Global Greens Charter

Global Greens Charter, cooperative agreement made by an international group of environmentally minded political parties (green parties) and other organizations, who have pledged to work together on environmental and social causes on the basis of six guiding principles. The Global Greens Charter was signed at the Global Greens Congress in April 2001, in Canberra, Australia, by more than 800 delegates from 72 countries. The charter was prepared by Australian Greens member Louise Crossley as an expansion of earlier joint green party statements drafted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and among regional affiliations of green parties.

The six principles so distilled, in addition to the greens’ commitment to global cooperation, are the following:

1. ecological wisdom—that is, the requirement that humans learn to live within Earth’s ecological and natural resource limits;
2. social justice, which rests on a fair, equitable, and stable world economy, the eradication of poverty, and equal rights for all;
3. participatory democracy—that is, the form of government that empowers individuals through the maintenance of transparent and democratic electoral systems;
4. nonviolence, which emphasizes a reliance upon cooperation, sound economic and social development, and peace between states and within states;
5. sustainability, which emphasizes the sustainable and responsible use of natural resources; and
6. the respect for diversity, which spans all cultures, linguistic groups, ethnic associations, spiritual and religious affiliations, and sexual orientations.

A little more than half of the charter is devoted to political action and to outlining the greens’ goals and beliefs in the political sphere, under the headings of democracy, equity, climate change and energy, biodiversity, governing economic globalization by sustainability principles, human rights, food and water, sustainable planning, peace and security, and acting globally. Under each heading is a series of declarative statements meant to reflect the goals of all the signatory parties. These statements vary from the broad (such as working toward the improvement of women’s rights) to the specific (such as limiting atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to 450 parts per million) and encompass all areas indicated by the six core principles.