A- OBJECTIVE OF THE CHARTER

The concerted construction of well-being indicators in conjunction with citizens in different territories and at international level with a view to developing co-responsibility for the well-being of all, in line with the Council of Europe’s social cohesion strategy, has led to the concept of “Territories of Co-responsibility”. Two first international meeting realized in Mulhouse on 25 September 2009 and on November 2012 25th,and 26th allowed to create the basis for a network of territories of Co-responsibility.

The objectives of a Charter of the Territories of Co-responsibility are:

- to spell out and formalise the common features of towns and territories which can identify with the Territories of Co-responsibility concept; context and rationale, definition, commitments;

- to facilitate networking, exchanges of experiences and the building of common methodological references.

B- CONTENT

1- Introduction:

Context and rationale:

The crisis we are experiencing is so much more than a financial or economic one. Its effects are being felt in every sphere of society, causing problems in the environmental field, with the depletion of natural resources, and in the social realm, with the growth of disparities and the spread of various types of exclusion, and, more generally, creating a major crisis of confidence, prompting us to question the values and development models which govern our choices and decisions.

Since the Second World War progress has been measured in terms of the growth of GDP, but, now, a new approach is needed, which views progress in terms of the well-being of all with no exceptions, including future generations, and therefore as a matter of reducing disparities, sharing resources and promoting social cohesion and sustainable development. This means moving away from a model in which the responsibility for progress has to be shouldered by the state or the market, to one in which this responsibility is shared by everyone, in other words both public and private bodies, and citizens.

Definition:

A Territory of Co-responsibility is a territorial entity (a neighbourhood, a municipality or group of them, ...) in which a consultation process is actuated in order to achieve new forms of empowerment, vesting community players and ordinary citizens with co-responsibility for the changes which are needed to ensure the well-being of the whole community - present and future - in an even-handed relationship and to participate in the local and global process of co-responsibility for the well-being of all people.

2- Commitments of the charter signatories

By signing up to this Charter, the stakeholders in the territories of co-responsibility undertake to:

- carry out within their territory a process of dialogue and consultation in order to develop co-responsibility for the well-being of all and constitute for this a coordination team with representatives of publics and private community players ;

- build up together common methodological references, operating as a network with other Territories of Co-responsibility to exchange ideas, projects and methods;

- contribute to the dissemination of the concept, by placing the experiences and achievements of the network at the disposal of other territories interested in this approach;

- work together to secure co-responsibility for the well-being of all at global level, including future generations, in conjunction with regional, national, and international institutions working to this end.

3- Applicability of the Charter

This charter serve as a reference for territories of co-responsibility in order to identify with a common dynamic process. It represents an ethical commitment which each territory will strive to uphold.

4- Territories concerned

Any territory which can identify with the definition of territories of co-responsibility and the commitments set out in the Charter may accede to it. In this case the coordination team launches a signature process by public and private actors and ordinary citizens and the territory becomes then formally part of the network of Territories of Co-responsibility.

5- Revision of the Charter

The Charter may be reviewed at any point, in particular at the International Meetings of Territories of Co-responsibility.