitoring Station and EducationCentre for Knowledge and Application of theLocal Agenda 21.

Between 2002 and 2003, DEYNA, in closecollaboration with Fundación Biodiversidad andFundación Cultura de Paz, disseminated EarthCharter materials and posters featuring the EarthCharter text to 8,104 city governments and150,000 educational institutions—a first step inensuring that the Earth Charter vision is broughtto the consciousness of Spanish youth and localauthorities. As a result, a growing number ofSpanish cities are endorsing the Earth Charter.All municipalities in the province of Soria havebeen exploring ways to incorporate the EarthCharter in their work following endorsement ofthe Earth Charter by the Association ofMunicipalities of the Soria Province. Severaleducational institutions have already endorsedthe document. DEYNA, Fundación Cultura dePaz and a group of pedagogical specialists planto issue an Earth Charter booklet for all levels ofeducation, to complement the resource materialsalready disseminated. For more information see:http://www.deyna.org

Åre Municipality - Sweden

Åre became the first municipality in Sweden toendorse the Earth Charter when the MunicipalExecutive Board took such decision during ameeting held on 2nd December 2002. Following

public promotion of this commitment, workis underway toward the next steps ofimplementation, starting with the developmentof an Earth Charter study material. As tourism isthe Municipality’s largest source of income andit brings both risks and possibilities to Åre’senvironmental quality, the local governmentplans to use the Earth Charter to help addressthese concerns in a region that benefits frommountain and forest with rare species living inan extremely sensitive ecological balance.

Local Community Summits – USA

The annually held Earth Charter CommunitySummits are grassroots efforts bringing peopletogether to be inspired in making the EarthCharter's principles a reality in their lives andcommunities. The annual summits, celebratedsimultaneously in different cities across the USand expanding internationally, give people aforum in which to connect with others whoembrace the same inclusive, compassionate andjust worldview that they do. The Earth CharterCommunity Summits combine festivities, music,art, inspiring speakers and dialogues forunderstanding and using the Earth Charter.

The 2002 summits were held on 28 Septemberin 24 cities in the United States. Each city hosted

Late Green Cross President Jan Danielson (to theright) during the Executive Board Meeting.


United StatesAnn Arbor, MI Atlanta, GABoulder, CO Chicago, ILColumbus, OH Ft. Myers, FLHartford, CTHonolulu, HIIndianapolis, IN La Puente, CAMadison, WI Marin County, CAOakland / Berkeley, CAOshkosh, WI Philadelphia, PA

Portland, Oregon San Francisco, CASanta Rosa, CASeattle, WATacoma, WATampa Bay, FLTwin Cities, MN Ventura, CAWashington DC/MD/VA

InternationalAndhra Pradesh, India Brussels, Belgium Lochgelly, Fife , Scotland Senegal, West Africa

an event with the opportunity to see and hearspeakers from other participating cities thatjoined in through a webcast, which generateda collective energy for positive change. This wasthe first year that web streaming was used anddespite some flaws, it made keynote speakersavailable even to people at home and createdthe framework for an on-going Earth CharterWeb Channel.

With the Earth Charter as the centrepiece,each summit had its own unique spirit andcombination of activities. In addition to the24 “official” summit cities, other gatheringswere held on the same day focused on theEarth Charter.

In 2003, the summits held on 11 Octoberincluded 27 cities in the US and four in othercountries. The Earth Charter Summits generatemany endorsements and local actions and areexpanding internationally. The Institute for Ethics& Meaning, an all-volunteer grassrootscommunity building organization based inFlorida, coordinates the summits. Summit

organizers are volunteers who simply want tospread the word about the Earth Charter in theirhometowns. Many do not have organizingbackgrounds but are guided by their passion forthe Earth Charter.More information can be found at:http://www.earthchartersummits.org

Sanibel Island, Florida - USA

The Earth Charter of Sanibel (ECOSanibel) is anon-profit group of local individuals andorganizations inspired by the Earth Charter andcommitted to having it grounded in Sanibel’scommunity activities and planning. In 2003ECOSanibel began a series of Earth CharterStudy Circles during the summer. It alsoorganized a number of lectures and activities topromote the Earth Charter vision in thecommunity; one example is the Sierra Club'sEarth Day Festival. In October 2003,ECOSanibel organized their first off-island event,a regional Earth Charter Community Summit andCelebration, coinciding with the simultaneouslocal summits.

Locations of Community Summits in 2003:


verview: The Earth Charter YouthInitiative was formed by a core groupof volunteer young people from

different countries committed to the EarthCharter and active in bringing it to young peopleworldwide.

All individuals and groups can join ECYI bymeeting the criterion of actively promoting theEarth Charter locally and internationally. Theaim is to have a culturally diverse network ofactors with a thorough understanding of EarthCharter principles and values. During the past18 months, some 100 activists and youthorganizations from more than 20 countriesjoined the network and communicate throughan online discussion group (if interested contact:[email protected]). This group clarified theobjectives of the Youth Initiative as to:

• Work with youth organizations, networks and individuals to share the Earth Charter asa tool for promoting an ethic for justice, sustainability and peace.

• Take the mission and aims of the Earth Charter Initiative and make them alive, relevant and applicable to young people around the world.

• Ensure that youth play an active role in promoting the values and principles of the Earth Charter.

Another objective of the ECYI is to expand itsnetwork to help disseminate the Earth Charter.This is done through networking opportunitiesand workshops. Its main focus isimplementation, and the Earth Charter YouthGroups are developed with this in mind.

Activities

The University World Colleges YouthAction Summit (UWCYAS)

This event was held in Utrecht, The Netherlands,from 19 – 26 July 2002. “Our Planet” was themain theme of the first week, during which theEarth Charter Youth Initiative was most involved. For the Earth Charter Youth Initiative, the Summitwas an incredible opportunity to accomplish thefollowing:

1. Start the process of consolidating the Earth Charter youth network in close collaboration with other efforts of the Earth Charter Initiative;

YOUTH INITIATIVE

“It is imperative that youth from all parts of the world participate actively in all relevantlevels of decision-making processes because it affects their lives today and hasimplications for their futures. In addition to their intellectual contribution and theirability to mobilize support, they bring unique perspectives that need to be takeninto account.”

