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Caring
Citizen —
A
Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities
In 1989 a small
group met in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It planned to form an American
Civil Responsibilities Union – as a counter to the American Civil
Liberties Union, the ACLU. I will take some credit for convincing
the group that society would be better served if we did not create
one more one-sided, adamant representative of one half of the needed
equation. Our position should be that strong rights and strong responsibilities
are corollaries; a well-ordered free society requires both. This
meeting led eventually to the formation of the American Alliance
for Rights and Responsibilities.
Shortly thereafter,
this quarterly was founded. From its first issue it stressed that
rights and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. The
same crucial point has been emphasized in the Responsive Communitarian
Platform – the cornerstone of The Communitarian Network – which
was widely endorsed in the United States and overseas. (For details,
visit www.gwu.edu/-ccps
or write The Communitarion Networks at 2130
H Street NW, Suite 714, Washington, DC 20052.) The idea that strong
rights presume strong responsibilities was further spelled out in
The Spirit of Community and The New Golden Rule.
An analysis
of numerous public dialogues that followed these developments shows
that the thesis that rights and responsibilities complete one another
had become very widely accepted. To cite but one example, in his
1995 State of the Union Address President Clinton acknowledged,
and sought to correct, the one-sidedness of his own rhetoric: "I
have proposed the Middle Class Bill of Rights – which should properly
be called a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, because its provisions
only benefit those who are working to educate and raise their children
or to improve their own lives."
More recently,
a group of 24 former head of state, following the leadership of
the German philosopher Hans Küng, formulated "A Universal Declaration
of Human Responsibilities." The group, which calls itself the
InterAction Council, aims to have this declaration endorsed by the
United Nations, so that the current one-sided declaration of rights
will be completed by this new document. The text of the declaration
and the list of the heads of state follows.
Amitai Etzioni
Universal
Declaration of Human Responsibilities
(Proposed
by the Interaction Council)
Preamble
Whereas
recognition
of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of
all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom,
justice, and peace in the world and implies obligations or
responsibilities,
whereas the
exclusive insistence on rights can result in conflict, division, and
endless dispute, and the neglect of human responsibilities can lead
to lawlessness and chaos,
whereas
the rule of law and the promotion of human rights depend on the
readiness of men and women to act justly,
whereas
global problems demand global solutions which can only be achieved
through ideas, values, and norms respected by all cultures and
societies,
whereas
all people, to the best of their knowledge and ability, have a
responsibility to foster a better social order, both at home and
globally, a goal which cannot be achieved by laws, prescriptions,
and conventions alone,
whereas human
aspirations for progress and improvement can only be realized by
agreed values and standards applying to all people and institutions
at all times,
Now,
therefore,
The
General Assembly
proclaims
this Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities as a common
standard for all people and all nations, to the end that every
individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration
constantly in mind, shall contribute to the advancement of
communities and to the enlightenment of all their members. We, the
peoples of the world, thus renew and reinforce commitments already
proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: namely, the
full acceptance of the dignity of all people; their inalienable
freedom and equality, and their solidarity with one another.
Awareness and acceptance of these responsibilities should be taught
and promoted throughout the world.
Fundamental
Principles for Humanity
Article
1
Every person,
regardless of gender, ethnic origin, social status, political
opinion, language, age, nationality, or religion, has
a responsibility to treat all people in a humane way.
Article
2
No person
should lend support to any form of inhumane behaviour, but all people
have a responsibility to strive for the dignity and self-esteem of
all others.
Article
3
No
person, no group or organization, no state, no army or police stands
above good and evil; all are subject to ethical standards. Everyone
had a responsibility to promote good and to avoid evil in all
things.
Article
4
All people,
endowed with reason and conscience, must accept a responsibility to
each and all, to families and communities, to races, nations, and
religions in a spirit of solidarity: What
you do not wish to be done to yourself, do not do to others.
Non-Violence
and Respect for Life
Article
5
Every person
has a responsibility to respect life. No one has the right to
injure, to torture, or to kill another human person. This does not
exclude the right of justified self-defense of individuals or
communities.
Article
6
Disputes
between states, groups, or individuals should be resolved without
violence. No government should tolerate or participate in acts of
genocide or terrorism, nor should it abuse women, children, or any
other civilians as instruments of war. Every citizen and public
official has a responsibility to act in a peaceful, non-violent way.
