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Youth Treaty
Commitments
1. We consider that as youth of the world, we are a strong force that can be channeled through unity in diversity. This implies economic and social justice, equal participation in decision making, peace and collective security, equal rights and education.
We commit ourselves through this unity to ensure for all people a lifestyle directed toward development which is responsible to future generations.
2. The inequitable relations between North and South (and between power elite and peoples) is a result of the politics of domination and discrimination, applied through the policy of the great powers, which affect the quality of life of the other countries, along with the enormous burden of the external debt.
It is necessary to alleviate the vast extremes of wealth and poverty, and to eliminate all prejudices, be they racial, nationalist, cultural, religious, gender-based or class-based, as these are causes of social violence.
We commit ourselves to the sincere respect of each person as an integrated part of humanity. We adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
3.The economy can no longer be a discipline independent of ecology. We reject the current economic system based on the free market, the maximization of profits, and over-consumption, which are the principal roots of human and environmental degradation. We also consider it necessary to satisfy the basic human necessities. To this end, we accept the responsibility of supporting local sustainable development alternatives in all nations, taking into account respect for the environment and the needs of a culturally diverse society.
4. We recognize that grassroots organizations are fundamental to the achievement of sustainable development at local, regional, and global levels. In order to enhance the power of grassroots organizations, we encourage international support groups and networks. We commit ourselves to assuring free and democratic access to information, sharing with those groups that have more difficult access. We accept the responsibility to influence and cooperate with governmental institutions so long as the actions are approved in a democratic manner by the community.
5. We recognize education as an inherent right of each human being. We defend the principle of free and public education so as to guarantee the accessibility of education to all in order to impede the privatization of knowledge, which is amply defended by neo-liberal ideas.
We commit ourselves to promoting an integrated education - scientific, cultural, and spiritual - with a non-competitive aspect as the basis of a change in consciousness that would manifest itself in action. We accept traditional cultures that have lived in a sustainable manner throughout history.
6. We condemn the open and covert destabilization of national sovereignty and self-determination, including all violations of the most elementary norms of international law, such as blockades, invasions, and any kind of aggression, whether it be military, economic or through the media.