Agenda 21, Chapter 25

O

Michael Slaby fromthe Earth CharterYouth Initiative.


2. Start a network with other organizations, specifically International Youth Parliament, UNEP Youth Reporter, and others;

3. Promote the Earth Charter through workshops and opinion exchanges;

4. Have the Earth Charter presented to governments at WSSD in Johannesburg by the official youth delegates of UWCYAS.

Earth Charter Youth Groups

The ECYI has developed a Five-page toolkitcalled “Earth Charter Youth Groups. Why?What? How? ... and Resources.” An EarthCharter Youth Group (ECYG) is a committee,group or network of young activists and youthorganizations working to bring alive the vision ofthe Earth Charter to their communities, locallyand nationally. Many of them were organized in2003, its general objectives are

• to inspire people locally to adopt sustainable ways of living and to be active in projects related to sustainable development and the Earth Charter.

• to make the Earth Charter known and implemented to a broad public.

• to empower young people to take action and change the world.

• to enjoy life in giving joy to others !!!

The idea of the ECYG was developed tostrengthen the international youth network andhelp youth worldwide to build activities basedon the Earth Charter. The toolkit is available on-line in the Youth section under Resources of theEarth Charter website.

In 2003, the core team came to a consensus onclarifying the common goal and strategies ofworking together. There is still much to beaccomplished over the upcoming years. Allinterested individuals are invited to create anECYG in their communities in closecommunication with the Youth Core-Groupcoordinating this effort. To date, ECYGs havebeen created in Ethiopia, Jordan, Sierra Leoneand The Philippines with the following examplesof experiences.

Jordan

In Jordan, an Earth Charter Youth Group wasestablished together with the Jordan’s nationalfocal point for the Earth Charter Initiative.TheECYG-Jordan has achieved the following:

• Developed a national strategy to disseminate the Earth Charter among the youth of Jordan, aiming at launching youth-led initiatives based on the Earth Charter’sintegrated vision of sustainable development, justice and peace;

• Developed Earth Charter materials in Arabic;

• Started building a regional Earth Charter network with active youth in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, aiming at promoting a culture of peace in this large conflict area;

• Introduced the Earth Charter to a number ofgovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including the Jordanian Federation of Women;

• Initiated the organization of a Jordan Earth Charter National Forum to be held in summer 2004;

• Incorporated the Earth Charter as one of theguiding documents of Jordan’s National Strategy for Youth.

Sierra Leone

Ex-combatants of Sierra Leone’s civil war.


Four local ECYGs of some 20 people werecreated in Sierra Leone. Membership consists ofrepresentatives of youth networks and youthNGOs, students from secondary schools,university students and ex-combatants. Throughthem, the Earth Charter was presented tohundreds of young activists in workshops. Workis underway to set up programmes to promote aculture of peace and utilize the Earth Charter asan educational tool in schools.

In their latest activity, they used the Earth Charterin a sensitisation session for ex-combatants ofthe civil war that took place during the lastdecade. For more information see:http://ww.ecygsierraleone.8m.net

The Philippines

In the Philippines, the environmentalorganization Eco Trekkers joined the local ECYGin a programme utilizing the Earth Charter tounderline their activities against the introductionof genetically modified organisms. Additionally,they recently cleaned a coastline of 200 metersand collected 6.000 kg of litter. In their activitiesto disseminate the Earth Charter among NGOs,institutions and individuals in their area, theECYG also reached out to the government,which now is exploring ways to use the EarthCharter. More information can be found at:http://www.freewebs.com/ecotreks/index.htm

Costa Rica Youth Concerts

As a youth-led initiative, four Earth Charterconcerts took place over a period of fourmonths, beginning in May 2003. The very

successful Earth Charter Concerts Season wasorganized by the Costa Rican Earth CharterCommittee and celebrated at the Children’sMuseum, it brought together approximately2000 people overall.

The proposal for an Earth Charter ConcertSeason arose from a desire to promote the EarthCharter and sensitise Costa Rican youth to theCharter’s message. Given that music and art aremore attractive to youth than speeches andpresentations and to stem a growing apathyamong youth, it was thought that the EarthCharter Concert Season could appeal to adiversity of young people who, through thismedium, would be sensitised to the globalsituation, gain a sense of universal responsibilityand apprehend the main Earth Charterprinciples. Each concert brought together rockand popular music. Effort was made to ensurethe Earth Charter message was an integral part ofthis experience.

According to Nikol Jirón, coordinator of theconcerts, considering the limited resources, thesuccess of this project was due to a committedproduction team. This team proved to be a livingexample of the Earth Charter principles: theyvisualized a common goal, worked with respecttoward each other, shared responsibility, weretolerant of each other ’s input and made efforts toharmonize their actions.

Poster of the activity.

Crowds entering the concert.


Inclusive Leadership Adventures is anon-profit diversity education project inCanada co-sponsored by CowichanValley Intercultural and Immigrant AidSociety and by Canadian Mental HealthAssociation – Cowichan Valley Branch.Both organizations have endorsed theEarth Charter and have their activitiesguided by the Earth Charter vision asthey bring diverse people together incamp settings toexplore, share, andcelebrate social diversityand biodiversity.

In Fall 2003, withencouragement fromECYI members, anInclusive LeadershipAdventure wasdeveloped focused onexploring the EarthCharter. This adventurewas field tested by agroup of 50 youth,caring adults and a fewchildren. DylanSpencer, CanadianRepresentative of theyear 2000 Pole to Poleexpedition was theguest facilitator representing ECYI.

Inclusive Leadership were successful withtheir goals of getting beyond the words ofthe Earth Charter to develop deepemotional and intelectual connections.Participants left the adventure with:

- A deeper understanding of the EarthCharter;

- Appreciation of social diversity and biodiversity as gifts that enrich communities;

- Inclusive leadership skills for acting in ways and guiding others to act inways that respect and care for our diverse human family and all living beings in our Earth community;

- Plans for local actions to take back to their homes, schools, neighbour-hoods and communities for imple-menting the principles and values ofthe Earth Charter;

- Confidence that by sharing leadership locally, we are each contributing globally in ways that are making a world of difference for our human family and the larger living world.

