John Zarocostas/Human Rights Tribune - The blueprint "Charter of Investor Rights," launched during an international finance conference in Prague by the Geneva based Convention of Independent Financial Advisors (CIFA), a non-profit Swiss Foundation with consultative ECOSOC status, outlines that:

"The investor undertakes to respect the fundamental rights of mankind as defined in the Charter of the United Nations."

Pierre Christodoulides, CIFA chairman, set the scene for the unveiling of the charter by citing the works of ancient Greek philosopher Isocrates and stressed there was a need to "revive responsibility for our citizens."

A high point of the new text which attempts to respect laws, traditions and customs, is the inclusion of strong language supportive of land rights of indigenous peoples.

"Private property resulting from ancestral, historic or tribal rights is equally covered in this Charter," it states.

The thrust of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) document .grounded on the respect of human rights principles- is to navigate a balance between the rights and obligations of individual investors and governments’.

"At issue is the protection of the private sphere and setting some line for governments and at the same time ensuring that investors are not shielded by regulations from taking responsibility for what they are doing," said Jean-Pierre Diserens, CIFA Vice Chairman.

The principles, say CIFA officials, are also in line with Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 8 to develop a global partnership for development which as one of its central targets to further nurture an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system.

Independent financial advisors, often consisting of small companies providing specialized and personal service, account, directly or indirectly, for about 15-20 percent of all assets under management in Switzerland.

The idea is to get partner organizations in other countries including Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech republic, and Cyprus, among other, to sign on to the objectives, said Daniel Glasner, CIFA secretary general.

The blueprint document also stipulates that only private property "constituted or acquired under universally accepted norms is protected by this Charter. All private property acquired or constituted under constraint or duress, or by way of intimidation or any other criminal manner, is exclude from protection by this charter."

"We’re looking at two sides of the picture…trying to tell government’s what not to do if they want to attract investors and also telling investors they have to be respectful ." Diserens said.