Occupy Rio+20 Publishes Open Source Imperative
The following statement will be presented by the Earth Summit WG to the United Nations as a participating group in the Rio+20 conference in Brasil.
The Open Source Imperative
Hello World, We Who Occupy The Earth thank the UN for supporting civil society through granting us “interested party” status in Rio +20's drafting process. Humanity's Elders (The Kogi, The Hopi, The Council of Grandmothers) warn Mother Earth is in critical condition, our scientists confirm the life systems are collapsing, our economists predict the next market crash coming soon. But for the first time, a truly global institution recognizes what civil society has been perpetually assaulted for voicing – the global governing system is broken. We respond directly to UN Under- Secretary General (USG) Achim Steiner's appeal to activists June 6th with a real solution:
Open Source Everything
What does Open Source Everything mean to the UN?: Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Sustainable Development (RDSD) empowers The 99% with deep participation in the United Nations:
Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level… each individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities…
Since the last Earth Summit, humanity has mastered the open communications systems, information technology and software to enable global collaboration, participation and innovation. As Marshall McLuhan predicted, today's living generations are birthing one of the greatest social transformations in history — the shift from the Industrial Age to the Age of Shared Wisdom and Innovation. The Internet and associated technologies form an evolutionary system for the human race, encompassing the tools and diverse traditions to harness a holistic and resilient approach to build future civilization.
Considering Principle 10 beyond the failing social-ecological systems and the explosive capacity for collaborative problem solving through The Internet, it is not only imperative, logical, and exciting for the UN to adopt an Open Source agenda, it is a duty of the UN by it's own measure. An Open Source agenda would cure the nearly terminal disease of corporate and financial takeover plaguing the UN negotiations and corrupting otherwise progressive measures in the Zero Draft Outcome Document. Such an agenda would protect the assaulted global civil society, endangered indigenous culture, and living spiritual traditions that can provide unshakable security and guidance during this uncertain transition. Such an agenda enhances essential ingredients to a viable future: harmony with nature, cultural preservation, grass roots decision making, free innovation, and an ever unifying humanity.
Open Source Culture is central to the Founding Occupy Principles of Solidarity: “Making technologies, knowledge, and culture open to all to freely access, create, modify, and distribute.” As the UN harmonizes with this principle, civil society can better harmonize with the UN. The time is now.
The Open Source Imperative Addresses Key Parts of the Rio +20 People's Petition
1. A direct participatory democratic UN: with inclusive rights-based global decision-making; open-source communications that prioritize youth, women, marginalized voices & civil society formally in negotiations
10. Indicators beyond GDP: that measure wellbeing, participation, environmental health, socio-economic equity, gender equality, employment, provision for needs/services, protection of rights, & peace
A First Step to the Open Source Imperative Includes
- Support for the free and global open source internet/communication infrastructure – e.g.: The Free Network Foundation, FabFi, FreedomBox
- Support and protection of the cultural, health, science and creative commons – e.g. UNESCO Language Preservation, Project Halo
- Support of global open source collaboration and innovation systems – e.g. Bettermeans, FabLab, HUB
- Support adoption of open governance goals, standards and technology- e.g. Iceland's Crowdsourced Constitution, The Open Government Platform
- Support adoption of open source alternative currencies – e. g. Bitcoin, Cirandas (Brazilian Federation of Solidarity Economy)
- Support of open source sustainable community tools – e.g.Open Source Ecology, Windofarms, Appropedia
- Support of open source civil infrastructure – e.g:smart energy grid systems, smart public transportation systems, municipal fiber optics
- Support of open data and open data exchange standards – e.g: Happy Planet Index, Green GDP, Web 3.0
- Support of open source global standards for labeling and crop seeds – e.g: Navdanya International
- Support of free and open source education systems, classes and courses – e.g.: Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education, Barefoot College, MITx, The Hawn Foundation
The Open Source Imperative is supported by the foundation of a Truly Free Network and Education. We Who Occupy The Earth have the divine right to freely communicate and share our global knowledge and wisdom as participants in the evolutionary process of civilization. The suppression and corruption of these rights have set us on a path to ecological and social catastrophe, and ultimately obscured precious human capacities. The protection of these rights shall enrich the global commons and provide the first steps into the real solution detailed at OccupyTheEarth.net.
We Who Occupy The Earth commend the UN for its unparalleled inclusivity and (USG) Achim Steiner for his bravery and candor. Rio +20 is an opportunity to spark the much needed solidarity between the global individuals, civil society and institutions for life. The youth today exemplify a commitment to life. With the willing elders, both can now build a future of dignity for humanity. Together we shall pioneer the depths of human ingenuity necessary for a successful transition from the obsolete methods of the Industrial Age into a world of Shared Knowledge and Wisdom. The survival and liberation of billions of our oppressed brothers and sisters depend on it.
We look forward to world leaders participating with the Open Source Imperative, and pray all involved in Rio +20 be endowed with foresight, courage and self-sacrifice for the sanctity of life and it's Unknowable Essence, Who's rare gift, The Earth, we must remember we do not own, but borrow from generations to come. May They support any uncertain souls in overcoming fear and chaos to join in the ushering of The Great Transformation, in finding victory in crisis, in bearing the glimmers of a New Civilization that is unifying with justice, and in radically expanding the frontiers of human capability.
– Occupy The Earth –
See Also:
THE OPEN SOURCE EVERYTHING MANIFESTO: Transparency, Truth & Trust
