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An Agenda for Intergenerational Rights andResponsibilitiesby Richard PonzioERROR MSGRichard Ponzio served as director of GEA's Project Global 2000 Youth Program Councilfrom 1993-95. A graduate of Columbia College, he completed his Master's at the FletcherSchool of Law and Diplomacy. He is currently Visiting Fulbright Fellow at the Mahbubul-Haq Centre for Human Development. Spanien HotelsToday, forces of global change are accelerating the shift from governance driven bycentralized states or unrestricted markets to people-driven governance. The emergingsystem of humane governance compels a sharing of responsibilities among the state,civil-society and private sectors for improving people's well-being and enlarging lifechoices. At the core of this transformation is a growing awareness of, and protection of,fundamental human rights. This includes the individual's inherent civil, political,economic, social, and cultural rights enshrined in the constitutions of most countries,the international human rights covenants, and the UN Charter. Seeking to defend freedomfrom fear and want, human rights are based on universal respect for the dignity and worthof all human beings. Recent efforts to bring war criminals to justice through an International CriminalCourt; advances in the status of women; new precedents for humanitarian intervention; andthe high visibility of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- all illustrate thelong distance humanity has traveled since the inception of the modern human rightsframework. States no longer maintain an unchallenged monopoly on the use of force,including the right to quell dissent within their borders. Democratic participation, inmultiple dimensions, has also become an international norm. Despite these improvements,poverty and unemployment still afflict a large portion of humanity; social exclusion,AIDS, drug abuse, and illiteracy continue to breed intolerance and violence, and the rapidexhaustion of natural resources has led to unimaginable harm to the ecosystem. It is nomatter of pride that, on average, governments spend US$20,000 to prepare a soldier whilespending only US$190 to educate a student. With nearly one-half the world's population under the age of 25 (85 percent are locatedin developing countries), the rights of young people and future generations must becomethe next frontier of the human rights journey, giving special emphasis to their right todevelopment. Failing to establish the proper conditions for the full human development ofcoming generations risks the possibility of widespread deprivation and rebellion; 80percent of all revolutionaries in the past 200 years have been under the age of thirty.Every effort must be made to prepare these "stakeholders in the future" for acomplex, integrated, and densely populated world requiring extraordinary vision, an acutesense of responsibility, and planetary leadership. To facilitate this journey, onesignificant step would be to frame an agenda outlining key principles underpinningrelations and commitments across generations.
Designing a Global AgendaFrom January 13 to 15, 1999, a remarkable intergenerational dialogue was convened inWashington, DC: the first Global Meeting of Generations. Bringing together some 2,000development pioneers of all ages, from all corners of the globe, the forum sought toestablish new understanding and cooperation between generations in working for humanprogress in the years ahead. A collaborative effort led by fifteen leading internationalorganizations, the GMG was the first global meeting in a four-year program that includesnational and regional intergenerational dialogues. As the GMG enters its second phase of national dialogues leading to another globalget-together in 2001, reflection on past gatherings should result in recommendations forstrengthening understanding and collaboration across generations. Were young, middle-aged,and older participants heard by one another or did they lecture each other? What are themost promising areas of agreement? The most difficult challenges? Has any follow-throughcooperation ensued from the discussions? The results of this exercise can indicateobstacles and strategies necessary to forge a consensus and a coalition around a platformof intergenerational rights and responsibilities. The GMG process could benefit by drawing on the already impressive body of ideas andaction plans concerning equity, justice, and shared responsibilities among generations,including the 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the 1990 JomtienDeclaration on Education for All, the 1992 Earth Summit's Agenda 21, the 1995 WorldYouth Program of Action Towards the Year 2000 and Beyond (WYPA), and the outcomes fromworld conferences on social and urban development, women, human rights, and populationissues. According to Agenda 21's Chapter 25 on "Children and Youth inSustainable Development": It is imperative that youth from all parts of the world actively participate in allrelevant levels of decision-making, because it affects their lives today and has implications for their futures. In addition to their intellectual contribution andtheir ability to mobilize support, they bring unique perspectives that need to be takeninto account. Working towards the realization of the Agenda 21ERROR MSG vision and the goals set forthin the WYPA, the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System called in 1996 for a UNYouth Rights Charter to be adopted by the General Assembly. At present, a compendium onyouth rights is under preparation that identifies relevant UN human rights instruments, aswell as other international declarations and action programs. While an InternationalSeminar on Youth Rights will further explore the charter idea this year, neither theGeneral Assembly nor the Commission on Human Rights plans to consider the initiativeanytime soon. Covering the sectoral and cross-sectoral rights of young people ages 18-24(the CRC deals with children below age 18), a UN Youth Charter could