Earth Council Alliance Sustainability. Collaboration. Action.

Organization Overview

A Global Partnership
The Earth Council was originally created in preparation for the historical 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On the initiative of Maurice Strong, Secretary-General of the Earth Summit, a broadly representative group of environmental and development leaders joined in launching the Earth Council as a catalytic non-governmental organization to support the summit and implementation of the agreements promulgated during the summit, particularly its Declaration, Agenda 21, and the civil society treaties produced by the unprecedented number of NGOs in their Rio forum through empowering and supporting civil society initiatives. Incorporated as a non-prot organization in Canada as the Earth Council, it accepted the invitation of the Costa Rican government to establish its initial headquarters there. After seeking nominations and advice from environmental and development organizations and experts throughout the world, a Council of eminent leaders was constituted to guide its work. The Earth Council initiated a number of innovative international campaigns and programs and became an active leader and participant in the international dialogue on sustainable development, promoting understanding and support for the agreements reached in 1992 and facilitating their practical application. Of special importance was the leadership of the Earth Council in the establishment of National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSDs), participatory and democratic forums that promote cooperation for sustainable development. NCSDs allow stakeholders to negotiate, seek consensus, and work together to incorporate sustainability into national development plans and programs particularly focusing on the community and grass roots levels. From 1992 to 2002, the Earth Council helped establish more than 80 NCSDs in developing countries. Amongst the initiatives the Earth Council undertook was an extensive study of how subsidies and perverse incentives undermine sustainable development (Undermining the Earth with Public Funds), prepared a directory of NCSDs, organized a Rio+5 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, and established a Secretariat to support and coordinate the Earth Charter campaign. Over this 10 year period, the Earth Council raised just over $20 million, as well as many in-kind contributions to its work, and was instrumental in mobilizing substantial support for its partner organizations.

I am convinced that the future direction of our civilization will be set in the rst two or three decades of this new millennium. Surely there could be no more exciting challenge to our generation or a more awesome responsibility. Maurice Strong

The principles of The Earth Charter reect extensive international consultations facilitated by the Earth Council over a period of several years that included nongovernmental organizations, community groups, professional societies, and international experts in many elds from around the world. The Earth Charter was adopted in 2000 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and formally launched at the Peace Palace in the Hague, Netherlands, in June 2000. It has now been accepted by growing numbers of people and organizations representing millions of others around the world as a guide to their conduct towards the Earth and each other. In 2001, Earth Council Geneva was established in Switzerland as a vehicle to help develop the capacity of governments, business, and civil society in the practice of sustainable development mainly through its Earth Council Learning Center (ECLC), a global learning facility. The ECLC enables organizations working on sustainable development to use e-learning in their training, education, and capacity-building work, reaching thousands of people around the world espousing the concept of lifelong learning to eect the transition of a sustainable development pathway and impart the knowledge and skills to contribute to this in their home areas and the world. The Earth Council Alliance (ECA) has been founded to foster collaboration among existing Earth Councils, other organizations, and individuals sharing the same commitments to sustainable development and the principles set out in The Earth Charter. ECA is being incorporated as a Swiss international non-prot organization to give new impetus to the purposes and activities of the Earth Council movement with a clear commitment to fostering better understanding of and response to the challenges facing the Earths people. ECA strives to ensure active communication and collaboration among multiple constituencies, sectors, regions, and localities to accelerate sustainability, beyond the connes of traditional bureaucracies. ECA has been established to build on and reinforce the legacy of the many groups, individuals, and international eorts participating in the Earth Council movement. In particular, ECA cooperates with and supports other Earth Council organizations, members, and aliates including the Earth Council Foundation Canada, Earth Council Foundation US, Earth Council Geneva, Pro-Natura International (of Brazil), Harmony Foundation (of Canada), and the Oriental Environmental Institute (of China).

ECA is giving high priority to:

- Initiatives to support environmental sustainability in China - Support for especially focused education and training in sustainable development - Sustainable green investment and banking - Technology ventures - Support for research which contributes to practical action - Participating with the International Institute of Sustainable Development in phase two of its rst program, on the trade, development, and environmental eects of perverse subsidies - Preparation of an annual Earth Shareholders Report - Support of the United Nations Environment Programmes World Environment Day and related activities

Join ECA
To join in the formation of ECA or for more information, please call +1(619) 595- 0760 or visit: www. earthcouncilalliance.org

www.earthcouncilalliance.org

Organization Overview