Sunguk Kim, unsplash.com

Individuals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience. Therefore, (individual citizens) have the duty to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occurring.

~Nuremberg War Crime Tribunal, 1950

Welcome to the Charter for Compassion page for Partners in the Peace sector. Here’s what you will find on this page:

• What role does Peace play in supporting the global movement for compassion?
• How does a Peace/Non-Violence Organization become a Partner of the Charter for Compassion ?
• What groups or organizations are already Partners in the Peace  sector?

What role does Peace play in supporting the global movement for compassion?

Peace Begins in the Human Heart

The concept of a “golden rule” in which we do to others only what we would want others to do to us, can be found in one form or another as far back as the civilizations of ancient China, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. It has been called an “ethic of reciprocity,” and can be found in all cultures, and in all world religions as well as in the philosophies of humanists and existentialists. It is, in short, an ethical code that most all of humanity can agree on. Why then do we find ourselves here in the 21st century inhabiting a world that is dangerously polarized, with a growing imbalance of power and wealth among the ever-increasing number of people on the Earth, with continuing wars that ravage populations and waste resources, with massive genocide and terrorist atrocities that endanger us all? How is it that we find humankind facing the terrifying possibility of environmental catastrophe? These questions confront us with a greater urgency than ever, and it is these questions that have led us to the human heart and the human brain—the great possibilities of compassion that lie within each human being—to identify a solution.

How does a Peace/Non-Violence Organization become a Partner of the Charter for Compassion ?

Imagine and Act with Us

Hundreds of regional, national, and international organizations with millions of members currently exist in the hope of establishing a more peaceful and non-violent world. Now, however, more than any other time in history, we have both greater urgency and greater opportunity to connect all of these people, to work together to imagine and then build a compassionate world.

Imagine a world where everyone is committed to living by the principle of compassion. What could that mean for the more than seven billion people that now share the planet?

Imagine the impact of vast numbers of people “bringing compassion to life” in their own lives, in all their families, in business, in education, in healthcare, in religious and spiritual practices, in the arts, and in an awareness of the environment. That is the vision and the commitment of the Charter for Compassion.

We invite you to join us—to weave your compassion with the same heartfelt impulse of both friends and strangers throughout the Earth.

What groups or organizations are already Partners in the Peace sector?

Explore Our Resources

Connect with other Charter Peace Partners, check out our Peace newsletters and reports on conference calls, and read articles in our Peace Compassion Reader.  There is even two special offerings in this section: Playback: Stories You Need to Know About and Waging Peace, a special collection of poems, art and music. Please let us know about other resources that should appear in this section.