Our Mission
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Our Mission 𖦹
Introduce a Rights-Based Framework to Protecting Future Generations
The UN General Assembly in 2013 emphasized in their report that future generations are politically powerless, with representation of their interests limited to that of present generations. Present generations hold the Earth in trust for their descendants—a concept that resonates across various cultures and traditions. This perspective aligns with the fact that future generations, including non-human life forms, can be bearers of rights. . Present generations have a dual duty: to respect and uphold these rights and to act as stewards of the planet, ensuring the protection of rights for both future human and non-human generations.
Future generations’ rights are directly tied to the preservation and health of natural ecosystems, aligning with the rights of nature as recognized in the constitutions of Ecuador, Bolivia, and other nations. The rights of future generations extend beyond human needs to include the intrinsic right of all species and ecosystems to thrive, recognizing that biodiversity, climate stability, and ecological resilience are necessary for sustaining life on Earth.
This aligns with the concept that the well-being of future generations is inherently tied to planetary and ecological health, a notion also rooted in Indigenous principles like the Seventh Generation principle.
Considerations to Grant Rights to Future Generations:
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Ensures that future generations inherit a viable planet with a stable climate and intact ecosystems. This is supported by legal frameworks like the Public Trust Doctrine, which mandates that governments act as stewards of natural resources.
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Guarantees access to clean air, water, land, and biodiversity, recognizing the role of healthy ecosystems in maintaining human and ecological well-being.
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This right demands sustainable management of resources, prioritizing practices that allow future generations to benefit from natural wealth without depletion.
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Emphasizes the preservation of cultural identities, knowledge systems, and languages, particularly for Indigenous and marginalized groups, recognizing that cultural heritage is essential to intergenerational resilience.
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Underpins intergenerational equity by ensuring that wealth and resources are distributed fairly, protecting against systemic inequalities that would hinder future generations.
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Calls for legal mechanisms allowing representation of future generations’ interests, potentially through established bodies like a Future Generations Commissioner or international oversight committee.
Invigorate Youth and Frontline Communities to Demand These Rights
The Future Generations Tribunal places youth and frontline communities at the heart of its advocacy work, recognizing them as essential stewards in the pursuit of intergenerational equity. By integrating these communities into the process of defining and advocating for rights, the Tribunal builds a foundation where the voices of those most impacted by the climate crisis shape the policies and protections that will serve future generations. As youth and children recognize and advocate for their inherent rights, this creates a ripple effect that drives accountability, compelling systems to respond and adapt. This approach not only establishes essential new rights but also strengthens existing human rights frameworks, ensuring they are proactive, inclusive, and responsive to long-term environmental and social challenges.
The Tribunal’s approach is integrative, aiming to simultaneously establish rights for future generations and reform the existing human rights framework. This dual focus enables a positive feedback loop, where new rights bolster existing frameworks, creating a resilient and adaptable system of protections that serve both present and future generations.
Our Positive Feedback Loop: through a cyclical model, every step toward establishing rights for future generations strengthens the human rights framework’s adaptability, ensuring a sustainable legacy of justice and equity.
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Establishing Rights for Future Generations: The Tribunal seeks to define and codify the rights of future generations, ensuring their recognition within the planetary boundaries framework.
Reforming Human Rights Frameworks: As new rights are brought into the public domain, current frameworks are reformed to be more robust and proactive, accommodating intergenerational obligations.
Empowering Youth as Stewards: With these strengthened frameworks, youth are empowered to advocate for the enforcement of legal protections and push for further evolution of these standards.
Catalyzing Systemic Change: Youth-driven advocacy brings awareness to intergenerational equity, leading to further reforms in legal frameworks and strengthening protections.
Continuous Evolution: This process fosters ongoing improvements in the human rights framework, where each advancement in rights protection reinforces the framework’s ability to address future harms.
Preserve and Amplify Indigenous Wisdom
Honor and integrate Indigenous legal frameworks and ecological knowledge, respecting the role of traditional wisdom in shaping sustainable futures. Our approach and community are deeply rooted in traditional wisdom, ecological knowledge, and Indigenous laws and cultures, which have long emphasized the importance of living in harmony with the environment and considering the impact of our actions on future generations. By drawing on principles such as the Seventh Generation principle, the Maori concept of Kaitiakitanga (guardianship), and the Andean principle of Sumak Kawsay (living well), we emphasize long-term thinking and the responsibility to future generations. These perspectives enrich our work and ensure that our advocacy aligns with centuries-old practices of sustainability and intergenerational equity.
The Tribunal’s advocacy approach is grounded in a model of intergenerational equity, supported by our advisory councils. Central to their mission, the advisory councils will bring essential guidance and cultural wisdom rooted in centuries of ecological and intergenerational knowledge. Establishing rights for future generations reinforces existing protections, creating a sustainable framework that evolves over time. This feedback loop establishes equity across generations by ensuring today’s youth act as stewards of tomorrow’s rights.