Global Young Greens

12 Principles

Sarah — 2007-04-16T08:41:35Z

Membership is open to people 35 and under who identify as Green. Green principles are generally known as “the four principles”:

ecological sustainability
social justice
grassroots democracy
peace

But this is merely the tip of the iceberg- for a full understanding of what it means to be Green, one and all should read the Global Greens Charter which is endorsed by GYG.

Additionally, the Global Young Greens are striving for the following principles on all levels (local, national, regional, global):

Protection and restoration of the environment and respect towards animals
Sustainable, equitable and just development
Social Justice
Grassroots, participatory and global democracy, and in particular empowering young people to participate and build more democratic societies
Peaceful and non-military conflict resolution, arms control, disarmament
Gender justice, empowerment of women
Inter-generational justice, empowerment of youth and children
Freedom from discrimination on any grounds whatsoever, and equality for all
Empowerment of marginalised and disadvantaged people.
Just globalisation and fair trade
Personal freedom on the basis of universal human rights
The right of all people to self-determination particularly indigenous people.

5 objectives

Sarah — 2007-04-16T08:41:25Z

The objectives of GYG are to:

Empower young people within the framework of participatory democracy

Create a space for young people to be active without being dominated by older generations

Address inequalities between organizations and individuals

Forge strong links between sectors and organizations

Further the Green principles on planet Earth

Charter of the Global Greens

Sarah — 2007-04-15T12:46:47Z

Defining what it means to be Green in the new millennium.

The Global Greens is the international network of Green parties and political movements.

Preamble

We, as citizens of the planet and members of the Global Greens,

United in our awareness that we depend on the Earth's vitality, diversity and beauty, and that it is our responsibility to pass them on, undiminished or even improved, to the next generation

Recognising that the dominant patterns of human production and consumption, based on the dogma of economic growth at any cost and the excessive and wasteful use of natural resources without considering Earth's carrying capacity, are causing extreme deterioration in the environment and a massive extinction of species

Acknowledging that injustice, racism, poverty, ignorance, corruption, crime and violence, armed conflict and the search for maximum short term profit are causing widespread human suffering

Accepting that developed countries through their pursuit of economic and political goals have contributed to the degradation of the environment and of human dignity

Understanding that many of the world's peoples and nations have been impoverished by the long centuries of colonisation and exploitation, creating an ecological debt owed by the rich nations to those that have been impoverished

Committed to closing the gap between rich and poor and building a citizenship based on equal rights for all individuals in all spheres of social, economic, political and cultural life

Recognising that without equality between men and women, no real democracy can be achieved

Concerned for the dignity of humanity and the value of cultural heritage

Recognising the rights of indigenous people and their contribution to the common heritage, as well as the right of all minorities and oppressed peoples to their culture, religion, economic and cultural life

Convinced that cooperation rather than competition is a pre-requisite for ensuring the guarantee of such human rights as nutritious food, comfortable shelter, health, education, fair labour, free speech, clean air, potable water and an unspoilt natural environment

Recognising that the environment ignores borders between countries and

Building on the Declaration of the Global Gathering of Greens at Rio in 1992

Assert the need for fundamental changes in people's attitudes, values, and ways of producing and living

Declare that the new millennium provides a defining point to begin that transformation

Resolve to promote a comprehensive concept of sustainability which

protects and restores the integrity of the Earth's ecosystems, with special concern for biodiversity and the natural processes that sustain life
acknowledges the interrelatedness of all ecological, social and economic processes
balances individual interests with the common good
harmonises freedom with responsibility
welcomes diversity within unity
reconciles short term objectives with long term goals
ensures that future generations have the same right as the present generation to natural and cultural

Affirm our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations

Commit ourselves as Green parties and political movements from around the world to implement these interrelated principles and to create a global partnership in support of their fulfilment

Principles

The policies of the Global Greens are founded upon the principles of

Ecological Wisdom

We acknowledge that human beings are part of the natural world and we respect the specific values of all forms of life, including non-human species.

We acknowledge the wisdom of the indigenous peoples of the world, as custodians of the land and its resources.

We acknowledge that human society depends on the ecological resources of the planet, and must ensure the integrity of ecosystems and preserve biodiversity and the resilience of life supporting systems.

This requires

that we learn to live within the ecological and resource limits of the planet
that we protect animal and plant life, and life itself that is sustained by the natural elements: earth, water, air and sun
where knowledge is limited, that we take the path of caution, in order to secure the continued abundance of the resources of the planet for present and future generations.