help promoteawareness of the unique concerns and needs within this highly transitory social group.Along with the CRC and 1982 Convention on the Rights of Older People, a Youth RightsCharter could serve as a rallying point among civic organizations advocating a new agendafor intergenerational rights and responsibilities. Human rights will not be respected and preserved unless people readily assume aflexible range of responsibilities emanating from a civic ethos for contributing to thegood of the community -- whether local, national, regional, or global. Communities inwhich members assume responsibilities and show compassion toward one another derivetremendous benefits when people and civic groups creatively employ social and culturalresources, also known as social capital. The moral commitments that constitute the core ofsocial capital evolve only in the context of meaningful human interaction. Before arrivingat a concrete agenda defining rights and responsibilities between generations,person-to-person dialogue and cooperation among generational groupings is essential inorder to build high levels of trust and commitment -- crucial ingredients in theimplementation of all social change programs. Besides mobilizing constituencies and anticipating favorable conditions, another keystep is to address, from the outset, possible conflict and opposition. Granted, tremendousinternational political support has been afforded to the objectives of the CRC and, to alesser extent, the Convention on the Rights of Older People. However, not all governmentshave ratified the conventions and many fall short of adequate implementation. Further,securing youth rights may cause even greater friction with conservative or ineffectivegovernments; once special rights are distinguished for youth, young people may present apolitical challenge to the status quo. Achieving agreement on the rights of generationsyet to come is more difficult still because of the limited timeframe in which mostpolitical leaders operate. Preserving the Earth's resources, reducing the chances ofglobal nuclear holocaust, and alleviating the burden of mass deprivation for the sake offuture generations is a difficult case to make even within the most progressive andforward-looking polities. Before drafting a comprehensive intergenerational action agenda,then, the concerns of forces resistant to change should be accounted for and, ifnecessary, countered through the strategic utilization of political, financial, and socialresources.
Elements of an Intergenerational CompactOnce the groundwork has been laid, the primary areas of concern for anintergenerational rights and responsibilities agenda can be crafted, debated, and refined.The agenda should consist of a coherent body of flexible, mutually reinforcing proposals.At its heart should be a clear emphasis on equity and justice across the generations. Interms of intergenerational rights, equity and justice involve the right for allgenerations to participate in governance processes at all levels; impartial and fairtreatment for everyone in society and before the law; adequate investment in theintellectual, physical, and cultural development of the younger generation; sharedopportunities to earn a decent wage and sustain one's livelihood; access to the resourcesof the global commons, including the environmental rights of future generations; andaccess to information critical for survival and personal growth in an interdependentworld. On the other hand, equity and justice in relation to intergenerational responsibilitiesrefer to people's shared duty to contribute to the common good of, and promote fairtreatment of, all generations; the pursuit of environmental regeneration to safeguard thebiosphere for future generations; a commitment to participate actively in governanceprocesses and voluntary community projects; and careful consideration of othergenerations' security and welfare when deciding and executing actions. Besides evolving inan inclusive manner that ensures each generation's views are registered, the agenda's corefeatures must also recognize the need to balance people's intergenerational rights andresponsibilities with those of states and other transnational actors.
Rights, Responsibilities and Governance for All Generationsluxury hotels in UtrechtSince local, national, regional, and global governance systems condition human rightsand responsibilities both positively and negatively, the formation of an intergenerationalrights and responsibilities agenda should be seen as an integral part of the search amongordinary people for more compassionate or humane governance approaches in their dailylives. Governance, if it is to promote a new social contract between generations, must notbe merely pro-people or people-centered: it must actually be owned by people of all ages,representing the planet's rich social diversity. This is the call to action not only forthe 2001 Global Meeting of Generations, but also for the impressive array of civil societyprograms in the coming months, including 1999's State of the World Forum, Seoul NGO Forum,and World Civil Society Conference, and the Millennium NGO Forum in June 2000. Throughconstructive engagement, civil society initiatives can also make their mark on theMillennium Summit of heads of state scheduled for September 2000. As the Commission of Global Governance concludes in its landmark 1995 report, OurGlobal Neighborhood: The new generation knows how close they stand to cataclysms unless they respect thelimits of the natural order and care for the earth by sustaining its life-givingqualities. They have a deeper sense of solidarity as people of the planet than anygeneration before them. They are neighbors to a degree no other generation on earth hasbeen. in linea kenoYoung people, indeed, are key change agents for promoting intergenerational equity andjustice in the widest sense today. They must not be intimidated, divided, or discouragedby the nature or scale of their challenge. Go forth and be heard!
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