Laying the Groundwork

 They came as individuals, they left as a group
 An unprecedented initiative
 Conceiving and testing strategies
 Experiments
 Communication
 Taking root

They came as individuals, they left as a group

October 2003, a boat leaves the harbour of Athens, Greece. Among its passengers it carries fourteen people from different regions of the world, different histories, cultures, problems, challenges and hopes. An unusual challenge made each of them decide to undertake the voyage to the island of Syros, Greece.
A week later, a boat leaves the harbor of Syros, heading for Athens. Among its passengers an International Facilitation Committee for the promotion of a Charter of Human Responsibilities. A group of fourteen people inspired by each other and by a fuller consciousness that in the face of a world in crisis and new challenges at all levels, a universally accepted agreement that Human Rights should be coupled with Human Responsibilities, is indispensable. A group of people determined to lay the foundations for a growing awareness at all levels of their societies that « Responsibility » is not a deniable option; that Responsibility exists within each individual’s reach. Determined to challenge all peoples and associations to consider what it would mean to act responsibly and to make the commitment to do so. Determined to connect people on this issue while confronting common challenges. Determined to assume their own responsibility for this common commitment.

Many ideas on how to go about finding ways and means to implement this commitment in their own professional and geographical context had emerged during the week on Syros. They inspired the programmes that the respective members of the Committee subsequently conceived together with others from their regions and submitted for funding to the Foundation Charles Leopold Mayer.

An unprecedented initiative

In spite of the financial limitations, the activities reports show two striking features:

1. A deep commitment of the members of the Committee to the idea of putting at the center of attention the notion of Responsibility as a universal value and a guideline for behavior at all levels of society;

2. An amazing amount of creative actions to open doors for the Charter.

Promoting the notion of Responsibility as a central value, translating a unique core text for a Charter of Human Responsibilities into culturally adapted forms as well as into professionally applicable principles through a worldwide process of involving a great variety of socio-professional groups in international society, is not only an ambitious initiative but also an unprecedented one.

Conceiving and testing strategies

Although the idea of the Charter had been discussed previously by various groups in different parts of the world, it may safely be suggested that the year 2004 marked the beginning of a process of conceiving and testing strategic plans for the promotion of the Charter. It was a year of finding the right people to take part in local, national or regional committees; of exploring which ways and which means are effective (or not) with which kind of social groups; of producing materials; of weaving the Charter into existing organizations and socio-professional networks; of organizing specific seminars, writing papers, giving speeches; of developing and testing out methodologies adapted to specific groups of society... In one word: of bringing about a wealth of experiments throughout the continents.

Experiments

In the course of 2004, it appeared clearly that drawing (renewed) attention to the longstanding idea of Human Responsibility and proposing a “third pillar” for international life appeals only when people have affinity with the values and the moral dilemmas signaled in the Charter.
Experiments in 2004, as related in the Report of activities, are showing that indeed the Charter can serve as a catalyst to challenge people to consider what it means to act responsibly. And indeed, it can also serve as a means of connecting people. However, its impact can only come from a recognition of its relevance to the condition humaine wherever in the world. And for this, an essential condition proved to be a systematic follow-up to the introduction of the Charter.
Time has now come to nurture experiences, to take stock of them and to exchange lessons learned.

Communication

Thanks to the invaluable technical support of Lydia Nicollet, the Committee has been able to communicate in three languages: French, English and Spanish. A wider list of people interested in the Charter process is regularly receiving information through the Charter e-forum.

Following up information (received from the Foundation Charles Léopold Mayer) on other groups working with the Charter, contacts were established with them as well.

Thanks to the expert technical support of Natalia Massia, a special Charter web site has been opened to the wider public early January 2005. A web-site committee consisting of Natalia Massia, Lydia Nicollet, Gustavo Marin, and Edith Sizoo is administrating the web site. It is already becoming an effective and powerful tool for communication with a much larger public as well as an important documentary resource.

Taking root

But communication, although imperative, is not the final condition for reaching the hoped for impact. At the end of the day, it all depends on at least two things:

 Whether it proves to be possible to use the principles outlined in the Charter as “ a kernel to create (culturally and/or professionally adapted guidelines) that intimately speak when we enter our homes and again intimately speak when we step into the world outside” (Sudha Reddy),

 And whether all those who take the implications of their responsibilities as a person and as a group seriously, will demonstrate the political commitment to work towards acceptance of a Charter of Human Responsibilities at the highest levels of Global Governance Institutions.

We find ourselves at the very beginning of a long process. History will tell whether our commitment was worth its while.