Social Justice

We assert that the key to social justice is the equitable distribution of social and natural resources, both locally and globally, to meet basic human needs unconditionally, and to ensure that all citizens have full opportunities for personal and social development.

We declare that there is no social justice without environmental justice, and no environmental justice without social justice.

This requires

a just organization of the world and a stable world economy which will close the widening gap between rich and poor, both within and between countries; balance the flow of resources from South to North; and lift the burden of debt on poor countries which prevents their development.
the eradication of poverty, as an ethical, social, economic, and ecological imperative
the elimination of illiteracy
a new vision of citizenship built on equal rights for all individuals regardless of gender, race, age, religion, class, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, disability, wealth or health

Participatory Democracy

We strive for a democracy in which all citizens have the right to express their views, and are able to directly participate in the environmental, economic, social and political decisions which affect their lives; so that power and responsibility are concentrated in local and regional communities, and devolved only where essential to higher tiers of governance.

This requires

individual empowerment through access to all the relevant information required for any decision, and access to education to enable all to participate
breaking down inequalities of wealth and power that inhibit participation
building grassroots institutions that enable decisions to be made directly at the appropriate level by those affected, based on systems which encourage civic vitality, voluntary action and community responsibility
strong support for giving young people a voice through educating, encouraging and assisting youth involvement in every aspect of political life including their participation in all decision making bodies.
that all elected representatives are committed to the principles of transparency, truthfulness, and accountability in governance.
that all electoral systems are transparent and democratic, and that this is enforced by law
that in all electoral systems, each adult has an equal vote
that all electoral systems are based on proportional representation, and all elections are publicly funded with strict limits on, and full transparency of, corporate and private donations.
that all citizens have the right to be a member of the political party of their choice within a multi-party system

Nonviolence

We declare our commitment to nonviolence and strive for a culture of peace and cooperation between states, inside societies and between individuals, as the basis of global security.

We believe that security should not rest mainly on military strength but on cooperation, sound economic and social development, environmental safety, and respect for human rights.

This requires

a comprehensive concept of global security, which gives priority to social, economic, ecological, psychological and cultural aspects of conflict, instead of a concept based primarily on military balances of power
a global security system capable of the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts
removing the causes of war by understanding and respecting other cultures, eradicating racism, promoting freedom and democracy, and ending global poverty
pursuing general and complete disarmament including international agreements to ensure a complete and definitive ban of nuclear, biological and chemical arms, anti-personnel mines and depleted uranium weapons
strengthening the United Nations (UN) as the global organisation of conflict management and peacekeeping
pursuing a rigorous code of conduct on arms exports to countries where human rights are being violated.

Sustainability

We recognise the limited scope for the material expansion of human society within the biosphere, and the need to maintain biodiversity through sustainable use of renewable resources and responsible use of non-renewable resources.

We believe that to achieve sustainability, and in order to provide for the needs of present and future generations within the finite resources of the earth, continuing growth in global consumption, population and material inequity must be halted and reversed.

We recognise that sustainability will not be possible as long as poverty persists.

This requires
ensuring that the rich limit their consumption to allow the poor their fair share of the earth's resources
redefining the concept of wealth, to focus on quality of life rather than capacity for over-consumption
creating a world economy which aims to satisfy the needs of all, not the greed of a few; and enables those presently living to meet their own needs, without jeopardising the ability of future generations to meet theirs
eliminating the causes of population growth by ensuring economic security, and providing access to basic education and health, for all; giving both men and women greater control over their fertility
redefining the roles and responsibilities of trans-national corporations in order to support the principles of sustainable development
implementing mechanisms to tax, as well as regulating, speculative financial flows
ensuring that market prices of goods and services fully incorporate the environmental costs of their production and consumption
achieving greater resource and energy efficiency and development and use of environmentally sustainable technologies
encouraging local self-reliance to the greatest practical extent to create worthwhile, satisfying communities
recognising the key role of youth culture and encouraging an ethic of sustainability within that culture.

Respect for Diversity

We honour cultural, linguistic, ethnic, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity within the context of individual responsibility toward all beings.

We defend the right of all persons, without discrimination, to an environment supportive of their dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being

We promote the building of respectful, positive and responsible relationships across lines of division in the spirit of a multi-cultural society.

This requires
recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples to the basic means of their survival, both economic and cultural, including rights to land and to self determination; and acknowledgment of their contribution to the common heritage of national and global culture
recognition of the rights of ethnic minorities to develop their culture, religion and language without discrimination, and to full legal, social and cultural participation in the democratic process
recognition of and respect for sexual minorities
equality between women and men in all spheres of social, economic, political and cultural life
significant involvement of youth culture as a valuable contribution to our Green vision, and recognition that young people have distinct needs and modes of expression.