Article
7
Every person
is infinitely precious and must be protected unconditionally. The
animals and the natural environment also demand protection. All
people have a responsibility to protect the air, water. and soil of
the earth for the sake of present inhabitants and future
generations.
Justice
and Solidarity
Article
8
Every person
has a responsibility to behave with integrity, honesty, and
fairness. No persons or group should rob or arbitrarily deprive
any other person or group of their property.
Article
9
All people,
given the necessary tools, have a responsibility to make serious
efforts to overcome poverty, malnutrition, ignorance, and
inequality. They should promote sustainable development all over the
world in order to assure dignity, freedom, security, and justice for
all people.
Article
10
All people
have a responsibility to develop their talents through diligent endeavour; they should have equal access to education and to
meaningful work. Everyone should lend support to the needy, the
disadvantaged, the disabled, and to the victims of discrimination.
Article
11
All property
and wealth must be used responsibly in accordance with justice and
for the advancement of the human race. Economics and political power
must not be handled as an instrument of domination, but in the
service of economic justice and of the social order.
Truthfulness
and Tolerance
Article
12
Every person
has a responsibility to speak and act truthfully. No one,
however high or mighty, should speak lies. The right to privacy and
to personal and professional confidentiality is to be respected. No
one is obliged to tell all the truth to everyone all the time.
Article
13
No
politicians, public servants, business leaders, scientists, writers,
or artists are exempt from general ethical standards, nor are
physicians, lawyers and other professionals who have special duties
to clients. Professional and other codes of ethics should reflect
the priority of general standards such as those of truthfulness and
fairness.
Article
14
The freedom of
the media to inform the public and to criticize institutions of
society and governmental actions, which is essential for a just
society, must be used with responsibility and discretion. Freedom of
the media carries a special responsibility for accurate and truthful
reporting. Sensational reporting that degrades the human person or
dignity must at all times be avoided.
Article
15
While
religious freedom must be guaranteed, the representatives of
religions have a special responsibility to avoid expressions of
prejudice and acts of discrimination toward those different beliefs.
They should not incite or legitimize, fanaticism, and religious
wars, but should foster tolerance and mutual respect between all
people.
Mutual
Respect and Partnership
Article
16
All men and
women
have a responsibility to show respect to one another
and understanding in their partnership. No one should subject
another person to sexual exploitation or dependence. Rather, sexual
partners should accept the responsibility of caring for each other’s
well being.
Article
17
In all its
cultural and religious varieties, marriage requires love, loyalty,
and forgiveness and should aim at guaranteeing security and mutual
support.
Article
18
Sensible
family planning is the responsibility if every couple. The
relationship between parents and children should reflect mutual
love, respect, appreciation, and concern. No parents or other adults
should exploit, abuse, or maltreat children.
Conclusion
Article
19
Nothing
in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any state,
group, or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform
any act aimed at the destruction of any of the responsibilities,
rights, and freedom set forth in this Declaration and in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
Endorsement
The
proposed Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities has the
endorsement of the following individuals:
Helmut
Schmidt (Honorary
Chairman), Former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Malcom
Fraser (Chairman),
Former Prime Minister of Australia
Andries A.
M. van Agt, Former
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Anand
Panyarachun,
Former Prime Minister of Thailand
Oscar
Arias Sanchez, Former
President of Costa Rica
Lord
Callaghan of Cardiff, 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
Valery
Giscard d’Estaing, Former
President of France
Felipe
Gonzalez Marquez, Former
Prime Minister of Spain
Kenneth
Kaunda, Former
President of Zambia
Lee Kuan
Yew, Former
Prime Minister of Singapore
Kiichi
Miyazawa, Former
Prime Minister of Japan
Misael
Pastrana Borrero, Former
President of Colombia (deceased in August)
Shimon
Peres, Former
Prime Minister of Israel
Maria de
Lourdes Pintasilgo, Former
Prime Minister of Portugal
Jose
Sarney, Former
President of Brazil
Shin Hyon
Hwak, Former
Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea
Kalevi
Sorsa, Former
Prime Minister of Finland
Pierre
Elliot Trudeau, Former
Prime Minister of Canada
Ola
Ullsten, Former
Prime Minister of Sweden
George
Vassiliou, Former
President of Cyprus
Franz
Vranitzky, Former
President of Austria
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