On 27-29 May 2010, a powerful network of over 2,000 political and corporate leaders, civil society activists, youth, journalists, foundations, and religious leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro and agree on joint actions to improve relations across cultures and build the conditions for long-term peace.
The Alliance of Civilization (AoC) was established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations and a High-level Group of experts was formed by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan to explore the roots of polarization between societies and cultures today, and to recommend a practical programme of action to address this issue. The Report of the High-level Group provided analysis and put forward practical recommendations that form the basis for the implementation plan of the Alliance of Civilizations.
On the first day of the pre-forum the session ‘Values and Principles for a more Just, Sustainable and Peaceful Future: The Promise of the Earth Charter’, was held at 16.30 – 18.00 hours.
Leonardo Boff and Oscar Motomura, Earth Charter Commissioner and Council Member, respectively, as well as Cristina Moreno, from the Earth Charter Communication Task Force participated in this session.
Participants of this session got a deeper understanding of the systemic/integrated nature of the Earth Charter vision, and of its potential to inspire the peoples of the world to engage collectively in actions that reflect the essential ethical principles for sustainable ways of living.
In this interactive session, panelists shared their thoughts on:
- How the Earth Charter in Action Movement is generating creative actions in different realms of the human activities in a very natural/biological form (thus revealing its transformation potential for the future.
- How the values and principles of the Earth Charter can be quite instrumental in policy making, planning and education processes in different cultural settings all over the world.
For more detailed information on the event click here or visit the UN Alliance of Civilizations website.