We are gathering basic principles from a variety of areas, and will organize these by categories. We are beginning with ecology and the Earth Charter, the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Bill of Rights from the US Constitution, and bringing in principles brought to us by our partners.
EARTH CHARTER I. RESPECT AND CARE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF LIFEMore |
Link |
FOCUS
1. Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.
1a. Recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings.
1b. Affirm faith in the inherent dignity of all human beings and in the intellectual, artistic, ethical, and spiritual potential of humanity.
2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.
2a. Accept that with the right to own, manage, and use natural resources comes the duty to prevent environmental harm and to protect the rights of people.
2b. Affirm that with increased freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased responsibility to promote the common good.
3. Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.
3a. Ensure that communities at all levels guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms and provide everyone an opportunity to realize his or her full potential.
3b. Promote social and economic justice, enabling all to achieve a secure and meaningful livelihood that is ecologically responsible.
4. Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations.
4a. Recognize that the freedom of action of each generation is qualified by the needs of future generations.
4b. Transmit to future generations values, traditions, and institutions that support the long-term flourishing of Earth's human and ecological communities.
EARTH CHARTER II. ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITYMore |
Link |
FOCUS
5. Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.
5a. Adopt at all levels sustainable development plans and regulations that make environmental conservation and rehabilitation integral to all development initiatives.
5b. Establish and safeguard viable nature and biosphere reserves, including wild lands and marine areas, to protect Earth's life support systems, maintain biodiversity, and preserve our natural heritage.
5c. Promote the recovery of endangered species and ecosystems.
5d. Control and eradicate non-native or genetically modified organisms harmful to native species and the environment, and prevent introduction of such harmful organisms.
5e. Manage the use of renewable resources such as water, soil, forest products, and marine life in ways that do not exceed rates of regeneration and that protect the health of ecosystems.
5f. Manage the extraction and use of non-renewable resources such as minerals and fossil fuels in ways that minimize depletion and cause no serious environmental damage.
6. Prevent harm as the best method of environmental protection and, when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach.
6a. Take action to avoid the possibility of serious or irreversible environmental harm even when scientific knowledge is incomplete or inconclusive.
6b. Place the burden of proof on those who argue that a proposed activity will not cause significant harm, and make the responsible parties liable for environmental harm.
6c. Ensure that decision making addresses the cumulative, long-term, indirect, long distance, and global consequences of human activities.
6d. Prevent pollution of any part of the environment and allow no build-up of radioactive, toxic, or other hazardous substances.
6e. Avoid military activities damaging to the environment.
7. Adopt patterns of production, consumption, and reproduction that safeguard Earth's regenerative capacities, human rights, and community well-being.
7a. Reduce, reuse, and recycle the materials used in production and consumption systems, and ensure that residual waste can be assimilated by ecological systems.
7b. Act with restraint and efficiency when using energy, and rely increasingly on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
7c. Promote the development, adoption, and equitable transfer of environmentally sound technologies.
7d. Internalize the full environmental and social costs of goods and services in the selling price, and enable consumers to identify products that meet the highest social and environmental standards.
7e. Ensure universal access to health care that fosters reproductive health and responsible reproduction.
7f. Adopt lifestyles that emphasize the quality of life and material sufficiency in a finite world.
8. Advance the study of ecological sustainability and promote the open exchange and wide application of the knowledge acquired.
8a. Support international scientific and technical cooperation on sustainability, with special attention to the needs of developing nations.
8b. Recognize and preserve the traditional knowledge and spiritual wisdom in all cultures that contribute to environmental protection and human well-being.
8c. Ensure that information of vital importance to human health and environmental protection, including genetic information, remains available in the public domain.
EARTH CHARTER III. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICEMore |
Link |
FOCUS
9. Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative.
9a. Guarantee the right to potable water, clean air, food security, uncontaminated soil, shelter, and safe sanitation, allocating the national and international resources required.
9b. Empower every human being with the education and resources to secure a sustainable livelihood, and provide social security and safety nets for those who are unable to support themselves.
9c. Recognize the ignored, protect the vulnerable, serve those who suffer, and enable them to develop their capacities and to pursue their aspirations.
10. Ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels promote human development in an equitable and sustainable manner.
10a. Promote the equitable distribution of wealth within nations and among nations.
10b. Enhance the intellectual, financial, technical, and social resources of developing nations, and relieve them of onerous international debt.