Political Action

1. Democracy

1.0 The majority of the world's people live in countries with undemocratic regimes where corruption is rampant and human rights abuses and press censorship are commonplace. Developed democracies suffer less apparent forms of corruption through media concentration, corporate political funding, systematic exclusion of racial, ethnic, national and religious communities, and electoral systems that discriminate against alternative ideas and new and small parties.

The Greens –

1.1 Have as a priority the encouragement and support of grassroots movements and other organisations of civil society working for democratic, transparent and accountable government, at all levels from local to global.

1.2 Actively support giving young people a voice through educating, encouraging and assisting youth participation in every aspect of political action.

1.3 Will strive for the democratisation of gender relations by promoting appropriate mediations to enable women and men equally to take part in the economic, political, social sphere.

1.4 Urge immediate ratification of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business

1.5 Uphold the right of citizens to have access to official information and to free and independent media.

1.6 Will work for universal access to electronic communications and information technology, as minimum, radio, and community-based internet and email. We will also work to make access to these technologies as cheap as possible.

1.7 Uphold a just secular legal system that ensures the right of defence and practices proportionality between crime and punishment.

1.8 Support the public funding of elections, and ensure all donations, where permitted, are fully transparent with a limit on donations from both individuals and corporations.

1.9 Will challenge corporate domi nation of government, especially where citizens are deprived of their right to political participation.

1.10 Support the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial systems, and the separation of state and religion.

1.11 Support the development and strengthening of local government.

1.12 Support the restructuring of state institutions to democratise them and make them more transparent and efficient in serving the goal of citizens' power and sustainable development.

2. Equity

2.0 The differences in living standards and opportunities in the world today are intolerable. Third world debt is at an all time high of $2.5 trillion, while Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries give just 0.23% of GNP in aid. The richest 20% of the world's population has over 80% of the income while 1.2 billion people live in poverty (on less than a dollar a day). 125 million children never attend school and 880 million people can neither read nor write - more than two-thirds of these are women as are 60% of the poor. Population growth has slowed but is still expected to add another 2-3 billion people by 2050. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) infections are increasing.

The Greens –

2.1 Will work to increase government aid to developing countries, and support aid funding being directed to the poorest of the poor, with the priorities being determined through working with local communities.

2.2 Will work to improve the rights, status, education and political participation of women.

2.3 Commit ourselves to the goal of making high quality primary education universal by 2015, financed through increased aid and debt relief.

2.4 Will work towards cancellation of developing country debt especially in the poorest countries, and support the use of incentives to ensure that savings from debt relief are channelled into poverty reduction and environment conservation, and that transparent and accountable processes are in place with participation from affected communities.

2.5 See concerted action to combat the great pandemics including HIV-Aids, TB and malaria as a priority, especially in Africa, where a twofold effort is needed to allow general access to low cost and efficient therapies, and to restore economic progress, especially through education.

2.6 Recognise the right to compensation of those people that lose access to their natural resources through displacement by environmental destruction or human intervention such as colonisation and migration.

2.7 Will review the relationship between exclusive ownership of property and exclusive use of its resources, with a view to curbing environmental abuse and extending access for basic livelihood to all, especially indigenous communities.

2.8 Will work to ensure that all men, women and children can achieve economic security, without recourse to personally damaging activities such as pornography, prostitution or the sale of organs.

2.9 Will commit to work for more equal allocation of welfare and for creation of equal opportunities inside all our societies, recognising that there is a growing number of poor and marginalised people in developed countries also.

2.10 Will defend and promote the human, social and environmental rights of people of colour.

3. Climate Change and Energy

3.0 Nine of the ten warmest years on record were in the 1990s. The level of CO2 in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in the last 15 million years. The frequency of climatic disasters is increasing, killing thousands and displacing millions of people. Widespread bleaching and death of coral reefs which first occurred in 1998 will become commonplace within 20 years. Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) state that global warming is real, and that human action is a substantial factor in the change. The Earth is expected to warm by a further 1-5°C this century, and sea level rise which has already started will continue for the next 500 years, flooding many of Earth's most populated regions. Climate catastrophe looms unless we act now.

