The Earth Charter is a declaration of the fundamental principles for building a just society with a special emphasis on the world's environmental challenges. The document's vision recognises that environmental protection, human rights, equitable human development, and peace are interdependent and indivisible. In 1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development issued a call for the creation of a new charter that would set forth fundamental principles for sustainable development. The drafting of an Earth Charter was part of the unfinished business of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. In 1994 Maurice Strong, the Secretary-General of the Earth Summit and Chairman of the Earth Council, and Mikhail Gorbachev, Chairman of Green Cross International, launched a new Earth Charter initiative with support from the Dutch government. An Earth Charter Commission was formed in 1997 to oversee the project and an Earth Charter Secretariat was established at the Earth Council in Costa Rica. The Earth Charter seeks to inspire in all peoples a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well being of the human family and the larger living world. It is an expression of hope and a call to help create a global partnership at a critical juncture in history.
The principles of the Earth Charter reflect extensive international consultations conducted over a period of many years. These principles are also based upon contemporary science, international law, and the insights of philosophy and religion. Today, the Earth Charter is endorsed by more than 8000 organisations that represent hundreds of millions of people. In 2004, Professor Wangari Maathai, the Earth Charter Commissioner from Kenya and member of GCI's Honorary Board,became the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.
Earth Charter Initiative Annual Report 2004
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Green Cross Argentina has been working hard to establish partnerships with local NGOs in order to work together to promote positive changes in behaviour and environmental values among local families. Each week, 28 environmental organisations in the Belgrano area of Buenos Aires meet and brainstorm w [ … ]
In 2006 and 2007, GC Italy organised the 14th and 15th editions of the Earth Charter Youth Contest. The goal of this project is to contribute to the environmental education of youth and to make them feel responsible for the world around them. Both editions were successful:for the 2006 Contest, [ … ]
- Green Cross Sweden has improved information dissemination about the Earth Charter by developing the Swedish Earth Charter website and an Earth Charter brochure in Swedish.
- In April 2006, the international seminar on the Earth Charter in Action was held in cooperation with the municipality o [ … ]
