Why the alliance

We are:

• convinced that responsibility is a central concept in transitioning to sustainable societies;
• determined to advocate the principles of responsibility, promoting them among individuals, public and private institutions, economic and financial actors and governments.

We are conscious that:

• the interdependent relationship that has been created between human beings, between societies, and between humankind and the biosphere is irreversible and of an unprecedented scope. It constitutes a radically new situation in the history of humanity, irrevocably uniting our communities as a single community of destiny;

• the perpetuation of our current lifestyles and development models, along with the tendency to minimise one’s own responsibilities, is incompatible with building harmony between societies, preserving the earth’s ecological integrity and safeguarding the interests of future generations; awareness of our collective responsibilities towards the earth is crucial to the survival and progress of humankind;

• the extent of changes now needed is beyond any single human being and requires everyone’s commitment;

• the current legal, political and financial procedures designed to steer and monitor public and private institutions fail to motivate the latter to assume their full responsibilities, and that the proclamation and pursuit of universal rights is not enough to change our behaviour.

It is clear that we need to adopt common ethical principles on a global scale, principles that inspire responsibility-based behaviour and rules for individuals, institutions and societies. Responsibility and reciprocity are universal values, and represent the pillars on which all communities are built. The interdependent nature of our world requires us to take responsibility for other human beings, for other societies and for the planet itself.

The Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities upholds the principle of responsibility .

Our Alliance:

• popularises these principles by way of the international agenda, illustrating their pertinence. It emphasizes the urgent need for these principles to be integrated into the international framework, as evident from the climate issue, which has revealed that we live in ‘societies of unlimited irresponsibility’;

• advocates for principles of responsibility to be concretely integrated into different socio-professional fields and provides assistance in drawing up Responsibility Charters adapted to different fields;

• works alongside legal advisors, enabling these principles to be translated into legal terms;

• provides educational material and case records in order to provide initial and ongoing training;

• upholds responsibility as an inspirational value and a benchmark for government and economic reforms, in order to transition to sustainable societies.