UN General Assembly proclaims April 22 ‘International Mother Earth Day’

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed today as International Mother Earth Day. Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma applauded the Members of the world body who had “taken a historic stand for Mother Earth” by acknowledging humanity’s common interest in the protection of the planet and its environment.

“Sixty years after adopting the (Universal Declaration of Human Rights), Mother Earth is now, finally, having her rights recognized,” said President Morales, immediately following the Assembly’s unanimous adoption of a resolution designating 22 April each year as International Mother Earth Day.

It was Bolivia which has taken the lead in bringing the resolution to the Assembly. The resolution, supported by over 50 Member States, noted that Earth Day will be observed each year on 22 April in many countries. By declaring the International Day, Member States recognized their responsibility, as called for in the Rio Declaration, adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the “Earth Summit”, to promote harmony with nature and the planet to achieve a just balance among economic, social and environmental needs of the present and future generations of humanity.

The Assembly acknowledged that “the Earth and its ecosystems are our home”, and expressed its conviction that, in order to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations, “it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth”.

The Assembly invites all Member States, the entire United Nations system, regional and sub-regional bodies and non-governmental organizations “to observe and raise awareness of International Mother Earth day, as appropriate”.

In his address, President Morales appealed to all Members of the United Nations to live up to their responsibility to ensure life on the planet by working for unity, equality, dignity and, above all, humanity, which inherently involved protecting –- and restoring –- Mother Earth.

Action to that end had never been more vital, as the toll of years of environmental degradation and callous exploitation of the planet’s natural resources and ecosystems could no longer be ignored, he said. The incremental yet increasingly obvious impacts of manmade climate change were putting Mother Earth at even more peril, as in his region alone the snow capped peaks of the Andean mountain range were receding every day; islands were buffeted by ever-more violent storms; and arid areas were becoming even drier.

“We are strangling the planet -– strangling ourselves,” President Morales declared, stressing that, for too many years, the world had been held captive by the seductive notion of capitalism. However, it was now clear that “we don’t own the planet, we belong to it,” he said, calling for the twenty-first century to be dedicated to protecting and supporting Mother Earth and her ecosystems.

Some 60 years after activists had fought so hard to win acknowledgement of human rights worldwide, including social, economic, political and cultural rights, Mother Earth was now having her rights recognized, he continued. Indeed, animals and plants -- all living creatures and beings -- had rights that deserved to be respected and protected. Those that had supported the text in the Assembly would be heralded for their historic action, he said, expressing the hope that, as the twentieth century had been called “the century of human rights”, this new era would be known as the “century of the rights of Mother Earth”.

Continuing, President Morales said that, by proclaiming the International Day, United Nations Member States now had the opportunity to begin laying out a Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth. Such a Charter must enshrine the right to life for all living things; right to regeneration of the planet’s biocapacity; right to a clean life -- for Mother Earth to live free of contamination and pollution; and the right to harmony and balance among and between all things.
Ban Ki-moon’s message.

Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in his message said “Mother Earth – our only home – is under pressure. We are making progressively unreasonable demands on her, and she is showing the strain.”

He further said: “For all of human history we have depended on nature’s bounty forsustenance, well-being and development. Too often we have drawn on nature’s capital without putting back. We are now beginning to see the consequences of failing to safeguard our investment.

“Climate change and the depleted ozone layer are among the starkest examples. Biological diversity -- the incredible variety of life on Earth that sustains us -- is in rapid decline. Freshwater and marine resources are increasingly polluted; soils and once-prolific fisheries are growing barren.

“The impact of our neglectful stewardship is being felt most by the world’s most vulnerable people: those who live on the desert margins; indigenous communities; the rural poor; the inhabitants of the squalid slums of the world’s expanding mega-cities. If they are to break out of the poverty trap and prosper, they need – at the very minimum – fertile land, clean water and adequate sanitation.

“Environmental sustainability – the wise management of Mother Earth’s bounty – is one of eight Millennium Development Goals adopted a decade ago by United Nations Member States. The deadline for achieving the goals is 2015. This September, I will convene a summit in New York to review progress towards the MDGs and develop an agenda for action – a practical, results-oriented plan, with concrete steps and timelines. Protecting Mother Earth must be an integral component of our strategy.

“Without a sustainable environmental base, we will have little hope of attaining our objectives for reducing poverty and hunger and improving health and human well-being. For these reasons and more, the General Assembly has proclaimed that each year on 22 April we will observe International Mother Earth Day. I call on all governments, businesses and citizens of the world to give our Mother Earth the respect and care she deserves.”

- Asian Tribune -