International Earth Trusteeship Gathering in The Hague

Coming weekend I have the honor of co-facilitating the International Earth Trusteeship Gathering in The Hague. This gathering brings together some 80 people from different countries representing a wide range of initiatives on governance, law and legal structures, Earth practices and advocacy, aiming to heal the relationship between humanity and ecosystem Earth and fulfill our responsibilities as Trustees of the Earth.

Concrete outcomes

Facilitating this event is exciting, as the organizers have set high ambitions for it. In a mere two days we are traveling from the broad and abstract, aligning our visions and aspirations with each other, to the concrete, by fostering collaborations that can bring forth a wide range of practical results.

These outcomes may include making a joint statement or declaration; movement building actions around the 70th anniversary of UDHR (Universal Declaration on Human Rights) on 10 December 2018; a global citizen’s election for an Earth Trusteeship Council; or promoting a Global Summit on the Urgency of Regenerating the Earth for Future Generations.

An inspiring vision

The deeper vision that brings all these very different people together ~ from lawyers to environmental activists, professors to students, farmers to politicians ~ is the idea that we need to move towards ‘earth trusteeship.’ Earth Trusteeship calls all of us to start relating to the Earth in a fundamentally different way, with humans taking responsibility for the whole and making it a priority to align human needs and flourishing with nature’s needs and flourishing.

Ultimately, this is nothing less than a call for a ‘moral reversal’, a paradigm shift, using governance, law, and legal structures as powerful vehicles for change in this direction.