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The Earth Charter is an international declaration of fundamental values and principles considered useful by its supporters for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. Created by a global consultation process, and endorsed by organizations representing millions of people, the Charter "seeks to inspire in all peoples a sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the human family, the greater community of life, and future generations."Earth Charter Initiative: "What is the Earth Charter?". It calls upon humanity to help create a global partnership at a critical juncture in history. The Earth Charter's vision proposes that environmental protection, human rights, equitable human development, and world peace are interdependent and indivisible. The Charter attempts to provide a new framework for thinking about and addressing these issues. The Earth Charter Initiative organization exists to promote the Charter.
"The Ark of Hope was created for a celebration of the Earth Charter held at Shelburne Farms, Vermont on September 9, 2001."
One of the members of the Earth Charter Commission and Steering Committee was Steven Clark Rockefeller, who, among other things is professor emeritus of Religion at Middlebury College and an advisory trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. According to a 2001 interview with Rockefeller, he "chaired the Earth Charter international drafting committee". Other members included Amadou Toumani Touré (Mali), Princess Basma bint Talal (Jordan), Mohamed Sahnoun (Algeria), A. T. Ariyaratne (Sri Lanka), Wakako Hironaka (Japan), Erna Witoelar (Indonesia), Ruud Lubbers (The Netherlands), Federico Mayor (Spain), Mercedes Sosa (Argentina), Leonardo Boff (Brazil), Yolanda Kakabadse (Ecuador), Shridath Ramphal (Guyana), Elizabeth May (Canada), Severn Cullis-Suzuki (Canada), and others.
The final text of the Earth Charter was approved at a meeting of the Earth Charter Commission at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in March 2000. The official launch was on 29 June 2000 in a ceremony at The Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands attended the ceremony.
I. Respect and Care for the Community of Life
II. Ecological Integrity
III. Social and Economic Justice
IV. Democracy, Nonviolence, and Peace
Various religious groups from a wide range of religions support the Earth Charter. The Soka Gakkai International, representing more than 12 million Buddhists worldwide, has supported the Earth Charter since its inception. "SGI and the Earth Charter", SGI Resources, May 3, 2000 The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations representing over 1000 Unitarian Universalist congregations in the United States supports the measure. "Endorse the Earth Charter, 2002 Action of Immediate Witness" , Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations The official body of the Baháʼí Faith religion reacted by saying "While not officially endorsing the Earth Charter, the Baháʼí International Community considers the effort toward drafting it and activities in support of its essential objectives to be highly commendable, and it will continue to participate in related activities, such as conferences, forums and the like." "Baháʼís participate in interreligious dialogue on faith and ecology", Baháʼí World News Service, September 6, 2001 The World Pantheist Movement, which supports a naturalistic view of religion, endorses the plan. "World Pantheist Movement’s Help Centre", World Pantheist Movement website, retrieved March 9, 2010. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a Catholic organization in the United States approved the measure in 2004.Leadership Conference of Women Religious (August 24, 2004): "2004 Resolutions" (press release) The Episcopal Diocese of Newark (New Jersey), an Episcopalian Christian organization, endorsed the Earth Charter in 2009.
In May 1992, more than 650 representatives of indigenous peoples adopted their own 109-point Indigenous Peoples Earth Charter. (2025). 9780791457757, State University of New York Press. ISBN 9780791457757 Representatives of indigenous peoples also participated in the Earth Charter consultations in 1996. In 2000, the Russian Association of the Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON), representing 31 indigenous peoples living in Siberia and far eastern Russia, formally endorsed the Earth Charter.
Mayor Hsu of Tainan City, a city of 750,000 in Taiwan, endorsed the charter in 2007. "Mayor Hsu endorsed the Earth Charter with 15 Miss Globalcities", Tainan City Government news bulltetin, January 19, 2007 The cities of Corvallis (Oregon), Berkeley (California), Pickering (Canada) and 21 towns in Vermont have endorsed the measure. "Council passes Earth Charter", Rebecca Barrett, Corvallis Gazette-Times, April 17, 2006 "Resolution 61,007-NS" , Berkeley City Council, March 27, 2001 "Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes" , City of Pickering, Canada, July 22, 2002 Nine other towns in Vermont rejected measures endorsing the Earth Charter. "Earth Charter Supported in Middlebury Meeting", middleburycampus.com, March 13, 2002
Engineers Without Borders, an international association whose mission is to help its member groups assist poor communities in their respective countries and around the world, also endorses the Earth Charter. one page organization summary , Engineers Without Borders — International, 2009 The Green Party of Botswana supports the plan. greenpartyofbotswanna.com . Retrieved February 25, 2009. The African Conservation Foundation describes the Earth Charter movement as a "partner". Partnerships , African Conservation Foundation. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
In the UK, Bournemouth Borough Council endorsed the Charter in 2008.
Earth Charter International, the organization responsible for promoting the Charter, states in its literature that the Earth Charter is respectful and inclusive of all religious traditions. They say that the Charter itself makes no statements to support claims of intent to supplant any of the world's religions or to create a world government. ECI asserts that the Charter is a statement of common ethical values towards sustainability, that recognizes humanity's shared responsibility to the Earth and to each other.Earth Charter Initiative. September 2008: The Earth Charter Initiative Handbook , p. 47.
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