BUDDHIST CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

BUDDHIST CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Eighth Theravada Buddhist Council &

Second Theravada-Mahayana Buddhist Council

November 1st to December 15th, 2017

PREAMBLE

The UNITED BUDDHIST NATIONS ORGANIZATION endorse this Convention,

Affirming its Purpose (Dharma) to consolidate Peace, Justice and Democracy in the world, by protecting the fundamental freedoms and human rights of both individual and peoples, which is founded by respect for the natural rights of sentient beings;

Recognizing that the dignity of the human being does not emerge from his or her nationality, race, sexuality, lineage, economic status or social class, since dignity is based on the intrinsic attributes of humanity, which is why it is justified the need for the Buddhist Law to provide international protection for all human beings in a complementary way to the domestic Law of the States;

Recalling the enormous benefits that the ideals of a world free of war, oppression, ignorance and pollution can only emerge as a result of the development of cooperation between States, Tribal Communities and non-governmental organizations;

Considering the international principles developed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the ILO Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, the Santiago Declaration on the Human Right to Peace, and the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth;

Reiterating the ideals realized in the Seventh Buddhist Council, the Universal Declaration of Spiritual Rights, the Universal Declaration of Ecological Rights, the Universal Declaration of the Right to World Peace, the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Non-Human Beings, the Universal Declaration on the Right to Interreligious and Interspiritual Harmony, the Universal Declaration on Responsibility to Save the World, the Declaration of Independence of the United Buddhist Nations Organization, the Universal Declaration on Buddhism as Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Buddhist Manifesto to the Nations of the World, and the Buddhist Declaration against Terrorism and Religious Manipulation;

Noting the transcendental task that the UNITED BUDDHIST NATIONS ORGANIZATION is doing regarding the elaboration of international standards for the protection of human rights, since international agreements and resolutions need to be improved through ethical and spiritual guide;

Bearing in mind that while political, economic, cultural and environmental rights have been recognized and developed in various international instruments, the human rights and fundamental freedoms must be continuously reaffirmed, protected and perfected in order to progressively consolidate the survival and evolution of humanity and Mother Earth on the basis of integral respect for the rights to peace, social justice, advanced knowledge and environmental health;

Examining that most of the States have signed declarations, covenants and agreements to respect human rights, but they simultaneously have failed in the effective compliance of the fundamental Freedom of the human being and in caring of Mother Earth;

Making sure that human rights have the threat of being banalized, deteriorated or destroyed by contemporary societies that are obsessed with economic development and the mass media;

Being necessary for the Buddhist Law to adopt new laws recognizing the human rights, by giving value to the ancestral norms of the Buddhist Civilization and simultaneously correcting and complementing the Legal Code (Vinaya) that conforms the system of laws and ethical values of the Buddhist Peoples and the Spiritual Communities;

Reaffirming the enormous contributions of the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities to the history of different civilizations and cultures, contributing to world peace, social justice, advanced education and ecological harmony, promoting friendly relations and reconciliation between nations as an indispensable requirement for the survival of the world;

Emphasizing that it is essential for the survival and evolution of humanity to promote reconciliation among the peoples of the world, reaffirming the commitment to Human and Spiritual Rights in order to promote a better world, by raising Liberty, Equality and Fraternity within the framework of a new consciousness and civilization;

Admitting that the aspirations of the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities to the Cure of suffering imply assuming control of their own lifestyles and social institutions, by practicing pacifist politics, developing equitable economy, strengthening educational culture and maintaining sustainable ecology, within the framework of the States in which they live;

Promoting the need to respect the collective human rights that emerge from political, economic, cultural and environmental structures, as well as from the spiritual traditions and philosophies of life, especially having the duty to respect the rights to self-determination, autonomy and self-government;

Contemplating the fact that human beings not only possess all individual rights without discrimination but have also collective rights that are indispensable for their existence, welfare and social development;

Taking into consideration that the recognition of individual and collective human rights fosters harmonious relations among all the peoples on the basis of principles of peace, justice, democracy and health;

Perceiving that in many countries of the world there are minorities that are not allowed to enjoy their fundamental freedoms or individual and collective human rights with the same quality as the rest of the population;

Worrying about the fact that historically many peoples and communities have suffered social injustice as a result of phenomena such as discrimination, oppression, colonization, genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, among others, being deprived of their territories, monuments, freedom of expression and spiritual cultural heritage;

