Matoaka Sustainability Action Plan
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability, a term originally coined by former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem at the United Nations Brundtland Commission in 1983, is all about our future – a proactive unification of all sectors of human society in an effort to be stewards of our planet and to sustain a positive existence for life on Earth. Specifically, sustainability requires the cooperation and collaboration of the environmental, social, governmental and economic sectors of our global human society. Sustainable practices are not just related to energy and climate change, they encompass every aspect of our physical and social environment and its complicated interconnectivity. Ultimately, sustainability is about our global society’s ability to create human systems that minimally impact the natural environment while operating efficiently and effectively due to proactive human practice and behavior. Sustainability means preservation of our planet while meeting humanity’s current and future needs with the highest quality of life standards possible.
For the last quarter century the concept of sustainability has been primarily associated with mitigating the negative impact of climate change on the future of humanity. But sustaining life on Earth involves much more than just reducing greenhouse gases and taming global warming. Unfortunately, to date the world’s attention to the complexity and uncertainty that sustainability represents has been woefully inadequate.
But there is hope! The loud and constant ringing of the sustainability alarm bell called COVID-19 is an incredible opportunity – a KAIROS moment – for radical change to our social and economic norms. As if planned from above, the cries for racial equality and social justice coming from the Black Lives Matter, Me Too and LGBTQ movements have added fuel to the fire of this KAIROS moment, as sustainability has as much to do with the social environment as it does with the physical environment. Now is both the right and opportune moment to affect a global transformation in the name of sustaining a positive quality of life on Earth for all members of the human race.
Enter the Matoaka Covenant and the Matoaka Sustainability Action Plan
One of the greatest lessons offered by the coronavirus crisis is that humanity is connected in so many ways, seen and unseen. Sustainability involves addressing global problems with global solutions; viral outbreaks, racism, droughts, famine, rising seas and other environmental and social calamities and issues are indiscriminate and do not recognize the arbitrary borders and social divisions created by man. Rising from the ashes of the social and spiritual upheaval of 2020 is the Matoaka Covenant, a global interfaith movement connecting individual communities of faith around the world with native, indigenous and First Nations communities – all working in common purpose in support of a better tomorrow for all mankind.
The Matoaka Covenant is founded on the belief that a sustainable future is everyone’s responsibility and is building a global action alliance to enable people of all ages to participate in shaping that positive future. The Covenant embraces the Seventh Generation Principle which is based on an ancient Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) philosophy that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future. Guiding and coordinating the growing number of individuals and communities that sign on to support the objectives of the Covenant is a global strategic effort called the Matoaka Sustainability Action Plan.
Matoaka Sustainability Action Plan
A Global Strategic Action Plan for the Matoaka Covenant
Working off the foundational structure outlined below, the Matoaka Sustainability Action Plan (the Plan) represents a look at life with fresh eyes to find solutions to the interconnected global problems created by previous generations. The Plan is first and foremost about sustaining a positive existence for life on Earth, considering only one constituency – humanity. As such, the Plan is not burdened by the arbitrary human divisions like race, religion and nation. The Plan is in early stages of development and commences with 10 primary strategic categories of action = Community / Creativity / Culture / Economy / Education / Environment / Equality & Justice / Government / Health / Population
Community strategic considerations include:
- How do we eradicate extreme poverty and hunger?
- Individual Civic Responsibility – What should be reasonably expected from every citizen on Earth in order to positively sustain life well into the future?
- Time investment / financial investment / intellectual investment / environmental stewardship perspective / spiritual investment >> universal promotion and practice of the Golden Rule
- Use Hope and Purpose to inspire people to help sustain human life on Earth
- NGO / Non-Profit Responsibility – What is the role in the global society of non-government organizations and the overall non-profit community, individually and collectively, in the face of human extinction?
- Rehabilitation – How do we help people recycle their lives in the face of personal adversity so they can be productive participants in the global strategic action plan?
- Criminal, Mental, Physical, Addiction, Trauma and other adversities
- Nationalism – How do we stem the growing tide of nationalism which is a direct threat to the global collaboration necessary to sustain human life?
- How do we significantly reduce the growing global tide of crime, violence, and hate?
- What global gun control measures should be enacted?
- Criminal Activity – How do we stem the growing global tide of organized crime involving drugs, fraud, identity theft, and human trafficking – fueled by the internet, smartphones, social media and selfishness?
- How do we significantly reduce the crippling economic, health and social implications of illegal drugs? – Cocaine / Heroin / Opioids / Meth / Fentanyl
Creativity strategic considerations include:
- Artistic Creativity – How can the world direct and shape artistic creativity to provide inspiration to others as they work to save the world?
- Entrepreneurial Creativity– How can the world direct and shape entrepreneurial creativity to reinvent our global economy to concentrate on solving the world’s problems while supporting the basic needs of all mankind?
- STEAM Creativity (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Math) – How can the world take full advantage of current global intellectual and technological capacity to help solve its problems and sustain life on Earth?
Culture strategic considerations include:
- Race, Ethnicity, Religion, Sexual Orientation – In the face of extinction, how do we blur these arbitrary societal divisions to create one unified constituency called humanity?
- Smartphone – In the face of extinction, how do we change the use of smartphone technology and social media to support societal growth, instead of eroding it?
- Entertainment – What role in society should entertainment and sports and the massive amount of money they represent play in the face of potential human extinction?
