Edmund Rice International

This submission, from Edmund Rice International (ERI), a faith-based NGO with offices in Geneva and New York, draws on the work of several thousand colleagues, who, based on their faith, are working for social justice and ecojustice in over thirty countries, and building a global network to protect and promote human rights and ecological sustainability.

Recommendations

1. That the Outcome document adopt a philosophical framework that presents human aspirations within the limitations of natural systems, with principles such as those outlined in the Earth Charter being used to unite the goals and recommendations on governance and energy flows.

2. That the Outcome document adopts a structural perspective that embeds economic principles within ecological principles.

3. That the Outcome document enshrines the ethics of the Earth Charter principles in specific commitments, within clear timeframes, by States assuming responsibility for their actions.

4. That the Outcome document strengthen the ethical framework of the decisions made by specifying the sanctions that will apply if States do not meet their obligations within the agreed timeframe.

5. That the Outcome document adopts the term ‘sustainability’ as its overarching goal, and does not use ‘sustainable development’.

6. That the Outcome document uses sustainability as the single pillar of national progress and human advancement.

To read the full submission document click here