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Reflections on Responsibility and on the Charter

5 January 2007
Forgiveness and Natality by Betsan MARTIN

; A Reflection on Responsibility, following the meeting of the International Facilitation Committee of the Charter of Human Responsibilities, in South Africa, October 2006. The Charter of Human Responsibilities’ meeting in South Africa brought reminders of historical links between South Africa and New Zealand. These had colonial beginnings, included an anti-apartheid movement and a recent visit by Deputy President of South Africa, Phumzile Miambo Ngcuka, for establishing a consulate. In (...)

19 April 2006
Interview / Dialogue on the Charter by Betsan MARTIN

A dialogue / interview with a leadership group, who were ‘european’/Pakeha, Maori, Pacifica, and who professionally are researchers and consultants in a Social Justice’ agency. This was a formal meeting in which the Charter had been made available for preliminary reading. They are people who had some familiarity with the Alliance and the Charter, and who are recognized for their social and cultural leadership in this country, in the Pacific region ands internationally. There was a very good (...)

Philosophy on Responsibility - 6 January 2006, by Betsan MARTIN

This contribution on Philosophy on Responsibility comes from discussions with Charter committee members. **Relevance to Charter principles** Every person’s dignity demands that he or she contribute to the freedom and dignity of others. In the flowering of the human personality, its non-material aspirations as well as its material needs must be addressed. The Charter principles may need to address the link between personal responsibility and public responsibility. People trained in social (...)

Views from researchers about the Charter text, Aotearoa - New Zealand. - 6 January 2006, by Betsan MARTIN

After background discussion on the Charter, and on the Alliance website, we had a discussion of governance in different cultures, and in particular in the Pacific, where this researcher had done PhD research. Here, responsibility is vested in leaders. Even thinking about leadership in democracies, this is so, although organized in very different ways from traditional Pacific leadership and governance. Elections reflect the knowledge of electors, and tends to be decided around short term (...)

Views from indigenous people about the Charter text, Aotearoa-New Zealand. - 6 January 2006, by Betsan MARTIN

Comments from the project After careful reading of the principles, all said that the Charter reflects a western world view, and is referenced to its requirements and laws. What was being implied was that it addresses an adversarial system based on a dualistic worldview. The separation of nature and the environment, and culture are are codified in law. It forms the framework of religion and institutions and language. Various comments were made on the different principles. For example, (...)