10c. Ensure that all trade supports sustainable resource use, environmental protection, and progressive labor standards.
10d. Require multinational corporations and international financial organizations to act transparently in the public good, and hold them accountable for the consequences of their activities.
11. Affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development and ensure universal access to education, health care, and economic opportunity.
10a. Secure the human rights of women and girls and end all violence against them.
11b. Promote the active participation of women in all aspects of economic, political, civil, social, and cultural life as full and equal partners, decision makers, leaders, and beneficiaries.
11c. Strengthen families and ensure the safety and loving nurture of all family members.
11a. Secure the human rights of women and girls and end all violence against them.
12. Uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being, with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities.
12a. Eliminate discrimination in all its forms, such as that based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, language, and national, ethnic or social origin.
12b. Affirm the right of indigenous peoples to their spirituality, knowledge, lands and resources and to their related practice of sustainable livelihoods.
12c. Honor and support the young people of our communities, enabling them to fulfill their essential role in creating sustainable societies.
12d. Protect and restore outstanding places of cultural and spiritual significance.
EARTH CHARTER IV. DEMOCRACY, NONVIOLENCE, AND PEACEMore |
Link |
FOCUS
13. Strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, and provide transparency and accountability in governance, inclusive participation in decision making, and access to justice.
13a. Uphold the right of everyone to receive clear and timely information on environmental matters and all development plans and activities which are likely to affect them or in which they have an interest.
13b. Support local, regional and global civil society, and promote the meaningful participation of all interested individuals and organizations in decision making.
13c. Protect the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly, association, and dissent.
13d. Institute effective and efficient access to administrative and independent judicial procedures, including remedies and redress for environmental harm and the threat of such harm.
13e. Eliminate corruption in all public and private institutions.
13f. Strengthen local communities, enabling them to care for their environments, and assign environmental responsibilities to the levels of government where they can be carried out most effectively.
14. Integrate into formal education and life-long learning the knowledge, values, and skills needed for a sustainable way of life.
14a. Provide all, especially children and youth, with educational opportunities that empower them to contribute actively to sustainable development.
14b. Promote the contribution of the arts and humanities as well as the sciences in sustainability education.
14c. Enhance the role of the mass media in raising awareness of ecological and social challenges.
14d. Recognize the importance of moral and spiritual education for sustainable living.
15. Treat all living beings with respect and consideration.
15a. Prevent cruelty to animals kept in human societies and protect them from suffering.
15b. Protect wild animals from methods of hunting, trapping, and fishing that cause extreme, prolonged, or avoidable suffering.
15c. Avoid or eliminate to the full extent possible the taking or destruction of non-targeted species
16. Promote a culture of tolerance, nonviolence, and peace.
16a. Encourage and support mutual understanding, solidarity, and cooperation among all peoples and within and among nations.
16b. Implement comprehensive strategies to prevent violent conflict and use collaborative problem solving to manage and resolve environmental conflicts and other disputes.
16c. Demilitarize national security systems to the level of a non-provocative defense posture, and convert military resources to peaceful purposes, including ecological restoration.
16d. Eliminate nuclear, biological, and toxic weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
16e. Ensure that the use of orbital and outer space supports environmental protection and peace.
16f. Recognize that peace is the wholeness created by right relationships with oneself, other persons, other cultures, other life, Earth, and the larger whole of which all are a part.
Oneness
Oneness is the foundation and container of all reality.
The context of the Whole
All political and communal decisions that affect the whole should and must be made in the full context of the whole
Integrity of the whole
Political and communal decisions that are made in a partial context, less than the full wholeness of the One, may introduce distortions, fragmentations, conflicts, injury, and waste.
Us against them
In the context of the whole, we are all on the same side and on the same team. We may disagre on specifics, but we do so with respect to the larger context and the wholeness of our relationships within it.
MAGNA CARTA OF HARMONY FOR AN INFORMATION CIVILIZATIONMore |
Link |
FOCUS
* The crisis of modern humankind is the threat of self-destruction as a result of increasing conflict and the production of weapons of mass destruction, which lead to nuclear war, planetary winter, or global warming. This threat can be removed only by our conscious efforts to harmonize the united human family through overcoming of its social traumas, pathologies or extremes on a base of the following eight principles of harmony. These principles are suggested as steps to individual harmony for persons and as strategies to social harmony among societies.
These Principles underlie the Magna Carta of Harmony. They represent a “Noble Eightfold Way to Harmony.” This imitates, but does not copy, the “Noble Eightfold Path” of Buddhist philosophy.
