The Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values gladly presents the revised version of the interreligious statement "Towards Rio + 20 and Beyond - A Turning Point in Earth History". We thank everyone who sent in his or her comments and suggestions. The final version is now open for endorsements from religious leaders and their communities. Interested leaders and institutions are invited to contact Michael Slaby at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We intend to present the statement during the "Wings for Rio + 20" Leadership Forum that will be held in The Hague from May 22 and 23, where the assembled religious leaders have been invited to comment upon and endorse a one-page summary of the statement. We will also take the statement with us to Rio to present it as a strong and unified message of the world's religious and spiritual traditions to the Rio + 20 summit.

The statement is also being used as a background document to inform the process of drafting a Rio + 20 Peoples Treaty on Ethics and Spirituality for Sustainable Development. More information will soon be revealed at http://sustainabilitytreaties.org/

Please find the final version of the interreligious statement here.

The network Vitae Civilis in Brasil released a report that summarizes the most relevant information about Rio + 20, a "must read" for everyone who wants to get involved!

Please download the "Rio + 20: The Essential Information"-Report here.

The Elders - an independent group of global leaders, urge political, business and civil society leaders

The Soetendorp Institute supports the Call on Governments issued by members of the Forum of Ethics & Responsibilities to start up a process toward the creation of a Charter of Universal Responsibilities as a complement to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Call on Governments has been initiated by Earth Charter Commissioner Pierre Calamé and offers striking convergences with the interreligious statement towards Rio + 20.

Peoples all around the globe expect governments to respond to the current crises by overcoming national interests and creating an international reference text pertaining to the obligation to assume responsibility to the human family, forthcoming generations and the environment, to evaluate the impacts of far-reaching decisions and to account for the consequences of actions.

Please find the Call on Governments and a draft Charter of Universal Responsibilities here.

"The Spiritual Dimensions of Sustainable Development" is the title of a project launched by the Earth Charter Task Force on Religion, Spirituality, and Ethics and the Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values. The purpose of this project is to bring together a global alliance of religious, spiritual and ethical organizations to deepen the understanding, public awareness and practical application of the ethical and spiritual foundations of sustainable development. 

The inspiration for the Spiritual Dimensions of Sustainability Project crystallized at the Earth Charter +10 Conference in Ahmedabad, India, which called for deepening the general understanding of sustainable development that considers sustainability based on distinct but interrelated ecological, social and economic dimensions. The former Dutch prime minister Ruud Lubbers stated: "We may even begin to speak about four ‘P's: People, Planet, Profit and ‘Pneuma' "

Earth Charter International Council Co-Chair Steven C. Rockefeller commented: "There is a fourth pillar - the global ethical and spiritual consciousness that is awakening in civil society around the world and that finds expression in the Earth Charter. This global ethical consciousness is in truth the first pillar of a sustainable way of life, because it involves the internalization of the values of sustainable human development and provides the inspiration and motivation to act as well as essential guidance regarding the path to genuine sustainability."

After intensive consultation of governments, international institutions and civil society organizations, the the first "zero" draft of the Rio + 20 Outcome Document has been published. It has been published on the Rio + 20 website.  We encourage you to send messages to your country's delegation to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (also called Rio+20) as they refine the content of this outcome document.

Based on our analysis, here is some suggested input.

1.The Zero Draft should affirm the need for a shared vision and common ethical framework to inspire and guide actions towards sustainable development among all stakeholders across sectors. The current draft appropriately emphasizes the need to integrate the three  pillars of sustainable development, and to make this integrated framework central to the many structures and activities of the United Nations. It should also affirm a strong definition of sustainable development with a fourth (first) pillar that is a shared vision of ethical and spiritual values that inspires and guides cooperative action for change.

2.The Zero Draft recommends Ombudspersons for future generations and sustainable development goals, and new measures of GDP. It should also include implementing the Precautionary Principle, a Corporate Sustainability Responsibility Convention, Millennium Consumption Goals, and a mandate of trusteeship for global common goods on behalf all peoples, the greater community of life, and future generations.

Please write to your delegation to include these elements which would boost the transition to a sustainable future!

As a contribution to the "Spiritual Dimensions of Sustainability" Project launched by the Soetendorp Institute and the Earth Charter Task Force on Religion, Spirituality, and Ethics, Rabbi Soetendorp has drafted the interreligious statement "Towards Rio + 20 and Beyond - A Turning Point in Earth History". The statement is geared at enabling spiritual and religious communities to speak in a unified voice for providing a spiritual input into the major UN Rio + 20 Conference that will be taking place from June 20 - 22, 2012.

A draft version of the statement signed by religious leaders of different traditions with input from an international steering committee has been sent to the United Nations for inclusion into the Compilation Document for the "Zero Draft" of the Political Outcome Document of the Rio + 20 Conference.

The statement is currently being revised in an interreligious consultation process. Our vision is that many different religious and spiritual leaders and their institutions will share their perspectives and then endorse this statement as a powerful and unified message from the world's religious and spiritual traditions to the Rio + 20 Conference. We hope to present the statement in a joint assembly of the world's faiths during the Rio + 20 Conference.  

The Earth Charter International Council, in collaboration with the Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values, the Interfaith Consortium for Ecological Civilization and the Center for Ecozoic Societies, hosted a discussion on December 14 focused on strengthening ethical and spiritual input into Rio+20. 

Hundreds of organizations sent in their recommendations for the outcomes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (also called Rio+20).  These recommendations have been put into a Compilation Document. You can review these submissions here. Around 75 of these contrbutions deal with values, ethics and the Earth Charter. 

In the meeting that was joined by around 50 representatives of different organizations and networks we shared our various organizations' input into the Compilation Document, identified common priorities, and strategized as to how we can work most effectively on the Road to Rio+20 to ensure that our policy priorities are included in the Zero Draft, and in the final outcome document.