Expressing that all human beings have the same spiritual value, so that any doctrine or practice that manifests the superiority of certain individuals over others on grounds of national, geographical, racial, ethnic or cultural origin constitutes an expression that is philosophically racist, scientifically false, juridically illegal, ethically criticizable and socially unjust;

Supporting the commitment made by the United Buddhist Nations Organization in order to foster the elimination of all kinds of discrimination, by promoting a vision of human beings as part of a large indivisible and interdependent family;

Making the observation that human rights are inseparable and inalienable from the spiritual nature and fundamental freedom of humankind;

Confirming that human rights are intertwined with a life of world peace, social justice, advanced education and ecological health;

Paying tribute to the great spiritual movements, social initiatives and philosophical ideas that have transformed the history of civilizations by contributing to world peace as satisfaction of the intrinsic dignity of human being;

Aware that Spirituality is the main pathway to establishing a civilization of peace because it dissipates greed, hatred and deceit in the minds of people, these three poisons being the main sources of violence and war;

Urging all the States to comply with the duty to provide adequate protection to those peoples or communities that assume pacifism and non-violence as a lifestyle, since they would be defenseless against acts of discrimination, hatred, intimidation, violence and defamation;

Being responsible for denouncing the production and sale of weapons as a threat to peace and human rights that endangers present and future generations;

Stating that injustice and impunity are incompatible with human rights, especially the rights to peace and Truth, having the duty to understand victims as beings in need of recognition, reparation and reconciliation;

Proclaiming that human rights will not be effective without the realization of liberty, equality and fraternity, eliminating practices, ideologies and cultural beliefs that are incompatible with human dignity, as is the case of intolerance and discrimination based on race, nationality , lineage, ethnicity, color, sexuality, age, language, religion, political opinion, economic position and psychophysical state;

Showing dismay in front of global pollution, the destruction of ecosystems and the massive extinction of species, which undoubtedly violates the right of present and future generations to a healthy and adequate life;

Ensuring that compliance and respect of the spiritual nature or human rights is the Supreme Purpose of all civilizations throughout history;

Learning from the supreme knowings, compassionate wisdoms and ethical values coming from the enlightened mind of spiritual masters of all traditions, who have been the voice of friendship and harmony in the world;

Affirming that the governments of the world must incorporate the spiritual communities when debating and making decisions that affect justice and world peace, especially in the face of radical and terrorist groups that manipulate and misinterpret religions in order to generate hatred;

Exhorting about the importance of Buddhism for the full fulfillment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, building a society of righteousness, tolerance and harmony where the intrinsic dignity of all sentient beings is respected;

Emphasizing the fact that the investigations and cases carried out by the Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights have the purpose of safeguarding the integrity of the intrinsic dignity or dharmic nature of human beings, seeking the protection and salvation of all sentient beings;

Distinguishing the task of the United Buddhist Nations Organization to save all sentient beings, especially by protecting present and future generations from the evils of war, social injustice, ignorance and pollution, which is a commitment to the creation of a civilization of peace, justice, knowledge and health;

Recommending the inestimable work that the Maitriyana Community fulfills with the Degree of Buddhist Law and Human Rights;

Demonstrating that the Maitriyana Community ensures an adequate process for the integration and reconciliation of all the spiritual traditions and knowledge of history, by achieving unity in diversity in order to promote solidarity, ethics and reconciliation among the communities and nations of all the world;

Underlining the fact that Buddhism acquires diversity of cultural forms through the freedom of thought, expression and action in space and time, which is evident in the originality of ideas and in the plurality of cultural expressions of Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, which can contribute enormously to the fulfillment and development of human rights;

Emphasizing the essential creative function of spiritual masters, who nourish, strengthen and develop the supreme cultural expressions that tend to social evolution through ethical values;

By Committing to respect the fundamental freedoms and human rights, guaranteeing the full enjoyment of intrinsic dignity to all people without any discrimination, incorporating these regulations in order to complement and correct the Buddhist Legal Code (Vinaya), which is a measure that is totally necessary to enforce the natural rights and the dharmic nature of all beings;

Understanding that the human rights and fundamental freedoms established in this Convention constitute the minimum laws for the survival, the dignity and evolution of all the peoples of the world, by being unable to be exercised in opposition to the Purpose (Dharma) of the United Buddhists Nations Organization, maintaining a relationship of mutual empowerment, complementarity and non-subordination with other human rights instruments;

The following has been agreed:

PART I: HUMAN RIGHTS TREATY

Article 1 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to a peaceful life, which will be protected by Buddhist Law at all times.