The Greens –

3.1 Adopt the target of limiting CO2 levels in the atmosphere to 450 ppm in the shortest period possible as requested by the IPCC. Developed countries will have to fulfil not only the Kyoto Protocol (-5.2% of 1990 levels by 2010 globally, -8% for the EU, -6% for the USA) which even if it is a step in the right direction is grossly insufficient; but also achieve a reduction between -20% to -30% by 2020 in order that a target of -70% to -90% may be reached by the end of the century. In addition, action must be taken to reduce the emissions of the other green house gases.

3.2 Urge the coming into force of the Kyoto Protocol in line with this target, and insist that the implementation rules lead to real emission reductions from industrial sources by developed countries, including a system of penalties for non-compliance.

3.3 Will work to establish an international emissions reporting framework for trans- national corporations, linked to global carbon taxes and global environmental loads.

3.4 Will work hard to ensure that developing countries have access to the most efficient, sustainable and appropriate technology, with a strong focus on renewable energy, and that they agree to Climate Change Conventions to ensure that actions are comprehensive and worldwide. The equity principle must be at the core of climate change negotiations and measures.

3.5 Oppose any expansion of nuclear power and will work to phase it out rapidly.

3.6 Will support a call for a moratorium on new fossil fuel exploration and development

3.7 Oppose clearing and logging of old growth forests, noting that they are the most carbon rich ecosystems on the planet, vital to indigenous people, rich in plants and animals, and irreplaceable in any human time scale.

3.8 Promote tree planting of diverse species but not monocultures, as a short- term measure for carbon sequestration, with other benefits for the environment.

3.9 Promote the levying of taxes on non-renewable energy and the use of funds raised to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.

3.10 Support research into the use of sustainable energy sources and the technical development of ecological power production

3.11 Promote energy efficient technologies and green power infrastructure between and within countries and economies on a no-costs or minimal costs basis. This is one of the economic costs of the emissions to date by western countries.

4. Biodiversity

4.0 Healthy ecosystems are essential to human life, yet we seem to have forgotten the relationship between nature and society. Extinction rates are 100 to 1000 times higher than in pre-human times. Only 20% of the Earth's original forests remain relatively undisturbed. 60% of fish stocks are in danger of being overfished. Invasions by non-native plants, animals and diseases are growing rapidly. Habitat destruction and species extinction are driven by industrial and agricultural development that also exacerbates climate change, global inequity and the destruction of indigenous cultures and livelihoods. Agricultural monoculture, promoted by agribusiness and accelerated by genetic modification and patenting of nature, threatens the diversity of crop and domestic animal species, radically increasing vulnerability to disease.

The Greens -

4.1 Will vigorously oppose environmentally destructive agricultural and industrial development and give primary effort to protecting native plants and animals in their natural habitat, and wherever possible in large tracts.

4.2 Will work to remove subsidies for environmentally destructive activities, including logging, fossil fuel exploitation, dam construction, mining, genetic engineering and agricultural monoculture.

4.3 Will promote ecological purchasing policies, for products such as wood, based only on the most rigorous definition of sustainability backed by credible labelling.

4.4 Support the concept of ‘debt for nature' swaps, subject to the agreement of affected Indigenous and local communities.

4.5 Will promote the repair of degraded natural environments, and the cleanup of toxic sites of former and existing military and industrial zones around the world.

4.6 Note that reducing the transport of goods around the world, in line with a preference for local production where possible, will have the added benefit of reducing ‘bio-invasions', as well as reducing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

4.7 Commit to promote a global ecology curriculum for all levels of education.

4.8 Will work towards establishing an international court of justice specific for environmental destruction and the loss of biodiversity where cases can be heard against corporations, national states and individuals.

4.9 Will refuse to accept the patenting and merchandising of life.

5. Governing economic globalisation by sustainability principles

5.0 Fifty of the 100 biggest economies in the world today are corporations. With the collusion of governments, they have created a legal system that puts unfettered economic activity above the public good, protects corporate welfare but attacks social welfare, and makes national economies subservient to a global financial casino that turns over $US1.3 trillion per day in speculative transactions. However, the tide may be turning. The Multilateral Agreement on Investment was defeated for the time being. In developed countries international financial institutions can meet only under siege conditions. The reputation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is in tatters.

The Greens -

5.1 Affirm that essentials of life such as water, must remain publicly owned and controlled; and that culture, basic access to food, social and public health, education, and a free media are not ‘commodities' to be subjected to international market agreements.

5.2 Support the creation of a World Environment Organisation by combining the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) into a single institution with funding and power to impose sanctions to promote global sustainable development. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) should be subject to the decisions of this body.

5.3 Support abolition of the World Bank and IMF unless they are reformed so that their membership and decision-making democratic, and their operations subservient to sustainability principles and to all international conventions on human and labour rights, and environmental protection.

