History & Mission
Green Cross International was founded by Mikhail
Gorbachevin 1993, building on the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro
and Agenda 21.Green Cross is a non-governmental, non-profit organization.
Our mission is to help create a sustainable future by cultivating harmonious
relationships between humans and the environment. Green Cross concentrates
its efforts on the following five programs
whose common theme is to promote a significant change in human values
leading to greater respect and care for Earth's community of life in all
its diversity, and to address the environmental causes and consequences
of wars and conflict.
Society must be founded on a balance with nature. We want to be active
and conduct projects to ensure that from now on every form of development
safeguards and, if necessary, helps to replenish the natural resources
of our environment.
Our programs stem from the initiatives of our national
organizations as well as from Green
Cross International in Geneva. We seek to combine global thinking
and local action through the vehicle of international programs tailored
to local needs. All our programs await your enthusiastic input and require
your support and involvement.
Green Cross International has been granted General Consultative Status
with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations and
with the Council of Europe.
Green Cross is a member of the Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies
of the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit.
Green Cross International is recognized as being of public utility; Donors
and GCI are Tax Exempted.
The Founding Principles:
- A fundamental transformation of society's Values with respect
to the environment. Narrow approaches to problem solving ignore linkages
between sectors or across local, national and global spheres. Firstly,
changes in values and in the distribution of power are needed and secondly,
new ways of analyzing and acting are required. Green Cross works worldwide
to promote the emergence of these values.
- A spirit of Dialogue and mediation, both level-headed and
constructive. Green Cross plays the role of catalyst, and mobilizes
the strength of its whole network for environmental conflict prevention
and mediation. One of the roles of Green Cross International is to provide
a constructive force across multiple sectors, working with governments,
the private sector, religious groups, international organizations, NGOs
and individuals.
- A meshing of the economy, ecology and society. The integration
of ecological and socio-economic principles should be promoted. The clear
link between these elements should be integrated at all levels.
Green Cross: An International Network :
In 2000, Green Cross International organizations are active in 21 countries
including: Argentina, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Czech
Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, South Korea,
Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom,
United States, and Venezuela. The organizations in Germany and the USA
have adopted the name "Global Green." There are also Prepcoms
in Belarus, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Togo and the Ukraine.
Many eminent and well-known personalities from around the world have accepted
to be members of the honorary Board, such as Ted Turner, Robert Redford,
Jean-Michel Cousteau, Rita Levi Montalcini, Yoko Ono, Chinghiz Aitmatov,
René Felber, Thor Heyerdahl, Rudolphus Lubbers, Hiromu Nonaka,
Shimon Peres, Javier Perez de Cuéllar, Princess Basma Bint Talal,
Karan Singh, Olzhas Suleimenov, Monkombu S. Swaminathan, Masayoshi Takemura,
and Nadine Gardiner.
The United Nations has awarded Green Cross International their highest
accreditation status, i.e. "NGO in general consultative status with
the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations".
International Challenges :
Sustainability is one of the main concepts at the start of this new millenium
and its gist is ambiguous and difficult to define. Most people have difficulties
understanding the meaning of the word, and others react emotionally rather
than objectively. When philosophers, scientists, businessmen, scholars,
and individuals try to define this word, the polemic and discussion is
never ended, proving if it was necessary, the complexity of this term.
To explore sustainability at this junction in human history is to raise
the fundamental questions of how humanity defines itself, and how each
one of us will tackle the challenges of the 21st century.
The Sustainability debate started with the Brundland Commission's definition:
" Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable,
to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ".
The most serious independent analyses of the current development of humanity
prove that the world's development does not tend towards sustainability.
Recently, Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International said:
" we are at an essential moment in human history, for the first
time, we are widely aware that our day-to-day decisions have the power
to destroy our own habitat, the Earth ". The growth in world
property and consumption levels, and the population expansion, have created
a heavy burden on the environment and quality of life for billions of
people. To achieve sustainability, a balance must be found between society's
major components: economy and technology, ecology and demography, and
governance and equity. Year after year, the Economy is becoming predominant
and the myth accompanying of perpetual growth is progressively replacing
all the other essential values which have contributed to the elaboration
of our civilization. The sustainability of development can only be reached
if citizens and decision-makers take all the other above mentioned components
fully into account.
