Appendix II: A Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities
| DOI | 10.1177/092405199701500411 |
| Published date | 01 December 1997 |
| Date | 01 December 1997 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Appendix II: A Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities
1September 1997
InterAction Council
Introduction
On 1 September 1997 a group
of
former world leaders and politicians, calling themselves
the InterAction Council, issued a statement asking for a 'Universal Declaration
of
Human
Responsibilities' to be adopted by the United Nations. The group was chaired by Malcolm
Fraser, former prime minister
of
Australia and had Helmut Schmidt, former chancellor
of
West Germany as its honourary chairman. It further included: Andries van Agt, former
prime minister
of
the Netherlands; Anand Panyarschun, former prime minister
of
Thailand; Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president
of
Costa Rica; Lord Callaghan, former
prime minister
of
the United Kingdom; Jimmy Carter, former president
of
the United
States; Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, former president
of
Mexico; Kurt Furgler, former
president
of
Switzerland; Gro Harlem Bruntland, former prime minister
of
Norway; Valery
Giscard d'Estaing, former president
of
France; Felipe Gonzalez Marquez, former prime
minister
of
Spain; Kiichi Miyazawa, former prime minister
of
Japan; Migael Pastrana
Borrero, former president
of
Colombia; Mikhail Gorbachov, former president
of
the Soviet
Union; Kenneth Kaunda, former president
of
Zambia; Lee Kuan Yew, former prime
minister
of
Singapore; Shimon Peres, former prime minister
of
Israel; Maria de Lourdes
Pintnailgo ,former prime minister
of
Portugal; Jose Sarney, former president
of
Brazil;
Shin Hyon Hwak, for prime minister
of
South Korea; Kalevi Sorsa, former prime minister
of
Finland; Ola Ullsten, former prime minister
of
Sweden; George Vassiliou, former
president
of
Cyprus; and Pierre Elliott Trudeau, former prime minister
of
Canada; Franz
Vranitsky, former prime minister
of
Austria.
It
is Time to Talk about Human Responsibilities
Globalisation
of
the world economy is matched by global problems, and global problems
demand global solutions on the basis
of
ideas, values and norms respected by all cultures
and societies. Recognition
of
the equal and inalienable rights
of
all the people requires a
foundation
of
freedom, justice and peace - but this also demands that rights and
responsibilities be given equal importance to establish an ethical base so that all men and
women can live peacefully together and fulfil their potential. A better social order both
nationally and internationally cannot be achieved by laws, prescriptions and conventions
alone, but needs a global ethic. Human aspirations for progress can only be realised by
agreed values and standards applying to all people and all institutions at all times.
Next year will be the 50th anniversary
of
the Universal Declaration
of
Human Rights
adopted by the United Nations. The anniversary would be an opportune time to adopt a
Universal Declaration
of
Human Responsibilities, which would complement the Human
Rights Declaration and strengthen it and help lead to a better world.
The following draft
of
human responsibilities seeks to bring freedom and responsibility
into balance and to promote a move from the freedom
of
indifference to the freedom
of
involvement.
If
one person or government seeks to maximise freedom but does it at the
expense
of
others, a larger number
of
people will suffer.
If
human beings maximise their
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