5.4 Support abolition of the WTO unless it is reformed to make sustainability its central goal, supported by transparent and democratic processes and the participation of representatives from affected communities. In addition there must be separation of powers to remove the disputes settlement mechanism from the exclusive competence of the WTO. A sustainability impact assessment of earlier Negotiation Rounds is required before any new steps are taken.

5.5 Will work to prevent the implementation of new regional or hemispheric trade and investment agreements under the WTO rules – such as the proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas – but support countries' integration processes that assure people's welfare and environmental sustainability.

5.6 Will create a world environment where financial and economic institutions and organisations will nurture and protect environmentally sustainable projects that will sustain communities at all levels (local, regional, national and international).

5.7 Demand that international agreements on the environment, labour conditions and health should take precedence over any international rules on trade.

5.8 Will work to implement a Tobin-Henderson Tax and other instruments to curb speculative international currency transactions and help encourage investment in the real economy, and to create funds to promote equity in global development.

5.9 Will work to require corporations to abide by the environmental, labour and social laws of their own country and of the country in which they are operating, whichever are the more stringent

5.10 Will work to ensure that all global organizations, especially those with significant capacity to define the rules of international trade, firmly adhere to principles of sustainable development and pursue a training program of cultural change to fully realise this goal.

5.11 Want corporate welfare made transparent a nd subject to the same level of accountability as social welfare, with subsidies to environmentally and socially destructive activities phased out altogether.

5.12 Endorse the development of civic entrepreneurship to promote a community based economy as a way of combating social exclusion caused by economic globalisation.

6. Human rights

6.0 Denial of human rights and freedoms goes hand in hand with poverty and political powerlessness. Millions suffer discrimination, intimidation, arbitrary detention, violence and death. Three-quarters of the world's governments have used torture in the last three years.

The Greens –

6.1 Endorse the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, and other international instruments for the protection of rights and freedoms. We believe that these rights are universal and indivisible and that national governments are responsible for upholding them.

6.2 Condemn all dictatorships and regimes which deny human rights, regardless of their political claims

6.3 Will work with local communities to promote awareness of human rights, and to ensure that the UN Commission for Human Rights and other treaty bodies are adequately resourced.

6.4 Call for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be amended to include rights to a healthy natural environment and intergenerational rights to natural and cultural resources.

6.5 Uphold the right of women to make their own decisions, including the control of their fertility by the means they deem appropriate free from discrimination or coercion, and will work to have the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) ratified, to remove reservations, and to bring the Optional Protocol into force.

6.6 Support the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination, land rights, and access to traditional hunting and fishing rights for their own subsistence, using humane and ecologically sustainable techniques; and support moves for indigenous people to set up and work through their own international bodies.

6.7 Call for the immediate adoption of the 1993 Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the minimum standard of protection accepted by indigenous peoples, and support moves for indigenous people to set up and work through their own international bodies.

6.8 Demand that torturers are held accountable, and will campaign for them to be brought to justice, in their own countries or elsewhere, before an international panel of judges serving under the auspices of the International Court of Justice.

6.9 Oppose any violation of the physical integrity of the individual by torture, punishment or any other practices including traditional and religious mutilation.

6.10 Demand that the death penalty be abolished worldwide.

6.11 Call for governments to ensure that all asylum-seekers, whether they are victims of state violence or independent armed groups, are correctly treated in accordance with the 1951 Geneva Convention on the Rights to Asylum; have access to fair processes; are not arbitrarily detained; and are not returned to a country where they might suffer violations of their fundamental human rights, or face the risk of death, torture, or other inhuman treatment.

6.12 Call for the prohibition of collective expulsion.

6.13 Uphold the right of all workers to safe, fairly remunerated employment, with the freedom to unionise.

6.14 Support the right of children to grow up free from the need to work, and the establishment of a lower age limit for working children/adolescents.

6.15 Demand decriminalisation of homosexuality, and support the right of gay and lesbian people to their lifestyle, and the equal rights of homosexual relationships.

6.16 Will work to improve the opportunities of disabled people to live and work equally in society, including true political participation.

6.17 Support the right of linguistic minorities to use their own language.

7. Food and water

7.0 Hundreds of millions of people remain undernourished, not because there is insufficient food but because of unequal access to land, water, credit and markets. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not the solution, because the immediate problem is not production but distribution. Moreover, GMOs pose unacceptable risks to the environment, independent smaller farmers, and consumers, as well as to the biodiversity that is our best insurance against agricultural disaster. Water shortages loom, both in above-ground systems and subterranean aquifers. Deforestation of catchments takes a devastating toll in landslides and floods, while desertification and degradation are rapidly expanding. One bright spot is the rapid growth of organic agriculture.

