UNESCO RESOLUTION ADOPTED AT
General Conference PLENARY SESSION
16 October 2003
Item 5.23 – UNESCO’s support for the Earth Charter
- The Commission III recommends to the General Conference that it adopt, for the records of the General Conference, the draft resolution 32 C/COM.III/DR.1 (submitted by Jordan, supported by Costa Rica) as amended orally by Jordan. The resolution reads as follows:
The General Conference, Considering that:
– Over the decade of the 1990s, there has been a worldwide, multicultural, multisectoral
consultation process for the creation of an instrument that contains the shared values,
principles and ethics that can guide our efforts towards a sustainable future,
– Today, the international community has the Earth Charter as an instrument, which
contains fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global
society,
– The Earth Charter sets forth an integrated approach to addressing our interrelated
problems the world community faces. This ethical framework involves respect and
responsibility for the community of life, ecological integrity, social and economic justice
and equity, democracy, alleviation of poverty, non-violence and peace,
– The Earth Charter is part of a continuing process generated by the United Nations
Brundtland Commission’s (1987) call for a new code of ethics for sustainable
development, and the unfinished issue of the Rio Earth Summit, which attempted
adoption of an ethical framework for sustainability, and
– UNESCO is a Task Manager in the United Nations system of Chapters 15 (Science) and 36 (Education) of Agenda 21, 32 C/73 – page 16
Resolves to:
- Recognize the Earth Charter as an important ethical framework for sustainable
development, and acknowledge its ethical principles, its objectives and its contents, as
an expression that coincides with the vision that UNESCO has with regard to their new
Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007;
- Affirm our intention, as Member States, to utilize the Earth Charter as an educational
instrument, particularly in the framework of the United Nations Decade for Education
for Sustainable Development;
- Invite the UNESCO General Conference to analyse with the UNESCO Director-General how to reinforce, in a practical way, the vision and principles of the Earth Charter in UNESCO programmes.