ECI and its Programs

Earth Charter International ("ECI") is the coordination and communications hub serving the global Earth Charter Initiative. ECI manages a small number of centrally coordinated programs and partnerships, and facilitates communication and networking for the much broader, voluntary Initiative, which has involved thousands of organizations, many hundreds of thousands of individuals, hundreds of cities, dozens of global institutions, and a growing number of national governments, over nearly two decades.

ECI's small main office is maintained in Costa Rica at the United Nations - mandated University for Peace, with Affiliates and Partners in over 75 countries around the world. The organization is governed by an International Council, whose members have been selected for their distinction and their diversity.

Currently ECI runs formal, funded programs in the following areas. Each has its own dedicated area on this website, which you can visit for more information.

Education
We seek to support the Earth Charter Initiative by advancing the use of the Charter in educational settings all over the world. This also involves ensuring that the Initiative's goal of education for a sustainable way of life is accomplished.
For more information please visit http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/education/

Youth
The Earth Charter Youth Initiative (ECYI) is a bold and dynamic action oriented network convinced that urgent action is required to bring about a just, sustainable, and peaceful world. The ECYI is active in over 50 countries and at the global level, with a diverse Membership, Youth Groups, and Partners. The Youth Leadership Team and the International Youth Coordinator offer guidance and support to the Youth Initiative. The ECYI is active both at the local grassroots level and in promoting youth involvement in global governance processes. Some of our current projects include launching e-GLO, a semester long, Earth Charter inspired online training on community leadership and digital storytelling; developing our Intergenerational Initiative, which promotes forming Intergenerational Partnerships for Sustainable Development; and publishing "Youth in Global Governance for Sustainability: An ECYI Guide."
For more information please visit http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/youth/

Religion
The Earth Charter Program on Religion and Sustainability has been created to strengthen ECI's active engagement with the world's religious and spriritual communities. Recognizing the important role our religious and spiritual traditions are assuming in the transition to sustainability, the program aims at mobilizing religious and spiritual leaders and communities to take action on the global challenges that humanity is facing today. The main focus lies on the production of high-quality educational materials on global challenges such as climate change and loss of biodiversity that translate the most up-to-date scientific knowledge into a language of faith, commitment and moral action. On this basis, the program seeks to give religious leaders and communities greater access to the wealth of information about what is happening to our world and what to do about it.
For more information please visit http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/religion/

Business
ECI continues to work steadily on the new Earth Charter Business Initiative, which will provide guidance and encouragement for organizations of all kinds to use the Charter for engagement, assessment, and organizational transformation. A new guidance document on the Earth Charter, Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative will show how the Charter can work together with (and in support of) these other major international programs on business commitment and reporting.
For more information please visit http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/2007/07/catching_up_on_the_earth_chart.html

For more information on ECI, see "Who We Are."