Inclusive LeadershipAdventures has avideo journal and aguidebook to sharewith others who wishto organize similaradventures. Somemembers of the ECYIare adapting the manual

for use with youth in their countries.

In Canada, the Earth Charter continues toguide all Inclusive Leadership Adventuresand they are supporting the Sierra ClubYouth Coalition to organize a similaradventure during the summer of 2004(the Making Waves project). For moreinformation, contact: Linda Hill, e-mail:[email protected] or see:http://www.island.net/~bridges/

Inclusive Leadership Adventures


February

Earth Dialogues – France

Addressing the question “Globalization andSustainable Development: Is Ethics the MissingLink?,” the first Earth Dialogues forum took placein February 2002 in Lyon, France. The Forum,convened by Mikhail Gorbachev and MauriceStrong, brought together over 1,000 participants.Speakers included French Prime Minister LionelJospin, Raymond Barre, Ruud Lubbers and manyothers. The Forum welcomed the Earth Charteras a peoples’ document that provides an ethicalframework equally applicable to guiding thechoices of individuals, organizations and states.More information can be found at:http://www.earthdialogues.org

May

Teaching for the Environment in HigherEducation: The Promise of the EarthCharter – USA

A remarkable AcademicSymposium,co-sponsored by TheChewonki Foundation, theCentre for Respect of Lifeand Environment andUniversity Leaders for aSustainable Future, tookplace on 17 - 19 May inWiscasset, Maine, USA.The organizing theme wasthe implication of theEarth Charter in highereducation. The purpose ofthe symposium was toreflect upon the largerhuman, ecological, ethical

and environmental dimensions in whichteaching takes place, and to provide scholarlyanalysis and inspiration to advance teaching forthe environment. The Symposium generatedwonderful insights, motivation and materials touse in higher education.

June

The Earth Charter for a More Secure City -Brazil

This event took place on 19 - 21 June inJoinville, Santa Catarina. The objective was tomotivate political, administrative and technologyleaders of local communities as well as thegeneral public to exchange experiences andreflect on the challenges of implementingsustainable development. The event served topromote the Earth Charter as an instrument toraise awareness and understanding of theseissues. Promoters of the event included: thePaulo Freire Institute, Institute for SustainableDevelopment, the Brazilian MunicipalAssociation and States, the Municipalities MailMagazine in conjunction with the citygovernment of Joinville, and the Earth CharterInternational Secretariat.

People and the Planet: Changing Values fora Sustainable Future - Canada

This conference, organized by the Sierra Club ofCanada and the Society for ConservationBiology, was held at Queen's University inKingston, Ontario on 5 - 9 June. The mainpurpose was to derive solutions to majorenvironmental problems by examining their rootcauses: fundamentally, problems with Westernvalues. The Earth Charter was disseminated, andresponsive comments came from speakers andthrough discussions. A quote from the final

CALENDAR OF EVENTS2002

Cover of thebrochure for the

symposium.


Declaration that refers to the Earth Charter is asfollows:

“… Earth Charter: Recognizing that, at the coreof humanity's attack on our life-support systemslies a system of values and beliefs that areinherently dangerous, we call upongovernments, and particularly Canada, toembrace and promote the Earth Charter, as aworkable framework for a new set of values togovern human relationships to each other and tothe biosphere. We call on the United NationsWorld Summit on Sustainable Development toendorse the Earth Charter and to actaffirmatively to achieve its goals. We call onindividuals to change course in their personallives to reflect the caring, compassionate,non-violent and non-exploitative principlesof the Earth Charter.” For further information, see:http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/getinvolved/event.shtml?x=560 and:h t t p : / / w w w. b i o l o g y. q u e e n s u . c a / ~ s c b / c o n f e r e n c e . h t m

July

Earth Charter Launch in Chile

On 16 July the Earth Charter was launched inChile in a public event organized by the Instituteof Ecological Policies (IEP). Over 150participants attended the event, among thempolitical authorities, ecological organizations,

NGOs, and students. There was unanimoussupport for the creation of an Earth CharterCommittee in Santiago to disseminate the EarthCharter throughout the country.

As a follow up, IEP undertook broaddissemination of the Earth Charter in Chile. Formore information seehttp://www.iepe.org/cartadelatierra

August/September

An exhibition in Laval, Quebec - Canada

With the aim of raising interest in the EarthCharter theme among citizens, an exhibition onthe Earth Charter took place at Marius-BarbeauLibrary in the City of Laval, Quebec, from 16August to 3 September 2002. It displayed avariety of books, magazines and newspapersarticles about planetary issues and related topicssuch as social justice, peace, human rights,equity and sustainable development. EarthCharter brochures were disseminated widely.Around 7,000 people visited the exhibition andbrowsed available documents. The same grouporganized a Conference on “Cities and Health:Toward Sustainable Communities” and otherevents where pamphlets of the Earth Charter andliterature were distributed to participants.

December

Asian Civil Society Forum, Thailand

An Asian Civil Society Forum took place inBangkok, Thailand from 9 to 13 December,aiming at addressing the diverse needs andchallenges facing NGOs in Asia. This was aproject of CONGO (The Conference of NGOs inConsultative Status with the United Nations),and the theme of the forum was “UN/NGOPartnerships for Democratic Governance:Building Capacities and Networks for HumanRights and Sustainable Development.”

The Earth Charter was presented and discussedduring a Thematic Workshop on EducationalApproaches for Human Rights and SustainableDevelopment. More information on the forumcan be found at http://www.acsf.net/why.htm

Participants at the Earth Charter launchin Chile.


January

The World Social Forum – Brazil

The second World Social Forum (WSF) wasorganized under the slogan, “Another World isPossible,” and convened in Brazil in January2003 with the participation of 100,000 people.