- History – How should history be intertwined with society when we are not sure humanity will be a viable species in 100 years? What is the role of history – the study and presentation of our past – when humanity is not sure there will be a future?
- How do we gain maximum benefit from the power of Faith to inspire people of Faith to become leaders in support of the Plan?
Economy strategic considerations include:
- How do we quickly and strategically connect the local, national and global economies in common purpose to sustain human life on Earth?
- How do we quickly and strategically transition from a consumer-driven global economy to a sustainability-focused economy?
- How do we quickly and strategically redirect current nationalistic spending on defense and space exploration in the face of global extinction?
- How do we construct a global partnership for the future development of the world to sustain human existence?
Education strategic considerations include:
- How do we reimagine and redesign Pre-K through secondary school education in the face of human extinction?
- How can we achieve universal primary education?
- How do we reimagine and redesign College & University education in the face of human extinction?
- How do we reimagine and design adult education in the face of human extinction?
Environment strategic considerations include:
- How do we get the global community to finally acknowledge the scientific findings of the past 30 years related to our changing climate so we can act with common purpose around the world?
- How do we mitigate the environmental impacts of Climate Change while minimizing the negative human impacts?
- What is our global plan for dealing with rising sea levels, inland flooding, wildfires, intensifying storms and habitat destruction?
- How do we quickly influence humans to regularly practice the 4 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Replenish?
- How are we going to quickly change the throw-away society and significantly reduce our dependence on plastics and other petroleum based products?
- How are we going to promote bio-diversity and mitigate the impact of invasive species?
- How do we quickly ween ourselves off fossil fuels and develop more renewable energy?
Equality & Justice
Equality & Justice strategic considerations include:
- Human Rights
- How do we guarantee all mankind the universal human rights defined by the United Nations in 1948?
- How do we eliminate discrimination and inequality in all its forms – ethnic, racial, religious, gender, income, sexual orientation, age, and disability?
- Social Justice – Fair and just relations between the individual and society
- How do we break the barriers to social mobility?
- How do we create safety nets and economic justice for all?
- How do we eliminate human trafficking / modern day slavery?
- Criminal Justice
- How do we reconstruct the global criminal justice system in the face of extinction?
Government strategic considerations include:
- How do we create an effective global government that intersects with current local, state + provincial, and national governments in a positive manner?
- How does the United Nations fit into this strategy?
- How are rouge nations to be handled when their actions run counter to globally accepted sustainability efforts?
- How do we quickly connect National Governments in global collaboration?
- What about nuclear weapons / weapons of mass destruction?
- How do we coordinate current National Government Social Programs?
Health strategic considerations include:
- Physical Health
- How do we improve maternal health and reduce child mortality within the strategies of population management?
- How do we combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, superbugs and other diseases, as well as the implications of antibiotic resistance?
- How do we maximize access to vaccinations to eliminate preventable diseases?
- Mental Health – how do we strengthen the overall mental health of humanity in the face of extinction?
- How do we better recognize and treat depression and the short / long term impacts of trauma?
- How do we offer every human access to comprehensive and affordable health care?
Population strategic considerations include:
- How do we provide safe and adequate food and water for the world’s growing population?
- How do we strategically manage the growth of human population in a sustainable manner? How does the practice of abortion fit into those strategies?
- How do we manage and facilitate immigration as global economies and climates constantly change?
Matoaka Sustainability Action Plan Research
The Matoaka Sustainability Action Plan intends to take full advantage of all available scientific and social analysis research, investigations and efforts to inform the work in each sustainability category. The research list is in its early stages and is expected to be dominated by the collected information and organized efforts of the United Nations.
Components of the United Nations
United Nations Organizational Subsets – To be connected and associated with the ten (10) MIS strategic plan component categories:
- UN General Assembly (GA)
- UN Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC)
- UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
- UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
- UN Security Council (UNSC)
- UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF )
- An agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide
- Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)
- UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
- UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network > https://www.unsdsn.org/
United Nations Specialized Agencies – UN funds and programmes are distinctly different from specialized agencies. In general, the funds and programmes are established by a resolution of the UN General Assembly and have a focused mandate. They are funded either mainly or entirely through voluntary contributions and have a governing body that reviews their activities. Coordination is facilitated through ECOSOC and the Chief Executives Board (CEB). On the other hand, specialized agencies are legally independent of the United Nations and have separate budgets, members, rules, and personnel. The bulk of their funding comes from voluntary contributions from governments, institutions, and individuals. Some specialized agencies, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), have been in existence longer than the United Nations. There are currently 17 specialized agencies:
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
- International Maritime Organization (IMO)
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- A specialized agency of the United Nations aimed at contributing “to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
- Universal Postal Union (UPU)
- World Bank Group:
- IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- IDA: International Development Association
- IFC: International Finance Corporation
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
- World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
- World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
- United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) > https://www.ohchr.org/en/udhr/documents/udhr_translations/eng.pdf
- Simplified version by Amnesty International UK > https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/udhr_simplified.pdf
United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007)
The 8 United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MGDs)
- to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
- to achieve universal primary education;
- to promote gender equality and empower women;
- to reduce child mortality;
- to improve maternal health;
- to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases;
- to ensure environmental sustainability; and
- to develop a global partnership for development
- From the World Health Organization >> The MDGs are inter-dependent; all the MDG influence health, and health influences all the MDGs. For example, better health enables children to learn and adults to earn. Gender equality is essential to the achievement of better health. Reducing poverty, hunger and environmental degradation positively influences, but also depends on, better health