1. Know the four basic conditions for harmony: people, their diversity (individual and social), unity, and consent. Consent must always be mutual. Consent can range from cultural and ideational tolerance, as a minimum, to consensus, which is the ideal maximum. The transition from tolerance to consensus requires respect, understanding, dialogue, and compromise.
2. Understand that the absence of tolerance leads to conflict and enmity, and prevents opportunities for harmony. Without common consent, diverse people polarize and create antagonism, chaos and disharmony.
3. Comprehend that the source of harmony comes from a standard measure of balance that limits human aspirations for wealth, power, and other resources. Harmony is incompatible with extreme desires, though it does not exclude opposites. Consent between opposites transforms their struggle into harmony.
4. Realize that standard measures are established by specific communities in specific times and places in a democratic way. Redefining and reestablishing this standard measure is a constant task in a harmonious society.
5. Recognize that consent is the conscious and mutual acknowledgement of a standard measure for harmony. The measure requires a self-restriction of aspirations to wealth, power, and other resources.
6. Appreciate consent as the key attribute of social harmony that can eliminate conflict and the rationale for war. In order to ensure indestructible peace, a culture of consent must be formed during childhood by means of an education and upbringing based on the values of love, peace, and harmony.
7. Believe that consent requires a harmonious peace culture, brotherly love, solidarity, cooperation, freedom, recognition of the equal dignity of all people, human rights, shared responsibility for the protection of nature, and mutual care for people and the common good. Consent requires to forget the old enmity and to forgive the past insults.
8. Achieve conscious consent and be committed to the value of harmony as a way of life, thought, feelings, conversations, and all social behavior on the basis of the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Conversely: “Do not do unto others what you do not want them to do unto you.”
1. STILLNESS AS AN ACT OF POWER
The cultivation of a quiet mind is the most effective antidote to chaos.
A moment of stillness is a universal corrective, bringing all conditions of disharmony into immediate alignment with the peace of God. While manifestations of chaos may take time to flush out of the material realm, the introduction of stillness automatically interrupts the trajectory of chaos.
In meditation our only task is to "be still and know." As we simply sit in silence, knowing that God's love embraces all living things, divine harmony becomes an operative principle in the world around us.
The deeper the stillness the deeper the level of sharing.
Principles of a New Activism
" Some day, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness the energies of love. Then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire."
- Pierre Theilhard de Chardin
At the dawn of the 21st Century, we cast our eyes upon the horizon of a new day in human affairs. While civilization has achieved the most stunning advances in science, technology and other external pursuits, our internal and spiritual progress lags far behind. We have landed a man on the moon and begun to decode the human genome, but we have not yet learned how to build a deep and lasting peace among the peoples of the world.
At the Global Renaissance Alliance, it is our belief that the deepest yearning of the human heart is to love and be loved. The next step in humanity's evolutionary progress is to most fully actualize the love we feel within us, for as we ourselves are healed of fear-based mental patterns, we
3. INTERPERSONAL HEALING AS AN ACT OF POWER
The source of war lies in each of us, as does the source of peace. As we rid our own hearts of the spark of violence, we are fostering peace in the world.
Ultimately, we come to realize that there is no world outside us. All external reality is mere reflection of consciousness, and thus, in order to change the world, we must change our minds. The world is in the circle, as it is in every one of us.
Gathering together as New Activists, we find among us the roots of war. Someone may judge someone else; someone may not like someone else's personality; someone may hold resentments regarding a particular situation. As we heal ourselves of our own judgments and subtle thoughts of conflict, we automatically affect the minds of those who perpetrate greater violence in the world.
The Peace Circle is a sacred circle. It holds the pain, as well as the possibility for transformation, of the world in which we live. We do not seek outside oursel
4. DEPTH OF INSIGHT AS AN ACT OF POWER
The most powerful axis of activism today is vertical rather than horizontal. The depth of a conversation is more important than how many people are involved in it.
A wise society holds its common experiences wisely, and in so doing, creates subtle and invisible sources of healing. The more meaningful the conversation a society holds with itself, the more meaningful its collective actions become.
The traditional activist is often tempted to facilitate a more shallow group discussion, in order to attract as many people as possible to it. More attention is paid to the numbers of people supporting a position, than to the genuine justice of the position itself. On a certain level this is reasonable, as a main role of the traditional activist is to achieve electoral gain. The New Activist, however, makes the attainment of a deep and loving understanding our highest priority.
