Principle #1 Human beings can transform their world
The web of our relationships with others and the natural world, which has given rise to the problems we face as a human family, can be changed.

Principle #2 Development comes from within
The process of human and community development unfolds from within each person, relationship, family organization, community or nation.

Principle #3 Healing is a necessary part of development
Healing the past, closing up old wounds and learning healthy habits of thought and action to replace dysfunctional thinking and disruptive patterns of human relations is a necessary part of the process of sustainable development.

Principle #4 Justice
Every person (regardless of gender, race, age, culture, religion) must be accorded equal opportunity to participate in the process of healing and development and to receive a fair share of the benefits.

Principle #5 No Vision, No Development
A vision of who we can become, and what a sustainable world would be like, works as a powerful magnet, drawing us to our potential.

Principle #6 Authentic Development is Culturally Based
Healing and development must be rooted in the wisdom, knowledge and living processes of the culture of the people.

Principle #7 Interconnectedness
Everything is connected to everything else. Therefore, any aspect of our healing and development is related to all the others (personal, social, cultural, political, economic, etc.). When we work on any one part, the whole is affected.

Principle #8 No Unity, No Development
Unity means oneness. Without unity, the common oneness that makes (seemingly) separate human beings into ‘community’ is impossible. Disunity is the primary disease of community.

Principle #9 No Participation, No Development
Participation is the active engagement of the minds, hearts, and energy of the people in the process of their own healing and development.

Principle #10 The hurt of one is the hurt of all; the honor of one is the honor of all.
The basic fact of our oneness as a human family means that development for some at the expense of well-being for others is not acceptable or sustainable.

Principle #11 Spirit
Human beings are both material and spiritual in nature. It is therefore inconceivable that human community could become
whole and sustainable without bringing our lives into balance with the requirements of our spiritual nature.

Prinnciple #12 Morals and Ethics
Sustainable human and community development requires a moral foundation. When morals decline and basic ethical principles are violated, development stops.

Principle #13 Learning
Human beings are learning beings. We begin learning while we are still in our mothers’ wombs, and unless something happens to close off our minds and paralyze our capacities, we keep learning throughout our entire lives. Learning is at the core of healing and development.