A seminar entitled “The Earth Charter – aminimum consensus for human beings” kickedoff the first day of events. The seminar openedwith a moving slide show of powerful images ofdestruction while quotes from the Earth Charter,calling for an alternate vision, weresimultaneously read aloud. There were 2 hoursof thought-provoking discourse on the EarthCharter with Jose Romao, Secretary General ofthe Paulo Freire Institute, ending with a tributeto Paulo Freire. Following was a captivatingaddress by Earth Charter CommissionerLeonardo Boff. A youth group assembled inPorto Alegre gave a magnificent closingpresentation. The standing ovation was one ofhope and empowerment, a sign of the kind ofinspiration the Earth Charter generates.

World Education Forum - Brazil

The overarching theme of the 2nd WorldEducation Forum was ‘Education and

Transformation: Public Education in theConstruction of a Possible New World’. TheEarth Charter was featured in a session on 22January entitled: “Living together: understandingand living the Earth Charter,” organized byNAIA. The audience, estimated of 3000 – 5000participants, filled the massive warehouse on thedocks of Porto Alegre. Leonardo Boff, was partof the panel, which also included members ofthe Earth Charter Network, the head of the PauloFreire Institute (IPF) as well as representationfrom UNESCO.

March

The World Peace Forum - Australia

Various leaders came together to offer inspiringand practical advice for world peace - peaceamong individuals, peace between communitiesand nations. This successful 600-people event inSidney featured the Earth Charter as its centraltheme. Among the speakers were Earth CharterCommissioner Rabbi Soetendorp and BrendanMackey, Chair of the Earth Charter EducationAdvisory Committee. One of the specificoutcomes of the Forum was endorsement of theEarth Charter by communities, governments andindividuals present. More information can befound at http://www.worldpeace-conference.net/sydney/home.htm

2003

Panelists from around the world came together forthe Earth Charter event at the WSF.

Leonardo Boff at the World Education Forum.


April

Science, Religion and Caring for theEnvironment: A Personal and GlobalResponsibility - USA

The Club of Budapest USA in partnership withthe International Diplomacy Council organized apanel event entitled, “Science, Religion andCaring for the Environment: A Personal andGlobal Responsibility,“ held in San Francisco onfirst April in commemoration of the Earth Charterand the UN Decade of Peace and Non-violencefor all the Children of the World. The eventexplored the ideas of scientists,environmentalists and religious faiths onpathways and responsibilities for achievingglobal sustainability. Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker ofBucknell University was among the panelists.Copies of the Earth Charter brochure were madeavailable for the participants. More informationcan be found in the Events Section ofhttp://www.earthcharter.org or at:http://environment.harvard.edu/religion/events/2003/club_budapest.html

May

Partnership Fair UNCSD -11 - USA

The 11th annual session of the United NationsCommission on Sustainable Development (CSD)was held in New York from 29 April to 8 May.This was the first meeting of the CSD after theJohannesburg Summit and was crucial to clarifypolitical direction to the implementation of theJohannesburg outcomes. A parallel activity, thePartnerships Fair was organized as a networkingopportunity for partnerships launched at theWorld Summit, encouraging an exchange ofexperiences and presentation of progress. On 2May, the Earth Charter Initiative presented anupdate on its partnership, “Educating forSustainable Living with the Earth Charter” in asession entitled, “The promise of the EarthCharter and the UN Decade of Education forSustainable Development.” Among participantswere government delegates and NGO

representatives. The session offered an occasionfor dialogue and further discussion on the EarthCharter’s usefulness within the UN Decade ofEducation.

Earth Charter: Public Forum on Social andEconomic Justice - New Zealand

SGI-New Zealand hosted a series of EarthCharter meetings from March to June inChristchurch. The first, on 21 March, was apanel discussion focusing on democracy, non-violence and peace. Among the topics discussedwere overcoming apathy and what one citizencan do to contribute to peace.

Another seminar, on ecological integrity, tookplace on 16 April sponsored by the women ofSGI-New Zealand. The seminar featured ascreening of the film A Quiet Revolution.Discussions involved the audience on issuesranging from the traditional lifestyle of the Maoripeople, who value harmony with the naturalenvironment, to the urgent need to raiseawareness of environmental issues. CanterburyRegional Councillor Diana Shand and Maorirepresentative Ben Uikau Te Aika were amongthe panelists.

June

The Vermont Peace Academy - USA

Vermont Peace Academy, an educationalinitiative based on the Earth Charter, was

Goddard Clock House building.


launched on 13 June. Resolutions in support ofthe Academy were received from the VermontLegislature and the State Governor. Two localcolleges, Goddard College and WoodburyCollege, collaborated to support the creation ofthe Peace Academy.

Goddard College offered space, at the GoddardClock House building, and one full-timecoordinator position. Woodbury College alreadyhas a well-known conflict resolution andcommunity development program. The firstcourses are planned for spring of 2004.

Earth Charter in Action - Urbino, Italy

The “Earth Charter in Action” meeting, held inUrbino from 26-30 June, brought together keyEarth Charter partners to develop a two-yearaction plan. The event was sponsored by theEarth Charter Initiative, the Centre for Respect ofLife and Environment (CRLE) and the City ofUrbino. Representatives of attendingorganizations worked with the Earth Charter atthe community level and in promoting itseducational use in all sectors. The purpose wasto articulate efforts that would significantlyadvance the development and implementationof the Earth Charter Education Programme aswell as the Type II partnership, “Educating forSustainable Living Using the Earth Charter,”launched during the Johannesburg Summit.

IUCN Ethics Specialist Working Group -Urbino, Italy

From 27 June to 1 July, the conference “GlobalEcological Integrity, Human Rights, and HumanResponsibilities: Intersections BetweenInternational Law and Public Health” was heldin Urbino. It brought together members of theIUCN Ethics Specialist Working Group andincluded presentation and discussion on themessuch as “The Earth Charter: Linkages to PublicHealth and the Law” led by Klaus Bosselmann(New Zealand); “The Earth Charter andEcological Integrity” led by Brendan Mackey(Australia); and “A New Covenant for GlobalDemocracy: The Size of the Task Before Us” ledby Ron Engel (USA). Conference co-organizerswere Laura Westra, Colin L. Soskolne andWilliam (Bill) E. Rees.