It is not assumed that the quest for such spiritual understanding au
5. RADICAL GOOD WILL AS AN ACT OF POWER
Recognition and affirmation of the spiritual innocence in all human beings creates a field of possibility for the emergence of miracles.
In A Course in Miracles, it is written, "Miracles are everyone's right, but purification is necessary first." The presence of fear-based thinking within our own minds is the primary block to the effectiveness of the New Activist.
It is tempting to think that a huge multinational corporation, aided by assets of billions of dollars, has more power to achieve its will on Earth than do we who merely live here. Once we recognize, however, that money is not as powerful as prayer, or imagination, or most importantly, love, then we begin to harness
the powers of the heart on behalf of planetary healing. The New Activist does not project negativity toward the corporation, its executives, or its shareholders, but rather surrounds them all in a field of positive intention, surrendering them to the spirit of on
6. CREATING SACRED SPACE AS AN ACT OF POWER
The simple configuration of people gathered in a circle, sharing prayer and meditation and heartfelt conversation, casts a web of healing power affecting not only the members of the circle but the world at large.
Humans carry an ancient memory of the power of ritual. The creation of sacred space is not merely symbol but rather the actual harnessing of energy for the purpose of spiritual healing. Within a sacred circle, we are lifted past the limitations of personality which normally hold us back; greater wisdom, greater clarity, greater insight emerge. As the veils of the personality are lifted, so are the walls which divide us. No longer experiencing a false sense of separation from each other, our oneness in God becomes an experiential reality.
Within the sacred field of oneness, we experience the ultimate equality of souls. The level of our personal sharing reflects a deeper, more heartfelt truth, when the competitive, fear-based g
7. SPIRITUALLY CENTERED ACTION AS ACT OF POWER
The New Activist wields power by standing for what could be, as opposed to fighting what is. Making a stand for a new possibility, we attain the power to create it.
When asked whether meditation alone could save the world, His Holiness the Dalai Lama responded, "If we are to save the world, we must have a plan. But no plan will work unless we meditate."
It is the integration of the powers of spirit and matter which conjoin to form the New Activism. Ultimately the yin of personal development meets the yang of social activism, as the New Activist turns his or her attention to traditional political, social, or community efforts, but with a new dimension of spiritual and personal power.
For instance, at a political gathering the New Activist remembers to avoid the temptation to demonize one's opponent; at an activist's gathering, the New Activist has acquired the serenity to become the most eloquent and inspiring spokesperson for th
Ideas and theories must be tested and validated before they can be accepted as trustworthy.
Ten Key Values of the Green PartyMore |
Link |
FOCUS
1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.
2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.
3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM
Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.
4. NON-VIOLENCE
It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.
5. DECENTRALIZATION
Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.
6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We recognize it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a “living wage” which reflects the real value of a person’s work.
Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.
7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY
We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.
8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.
We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.
9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.
10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION - BILL OF RIGHTSMore |
Link |
FOCUS
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTSMore |
Link |
FOCUS
* PREAMBLE (1)
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
* PREAMBLE (2)
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
* PREAMBLE (3)
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Yes We Can -- Save The Planet -- Our PetitionMore |
Link |
FOCUS
1. Re-evaluate ourselves as the prime cause of the planetary problems we are facing, and continue to re-evaluate.
2. Respect the inherent value in every single human being.
3. Respect the vastly unexplored complexity of ecosystems and life in all its forms, and the world's diverse cultures, including the open, constructive, peace-loving and responsible integrity which is evolving in Humanity.
4. Create a planetary peace and ecological culture (i.e. a sustainable civilization).
5. Positively evolve regarding issues of consumption and economy, through changes in consciousness, value systems, needs, and education.
6. Recognize human potential as a prerequisite to the development of true Civilization including the power of the mind to devise appropriate technologies and enlightened strategies.
7. Use communication technology and the media and educational systems as a strategic vehicle to unite humanity for peace and non violence rather than for war
8. Integrate scientific disciplines and scientific knowledge with consciousness.
9. Create universal access to the world’s knowledge and use innovative forms of education, which recapture the essence and heart of education for life.
10. Promote economic empowerment of the developing world, by developed countries, to aid in all human development.
This project is brand-new and in progress. Everything is taking shape at the same time, everything is changing and growing.
Thanks for being here, thanks for becoming involved, thanks for your patience...
