Affirming right to sustainable societies

Context

The Right to Sustainable Societies belongs to all people, in all countries throughout the world, in the South and North, by women and men, by children and the elderly, of all races, ethnicities and religious beliefs, in industrialized and agricultural societies, as well as by indigenous peoples, migrants, immigrants and their descendants, and the future generations of all these groups.

Claim

All peoples have a right to live in dignity as members of sustainable communities within sustainable societies. This right also implies the responsibility of all peoples to actively participate in the work of building such a society. Such a right and responsibility implies the adoption and implementation by both government and business, as well as citizen organizations, of policies and programmes aimed at building, protecting and fostering communities and societies based on principles of social and environmental sustainability, justice and civic engagement. This also means enabling each person and every family in a healthy environment to achieve sustainable livelihoods. This means having access to resources needed to live: to suitable employment with livable wages and benefits, in adequate safety and health conditions; to services providing for basic needs -- including adequate shelter, sufficient food, clean water and health care. A further condition of developing sustainable communities and sustainable societies is to develop systems of sustainable production and consumption on the level of local economies as well as national and international economies. It is the responsibility of all governments, businesses and citizen organizations to recognize this right and do everything in their power to implement it.