Islamic Declaration
on Sustainable Development
The First Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers held
in Jeddah, on 29 Rabia I - 1st Rabia II, 1423 A.H.
corresponding to 10-12 June 2002 A.D,
- Recalling Resolution 11/9- E issued by the 9th Islamic
Summit Conference on environment from an Islamic
perspective, whereby the Islamic Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization- ISESCO- was mandated- in
cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme
and all relevant international and regional organizations-
to prepare an action programme representing the Islamic
perception of environment and development, to be presented
at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, in 2002;
- Having taken cognizance of the results arrived at by the
First World Forum on Environment from an Islamic
perspective, held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on
26-28 Rajab 1421A.H/ 23-25 October 2000, and the Jeddah
Declaration issued by the Forum, the Abu Dhabi Declaration
on the Future of Environment Action in the Arab World
(2001), the Rabat Declaration on Investment Opportunities
for Sustainable Development (2001), as well as the Tehran
Declaration on Religions, Civilizations and Environment
(July, 2001) and the Resolution of Oman Forum on
Environment and Sustainable Development (Muscat, December
2001);
- Recalling further Resolution 11/28- E on Environment
from an Islamic Perspective adopted by the 28th Islamic
Conference of Foreign Affairs Ministers (Session of Peace
and Development), held in Bamako, on 4-6 Rabia II 1422 A.H/
25-27 June 2001, which affirmed the afore-mentioned
resolutions and tasked the Islamic Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization to make necessary contacts with
OIC Member States and regional and international
organizations with a view to holding the First Islamic
Conference of Environment Ministers;
- Referring to the Arab Declaration on sustainable
development issued by the Arab Environment Ministers
(Cairo, October 2001), and the African Ministerial
Declaration on Sustainable Development (Nairobi, November
2001) as well as the Joint Ministerial Declaration by the
Executive boards of the Arab and African Councils of
Environment Ministers;
- Committed to the Islamic approach built on promotion of
man's dignity and achievement of his lieutenancy mission
on earth through good deeds that conduce to sustainable
development, foster social solidarity, raise the care to
orphans and the have-nots, induce edification of
civilization without any plundering or dilapidation and
affirm the organic relationship between man and the earth
in terms of existence and development;
- Supportive of the regional and international efforts
exerted to promote the standard of the life of all humans
through sustainable development of all social, economic,
cultural, environmental and health aspects, the ultimate
purpose being to achieve a decent human life in a sound
environment;
- Keeping in line with the general orientations embedded
in the comprehensive study prepared by the Islamic
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on
environment, health and sustainable development, as part
of contribution to the Earth Summit due in Johannesburg,
on 26 August - 4 September 2002;
Proclaims the following:
Article 1: Honour bestowed on man
Man is the lieutenant of Allah on earth. He is mandated to
build civilization and held responsible for the harnessing
and protection of environment. The Muslim, in particular,
is duty-bound to take care of the environment, in the
general acceptance of the term, and to make every personal
and possible effort to achieve sustainable development for
the general well-being of each and everybody.
Article 2: Responsibility of man
Indeed, the most beloved by Allah are the pious and the
charitable, and the most hated by Allah are the one who
wreck havoc in earth. Charity is every good deed that
benefits to people and takes care of the environment in
which they live. It may be an act of social solidarity, a
contribution to the restoration of peace and security or
the eradication of poverty and unemployment, in a bid to
achieve justice and equity through collective
participation in the development enterprise, motivated by
religious, cultural and humanitarian drives.
Article 3: Environment from an Islamic perspective
The environment is a gift donated to man by Allah.
Therefore, individuals and communities are, all,
duty-bound to take care of it and promote all its natural
resources, including air, climate, water, seas, flora and
fauna, and refrain from any act likely to cause pollution
or damage the eco-system or disturb the balance thereto.
Article 4: Human right to environment
The right to education and to a decent life shall be
recognized as well as the right to a sound, hygienic
environment. The State and the society shall secure these
rights to enable the individual to fully enjoy his
humanness and contribute to the sustainable development
of his community. Women shall also be recognized as full
partners in the sustainable development action.