The Greens –

7.1 Consider that access to clean water for basic needs is a fundamental right, and oppose the privatisation of water resources and infrastructure.

7.2 Will work to eliminate water subsidies, other than social subsidies, and to make water use more efficient.

7.3 Will work to ensure that fresh water and underground water resources are conserved in quality and quantity and appropriately priced to ensure these resources are adequately protected from depletion

7.4 Consider that the stability of catchments a nd the health of river systems is paramount, and will work with the people directly affected to stop the degradation of rivers, including new large dams and irrigation projects, and deforestation of catchments.

7.5 Will work with local communities in arid and semi-arid regions, where climate is dominated by uncertainty, to reduce land degradation.

7.6 Express their concern for countries that have been hard hit by desertification and deforestation, and ask the countries that have not yet done so to ratify the UN Convention of Desertification, and make the necessary resources available to enact this Convention.

7.7 Will support and promote organic agriculture.

7.8 Call for an international moratorium on the commercial growing of genetically modified crops for at least five years, pending research and debate, and establishment of regulatory systems including company liability for adverse effects.

7.9 Will work to ensure that food is safe, with stringent regulations on production, storage and sale.

7.10 Will work to ensure that scientific research is conducted ethically and applied in accordance with the precautionary principle.

7.11 Call for a phase out of all persistent and bio-accumulative man made chemicals and to work to eliminate all releases to the environment of hazardous chemicals.

7.12 Will work to ensure that animal growth hormones are banned, and stringent regulations governing the use of antibiotics on animals are enforced.

8. Sustainable planning

8.0 Consumption in industrialised countries is excessive by any measure, and largely responsible for environmental decline. People in western countries use 9 times as much paper as people in the South, and have 100 times as many cars per capita as people in China and India, for example.

Changing to a green economy - which mimics ecological processes, eliminates waste by re-using and recycling materials, and emphasises activities that enhance the quality of life and relationships rather than the consumption of goods - promises new jobs, industries with less pollution, better work environments and a higher quality of life.

The Greens –

8.1 Promote measures of wellbeing rather than GDP to measure progress.

8.2 Consider that citizens of countries affected by a development project have the right to participate in decisions about it, regardless of national boundaries.

8.3 Will work to ensure that those who profit from exploiting any common and/or natural resources should pay the full market rent for the use of these resources, and for any damage they do to any other common resources.

8.4 Recognise that the impact of continuing urban growth (sprawl) onto agricultural land and the natural environment must be limited and ultimately stopped

8.5 Recognise that the process of urbanisation due to rural poverty must be slowed and reversed through appropriate rural development programs which recognise the concept of limits to growth and protect the character and ecology of the rural landscape.

8.6 Support local planning for ecologically sustainable business, housing, transport, waste management, parks, city forests, public spaces; and will establish links between Greens at local and regional level around the planet to exchange information and support.

8.7 Will work to reduce vehicle based urban pollution by opposing ever-expanding freeways; encouraging the use of energy efficient vehicles; integrating land use planning with public transport, bicycling and walking; prioritising mass transit planning and funding over private auto infrastructure; and eliminating tax policies that favour auto-centric development.

8.8 Will work to create socially responsible economic strategies, using taxes and public finance to maximise incentives for fair distribution of wealth, and eco-taxes to provide incentives to avoid waste and pollution.

8.9 Demand that corporations and communities reduce, reuse and recycle waste, aiming for a zero waste economy which replicates a natural ecosystem.

8.10 Will support all policies that allow countries to increase job creation through economic activities that add value, or through recycling of resources, the production of durable goods, organic agriculture, renewable energy and environmental protection.

8.11 Promote socially responsible investment and ecological marketing so that consumers can make positive choices based on reliable information.

8.12 Recognise the value of traditional and local knowledge and beliefs, and support its incorporation into planning and projects.

9. Peace and security

9.0 The causes of conflict are changing. The distinctions between war, organised crime and deliberate large-scale abuses of human rights are becoming increasingly blurred; and the arms trade is growing and globalising, nourished by a unique exemption from WTO rules against subsidies. As a global network, we have a vital role to play in strengthening the links between community organisations working for human rights and peace, and supporting and shaping the emerging concepts and institutions of global governance.