The sustainable world will be a world of social and technological innovations,
experimentation, high transparency, and a fully interconnected community;
a world in which agreements are reached through mediation, and with respect
for civil rights. In this world, NGOs, governments, concerned consumers
and businesses would act as partners. Thanks to dialogue and mutual respect,
continuous environmental and social values will be incorporated into market
mechanisms. Dream or reality? President Mikhail Gorbachev has already
showed the world that when an idea or an intuition is right and emerges
at the right time, any " Wall of difficulties like the Berlin
Wall might fall ".
Programs :
Green Cross concentrates its efforts on 5 programs whose common theme
is to promote a significant change in human value, and address the environmental
causes ans consequences of conflicts.
Earth Charter Initiative
The Earth Charter is being developed as a general human manifesto
based on a global consultation process involving 1000s of organizations
and individuals all over the world, the work of the Earth Charter Commission
of representatives from all 5 continents, and the creative cooperation
of specialists motivated by the survival of our planet.
In 1994, the President of Green Cross International, Mikhail Gorbachev
and the President of the Earth Council, Maurice Strong, on the initiative
of the Dutch Prime Minister, Ruud Lubbers, and with the participation
of UNESCO Director General, Federico Mayor, signed an agreement to collaborate
on the Earth Charter.
Since 1994, GCI has participated jointly with other organizations in the
formulation of the Earth Charter text. In the framework of the consultation
process, the organization participated in meetings which took place in
the USA , the Netherlands, Switzerland and Brazil. In the framework of
the international forum Rio+5, the first benchmark of the Earth Charter
was presented and discussed by the members of the Earth Charter Commission
consisting of 23 representatives from all the continents.
National Earth Charter Committees have been created in more than 30 countries
of the world (Australia, Russia, USA, Japan, etc.). In other countries
the work over the Earth Charter is run by a worldwide net of organizations
such as Green Cross International, as well as by different non-governmental
national organizations.
A special Earth Charter Campaign has been organized on Internet, as well
as an Earth Charter Discussion Forum, where one can easily share information,
ideas and suggestions regarding the Earth Charter process and the Benchmark
Draft.
The Earth Charter draft's elaboration and the formulation of its preamble
and main principles were accomplished by an international group of specialists,
the Earth Charter Drafting Committee. This group carries out the tremendous
task of collecting comments and amendments on the Earth Charter draft
from participants in the consultation process from all over the world
and integrates all the material received into a unified Earth Charter
draft.
Green Cross National Organizations worked on the Earth Charter from 1996
to 1997 in a series of meetings. As a result, the Earth Charter Philosophy
was elaborated. From 1997 until the end of 1998, Green Cross National
Organizations continued their involvement on two levels: the first one
deals with the improvement of the text of the Earth Charter and the second
aims at spreading ideas and developing possible organizational structures.
All of these ideas were discussed during several meetings of the Green
Cross National Organizations.
At the beginning of October 1998, the Green Cross National Organizations
were requested to describe their Earth Charter activity and give comments
and recommendations for Benchmark N· II, as well as proposals for
future activities. The majority of National Organizations participated
in this intense consultation process and their remarks and suggestions
were discussed in depth by the Earth Charter drafting committee.
The Earth Charter was presented on June 27-28 2000 in the Hague in the
presence of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ruud Lubbers
and Maurice Strong.
The ultimate objective is for the Earth Charter to be discussed and adopted
by the General Assembly of the United Nations and it is the willingness
of people that will make the difference.
Environmental Legacy of Wars
Green Cross continues its efforts to implement its programs dedicated
to the Environmental Legacy of Wars. Green Cross works to mitigate the
social, environmental, and economic consequences of man-made damage attributable
to wars.
Green Cross:
- Helps people and communities afflicted by chemical and nuclear environmental
contamination. We promote clean up and conversion of military bases.
- Seeks the environmentally responsible destruction of chemical weapons
stockpiles, and contributes to the determination of clean-up priorities
for nuclear contamination.
- Endeavors to convince competing sectors of society and institutions
to work together in a democratic fashion to elaborate sustainable solutions
In Switzerland, Russia, United States, Estonia, and Sweden, Green Cross
is recognized as a full partner by all our interlocutors, federal and
local governments, military authorities, and the general public. The experience
accumulated by the participants of this program in terms of scientific
expertise and the mediation process is shared with other countries of
the Green Cross network, Hungary, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Gulf and
Middle East countries.
