DEAD SEA (JT) - Jordan along with 12 other countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on Wednesday adopted the Dead Sea declaration on the Earth Charter issued by the MENA Earth Charter Forum.
The signatories, including Earth Charter commissioner HRH Princess Basma, expressed their commitment to the charter and the principles it embodies: respect for nature and the community; the integration of environmental, social justice and economic systems; and the ideals of democracy and peace.
They renewed their commitment to the Amman declaration of the Earth Charter issued in 2001, which called on all institutions and organisations working in the field of environmental conservation and sustainable development to adopt the charter's principles in their activities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The Dead Sea declaration underscores the need to move forward in applying the principles of the international document, in addition to those outlined in international conventions, such as the Arab Initiative for Sustainable Development, the Global Strategy for Biodiversity and the Millennium Development Goals.
The declaration also draws a direct correlation between the economic, social, cultural, environmental and political challenges facing the MENA region and states that the best way to address them is by focusing on the principles and values enshrined in the charter.
Participants at the two-day forum, which concluded on Wednesday, decided to establish a regional network to coordinate among the participating organisations to implement the charter's principles, and that the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) serve as the secretary general of the network to institutionalise the international document on the local and regional levels.
They also decided to adopt model projects for environmental education to integrate local communities in education programmes and establish task forces to empower youth and enhance their participation in the implementation of the charter.
To that extent, participants called for safeguarding people's rights to decent living conditions while rejecting occupation and foreign interference, Petra reported.
On Tuesday, Jordan celebrated the 10th anniversary of the MENA Earth Charter - a declaration of fundamental ethical principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society in the 21st century.
At the forum, experts in sustainable development and decision makers from Egypt, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon and Tunisia discussed means to establish a network that supports and advocates for the Earth Charter Initiative.
The mission of the Earth Charter Initiative is to promote the transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded on a shared ethical framework that includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy and a culture of peace.
© Jordan Times 2010