The Greens –

9.1 Support strengthening the role of the UN as a global organisation of conflict management and peacekeeping, while, noting that, where prevention fails and in situations of structural and massive violations of human rights and/or genocide, the use of force may be justified if it is the only means of preventing further human rights violations and suffering, provided that it is used under a mandate from the UN. Nonetheless, individual countries have the right not to support or to cooperate with the action.

9.2 Will campaign for greater power for countries of the South in the UN, by working to abolish the veto power in the Security Council, to remove the category of permanent membership of it, and to increase the number of states with membership.

9.3 Support the proposed International Criminal Court. In war crimes, mass rape should be regarded as a war crime.

9.4 Seek to curtail the power of the military-industrial-financial complex in order to radically reduce the trade in armaments, ensure transparency of manufacturing and remove hidden subsidies that benefit the military industries.

9.5 Will work to regulate and reduce, with the long term aim of eliminating, the international arms trade (including banning nuclear, biological and chemical arms,

depleted uranium weapons and anti-personnel mines) and bring it within the ambit of the UN.

9.6 Will help strengthen existing peace programs and forge new programs that address all aspects of building a culture of peace. Programs will include analysis of the roots of violence, including inter-familial violence, and the issue of mutual respect between genders; and support training in non-violent conflict resolution at all levels.

9.7 Will seek an international court of justice on environmental crimes during times of conflict.

9.8 Will seek to amend the international rules of military engagement to ensure that natural resources are adequately protected in conflicts.

9.9 Will fight against the US National Missile Defence Project, and work towards the demilitarisation and denuclearisation of space.

10. Acting globally

10.0 The Global Greens are independent organisations from diverse cultures and backgrounds who share a common purpose and recognise that, to achieve it, we must act globally as well as locally.

The Greens –

10.1 Will work cooperatively to implement the Global Greens Charter by taking action together on issues of global consequence whenever needed.

10.2 Will support the development of Green parties, political movements and youth networks around the world.

10.3 Will assist, at their request, other Green parties and movements including by - providing observers at elections to help ensure that they are free and fair; - encouraging voters to enrol and vote Green in their home countries.

10.4 Will adopt and put into practice in our own organisations the democratic principles we seek in broader society.

10.5 Will act as a model of participatory democracy in our own internal organisation at all levels.

10.6 Will encourage cooperation between the global Green parties to ensure that member parties are consulted, educated and have equal capacity to influence global positions of the Greens.

10.7 Will encourage Green parties to show leadership in establishing policies guaranteeing transparent and decentralised structures, so that political power and opportunity is extended to all members; and in developing new political models which better meet the challenges of sustainable development and grassroots democracy.

10.8 Will avoid sources of finance that conflict with our vision and values.

10.9 Will avoid cooperation with dictatorships, sects, or criminal organisations and with their dependent organisations, particularly in matters of democracy and human rights.

10.10 Will strengthen our links with like-minded community organisations, and with civil society organisations such as those that mobilised in Seattle; we are one part, with them, of the growing consciousness that respect for the environment, for social and human rights, and for democracy, has to prevail on the economic organisation of the world.

10.11 Will support each other personally and politically with friendship, optimism and good humour, and not forget to enjoy ourselves in the process!

Statutes

Sarah — 2007-03-22T21:36:38Z

Our statutes tell you everything you need to know about the organisation: how it functions and works, the rules, the lot.

1. Name

Global Young Greens Network (in short, GYG network or simply GYG) is a non-profit global organisation.

2. Definition

The GYG is a world-wide network of young green activists and organisations committed to the GYG objectives and the GYG statement of principles and endorsing the Global Greens Charter (see annex), and founded in Nairobi, January 2007.

3. Membership

Every young person of the age of 35 and under or any Youth organisation defining itself as “green” is invited to join the network and participate in its activities. The network, its facilities and activities are open to everybody, unless excluded from participation by the Congress. Individuals and organisations can be temporarily excluded from participation in the network by the Steering Committee if they act against the letters or spirit of the GYG.

4. Organisational Structure

The GYG aims to keep its structure flexible and open to changes. Thus only the basic structure will be described in the following. Activists and members are invited to expand and adapt the network according to their needs and according to the principles of the GYG. Project and issue-based leadership are given priority. The formal structures of the GYG network have mainly two tasks: ensure overall coherence, coordination and guidance and provide backup when other grassroots structures fail to work. The GYG network is based on two main pillars:

a) people-to-people contacts

b) a web-based community

Regular activities in the first pillar can include seminars, exchanges, regional and interregional projects, internships, summer camps, campaigns as well as the statutory meetings and any other useful tools.

