On 30 June 2020, the Mexican Earth Charter Network commemorated the 20th Anniversary of the Earth Charter, through a discussion entitled “20 years of building hope with the Earth Charter in Mexico.”
This discussion included the participation of 44 focal points and affiliates of Earth Charter Mexico, where 17 members shared experiences and actions carried out. The discussion began with the intervention of Mateo Castillo, Earth Charter International Focal Point in Mexico, who offered a succinct report of the achievements during these 20 years. This celebration was made up of different presentations organized in three panels:
Panel I: “The Earth Charter in Education,” was an opportunity to share experiences generated in the field of education with contributions from: Shafía Súcar Succar, the University of Guanajuato; Norma Mota, the Autonomous University of Coahuila; Leodan Portes, Technological Universities and Polytechnics; Eder Medina, High School of Chiapas; Norma Flores, the CECyTEM Michoacán and Fernando Treviño, the National Technological Institute of Mexico.
Panel II: “The Earth Charter as a Legislative Benchmark,” counted with the participation of Yesenia Hernández, who shared the experiences in the Oaxaca congress, María Elena Mesta, who shared the experiences in the Mayor Benito Juárez’s offfice in the Mexico City, and Francisco Javier Camarena, who shared experiences related to court decisions.
Panel III: “The Earth Charter Present in Art and Culture,” involved contributions from Norma Cárdenas with her project “Poetry Festival,” Verónica Kugel with the book “The Earth Charter” in indigenous languages, the Chapulhuacán Academic Unit with the mural “Embrace the Earth,” Emma Alcocer with “Tales for the Earth and Songs for Peace” and José Adrián Figueroa with his community development programme and the Earth Charter in Nahuatl.
This singular celebration of almost three hours offered a space to highlight the most significant experiences that during these twenty years have been implemented in Mexico. The values and principles of the Earth Charter were made present through a collective meditation led by Alberto Calvet, a music performance offered by Emma Alcocer, Rocío Vega and José Luis Pedraza, as well as through the sharing of the educational experiences with children, youth and indigenous communities, training sessions, social responsibility, and public and legislative policies that have been carried out by the focal points and the organizations affiliated with the Earth Charter.
At the end of this activity, Mirian Vilela, Executive Director of the Earth Charter International, offered some closing remarks: “… there is a spark in each one of you that makes you feel the natural desire to contribute to the common good… the great work that we all have before us, and that we are involved in and which has to do with a process of social transformation, goes far beyond a commitment to work on projects. This great work, transcends the borders of a job or research project. This is what I see in each one of you. It is a special kind of commitment and a call to contribute for the common good…
… The process that you have carried out in Mexico is an example of capacity, of articulation between committed human beings, far beyond institutions… now it is up to us to continue with the vision of the Earth Charter in an intergenerational collaboration, to strengthen that as we move forward.”
The conversation was shared live through Earth Charter International’s Facebook and YouTube channel.
Watch it here: