THE EARTH CHARTER STORY
Some
Important Dates & Events
M.M.
Hitchen, July 2006
(This summary
timeline is based on articles by
Mirian Vilela; Peter Blaze Corcoran 2005
‘History
and Provenance of the Earth Charter: building consensus on
shared values.’ and
Steven Rockefeller 2005 ‘The
Transition to Sustainability’ in Corcoran et al (eds)
2005, 17 – 22, 165 - 170 (reference below).
Corcoran,
Peter Blaze; Vilela, Mirian; Roerink, Alide (eds)
2005 The Earth
Charter in Action: toward a sustainable
world. KIT
Publishers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 17 – 22.
Email:
publishers@kit.nl)
More up to date information and further episodes in the
story can be found on the Earth Charter website
www.earthcharter.org
1945 - United Nations founded
[3 main goals:
•
Ensure peace
and security;
•
Secure human
rights;
•
Foster
cooperation for social & economic development.]
1948
- Universal Declaration on Human Rights
1972
- Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment
[4th
goal for UN
added:
•
Protect the
environment.]
1980s
- Concept
of sustainable
development emerged.
1987
-
Our Common Future
(World Commission on Environment and Development
– Brandt Report)
[Report called
for:
•
“a new
charter to guide state behaviour in the transition to
sustainable development”;
•
“new
norms for state and interstate behaviour needed to maintain
livelihoods and life on our shared planet”.]
1990 – 1991 – Preparatory Meetings for Rio
Earth Summit
[Meetings
identified elements for such a charter.]
1992 - Earth Summit (Rio de
Janeiro)
•
Organised
by
UN Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED)
•
Earth Charter
had been removed from agenda;
•
2,400 reps of
NGOs attended;
•
8,000
journalists attended;
•
Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development published, seen
as possibly evolving into an “Earth Charter”.
1992
- NGO Global Forum
•
Held parallel
to the Earth Summit;
•
NGOs from 19
countries attended;
•
17,000 people
attended;
•
46
non government treaties prepared;
•
Earth Charter drafted.
1994
- Earth Charter Initiative launched;
Management Committee & Executive Director
(Mohammed
Sahnoun) set up in The
Hague.
[Supported by:
•
The
Netherlands (Queen
Beatrix, Ruud Lubbers PM)
•
Earth Council
(Maurice
Strong)
•
Green Cross
International (Mikhail
Gorbachev)]
May 1995 - International Workshop on the Earth
Charter (The
Hague)
•
70
participants from 30 countries;
•
Defined needs,
basic elements, and process for Earth
Charter.
1996
-
Principles of Environmental Conservation and
Sustainable Development: Summary and Survey
(Steven C
Rockefeller)
[compiled 50
international law instruments.]
Early
1997 – Earth Charter Commission formed
•
Earth Council (Maximo
Kalaw) acted as
Secretariat;
•
prepared
Earth Charter Benchmark Draft;
March
1997 – Rio Forum + 5 (Rio de
Janeiro)
•
organised by
the Earth Council;
•
independent
civil society review of Earth Summit
agreements;
•
over 500
representatives of NGOs & some
governments;
•
Earth Charter Benchmark Draft issued by Earth
Charter Commission;
1997-2000:
Widespread consultation on drafting the
Earth Charter
•
Consultations
held at national, regional & global levels;
•
Indigenous People’s Program of the Earth
Council engaged
Indigenous people in this process, including
Indigenous People’s Spiritual Consultative
Council;
•
Special consultations held on
indigenous issues, international law, faith traditions,
contemporary science, women’s issues, education;
•
IUCN Commission on Environmental Law involved;
•
42
National Earth Charter Committees formed;
•
3
online conferences held (74
representatives of National EC Committees and EC Drafting
Committee);
•
2
internet-based forums held (750
colleges & unis, from 113 countries);
•
3
formal meetings of
Earth Charter Drafting Committee to review
consultations and revise the draft EC;
December
1998 – Earth Charter Continental Conference of the
Americas (Brazil)
•
100
delegates from 22 countries;
June
1999– Working Group on Ethics and Jurisprudence (IUCN
Commission on Environmental Law)
•
Legal advice
& inputs on drafting the Earth
Charter;
•
International
lawyers from 10 countries and 6
continents;
•
June
1999 – Earth Charter Conference for Central Asia
•
30
participants from 5 countries;
•
National Sustainable Plans developed.
December 1999 – Earth Charter Conference for Africa
and Middle East (Capetown)
•
20
participants from 9 countries;
Early 2000 – Earth Charter Conference for Asia,
Pacific and Australasia (Brisbane)
March 2000 – final version
of the
Earth Charter issued by
the
Earth Charter Commission;
June 29, 2000 – Earth Charter launched (The
Hague);
2000
- Earth Charter Initiative began new
phase;
•
Steering Committee of Earth Charter Commission
to
guide EC Initiative;
•
Earth Charter International Secretariat established
(Costa Rica);
•
Formal
endorsements sought & obtained (3,000 by 2005);
2001
– International Education Advisory Committee
for
EC formed
•
2
on-line forums held;
•
Earth Charter Education Guidebook
for
primary & secondary teachers developed;
2002
- World Summit on Sustainable Development
(Johannesburg)
•
Earth Charter
was on agenda, until final day;
•
Many NGOs and
countries endorsed EC at the Summit;
•
Earth Charter
deleted from final version of
Draft Political Declaration (due to
non-public lobbying by some countries);
•
Johannesburg Declaration uses language
and concept from Earth Charter;
October
2003 – UNESCO General Conference
•
Recognises and
recommends Earth Charter as ethical framework for
sustainable development;
•
Affirms EC as
educational instrument, in
UN Decade for Education for Sustainable
Development;
Late
2003 – Earth Charter Partnership for Sustainable
Communities formed
•
Consisting
of
World Resource Institute, the Earth Charter
Initiative and
Global Community Initiatives;
•
Developed
Earth Charter Community Action Tool
(EarthCAT);
2004–
World Conservation Union (IUCN) endorses Earth
Charter
•
77
state governments & over 800 NGOs from 140 countires;