October

Global Environmental Action Conference -Japan

The GEA Conference for a Sustainable Future,held in Japan on 24 – 26 October, focused onthree areas: education, information technologyand natural resources. The Conference wasattended by Earth Charter Commissioners HRHPrincess Basma, Wakako Hironaka and StevenRockefeller and other friends of the EarthCharter, who urged the Japanese Government tosupport the Earth Charter and use it as aneducational tool in the Decade of Education forSustainable Development (DESD). At the end ofthe Conference a set of recommendations wasadopted, including one on the Earth Charter,which reads as follows: “Partners to promoteDESD should consider establishment of anethical framework for sustainable development.The guiding principles in the Earth Charter couldbe reflected in materials used in all learningefforts to promote sustainable development,including those in the school systems.” Moreinformation on the conference at:h t t p : / / w w w. g e a . o r. j p / 4 1 a c t i v 2 / c o n f 2 0 0 3 / 4 1 t o p _ e n .h t m l

Part of the group attending the meeting.


November

First National Gathering on Ethics forSustainability - Mexico

The first national gathering on ethics forsustainability took place in Morelia under thetheme “Educating for a Sustainable Way of Lifewith the Earth Charter.” The event includedpolitical support from all levels of governmentand was primarily organized by the StateCouncil of Ecology, which functions with thesupport of the Ministry of Environment and TheState Government of Michoacan.

The event, part of the Mexican Commitment tothe Earth Charter Type II partnership, gathered380 representatives from all parts of Mexico,including educators, university students andprofessors, representatives of local governmentsand NGOs. All members of the MexicanNational Council for Sustainable Developmenttook part. At the opening ceremony the Ministerof Environment (representing President Fox), theRepresentative of the Minister of Education, theGovernor of the State of Michoacan and the

Mayor of the City of Morelia expressed theirsupport and commitment to the Earth Charter.Intent to provide financial support to the EarthCharter process was also offered.

“Zero Famine in Environmental Education”- Brazil

This event, held at Federal University of MatoGrosso (UFMT) on 6-8 November, convenedsome 500 participants to discuss world famine.Discussions focused particularly on the problemof poverty in less economically developedcountries, in which foreign debt is a major causeof cultural and environmental degradation anddemocratic processes are unstable. The EarthCharter was utilized as a tool in examiningunderlying causes and reflecting on solutions.Participants included students from primary andsecondary schools, university teachers andstudents, NGOs, government sectors andindividuals. More information in Portuguese at:http://www.ufmt.br/remtea

December

Education Online Forum - Global

The Earth Charter Initiative InternationalSecretariat organized and hosted an onlineforum on “The Earth Charter as an EducationalFramework for Teaching and Learning aboutSustainable Development.” This forum involvedthe growing network of educators worldwideworking with the Earth Charter as an educationaltool.

The forum included sessions on topics ofeducational philosophy for the Earth Charter,suggested pedagogies for teaching the Charter, aswell as the educational resources that theEducation Programme should focus on,especially in light of the Decade. The outcomesof the forum were compiled and made availableon the Earth Charter website.

Inauguration act for thegathering.


ollowing is a list of publications in2002 and 2003, either about or referringto the Earth Charter:

WRI Report features the Earth Charter

Chapter 8 of theWorld ResourcesInstitute reportWorld Resources2002-2004:Decisions for theEarth: Balance,voice, and power,features severalcase studies oneof which is on theEarth Charter. Thissection can befound at:

h t t p : / / p d f . w r i . o rg / w r 2 0 0 2 f u l l t x t _ 1 7 3 - 2 1 4 _ c h a p 0 8 .pdf

Terra América by Leonardo Boff

The Earth Charter inspired and guided the bookTerra América, co-authored by Leonardo Boffand Marco Antônio de Miranda. Terra Américawas published in Brazil in both English andPortuguese. It captures the beauty and images ofthe American continent, photographed by Marco

Antonio deMiranda whiletravelling. Theimages expressthe rich diversityfound in nature.The Charter textis not only fullyincorporated butalso used asreference inBoff’s descriptionof our planet’shistory andevolutionary process.

Terra América was publicly launched byLeonardo Boff at the Brazilian NationalEnvironment Conference held in November2003. It can be ordered through EditorialSextante, E-mail: [email protected] orhttp://www.esextante.com.br

Just Ecological Integrity: The Ethics ofMaintaining Planetary Life

This book takes an in-depth look at the historyand meaning of the Earth Charter. It considerssystems of measurement to indicate progress inachieving the Earth Charter's goals. Contributorsto the volume explore such issues as thereciprocal impact between humans and nature;human destructiveness; and various ways in

F

PUBLICATIONS

“The common underlying factor of conflicts today is the issue of insecurity prompted bythe prospect of exclusion or the perceived threat of starvation for both people andcommunities. The circumstances for this feeling of insecurity are often brought about bydegradation of the environment. An Earth Charter will make everyone of us consciousof this and help develop a culture of peace, care and solidarity.”

–Ambassador Mohamed Sahnoun,Earth Charter Commissioner, Algeria


which the revaluation ofnature in terms ofintrinsic qualities affectsbroader notions ofjustice. A rich collectionof case studies enhances the volumeand examines suchissues as violence, risk,and the preservation ofnature. Peter Miller andLaura Westra edited thebook, which has aForeword by Steven C. Rockefeller. Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield. For more informationplease visit: http://www. ecointegrity.net

The Earth Charter: A Study ofReflection for Action, Italian version

Pax Romana, CatholicMovement forIntellectual & CulturalAffairs USA publishedthe Italian edition ofThe Earth Charter: AStudy of Reflection forAction.More information at:http://www.ECreflection4action.org

The Preface, written byFr.Thomas Berry, reads

in part: “We might think of the Earth Charter asperhaps the most comprehensive document everto be proposed for approval by the UnitedNations Assembly.”