Article 2 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to liberty, equality and fraternity.

Article 3 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right that their physical, psychological, social and spiritual integrity is respected, which is why all types of torture, cruelty, slander or degrading treatment are prohibited, since the intrinsic dignity of people must always be respected.

Article 4 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to peaceful assembly and non-violent association, being fundamental for the health of the democratic order the constitution of groups defending political, economic, cultural and environmental rights.

Article 5 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that everyone has the right to marriage and the protection of their family, especially the right to protection of women, children, the elderly and disabled.

Article 6 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to both name and nationality, which may be subjected to changes during life, so that this freedom is fundamental, especially for migrants and refugees as well as for members of tribal peoples and spiritual communities.

Article 7 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to private property, especially when he or she contributes to communitarian property and does not harm it.

Article 8 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to free movement and residence in any State of the world, only existing cases of individual expulsion when crimes are proven.

Article 9 - The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to asylum in any territory whenever there is persecution for political, racial and cultural issues, or when dealing with environmental catastrophes.

Article 10 - The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to global citizenship, developing the framework of a democratic and tolerant planet.

Article 11 - The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to participate in democratic processes, being able to vote and also to postulate him/herself for public functions.

Article 12 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to participate in local and international decision making, especially by contributing through direct democratic mechanisms.

Article 13 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to self-determination and free development of his/her psychic and social life.

Article 14 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to sovereignty, autonomy or self-government, being able to maintain and develop his/her own political, economic, cultural and environmental institutions.

Article 15 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to free him/herself from tyranny, oppression, colonialism and apartheid.

Article 16 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right not to be discriminated based on sex, color, language, nationality, religion, political affiliation, economic position or social class, among others.

Article 17 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to be part of minority groups and live separate from society as long as they do not violate human rights by promoting hatred and alienation.

Article 18 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to understanding, solidarity, cooperation, pluralism, tolerance, unity, globalization, interdependence and coexistence.

Article 19 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to the evolutionary advantage of mutual support, promoting a civilization based on coexistence, recognition and appreciation of others.

Article 20 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to confront immorality and to make a purification of perversions that threaten or misinterpret the messages of love, peace and harmony.

Article 21 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to civil disobedience and peaceful resistance, to conscientious objection and to public denunciation in the face of States that violate human rights, especially in the case of States accused of genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, war crimes or Ecocide.

Article 22 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to eradicate war through righteous and appropriate means such as the practice of non-violence.

Article 23 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to live in a world without threats and without the use of force, resolving conflicts through peaceful means such as the use of International Human Rights Law.

Article 24 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to demilitarization of territories, disarmament and the elimination of armies, being able to criticize and oppose war, the arms industry, violence, oppression, discrimination or any other activity violating the right to World Peace and the right to a healthy and adequate survival.

Article 25 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to demand that military expenditures and budgets be reoriented toward the global elimination of poverty, ignorance and contamination, and that government budgets must be radically increased in terms of health, food, housing, work, education and environment.

Article 26 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to adequate food and safe housing, which includes the possibility of accessing righteous means to live a dignified life as well as the right to humanitarian aid.

Article 27 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to social justice, just globalization, inclusion, equity and tolerance, especially in the field of interactions with other peoples, civilizations, religions and spiritual communities.

Article 28 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to work in fair, equitable and healthy conditions, always by incorporating the right to rest and enjoyment of free time.

Article 29 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to join or create labor unions, which entails the free exercise of the right to strike.

Article 30 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to retirement or social security which help him/her to a dignified transition into old age and physical or mental illness.

Article 31 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that everyone has the right to gender equality, so that women and other minority genres must be included in all levels and functions of society.

Article 32 – The Buddhist Communities establish that everyone has the right to defend the rights of the unprotected, such as women, children, the poor, the elderly, homosexuals, the disabled, the mentally retarded, immigrants, refugees, prisoners, aborigines, spiritual communities, animals and ecosystems.

Article 33 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to be free from slavery or forced labor, in any of its forms.

Article 34 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to peacefully and ethically fight against genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ecocide.

Article 35 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to life, reason by which both abortion and death penalty must be prohibited.

Article 36 – The Buddhist Communities establish that everyone has the right to freedom and security, so that no one should be subjected to arbitrary detentions.

Article 37 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to legal self-defense or adequate professional defense, in addition to having the right to be considered innocent until proven otherwise in a fair, fast, simple and appealable legal process.

Article 38 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to compensation, both in cases in which he or she has been wrongfully convicted and in cases in which the victim has not been properly heard.

Article 39 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to non-impunity, especially in the face of corruption, drug trafficking, terrorism and other violations of human rights that hinder the democratic and peaceful development of peoples.

Article 40 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to access state or international justice, having the duty to be heard in reasonable procedures carried out under competent and impartial authorities.

Article 41 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to access tribal, communal or conscience justice, especially when the justice of States and of international organizations does not work properly.

Article 42 – The Buddhist Communities establish that everyone has the right to a system of restorative justice, having therapeutic and pedagogical purposes that favor the access to Truth, transformation, reparation, integration and reconciliation of victims and aggressors.

Article 43 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to rehabilitation, formation, development and recovery of civil liberty, especially in the framework of a just and adequate reparation and compensation for the victims of such person's acts.

Article 44 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to equality before the Law, which must operate without any discrimination, providing constitutional guarantees and due judicial protection.

Article 45 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that everyone has the right to simple, fast and effective judicial processes that protect them when their fundamental freedoms and natural rights have been violated or threatened, especially when the alleged aggressor is a State official.

Article 46 – The Buddhist Communities establish that everyone has the right not to suffer abuse of power, especially having the right to good police treatment and to be heard by State bodies.

Article 47 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that everyone has the right to progressive development in the fulfillment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, both nationally and internationally.

Article 48 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to the rule of International Law, especially if the system tends to the rehabilitation, restoration and reconciliation of conflicts.

Article 49 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right that the States and organizations comply with the juridical obligations and international principles established in human rights treaties, respecting the intrinsic dignity of life.

Article 50 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to promote respect and to defend fundamental freedoms and human rights, stimulating the free and awakened consciousness of all the peoples of the world, making recommendations for the States so that appropriate measures can be taken in favor of natural rights.

Article 51 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right that his/her constitutional guarantees or natural rights never be suspended, especially the right to life, integrity, free conscience, family, nationality and the indispensable judicial guarantees.

Article 52 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to the recognition and protection of his/her honor and dignity, for which no one should suffer arbitrary interference or attacks on his/her intimate life or social reputation.

Article 53 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to make a response or request for rectification for inaccurate or offensive information issued through the media.

Article 54 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to Truth, Justice and Human Dignity.

Article 55 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to freedom of thought and expression, being able to seek, receive and disseminate ideas and knowledge through multiple means and without limits of borders or censures, except when such freedom is used to violate human rights, as is the case of the apology of hatred, violence and war.

Article 56 – The Buddhist Communities establish that everyone has the right not only to access mass media, but also to create their own media.

Article 57 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to the protection of his/her intellectual property, be it individual or collective.

Article 58 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to freedom of press, unless it is communicated apology of violence or prejudices and defamatory stereotypes that are a sign of intolerance.

Article 59 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to the prohibition and trial of expressions of hatred, violence, religious intolerance, racism, xenophobia or fascism, because they are incompatible with the international duties and responsibilities that imply democracy and the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

Article 60 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to freedom of conscience and religion, which must be developed without any restriction, except in case that said freedom is violating human rights.

Article 61 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to diversity, dialogue and interreligious and intercultural harmony as a way toward world peace.

Article 62 – The Buddhist Communities establish that everyone has the right to advanced and free education, be it formal or non-formal, which must be directed toward the full development of subjectivity and the fulfillment of human rights, eliminating ignorance and deceit.

Article 63 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to participate in the cultural life of the commune, being able to benefit from scientific progress and the creative activity of artistic works, so that cultural knowledge of science, philosophy and art must be preserved.

Article 64 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right that science and technology be oriented toward respect of human rights, fundamental freedoms and the peaceful progress of the world, which is a material and spiritual development of people, since without the guidance of ethics the advances of knowledge lead to superficiality and humanity’s self-destruction.

Article 65 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to a pluralistic and democratic culture that favors the learning of the values of responsibility, understanding, tolerance, non-violence, solidarity, respect and inter-existence among all the Peoples and ethnic or religious communities of the world.

Article 66 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to carry out a constructive and respectful social criticism, by developing reasoning and ethical thinking.

Article 67 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to the promotion, facilitation and maintenance of intercultural dialogue and alliance among civilizations, nations and peoples of the world, by disseminating ethical practices and knowledge to sow a culture of fraternity.

Article 68 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to a civilization based on democracy, human rights, multiculturalism, reconciliation and education for peace.

Article 69 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to the protection of cultural identity, by inheriting knowledge, history and collective memory that he or she can transmit and renew.

Article 70 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to identify, protect, conserve, revalue and rehabilitate the tangible and intangible Cultural Heritage of the whole humanity.

Article 71 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to practice and revitalize his/her cultural tradition or movement, by maintaining, protecting and developing the manifestations of the past, present and future, which includes the right to administer their archaeological and historical sites, as well as their objects, ceremonies, visual arts and literatures.

Article 72 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to revitalize and transmit his/her histories, idioms, traditions, philosophies, literatures and languages to future generations.

Article 73 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to teach, preserve and promote their own native or original tongues.

Article 74 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to neither be subjected to forced cultural assimilation nor to the destruction of his/her systems of transmission of knowledge, receiving respect and non-discrimination for his/her cultural values and ethnic identity.

Article 75 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to cultural evolution, especially if it is about native and spiritual communities.

Article 76 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to the conservation of the human genetic heritage.

Article 77 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to contribute to the welfare and cultural development of his/her family, commune, species and planet, by building a new peaceful, just, democratic and sustainable civilization.

Article 78 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right not to be displaced from environments or territories with which he or she maintains a relationship of biological, cultural and spiritual symbiosis.

Article 79 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to the collective ownership of traditional territories.

Article 80 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to access healthy and adequate resources that make it possible to have natural medicines, so that traditional plants as well as animals and minerals that are vital for health practices must be protected.

Article 81 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to health and hygiene, having to enjoy the highest physical, psychic, social, environmental and spiritual level.

Article 82 – The Buddhist Communities establish that everyone has the right to clean water and adequate food in order to ensure his or her psychophysical, emotional and intellectual maturation.

Article 83 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to a healthy, balanced and sustainable environment, which must be protected, preserved and improved for the benefit of present and future generations.

Article 84 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to the conservation of natural resources, which must be used in a responsible and non-harmful way.

Article 85 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to clean air and the conservation of the ozone layer.

Article 86 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to eradicate the evil of pollution, having the duty that global warming not be worsened.

Article 87 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to non-destruction of biodiversity, protecting endangered species and strengthening the alliance between humans, animals and plants.

Article 88 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to the conservation and regeneration of nature and the planetary body.

Article 89 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to respect and venerate Mother Earth as a superorganism, maintaining an unbreakable spiritual relationship with nature.

Article 90 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to maintain a relationship of respect, non-violence, harmony and interexistence with other beings, ecosystems and worlds.

Article 91 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to avoid evil, do good and purify the mind.

Article 92 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to eradicate both the evils of attachment, aversion and unconsciousness in the internal world, as well as the evils of greed, hatred and deceit in the external world.

Article 93 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to well-being, happiness and enlightenment.

Article 94 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to love fellow beings as him/herself, which is a conciliatory principle that is necessary to develop a harmonious, just, humanitarian and evolved society.

Article 95 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to a life of contemplation, compassionate wisdom and ethics.

Article 96 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to an adequate understanding, by freely developing the thought and understanding of problems in order to learn the Purpose of existence.

Article 97 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to the appropriate attitude, by developing openness and benevolence in every circumstance.

Article 98 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to the right discourse, by appreciating the honest and truthful word.

Article 99 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to appropriate action, behaving in a way that is consistent with spiritual ethical precepts.

Article 100 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to an adequate lifestyle, by coexisting in a realm of righteousness that does not harm others.

Article 101 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to appropriate effort, working with a sense of purpose in lawful activities that allow rest and enjoyment of life.

Article 102 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to adequate concentration, daily practicing meditation as a path toward happiness.

Article 103 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to adequate attention, perceiving the Real with fullness and equanimity.

Article 104 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to adequate knowledge, by developing an altruistic, supportive and peak knowledge in the world.

Article 105 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to adequate liberation, practicing a righteous way to achieve self-realization, self-transcendence and Awakening.

Article 106 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to adequate peace, never resorting to oppression, violence and war as means of conflict resolution.

Article 107 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to adequate justice, practicing a reconciling and restorative vision.

Article 108 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to the appropriate Spirituality, having to criticize and purify those traditions that do not fulfill the requirements of peace, justice, knowledge and health.

Article 109 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to respect spiritual masters as leaders of humanity.

Article 110 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to participate, educate or create spiritual movements.

Article 111 – The Buddhist Communities affirm that every person has the right to practice, develop and teach ethical and spiritual traditions, by protecting ceremonies and knowledge according to the highest ethical values.

Article 112 – The Buddhist Communities establish that every person has the right to peace and justice, establishing an International Order in which human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in this Convention are fully effective, so that in order to achieve this purpose the Government of the United Buddhist Nations Organization shall create and lead two institutions: the Supreme Council of World Peace and the Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice.

PART II: SUPREME COUNCIL OF WORLD PEACE

Article 113 - The Supreme Council of World Peace has the function of responding quickly to any threat that affects or violates the supreme human right to peace, the Human Rights, the Environmental Rights, Rights of the Mother Earth, and the political, economic and cultural development of civilization.

Article 114 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will be governed by the principles of Buddhist Law and the norms of International Law.

Article 115 - The Supreme Council of World Peace shall proceed at any time and place, always in accordance with the Purposes of the United Buddhist Nations Organization.

Article 116 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will condemn any type of activity or armed conflict, especially those involving weapons of mass destruction, and will even condemn wars carried out in cyberspace as well.

Article 117 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will issue reports and recommendations on threats to peace or conflict situations in the world whenever it deems necessary, determining the legality or illegality of the behavior of countries and international organizations.

Article 118 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will immediately intervene in the face of any conflict and act of aggression against the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, intervening even without the need for an established formal complaint.

Article 119 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will denounce those States that do not comply with judgments of international courts and tribunals.

Article 120 - The Supreme Council of World Peace promotes the implementation of the system of direct democracy in all countries of the world, affirming an alternative to the failures of the dictatorial system and failures of representative democracy.

Article 121 - The Supreme Council of World Peace shall make the greatest efforts in the event of threats to world peace by States that are political and military superpowers.

Article 122 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will be composed of all members of the Governing Council of the United Buddhist Nations Organization, also allowing the incorporation of other observer members, such as non-Buddhist organizations that support world peace, which will not have right to vote.

Article 123 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will issue non-violent decisions or measures aimed at restoring world peace and harmony, always acting for the benefit of the free and healthy life of humanity and Mother Earth.

Article 124 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will respect the rights of all living beings, including the planet.

Article 125 - The Supreme Council of World Peace should oversee that all members implement decisions or measures taken for the maintenance of international peace and justice, by promoting liberty, equality and fraternity.

Article 126 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will be guided by the ethical principles of universality, impartiality, humility, non-discrimination, dialogue, mutual cooperation, by enhancing the promotion and protection of political, economic, cultural and environmental rights.

Article 127 - The Supreme Council of World Peace may convene international conferences and congresses on matters within its competence.

Article 128 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will consider any attack against members of the United Buddhist Nations Organization as an international crime.

Article 129 - The Supreme Council of World Peace prohibits all kinds of conflicts that threaten the sovereignty and self-determination of Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, especially by declaring the armed and violent conflicts that violate the ius cogens norms of International Law as illegal.

Article 130 - The Supreme Council of World Peace prohibits any kind of violent response from the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, who must self-protect from violence only by means of peaceful instruments such as International Law and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna).

Article 131 - The Supreme Council of World Peace prohibits any type of authorization or support for wars and armed conflicts, including political, economic, cultural and environmental aggressions that compromise the integrity and dignity of society.

Article 132 - The Supreme Council of World Peace considers that war is fundamentally an international crime and a serious violation of the supreme human right to peace.

Article 133 - The Supreme Council of World Peace states that the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities have an obligation to set the example for the rest of the world on how to maintain international peace and justice by peacefully resolving their conflicts through resources such as research, negotiation, mediation, agreement and reconciliation.

Article 134 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will be able to mediate peacefully when there are conflicts between different countries.

Article 135 - The Supreme Council of World Peace affirms that Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities must establish guarantees of ethical integrity and political independence with respect to States.

Article 136 - The Supreme Council of World Peace declares that States must urgently agree to abandon the armed forces in local and international conflicts.

Article 137 - The Supreme Council of World Peace declares that all Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities have the right to protest about violations of the supreme human right to peace.

Article 138 - The Supreme Council of World Peace claims that all peoples and societies of the world will be able to request intervention in global conflicts as long as the principles established in this Convention on peaceful resolution of disputes are accepted.

Article 139 - The Supreme Council of World Peace is able to peacefully intervene at any stage of world conflicts in order to recommend procedures and reach appropriate resolutions.

Article 140 - The Supreme Council of World Peace is committed to making available all kinds of humanitarian assistance for the international community in order to contribute to the maintenance of global peace and justice, including social, educational and environmental assistance.

Article 141 - The Supreme Council of World Peace is committed to request the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities from all over the world to participate in humanitarian assistance facing conflicts and disasters.

Article 142 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will provide mutual assistance to any Buddhist People and Spiritual Community, whether or not it is an institutional member of the United Buddhist Nations Organization, especially in the face of individual or collective attacks.

Article 143 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will provide assistance to the right to peaceful self-defense of Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, supporting legal measures of Buddhist Law in order to maintain peace and justice.

Article 144 - The Supreme Council of World Peace prohibits violence both as a form of attack and as a form of self-defense for being a violation of the supreme human right to peace, since any justification of violence or war is ethically false.

Article 145 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will never be an accomplice nor will it support States that commit international crimes.

Article 146 - The Supreme Council of World Peace does not oppose the existence of regional agreements and international organizations that have the Purpose of global peace and justice.

Article 147 - The Supreme Council of World Peace promotes the creation of regional organizations whose aim is the common good and the resolution of conflicts.

Article 148 - The Supreme Council of World Peace fosters local and international agreements between States and Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, provided that this fact does not imply supporting warlike actions by the States.

Article 149 - The Supreme Council of World Peace declares illegal the establishment, maintenance and expansion of warmongering or militarism that violate international standards of cooperation and peaceful coexistence.

Article 150 - The Supreme Council of World Peace holds a fundamental respect for the political independence, economic integrity, cultural sovereignty and environmental well-being of the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities.

Article 151 - The Supreme Council of World Peace denounces any treaty, alliance or organization threatening international peace and justice.

Article 152 - The Supreme Council of World Peace declares any institution that participates or endorses war and injustice as an illegal organization.

Article 153 - The Supreme Council of World Peace has the Purpose of creating conditions of harmony, friendship and cooperation between the States and the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, seeking respect for the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity.

Article 154 - The Supreme Council of World Peace has the Purpose of creating conditions of self-determination for the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities.

Article 155 - The Supreme Council of World Peace seeks the development of a better quality of life for all humanity and for the Mother Earth.

Article 156 - The Supreme Council of World Peace seeks the solution of international problems and conflicts.

Article 157 - The Supreme Council of World Peace seeks to cooperate culturally by offering educational advances.

Article 158 - The Supreme Council of World Peace seeks the full compliance with human rights, animal rights and the rights of Mother Earth.

Article 159 - The Supreme Council of World Peace seeks the adequate management of natural resources and the preservation of environment, saving humanity and safeguarding the Mother Earth.

Article 160 - The Supreme Council of World Peace promotes a political, economic, cultural and ecological development that is consistent with life.

Article 161 - The Supreme Council of World Peace promotes making recommendations and negotiations with the States of the world with a view to peace, justice, education and ecology.

Article 162 - The Supreme Council of World Peace promotes the dissemination of reports and observations of the United Buddhist Nations Organization.

Article 163 - The Supreme Council of World Peace is placed at the disposal of States of the world whenever they request their services and functions for humanitarian reasons.

Article 164 - The Supreme Council of World Peace decides to provide advice on matters concerning development policies, social justice, educational affairs, indigenous affairs and environmental issues.

Article 165 - The Supreme Council of World Peace is in favor that the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities establish local and international agreements with non-governmental organizations and also with indigenous tribes.

Article 166 - The Supreme Council of World Peace will follow the ethical and spiritual principles of equanimity when providing resolutions to the conflicts of the world.

Article 167- The Supreme Council of World Peace will award distinctions, recognitions and prizes to those individuals, organizations and governments that are distinguished for their actions of Peace and Justice.

PART III: SUPREME BUDDHIST COURT OF JUSTICE

Article 168 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice shall be the most competent organization to issue positions on matters concerning the compliance with this Convention, as well as it will be the most competent organization to issue final positions on legal cases which have been carried out in Ethics Committees of all the Sanghas of the world.

Article 169 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice will discuss violations of the Rights of Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, as well as issues concerning the Buddhist Ethics and violations of the Rights of Humankind and Mother Earth.

Article 170 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice is established as the main judicial organ of the United Buddhist Nations Organization, being the place where it will be possible to receive appeals of legal cases carried out by Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities of the whole world, even being able to issue judgments about decisions of other international courts and tribunals.

Article 171 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice may receive appeals from subjects, organizations and States judged by the International Buddhist Ethics Committee & Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights, having the duty to decide whether to support or cancel the previous sentence.

Article 172 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice shall be composed of a President who must be an expert in Buddhist Law and International Law. It is also composed of a Prosecutor, a Public Defender and members of the Jury, all of whom will be members of the Governing Council of the United Buddhist Nations Organization, provided that they are ethically unobjectionable.

Article 173 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice has de jure and de facto legal legitimacy, being faithful to the Customary Law of Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities.

Article 173 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice will function and proceed in a similar way to that of the International Buddhist Ethics Committee & Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights, although it will have final and unappealable judgments on cases that have been appealed before the two previous institutions.

Article 175 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice may issue decisions on cases of genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and ecocide which have been carried out in other international courts in the world, especially if there has been impunity in the face of such cruel and aberrant acts.

Article 176 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice has universal jurisdiction, so it is not necessary for a State to be a member in order that the Court deals with a case, especially in the face of serious violations of human rights.

Article 177 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice confirms that those who refuse to appear will be tried in absentia.

Article 178 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice issues unappealable, impartial and of conscience ethical judgments that must be complied.

Article 179 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice is open to collaborative agreements with other international Courts, States and non-governmental organizations, being able to issue consultative opinions on global juridical issues.

Article 180 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice is the pinnacle of the Law system of all Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities of the world, which can appear before the Court even though they are not members of the United Buddhist Nations Organization.

Article 181 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice is open to collaborative agreements with human rights organizations around the world or with other judicial entities of the international community in order to facilitate the objectives for which the Supreme Court was created.

Article 182 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice will be able not only to receive cases of human rights violations, but also of violations of the rights of animals, the environment and Mother Earth.

Article 183 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice may consider opinions from any judicial body, although it will not be obliged to apply them, especially in matters within its specialized jurisdiction, that is, Ethics, Buddhist Law and Human Rights.

Article 184 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice must be faithful at all times and places to the legacy of the great Buddhic Civilization that existed for 2600 years under the spiritual guidance of Siddharta Gautama, whose legal system has been the most extraordinary in history.

Article 185 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice shall have absolute jurisdiction over all Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities, as well as over the individuals, organizations and States with which these peoples and communities come into relationship.

Article 186 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice uses both Buddhist Law and International Law, applying the principles of International Human Rights Law as long as they do not contradict Buddhist Ethics.

Article 187 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice is a non-violent weapon to destroy the impunity of powers that commit genocides, ethnic cleansings, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ecocides.

Article 188 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice may declare national laws of States and also treaties signed between them as illegal whenever they violate the International Human Rights Law.

Article 189 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice will apply the principles emanating from the teachings of Siddharta Gautama and also from the Universal Declarations issued by the United Buddhist Nations Organization, such as the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities. The Court will even be able to develop new Legal Codes.

Article 190 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice may require compensation on the part of individuals, institutions and States that have caused damage to the dignity and rights of the Buddhist Peoples and Spiritual Communities.

Article 191 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice considers all sentient beings as subjects of law, so it defends the right to prevention and reparation of suffering from plants, animals, ecosystems and Mother Earth, among others.

Article 192 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice may seek advice from Tribal Peoples and Indigenous Communities.

Article 193 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice will have traditional procedures that can be carried out orally or in writing, so that appropriate measures must be taken in order to record and save files.

Article 194 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice shall keep its deliberations and votes in secret, only disseminating the decisions in a public way.

Article 195 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice will take decisions with the affirmative vote of the majority of voting members, and, in case of a tie, the President will decide.

Article 196 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice will issue Judgments that will serve as precedents for other future cases.

Article 197 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice may dismiss any of its members through internal juridical ethical procedures.

Article 198 - The Supreme Buddhist Court of Justice shall operate uninterruptedly, although its members may apply for licenses or abstain from voting.

Written by H.E. Master Maitreya Samyaksambuddha – Presidency of the United Buddhist Nations Organization

Ratified by the Eighth Buddhist Council on December 15, 2017