On the 10th December 2018, EOCA was honoured to be invited to endorse and attend the launch of the Hague Principles, recognising the importance of human rights underpinned by humankind’s responsibility to nature and the earth.
The December meeting was significant because the date also marked the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted and proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948.
To mark this occasion, the Earth Trusteeship Forum set out to emphasise the link between human rights and human responsibilities to the earth, recognising the duty to look after nature and the earth on which humans live and depend. As one speaker at the launch event emphasised for example, in order for an individual to exercise their human right to free speech, they first depend on humans meeting their responsibility to ensure nature is able to provide clean and safe fresh water for drinking and thus survival. Even the most basic ‘right to life’ and ‘right to food and shelter’ depend on nature and the environment being in the right balance to be able to provide conditions in which to sustain life.
Requested by Kofi Annan, during his time as Secretary General of the United Nations, the Hague Principles have now been developed. These Principles are the result of a collaboration between representatives of a wide spectrum of environmental, indigenous and human rights organisations under the auspices of the Earth Trusteeship initiative (ETI).
Alongside WWF UK, Haus der Zukunft, World Commission on Environmental Law and others, EOCA was proud to support the publication and public launch of these Principles at the Peace Palace, in The Hague, Netherlands on behalf of the outdoor industry:
Principle 1 Responsibilities for Earth
1.1. All human beings, individually and collectively, share responsibility to protect Nature, of which we are an integral part, the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems and Earth as a whole, home of all living beings.
1.2. Each state individually, and the international community of states collectively, acknowledge that they have, and share, responsibilities for Nature, in cooperation and in alliance with their citizens as equal trustees of Earth and the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems.
Principle 2 Responsibilities within the Community of Life
2.1. Human rights are grounded in our membership within the community of life, the Earth community, which qualifies what rights we are called on to honor and what responsibilities we have for each other and for Nature.
2.2. Responsibilities for Nature, the Earth community and rights of Nature are grounded in the intrinsic values of nature and of all living beings.
Principle 3 Responsibilities for Human Rights
3.1. All human beings are responsible for the protection of human rights and for affirming human rights in their ways of thinking and acting.
3.2. Each state has a prime responsibility for the protection of human rights as a trustee of its citizens and all human beings.
WE CALL UPON the United Nations to initiate a process of consultation, negotiation and eventual adoption of a Universal Declaration on Human Responsibilities and Earth Trusteeship based on these principles.
The ETI call on individuals and organisations to sign up to endorse the Principles HERE
For more information, please visit the WEBSITE
