International Grassroots Summit
Environmental Bill of Rights for Countries Hosting Military Bases

From October 25 to 29, 70 people from 14 nations and colonies, ranging from Panama and Puerto Rico to the Philippines, Japan, Iceland and Germany attended the International Grassroots Summit on Military Base Cleanup in Washington, D.C.

The Summit brought together representatives of citizens groups and communities affected by environmental contamination on U.S. military bases, and included country reports, strategy sessions, a Congressional briefing, meetings with ambassadors and Pentagon officials, and a press conference. A sequel to a similar forum held in Manila in 1996, the Summit was organized by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Arc Ecology and the Institute for Policy Studies.

At its conclusion, the Summit appointed a follow-up committee and adopted an Environmental Bill of Rights for Persons, Indigenous Peoples, Communities and Nations Hosting Foreign and Colonial Military Bases. Portions of the Bill of Rights follow.

Preamble
Whereas national governments have for decades located military bases in territories of other countries and colonies;

Whereas active and former military bases are major sources of environmental pollution that threaten health, welfare and the environment, future generations and the future use of properties;

Whereas governments maintaining foreign and colonial military bases have long ignored, downplayed or denied the adverse impacts of installations and activities on health, welfare and the environment;

Whereas environmental justice principles acknowledge that economically disadvantaged communities, women, children, people of color, and indigenous peoples have often borne a disproportionately burden of environmental destruction caused by military installations;

Whereas the taking of property for military purposes has denied individuals the full and fair use of their lands;

Whereas international law, as embodied in the 1972 Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment and other instruments, states that nations have the responsibility of ensuring that their activities do not cause damage to the environment of other nations;

Whereas the "polluter pays" and precautionary principles are internationally recognized concepts embodied in Agenda 21 and other related international instruments;

Whereas a healthy environment is a basic human right;

Whereas every person has the right to ethical, balanced, and responsible use of their land, water, other property and resources;

Whereas every person has the right to be informed and to participate in decision-making on environmental issues affecting them;

Whereas every person has the right to seek remedies for loss of life and injury to their health, welfare or environment due to toxic and hazardous substances;

Now, therefore be it resolved that,

• Every person has the right to accurate, timely, and understandable information about environmental issues pertaining to foreign and colonial military bases and related activities.
  
  
• Every person and host nation has the right to environmental cleanup of sites contaminated by foreign and colonial military bases and related activities. Consistent with the polluter pays principles, the costs of such cleanup shall be borne by the polluter. If the host nation is a developing country, cleanup shall involve training, technology transfer, and technical support.
  
  
• The precautionary principle shall apply in all determination of injury, hazards or risks posed and brought about by contamination by foreign and colonial military bases. The approach to cleanup shall focus on permanent destruction of toxic and hazardous substances, as opposed to containment, storage, dispersion and dilution, physical barriers or legal restrictions on future use.
  
  
• Every person and host nation has the right to participate meaningfully in all levels of decision-making regarding assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation and oversight of environmental cleanup.
  
  
• Every person and host nation has the right to compensation for loss of life, injury to health and welfare, damage to and unauthorized use of property, and degradation of the environment.
  
  
• The United Nations and other intergovernmental organizations shall monitor, investigate, inform, and assist host nations, non-governmental organizations and every person in relation to environmental damage due to foreign and colonial military bases and related activities.
  
  
• The principles in this Environmental Bill of Rights shall be reflected in international laws and treaties and other evolving international instruments.
  
  

• This Environmental Bill of Rights applies to all former, active and prospective foreign and colonial military bases until such undesirable and destructive institutions end.

Fellowship of Reconciliation
Panama Campaign
Produced by the Fellowship of Reconciliation
Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean
2017 Mission St., #305, San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel: (415) 495-6334, Fax: (415) 495-5628, E-mail: forlatam@igc.apc.org