An Introduction to Global Citizenship

The author, Dr. Nigel Dower, a senior lecturer inphilosophy at the University of Aberdeen, UK,offers and introduction to the idea of global

citizenship and examines the arguments fromethical, social and political theory for andagainst the view that we are global citizens. Thebook, published by Edinburgh University Press,has a discussion on the Earth Charter in pages93-95, various other references to it andincludes the whole text as Appendix 2.

From Environmental Ethics towards theEthics of Sustainable Society – TheBalance between Human and Nature asBasic Principles for SustainableDevelopment

The objective of the book, edited by A. Oja andlaunched in 2003, is to introduce the theoreticaland practical aspects of environmental ethics asthe basis of sustainability ethics. It is geared totwo main audiences in Estonia: secondary-leveland university students and those who work inthe field of sustainable development. Elevenauthors describe their theories and practices in23 articles. There are also 6 annexes in 50pages, introducing (1) theoretical and practicaldilemmas in sustainable development; (2)Estonian preconditions to becoming a smallsustainable society; (3) The draft Convention onHuman Responsibilities; (4) The JohannesburgDeclaration on Sustainable Development; (5) theUN Millennium Development Goals; and (6) theEarth Charter. Allarticles and annexesare in Estonian.

This fifth publication ofStockholmEnvironment Institute -SEI Tallinn wasfinanced by theEstonian EnvironmentalInvestment Centre andby SEI Tallinn. It maybe downloaded for freeat:http://www.seit.ee/artiklid.php3?f=1&artid=119


Eternal Spring: Living with Enough ina World of Abundance

The Earth Charter isfeatured in theEnglish edition ofthis book originallywritten in Dutch byecologist Jeb Crab.It is now publishedby Ebron vzw,Belgium andFoundationEcosystem 2000 ofSuriname. “… Thisbook goes beyonda theoretical study

about the comprehensive high priority topic ofsustainable development… it also offers insightson world ethics….” Eternal Spring presents amodel of harmonious global and local societiesworking to preserve Earth and humankind. Formore information about the book and how toorder it, see: http://www.sr.to/ecosystem2000

Children’s Earth Charter Adaptation -Brazil

Nucleus of Friends forChildhood and Youth(NAIA) and theGovernment of theState of Rio Grande doSul published an EarthCharter adaptation forchildren. This leafletbrings the main ideasof the Earth Charter tochildren. It was firstused during aChildren’s Forum held

in conjunction with the World Social Forum.This was possible due to the adaptation of theoriginal text into an accessible language,allowing the easy assimilation of the EarthCharter fundamental principles. The adaptationis by Sílvia Gonçalves, illustration by LeandroBierhals and organization by Valéria Viana.

With the sponsorship of the Government of theState of Rio Grande do Sul and UNICEF, 15,000booklets were printed and distributed. Thebooklet can be found on the Earth Charterwebsite at h t t p : / / w w w. e a r t h c h a r t e r. o rg / r e s o u rces

Earth Charter Booklet in Japanese

The Earth CharterCommission Japan(ECCJ) produced auseful booklet foruse as educationalmaterial andpromotion of theEarth Charter inJapan. The bookletincludes both Englishand Japaneseversions of the EarthCharter withexplanatory notes. For more information on thise-mail: [email protected]

Earth Letter - USA

The Earth Charter isfeatured in a specialNovember/December2002 edition of theEarth Letter. The EarthLetter is the EarthMinistry's informative,inspirational, andacclaimed mini-journalpublished five times ayear. Its articles, stories,and book reviews

highlight Christian environmental spirituality,theology, and action. They reflect on theChristian call to care for all creation. The EarthMinistry promotes simplified living,environmental stewardship, justice for allcreation and a worldview of creation as arevelation of God. To see this edition pleasevisit the News and Events section of the EarthCharter website. For more information on theMinistry please visit http://www.earthministry.org


Pocket-Size Booklet in Hungarian

The RegionalEnvironmental Centrefor Central and EasternEurope (REC) CountryOffice for Hungarytranslated the EarthCharter into Hungarianand put together anEarth Charter bookletto raise awareness ofthe Earth Charteramong citizens ofHungary. The foreword

is written by environmental expert Tibor Farago,Head of the International Environmental PolicyDepartment of the Ministry of Environment.Three hundred copies were distributed at theAnnual Meeting of the Hungarian Green NGOsheld in March 2002. More information aboutREC’s activities can be found at:http://www.rec.hu/

Natural Living

This book, written byJohn Wilson, featuresthe Earth Charter. Acompanion 25-minute video is alsoavailable. The bookand video explainin simple terms,with hands-ondemonstrations, howeasy it is to use solarenergy, wind power,

breathing walls, straw bale home constructiontechniques, passive solar design, smart windows,green roofs and composting. For moreinformation about the book or for mail orderssee the website:http://www.NaturalLifeNetwork.com/products/

The Key to Sustainable Cities

This book, writtenby GwendolynHallsmith, includesa chapter on theEarth Charter as thefoundation for thecommunity planningprocess.

The Key toSustainable Cities:Meeting HumanNeeds, TransformingCommunity Systemsuses the principlesof system dynamicsto demonstrate how today's problems wereyesterday's solutions. The book points to a newapproach to city planning to develop healthy,social, governance, economic, andenvironmental systems. For more informationvisit the New Society Publisher website at:http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/3833

101 Ways to Participate in Having aWorld that Works for Everyone

The book provides ideasof what people can do tobetter the world. Itencourages people to getinvolved and contributeto various initiatives.Information on the EarthCharter Initiative as wellas the text itself featuresin this book. This bookby Lyle Benson Smith andpublished by Writer's

Showcase Press, can be found athttp://www.book.nu/0595264727


Calendar and Planner 2003 - USA

The Ministry of the Artsdesigned and publisheda beautifully printedcalendar, called “WhatTime is it?” Fullydedicated to the EarthCharter, the calendarincludes quotationsfrom the Earth Charter

andreflectionsfor eachmonth. Atthe end ofthe calendarare 12separatorswith picturesandprinciples of the Earth Charter. The Planner wassimilarly conceived and based on the EarthCharter. The Ministry of the Arts is sponsored bythe Sisters of St. Joseph of La Grange, Illinois, inthe USA. For more information please visit:http://www.ministryofthearts.org

Earth Charter Magazine in German

Since June 2001, TheEcumenical One WorldInitiative (OeIEW), theEarth Charter Initiativefocal point in Germany,has published a quarterlyEarth Charter magazinein German. For moreinformation in Germanplease visit:http://www.oeiew.org.