In 1998, the scope of this program was broadened from Legacy of the Cold
War, to Legacy of War. The first new project was the launching of a campaign
to raise funds in order to assist Vietnamese children born with crippled
arms and legs, probable consequences of Agent Orange contamination in
the food chain. GCI also undertook an environmental assessment of Kuwait,
seven year after the Gulf War and produced a documentary film on the subject.
In 1999, the environmental impacts of the Yugoslavian War also became
part of this program and in mid-2000, Green Cross launched major campaign
to promote chemical
weapons destruction.
Legacy of Wars Program development
The environment has always been one of the "victims" of war
throughout the history of mankind. The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands people and left hundreds
of square kilometers of contaminated land. More recently, Agent Orange,
one of the most efficient defoliants, was widely used during the Vietnam
War with devastating effects on the environment and that people felt to
this day. The Cold War arms race has left an enormous legacy of weapons
which continue to threaten global security and human health.
Today, Serbia and Danube riparian countries are threatened by the destruction
of hazardous material installations such as oil refineries, petrochemical
and chemical plants, fertilizer factories resulting from intensive bombing
in 1999. Countries of the Central European Region are rightly concerned
about short and long term environmental threats.
The international community must exercise its solidarity when one sovereign
country has to face such huge environmental disasters. President Mikhail
Gorbachev made an appeal for a special Fund dedicated to financing interventions
in cases of emergency and participating as a consequence of war. Such
an Emergency Fund should be financed by nations, companies, and foundations.
This will ensure that environmental concerns will receive the immediate
attention they need.
Water Conflict Prevention and the Fight Against Desertification
Green Cross works to prevent conflicts in water-stressed regions. We
promote informed decision-making and the integrated management of river
basins and dry zones affected by land degradation.
Water for Peace - As a member of the World Water
Vision initiative, Green Cross was given the task of working with a panel
of former world leaders, including President Gorbachev, Ingvar Carlsson,
Fidel Ramos and Sir Ketumile Masire, to investigate the question of National
Sovereignty and International Watercourses, and the prevention and
mediation of water-related conflicts. A team from GCI wrote an innovative
report on this subject, which was presented at the 2nd World Water Forum
in March 2000, where we also held very fruitful panel debates on Water
for Peace in the Middle East and Southern Africa. As a result, Green
Cross is now also active in international water projects in West and Southern
Africa and regarding gender issues, and is implementing a major project
covering six international river basins in preparation for the Third World
Water Forum, to be held in Kyoto, in March 2003
Water Emergency Plan (WEP) for the Middle East - Nowhere
is the question of water conflict prevention more aptly applied than in
the Middle East, and GCI has been concerned with tensions over water in
the Jordan River Valley for several years. The purpose of the project
is to identify viable regional solutions to the increasing scarcity of
shared water resources, and encourage the investment needed to implement
them, based on consultations with governments, experts, the private sector
and stakeholders. Following three years of activity, in early March 2000,
President Gorbachev led an investigative mission to the region which was
received by Prime Minister Barak, Chairman Arafat and His Majesty King
Abdullah II. As a result of this, a Coordinating Team consisting of high
level officials from the three countries was established with the mandate
to elaborate concrete regional proposals in order to alleviate the permanent
scarcity of water in the Middle East.
In June 2001, Gorbachev travelled again to the now ever more troubled
region and met with new Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and Foreign
Minister Shimon Peres. Both gave their support for continued Green Cross
activity regarding the regions water.
Integrated Management of International River Basins - The
cyanide spill in Romania and the flooding in Mozambique in early 2000
brought home to many the urgent need for transparency and cooperation
in international water management and protection. Green Cross will persist
in its efforts to actively prevent conflicts in water-stressed regions
by encouraging participatory integrated management of basins at the local,
national and international levels. In addition to the Middle East, projects
are being developed in West and Southern Africa, South America and Eastern
Europe. We promote the need for international mediation to prevent and
resolve water related conflicts, the need for an international fund for
water, and the recognition that a basic entitlement to safe water is a
universal human right.
Fighting Desertification
Energy and Resource Efficiency
Green Cross promotes new consumption patterns to reduce the consumption
of energy, to stem climate change and to conserve natural resources
Global Green USA implements The Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Communities
for the Urban Environment Program, with the objective to stem climate
change and fight suburban sprawl by forwarding renewable energy and creating
healthier homes and neighborhoods.
Working in partnership with affordable housing developers, GG USA is lowering
the energy bills of families in need while protecting the environment.
The national partnerships, including Habitat for Humanity, allow Green
Cross to further our goals in Washington, including an initiative that
could save up to $1 billion in energy costs for housing.
