MOTHER EARTH JUSTICE ADVOCATES REGINA DECLARATION FOR A BETTER WORLD
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” ― Arundhati Roy Background The human family has a duty to honour, love, protect, and respect all of creation in its abundant diversity as an inter-connected web of life that nurtures, provides, and sustains us all. What happens to one part affects the whole. Our destiny and future is intertwined with all other parts of creation. What the tree exhales, the human life inhales and as such the tree and the human family share a common destiny. We are inter and intra dependent. Today, the human family is experiencing changes at an accelerated pace that no other generation has previously encountered. The challenges are global in scope and local in impact and to overcome them requires the human family to work together. Globalization, rampant consumerism and reckless non-renewable resource exploitation has and continues to be the cause of widespread destruction. The current global system disrupts and corrupts the natural order and balance of life. Our whole future is in jeopardy. It is time for love, human cooperation, and resistance. It is time for a system change. As a result of the Regina Peoples Assembly on Climate Justice in December 2010 during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP16) in Cancun, Mexico, a group of people in Regina, Saskatchewan gathered together and formed Mother Earth Justice Advocates (MEJA).
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MEJA is open to anyone interested in loving, honouring, and protecting Mother Earth. Its main activities and principles revolve around the following: •
Love for Mother Earth;
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Community education;
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Healthy sustainable communities;
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Advocate for social justice activism and solidarity;
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Consensus decision-making;
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Honour and respect for Indigenous Peoples rights and worldviews.
MEJA is committed to pushing forward the endorsement, honour, and implementation of the Peoples Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth adopted in Cochabamba, Bolivia. As a result MEJA is involved in education and action supporting this declaration and Indigenous Peoples rights that are being violated at the expense of Mother Earth. MEJA calls for the observance, recognition, and enforcement of international treaties held with the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island along with but not limited to the Kyoto Accord, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Internationally, a great deal of work has been undertaken to establish global instruments within the framework of the rule of law. It is important to honour these efforts however, it is time to move from rule of law to rule of THE PEOPLE. It is time to empower THE PEOPLE - not local, national or global organizations. The institutions of power must be de-legitimized and the power directly in THE PEOPLE’S hands. In response to the looming climate crisis and the failure of the current global system to provide long-term sustainable living and well-being of all life, MEJA responded to the need to envision a better world that addresses the challenges we collectively face. On February 23, 2013, MEJA coordinated a community forum to bring people of all walks of life, nationalities and religions into a circle to engage the power of good minds to begin the process of defining a Regina Declaration for a Better World.
Preamble We have a collective vision for a world where the human family lives in balance with each other and all life for today and into the future for seven generations. Recognizing the world around us is in crisis as a result of our action and inaction, we declare the following as foundational in the creation of a better world.
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Guiding Principles The following guiding principles were referenced during the creation of this declaration: •
Model mutual respect and empowerment of each sovereign person: the honour of one is the honour of all and the injustice of one is the injustice of all;
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Establish a new system of peace, justice and unity of the human family;
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Reinforce each individual’s duty to be good stewards of creation;
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Celebrate life as it is lived with gratitude;
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Create a network of sovereign /autonomous communities that upholds the personal sovereignty of all;
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Reinforce decision-making and consent that protects the rights and livelihood of the next seven generations.
Values The human family is a part of creation. All of creation must be honoured. There is no part of our world that can be reduced to unimportant. If one part of creation is taken away, all the rest of creation will feel this loss, as such, ensuring the balance and respect of natural laws is essential. The human family must respect this balance and has a duty to all of creation which transcends all political; ideologies, principles, values, efforts, and parties. As we create a better world, we recognize the need to undergo a system change that encompasses the following: •
Honour and respect life and its cycles;
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Lead life with compassion focusing on giving and extending empathy;
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Honour wisdom for the greater good;
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Live in balance with all life;
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Justice and inclusion of all peoples;
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Community as family;
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Collective well-being is balanced with personal sovereignty;
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Selflessness;
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Community transformation comes from living ones values.
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Autonomous Systems - From Governance to Autonomy Autonomous systems are guided by consensus, personal sovereignty, and community autonomy. Spokespeople may be chosen periodically to speak on behalf of the people. Communities will meet regularly to make communal decisions to direct its spokespeople. Communities will act morally in support of all peoples and in solidarity for justice locally and globally. Each community practices territorial respect, does not direct specific actions on others, and embodies the values for being the change it would like to see in the world. Autonomous systems entail the following: •
Decentralized collective power and authority at the community level;
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Rotation of individuals responsible for each community's autonomous systems;
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Everyone has a duty to full participation in all decision-making processes;
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Decision-making processes empower the voices of the people and enforce the protection of THE PEOPLE, the community, and creation;
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The community guided by natural laws and consensus will determine any sanctions and redress;
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Community autonomy includes management of local economies, the well being of its members, and communal sovereignty.
Community A true community serves as a family and cherishes the gifts of all who live within it, and upholds the community’s duty to future generations. Components of this community include: •
Community is the heart and soul of its members and as such provides open spaces with the complete understanding that the land, air, water and all living beings cannot be owned;
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Redefined, free education from cradle to grave that encompasses life-long learning and the wisdom of the Elders;
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All are afforded a good life where no one is left behind;
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Respect of individual dignity and good character of all is reinforced within the community;
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The old and young are linked together through defined processes that recognize it takes a community to raise a child and to honour and care for the elderly within the context of wholistic medicines, food sovereignty and natural laws;
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Creation of a local economy based on the values of serving, sharing and caring.
Personal Sovereignty Personal sovereignty can only exist in a society that has a moral foundation where each individual of the society self-regulates his/her self. For personal sovereignty to be a viable social order, there needs to be a recognition that every human being has a right to make a living, to live a good life, and share equally in the abundance of creation. Personal sovereignty is the highest form of interaction as it requires one to walk in peace, harmony, and in respect for all life. When we walk in our personal sovereignty and uphold our duty to it, we must respect the personal sovereignty of everyone. Personal sovereignty is a key component of a vision for a better world, and includes the following: •
Every one is a leader;
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Every one serves the people;
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Every one accepts diversity of beliefs and does not assert beliefs on others.
Sustainability Greed and the endless grasping and wanting for more destroy sustainability of a community. Sustainability is walking in balance with creation without leaving an imprint on the land, water and air. Sustainability allows us to use what we have in a way that nurtures families, communities and future generations. It is creating human relationships and infrastructures that live in balance with Mother Earth and all life forms. Self-sufficiency includes but is not limited to: •
Carbon-neutral energy systems;
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Fresh, clean water;
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Food security/sovereignty;
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Agricultural cooperatives;
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Permaculture;
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Land stewardship not land ownership;
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Barter and trade;
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Shelter.
Call to Action In the spirit of love and cooperation, the Regina Declaration for a Better World aspires to instill hope and a plan for a good way forward toward defining solutions for peoples from all corners of our beautiful world. Together we can create a better world. It requires a collective shift as we heal the past, live in the present and envision our beautiful way forward. We invite you to join with us and together take steps to manifest this Declaration for a Better World.
Contact Information: Email: motherearthjusticeadvocates@gmail.com Website: http://motherearthjusticeadvocates.com/ Facebook: Mother Earth Justice Advocates
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