Building a Culture of Peace in OurCommunity

The University for Peace designed a series of teninstructional modules, which was jointlypublished by CIIP/UPEACE and the UnitedNations System in Uruguay in 2002. Thematerial was elaborated in Spanish and is basedon six years of the Culture for Peace andDemocracy in Central America programme, ledby Professor Abelardo Brenes, in small localcommunities in the region. The intention is tooffer guidelines based on these experiences,which can be adapted as workshop modules invarious settings, including community educationand schools. It can be useful for educators orthose interested in peace education.

The Earth Charter is the theme of Module 3,where students or workshop participants areintroduced to the relevance of the Earth Charteras an ethical framework for guiding personal andcommunity development on the basis ofuniversal responsibility. The main objective is tohave participants reflect upon the importance offollowing a set ofvalues and a lifestylein accordance tosustainabilityprinciples. Themesfrom the EarthCharter Preamble arehighlighted and themodule alsointroduces the fourmain principles ofThe Earth Charter,which express thekey components ofthe principle of universal responsibility.

“We must make a revolution. It will not be a politicalrevolution, but more basic than the political one, which is anethical revolution. This is, when we talk about ethic, we talkabout behaviors; we talk about a few fundamental valuesthat we must accomplish.”

- Leonardo Boff, Earth Charter Commissioner,Brazil



n addition to the coordination of tasks andprogrammes outlined in the previoussections of this report, the Secretariat

conducts on-going communications withinterested individuals, continually updates theEarth Charter website, and produces anddistributes the bi-monthly Newsflash. Somedevelopments in the Secretariat’s activities in2002-2003 are highlighted below:

Earth Charter Secretariat Affiliationwith University for Peace

Considering the synergies in the goals of bothorganizations, the University for Peace Councilendorsement of the Earth Charter and thepossibility of locating the Earth CharterSecretariat on the University for Peace campus,the Earth Charter Initiative in early 2003 signedan agreement of formal affiliation with theUniversity for Peace.

As part of this new arrangement, the Universityfor Peace has offered office space for the EarthCharter Secretariat, administrative services aswell as computer and website technical support.The University’s contributions have been of greatvalue to the Earth Charter Initiative. For its part,the Earth Charter Secretariat has offeredassistance to the University toward presentationof the Earth Charter and global ethics within theUniversity’s teaching programme and as a toolin peace education, peace building and conflictresolution.

Fundraising

For the past two years generous contributionsfrom The Humane Society (HSUS), the Centerfor Respect of Life and Environment (CRLE) andThe Philanthropic Collaborative (TPC) haveenabled the Secretariat to continue operations.

Funds raised in previous years were dedicatedto the consultation and drafting process,translation, dissemination and general promotionof the Earth Charter.

In the present implementation phase of the EarthCharter Initiative, the needs and expectations ofthe Earth Charter programmes demonstrablyexceed the current levels of funding. TheSecretariat is therefore challenged to streamlineits coordinating activities while seeking newsources of funding. Since September 2003,priority has been given to fundraising, and theSecretariat has submitted a number of fundingproposals, but did not have positive responses todate. The Secretariat is working to ensure a moreeffective fundraising process.

Website

In July 2003, a newly designed Earth Charterwebsite was launched after more than sixmonths of teamwork. The website has beentranslated into Spanish and French which can beaccessed at http://www.cartadelatierra.org andhttp://www.chartedelaterre.org.

Resource Materials

To respond to the demand for resource materialsand activity guidelines geared to individuals andgroups that have endorsed the Earth Charter, theSecretariat has produced the following materialswhich are available on the website:

Business Guidelines - “What can I do withthe Earth Charter in Business?”

Many groups and individuals have expressedinterest in having the Earth Charter embraced

SECRETARIAT MANAGEMENT

I


and utilized by business groups. In 2003, abusiness guide was assembled under theguidance of the Secretariat. Chloé Kornbergundertook the project, bringing with her years ofexperience in the French private sector and aninterest in promoting sustainable developmentpractices. The material proposes ways the EarthCharter can be used as a values framework forassessing progress towards sustainability, indesigning professional codes of conduct and insystems of accountability. It provides examplesand tools mapping the Earth Charter to thebusiness world and showing links between theEarth Charter and other sustainable developmentinitiatives.

Youth Kit: “How to run a workshop with theEarth Charter”

Nicole Jirón, who worked for the Earth CharterYouth Initiative in 2002, compiled an EarthCharter Workshop Tool Kit to address the needsof youth groups interested in working with theEarth Charter. The Tool Kit responds to the manyrequests for suggested ways to develop an EarthCharter workshop and workshop material. TheTool Kit is divided into sections: What is theEarth Charter; How to Organize an Earth CharterWorkshop; Activities to Promote Individual andCommunitarian Values; and Activities to Designan Earth Charter Workshop.

General Guiding material: “What can I dowith the Earth Charter ?”

This power-point presentation is designed forindividuals and groups seeking ideas foractivities that contribute to the Earth Chartervision. The presentation, in full or in part, can beeffective for associations, community groups andgovernmental agencies seeking to integrate theEarth Charter principles into their activities.Renaud Richard, who worked at the Secretariat,led the task of assembling this material.

Printer Friendly Brochures

To respond to increasing demand for EarthCharter brochures (in English, French, Spanishand Portuguese), the Secretariat has arranged forprinter-friendly versions to be made freelyavailable on the Earth Charter website. TheSecretariat is encouraging partner organizationsand interested groups to download and locallyprint brochures to fulfil their needs.

Cover of the power-pointpresentation.


