What’s New in the Brazilian Charter Lands

Brazilian Youth Group and Group on Social and Environmental Responsibility

In Brasilia Brazil, from September 3 to 11, 2005, was organized the Second Meeting of the Youth for Environment, organized by the Ministries of Education and of Environment, with the participation of youth groups, from many institutions and Youth movements from all the different states of Brazil. It has been a very involving preparatory meeting for the Second National Conference for Children and Youth for Environment. This youth believe that other Brazil is possible. They represent an immense force, they fill us with life and hope in this period when politics bleeds for corruption in our country.

135 young persons from 27 youth groups from all the states, 5 leaders of each state between 17 and 25 years old, have been working together for 9 days.

In the work being done this year we have also included the reflection on the Charter of Human Responsibilities and millions of people are being involved to discuss on individual and collective responsibilities related to social and environmental questions. These young people are already working in their states in the process of organization and accomplishment of Conferences for Environment.

The Second National Conference for Children and Youth on Environment is been organized in the whole country for the second time. The first happened in 2003 and had involved 16 thousand schools and more than 6 million people. The important difference with the one in 2005 is that each school (57 thousand schools from the whole country were invited) will discuss on and popularize 4 international treaties of which Brazil is signatory, on Climate Changes - Kyoto, on Racism - Durban, on Food Security - Roma and on Biodiversity - Rio 92. They will also choose a responsibility and a local action and select a delegate to defend this responsibility. In December in Brasilia 760 elected delegates, both children and youth from all the states of Brazil, will come to debate on their responsibilities and to write a Charter of Responsibilities of the Youth for the protection of Brazil.

This is the first country accomplishing one the international treaties aims: their popularization. We are including in public policies a discussion on the treaties and on the Charter of Human Responsibilities.

This is certainly an enormous progress in the diffusion of the Charter: each state of Brazil already has a state organizing commission that is working with the Charter of Human Responsibilities, using the video and the Charter publication. The video of the Charter, made here in Brazil by a group of artists, is being duplicated in hundreds of copies for all the country with the support of institutions and local authorities.

It would be very interesting if we could also have with us during to Second National Conference for Children and Youth some members of the Charter of Human Responsibilities’ Committee as observers, that maybe can import later that proposal in other countries.

In spite of the pain of seeing the Brazilian government getting lost with the parties political disintegration, we more and more believe and with more conviction in the empowerment conferences processes, in new creative forms of governance and in the participation of the youth taking responsibilities, reflecting on human responsibilities with art and for life quality in order to ’re-enchant’ politics and life.