Article 5: Major constraints of sustainable development
Despite the significant progress made during the period of
after the Rio Declaration, in the field of environment and
sustainable development in the Islamic countries, there
still exist some constraints facing many of those
countries in adopting sustainable development plans and
programmes, chief among these constraints are :.
a- Poverty is responsible for many health and social, as
well as psychological and moral problems. The local,
national and international communities need to devise
development policies and plans for economic reforms in
order to address those problems, by offering job
opportunities, ensuring natural, human, economic and
educational development of the poorest and most
underdeveloped regions, and eradicating illiteracy.
b- Debts: Public debts, natural disasters, including
drought, desertification and social backwardness resulting
from ignorance, diseases and poverty all constitute the
major constraints that stand in the way of successful
sustainable development plans and adversely affect poor
communities most particularly and the international
community at large. Everyone is duty-bound to be
supportive, in order to surmount these difficulties and
spare humanity these hazards.
c- Wars, armed conflicts and foreign occupation, which
have a harmful effect on environment and environmental
safety and necessity to lay down legislation and
commitments that forbid and penalize pollutioning the
environment or cutting trees or exterminating animals; and
observing the principle of dignity in dealing with
prisoners according to international law, and not maiming
the death or destroying houses or civil facilities or
water sources.
d- Over population, particularly in cities of developing
countries and the deterioration of living conditions in
shanty towns and an increase in the demand for resources,
health and social services.
e- Deterioration of natural resources basis and their
continuous over utilization to bolster local production
and consumption patterns which add to the depletion of
natural resources and hampers sustainable development in
developing countries.
f- Absence of modern technologies and technical expertise
necessary for the implementation of sustainable
development programmes and plans.
g- Insufficiency of expertise necessary for Islamic
countries to allow them to fulfil their commitment towards
world environmental issues and to participate with
international community in the efforts designed to work
out solutions to those issues.
Article 6: Twenty-first century challenges
a- Secure funding sources necessary for sustainable
development in developing countries and commit
industrialized countries to stepping up support to
developing nations (to stand at 1,5% of GNP).
b- Elabration of developmental, health and educational
programmes for the least developed countries for state,
local, regional and national communities, as well as
relevant organizations share responsibility, albeit in
varying degrees, in elaborating . They are also required
to help care for childhood and motherhood, build
infrastructure and facilities, by financing sustainable
development programmes and by designing active political
plans in this area. The qualification and competence of
all those parties are gaged in the light of services they
extend in these vitally important fields, as well as in
the light of the consideration they give to developing
programmes for developmental action at the governmental,
community and institutional levels.
c- Achieving complementarity and promoting internal and
foreign investment by putting in place genuine partnership
between advanced countries and developing countries and by
offering better and greater opportunities for their
products to compete in local and world market places
through the World Trade Organization.
d- Finding out novel funding means to boost development
efforts of the developing countries.
e- Transfer of environment-friendly technology,
encouraging research workers and scientific action as they
constitute some of the prerequisites for enhancing
developmental action, including raising greater awareness
about scientific thinking and research in the fields of
sustainable development, developing working means in this
area and consequently helping society move to advanced
levels of development and progress with greater speed and
less cost.
f- Preservation of the civilizational heritage given its
cardinal role in sustainable development, for it
contributes to entrenching the cultural identity,
preserves its specificities, protects it from melting,
helps shape an independent personality of individuals and
groups, provides a powerful impetus to the developmental
action to defend the national and religious personality
and safeguard the common future, and stresses the
spiritual and moral dimensions advocated by the heavenly
religions has a positive impact in respect of pushing
development towards the good, righteous deeds and social
solidarity.
g- Highlighting the prejudice caused to Islamic countries
as a result of the measures taken by the international
community to face world environment issues and the
international community’s responsibility in providing
assistance to affected Islamic countries.
h- Securing full and effective participation of the
developing countries in decision-making and shoring up
their presence at international economic institutions,
rendering thereby the mechanisms of global economy more
transparent, equitable and respectful of the rules and
regulations in force, to enable the developing countries
to take up the challenges posed by globalization.
Article 7: Islamic perception of sustainable development
Administrative and legal management:
a- Achieve justice advocated by Islam between peoples and
between all social categories through a just world system
enabling regional and international institutions to
discharge their responsibilities and allowing for
equitable implementation of international resolutions,
termination of foreign occupation and preservation of
world peace and security .
b- Building a world system for administrative and legal
management to serve as a basis for countries to set up
their national systems that promote active participation
of all sectors of society in planning and achieving
sustainable development.
c- Achieving justice among peoples and promoting the role
of United Nations agencies, and stimulating a climate
suitable for the establishment of a genuine partnership
between countries through a just system for world trade to
replace the debt system that is depleting the resources of
developing nations.
d- Necessity for the international community to rein in
the practices, policies and conducts that affect badly the
environment and man, and hamper the development of
individuals and groups; and which include killing people,
destroying houses, threatening natural resources,
polluting the environment with deadly weapons, depleting
water sources, deliberately breaching international laws
and universally recognized customs, and utilizing the
natural resources basis for the sake of promoting unsound
consumption patterns.
e- Educating righteous youth having a sense of
responsibility towards the environment, and the
preservation of religious and moral values that hold the
family and society together and keep them away from
extremism or discrimination on grounds of race, religion
or culture.