Financial Statement - Earth Charter Secretariat

Statement of income and expendituresfor the years ended 31 October 2001, 2002,and December 31, 2003


Action pour la Charte de la Terre, France

Arab NGO Network for Environment andDevelopment (RAED), Egypt

Association for Sustainable Human Development,Armenia

Boston Research Center for the 21st Century, USA

Brink Expedition, Australia

Center for Community Development and theEnvironment, Nepal

Center for Respect of Life and Environment, USA

Conseil National de l’Environment pour unDeveloppment Durable, Niger

Consejo Estatal de Ecologia, Michoacan - Mexico

Consejo Nacional de Desarrollo Sostenible -Honduras

Earth Charter Norway

Ecumenical One World Initiative, Germany

Florida Gulf Coast University/Center for SustainableDevelopment, USA

Foro Soria 21, Spain

Foundation to Support Civil Initiatives, Tajikistan

Fundacion Deyna, Spain

Green Belt Movement, Kenya

Green Cross International

Green Cross Italy

Green Cross Sweden

ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability)

Inclusive Leadership Adventures, Canada

Institute for Ethics and Meaning, USA

International Foundation for Survival andDevelopment of Humanity, Russia

Instituto de Ecología Política, Chile

IUCN (The World Conservation Union) Commissionon Environmental Law

IUCN (The World Conservation Union) EthicsSpecialist Working Group

Land and Human to Advocate Progress (LHAP),Jordan

LEAD International

LIDEMA, Bolivia

MAUDESCO, Mauritius

Ministry of Environment, Costa Rica

Ministry of Environment, Mexico

Ministry of Education, Costa Rica

Ministry of Sustainable Development, Bolivia

National Committee for International Cooperationand Sustainable Development (NCDO), Holland

New Zealand Centre for Environmental Law

The Humane Society of United States, USA

The Jordan Hashemite Fund for HumanDevelopment, Jordan

The Nature and Society Forum, Australia

The Orion Society, USA

The Queensland Earth Charter Committee, Australia

Paulo Freire Institute, Brazil

Pro-Natura, Italy

Sierra Club of Canada

Soka Gakkai International

Universidad Estatal a Distancia, Costa Rica

Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica

Universidad Federal de Mato Grosso, Brazil

University for Peace, International

Vivim Plegats, Spain

World Resources Institute

Partners – Collaborating Organizations

This is a sample list of key organizations collaborating with the Earth Charter Initiative. It is not intendedto be an exhaustive list.


Earth Charter CommissionAfrica & The Middle East• Amadou Toumani Touré, Co-Chair, Mali

• Princess Basma Bint Talal, Jordan

• Wangari Maathai, Kenya

• Mohamed Sahnoun, Algeria

Asia & The Pacific• Kamla Chowdhry, Co-Chair, India

• A.T. Ariyaratne, Sri Lanka

• Wakako Hironaka, Japan

• Pauline Tangiora, New Zealand/Aotearoa

• Erna Witoelar, Indonesia

Europe

• Mikhail Gorbachev, Co-Chair, Russia

• Pierre Calame, France

• Ruud Lubbers, The Netherlands

• Federico Mayor, Spain

• Henriette Rasmussen, Greenland

• Awraham Soetendorp, The Netherlands

Latin America & The Caribbean

• Mercedes Sosa, Co-Chair, Argentina

• Leonardo Boff, Brazil

• Yolanda Kakabadse, Ecuador

• Shridath Ramphal, Guyana

North America

• Maurice Strong, Co-Chair, Canada

• John Hoyt, USA

• Elizabeth May, Canada

• Steven Rockefeller, USA

• Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Canada

International Steering CommitteeCo-chairsKamla Chowdhry, India

Yolanda Kakabadse, Ecuador

Ruud Lubbers, The Netherlands

Steven Rockefeller, USA

Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Canada

Wakako Hironaka, Japan

Alexander Likhotal, Russia

Wangari Maathai, Kenya

Mohamed Sahnoun, Algeria

Rick Clugston, USA

Earth Charter International SecretariatMirian Vilela, Executive Director, Brazil

Mohit Mukherjee, Education Programme Manager,India

Betty McDermott, Project Officer, Costa Rica

Earth Charter Initiative Organization

“It is important that we realise our murderous ways in achieving industrialisation, and our life styles,and hopefully, one can move towards liberating the use and control of science from business,political and military interests.

With the growth and spread of industrialisation, we have also witnessed the decay of communitiesand the decay of our moral and ethical concerns. We have witnessed the savagery with whichcolonialism was established, and since then, we have witnessed two World Wars and severalhundred smaller wars. With the rise of science and technology, there has been a phenomenal rise ofviolence everywhere. We have raped the soil and denigrated the ecosystems of the Earth because ofour greed. And in the process we have lost touch with our inner self, and the sense of sacredness ofthe Earth, and all that which nourishes our spirituality and sustains us.”

- Dr. Kamla Chowdhry, Earth Charter Commissioner, India

The Earth Charter Initiative has significant budgetary constraints. Your financial contributions would be highly appreciated and may enable the Secretariat

to continue its operations!

Contributions in support of the Earth Charter Initiative can be sent to:

The Earth Charter Fund/TPC attention: Claire WilsonPost Office Box 648 Middlebury VT 05753 USA

Or to:

Mirian VilelaExecutive Director Earth Charter Secretariat P. O. Box 138-6100 San José, Costa Rica

Please make checks payable to: The Earth Charter Fund/TPC.


This report was prepared byThe Earth Charter Initiative International Secretariat

The information in this report was compiled and processed byBetty McDermott, Mohit Mukherjee, Renaud Richard and Mirian Vilela

Edited by Esther Castain, Claire WilsonDesign: Alpi Productions

“Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening ofa new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achievesustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justiceand peace, and the joyful celebration of life.”

Earth Charter

This Report was prepared byEarth Charter International SecretariatP.O.Box 138-6100, San José, Costa Rica

Tel. (506) 205 9000 / Fax: (506) 249 1929e-mail: [email protected]: http://www.earthcharter.org

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