Earth Charter International mourns the passing of Mikhail Gorbachev, co-chair of the Earth Charter Commission, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1990), founder of Green Cross International and one of the most prominent elder statesmen of our times. A great leader, visionary and human being. Many of us involved in the environmental, sustainability and peace movements share special gratitude and admiration for his dedication and for the historical role he played over many years in processes of change and world security.
With his unique capacity to negotiate and his fearlessness of change, Gorbachev was behind key historical changes that happened the past four decades, including the end of the Cold War between East and West and the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.
In 1985 Gorbachev was elected as the new leader of the Soviet Union and in that position, he was not afraid to challenge the status quo and seek new ways of envisioning the political system, introducing the concepts “glasnost” (openness) and “perestroika” (change). On the same year, he and President Ronald Reagan came to an agreement to issue a statement to announce their initiation of a process of dialogue to reduce risks of using nuclear weapons and to promote nonproliferation of weapons and disarmament. This was a major historical move.
In the early 90s, following the fall of the Berlin wall and the Iron Curtain, Gorbachev clearly understood the need of a new set of global shared values and principles to guide humanity towards peace and a better human-nature relationship. In 1994, he and Maurice Strong joined forces with the support of the Dutch government to launch a new Earth Charter Initiative building on initial efforts undertaken at the 1992 Earth Summit to develop an Earth Charter. He significantly influenced the drafting of the Earth Charter and took part in several of our meetings. Around the same time, he founded Green Cross International.
He often highlighted the interrelation of our major political, economic and ecological challenges and stressed the importance to question our current values and priorities. He was a vivid advocate of demilitarization and to Earth Charter vision.
Earth Charter International expresses our sincere and deepest condolences to his family and at the same time we celebrate Gorbachev’s vision, life and the leadership role he took in so many areas.
It seems appropriate to share some of the messages he used to convey through the following quotes:
“The main difference of the Earth Charter from other documents is that this document is the result of the work, not just of a certain commission, not just of one group of people, it is the result of the thoughts, hopes and dreams of thousands and thousands even of millions of people.”
Gorbachev, M. (2000). Speech at the Launch of the Earth Charter, The Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands
“In my opinion, the Earth Charter should fill this void, acquire equal status, and become the third pillar supporting the peaceful development of the modern world”.
Gorbachev, M. (2005). The Third Pillar of Sustainable Development in The Earth Charter in Action: Towards a Sustainable World
“The ecologisation of politics requires acknowledgement of the priority of universal human values in making ecology a part of education and instruction from an early age, moulding a new contemporary attitude to nature and, at the same time returning to man a sense of being a part of nature. No moral improvement of society is possible without that.”
Mikhail Gorbachev: Prophet of Change: From the Cold War to a Sustainable World (2011)
Click here to see one of his latest articles published in Times Magazine in April 2020. When The Pandemic Is Over, The World Must Come Together
Some of his books:
What Is at Stake Now: My Appeal for Peace and Freedom (2020)
Mikhail Gorbachev: Prophet of Change: From the Cold War to a Sustainable World (2011)
Perestroika: New Thinking for Our Country and the World (1987)