Regular activities in the second pillar can include interaction, discussion, decision-making, common work, lobbying and learning via web-based tools, inter alia email-lists, wikis, knowledge and data bases, e-seminars and any other useful tools.

The regions are the backbone of the GYG. They assure the link between the international and the national level. They are the first contact point for interested newcomers and the main implementing mechanism.

4.1 Organisational principles in GYG

GYG aims at consensus decision making. If a total consensus is impossible, there will be an attempt to form a consensus on decision making procedure. If also this fails, in a case where it is deemed of extreme importance for the functioning of GYG, decisions will be taken with a two thirds majority. This applies both during the Congress and within the Steering Committee. If consensus is not achieved, the person or people not in agreement can choose to stand aside. Standing aside means the people do not take part in that decision and are not responsible for the consequences.

GYG aims at gender and regional balance in all its bodies and decision making procedures.

If consensus is not achieved every person participating as a registered delegate in the congress has one vote. Large organizations are limited to a maximum number of votes of 4.

4.2 The Congress

The Congress is the highest decision-making body of the GYG. It is the only body of GYG to issue political statements on behalf of GYG. It aims at meeting at least every third year. It is convoked by decision of the Steering Committee. This decision will be communicated and published at least six months in advance of the Congress by the Steering Committee to the GYG members and the public. Every Green activist is invited to join the Congress. The Congress aims at gender balance. It is not possible to delegate votes. The Congress decides in particular about:

the broad political guidelines and basic documents of the network

the discharge of the Steering Committee

the main activities and work programme

common campaigns that carry the GYG logo

The Congress also decides on the composition of the next Steering Committee.

All decisions taken by the other GYG bodies can be revoked by the Congress.

4.3 The Steering Committee (SC)

The Steering Committee is the second highest decision-making body. It is steering the network and financially responsible for the GYG. It takes decisions in between the Congresses in order to carry out the decisions of the Congress. The Steering Committee is not allowed to issue political statements on behalf of GYG. The Steering Committee is responsible of communicating with the Global Greens. It takes financial decisions including the annual budget (January 1st to December 31st) within the framework set by the Congress. The SC publishes every year in January a report of its activities and decisions of the last year and a plan of activities for the running year and submits both to discussion by the network. The Steering Committee decides on acceptance and expulsion of members. It meets at least once a year in person. Further meetings and decision making can take place by other means for instance telephone or video conferences and email. The SC can form further bodies in order to carry out specific tasks, such as an organisational committee to carry out administrative tasks or preparation teams for major activities like the Congress or campaigns..

The Steering Committee can set up and appoint the board of legal entities for the exclusive purpose of fund raising.

If a member of the Steering Committee needs to be replaced before the next Congress, the regional federation of the region the person who dropped out is originated in will appoint a replacement.

The Steering Committee is to be balanced regionally. The Steering Committee should have no more than 4 members from each region. At the founding Congress 4 regions were present. Within the Steering Committee gender parity has to be ensured.

The steering committee will try to minimize the ecological footprint as much as possible

4.4 The Working Groups (WG)

There are mainly three sorts of WG:

a) Thematic Working Groups (for instance on ecology, fair trade, gender, peace etc.)

b) Technical Working Groups (for instance web-support, babelpool, fundraising, development of the network)

c) Ad-hoc (often time-limited) Working Groups (for instance activity-, campaign- or issue-centred)

Every Green activist is invited to found or join a WG. Each WG can decide on a more detailed internal structure and division of tasks. WG can be dissolved or re-organised by decision of the Steering Committee.

5. Legal Representation of the Organisation

All documents legally binding the organisation need to be, except in cases of special mandates, signed by two members of the Steering Committee who do not originate in the same region.

The Steering Committee acts for the organisation as plaintiff or defender in juridical cases and is represented in them by a member of the Steering Committee.

6. Changing the Statutes and Disbanding the Organisation

All proposals for disbanding the organisation will come from the Steering Committee or 20 member organisations.

The Congress or the Steering Committee decides the way the organisation will disband and fulfil its obligation.

The assets after the disbanding will be donated to a legal person with similar goals as the disbanded organisation.

The decision to disband the organisation can only be taken with a four-fifth majority by congress.

The statutes can be changed by congress with the same voting methods stated in article 4.1. Proposals for changing the statutes must be published in four languages by the steering committee a minimum of four weeks prior to congress. This excepts amendments made during the congress as the result of discussion.

ANNEX.: Manifesto and Statement of Principles and Global Greens Charter (as decided by Congress on 19.th January 2007)