GG USA has been writing guidelines for affordable housing developers which
demonstrate green building principles while making recommendations for
design construction, maintenance and operations. The guidelines highlight
the green themes, techniques and benefits of fourteen case studies from
across the United States.
In partnership with the Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Department,
GG USA is developing sustainable building practices in Los Angeles for
the rehabilitation of multi and single family housing.
Led by local business people, GG USA is spearheading a Southern Californian
campaign to get businesses and residences to choose green power. This
media and grassroots campaign is helping consumers realize they can protect
the environment through their utility bill.
Environmental Education and Communication
The Green Cross International Environmental Education and Communication
program is based on the international conferences, the Earth Charter Youth
Contest and specific national projects like Danuse Kvasnickova's environmental
education in school system in Czech Republic or the environmental diary
in Japan.
International Environmental Conferences
Green Cross Russia organizes international conferences on Environmental
Education. In 1998, the IV conference was focused on public environmental
education. Each adult needs the minimum knowledge, skills and relationships
which promote the formation of simple habits "do not make harm ".
The previous conferences discussed pre-school, school and university environmental
education. Many teachers, educators and representatives of NGOs from Czech
Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan take part
in these events.
The subject of the Vth conference
held in Moscow on June 2-4, 1999 was the "Role of non-governmental
organizations in environmental education". In July 2000, the Conference
was on "Strategies and Ecological Education in the XXI Century".
International Earth Charter Youth Contest
The Earth Charter Youth Contest is one of the most important international
projects of Green Cross. During the 1997-1998 school year, 5,000 schools
from eleven countries participated, directly involving 300,000 students
and indirectly close to one million students. The topic of this environmental
drawing competition was "Water for All, Water is Life."
The topic of the second annual Earth Charter Youth Contest was "Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energies." During this 1998-1999 school
year, the Youth Contest was designed to raise public awareness and educate
students and their parents about global climate change and the solutions
made possible through the widespread practice of energy efficiency and
the adoption of renewable energy technologies. The contest is expected
to reach an estimated 500,000 students from 10,000 schools around the
world. Schools in fifteen countries have already agreed to participate,
including Italy, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland,
United States, Argentina, Venezuela, Japan, Korea Republic, Burkina Faso,
Côte d'Ivoire, and Swaziland.
By choosing "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies" as this
year's topic, Green Cross International hopes students will discover how
it is possible to protect the Earth and solve the problems associated
with global climate change by saving energy and using alternative energy
sources.
In the year 2000, the subject will be "This Land is my Land".
Green Cross Millennium Awards
The Green Cross Millennium Awards were established in 1996 to recognize
and celebrate people whose lives and livelihood embody the mission of
"fostering a global value shift towards environment". The awards
tell the story of these individuals and celebrate their successes to inspire
others to make such exceptional behavior the norm. Winners have included
Ted Turner, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Sir John Browne, chairman of British
Petroleum.
Green Cross Communications
Most Green Cross National Organizations publish local magazines and newsletters,
including Italy, UK, Russia, Japan, Switzerland, USA and Korea. Green
Cross Côte d'Ivoire publishes the first environmental magazine in
West Africa.
Articles, editorials and interviews are published worldwide in non-ecological
newspapers.
Last year, Green Cross International launched its own monthly newsletter,
which will profile particular national organizations and keep our network
up to date on our projects and activities.
Green Cross has gone to a great deal of effort in order to develop our
website. The swiftness of access has been dramatically increased and now
the site is visited by more than 50.000 readers per month.
Green Cross Film production
In 1998, Green Cross International co-produced with the Kuwait Foundation
for the Advancement of Sciences a 26-minute film entitled "Kuwait,
War and Environment". This documentary was presented in Paris during
the International Environment Film Festival and to United Nations official
representatives in Geneva.
Along with Dutch film producers Swing, GCI is currently producing a six-part
documentary film series on War and the Environment, entitles "Deadly
Peace"; this series will look at the grire, controversial long term
environmental impacts of wars and the effect they have on local people.
The series includes films on the Nuclear and Chemicals Legacies of the
Cold War, the effexts of Agent Orange in Vietnam, Land Mines, Depleted
Uranium and the Gulf War.
An interactive Internet website will provide additional and ongoing information
for educational purposes to complement the films. Further to this film
series, a conference bringing together experts and the media is planned
for the year 2000, the topic of which will be "Jobs and the Environment".
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