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Earth
Charter
The "Earth
Charter Initiative" was officially launched on June 29
when the Earth Charter was presented to Her Majesty Queen
Beatrix of The Netherlands at The Hague Peace Palace.
The Earth Charter
is a document that outlines the ethical values needed to guide
humankind toward a sustainable future. Its principles cover
environmental protection, human rights, poverty alleviation,
gender equality and building a culture of peace. It calls on
people to respect Earth and all life, to care for the
community of life in all its diversity, to strive to build
free, just, participatory and peaceful societies and to secure
Earth's abundance and beauty for future generations.
The Charter grew
out of the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and it has since been
reviewed and debated by thousands of people all over the
world--a process in which the SGI has been an active
participant. Its supporters hope that the Charter will be
adopted by the UN in 2002, on the 10th anniversary of the
Earth Summit.
Virginia Straus,
speaking at the launch on behalf of the SGI and the Boston
Research Center for the 21st Century, outlined the extensive
consultations held on the Charter in both organizations. She
stressed that in order for the Earth Charter to be a genuine
people's charter, it will be necessary for grassroots
organizations such as the SGI to promote it. Although the
members of such organizations are not necessarily
environmental experts, they are "experts in living."
SGI President Daisaku Ikeda echoed this sentiment in a message
sent for the occasion: "The path to a sustainable future
will only be realized by pooling the creativity and wisdom of
ordinary citizens throughout the world."
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