The tenth report from the UN-initiative Harmony with Nature, following resolution 73/235 has been presented by the Secretary General. The report highlights humankind’s evolving consciousness of our relationship with Mother Earth, an evolution manifested worldwide through legislation, policy, education and public engagement, all guided by the urgency to protect Mother Earth and to transition to an Earth-centred paradigm in furthering implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It draws on presentations from the interactive dialogue in commemoration of International Mother Earth Day on 22 April 2019, together with contributions from members worldwide of the United Nations Harmony with Nature Knowledge Network. Rights of Nature Sweden are proud contributors to the Harmony with Nature network. Swedish initiatives in the field spans from the local to the international:
61. In Sweden, the Mayor of Forshaga Kommun, in collaboration with the non-governmental organization Rights of Mother Earth, has expressed interest in granting rights to an area of the Klarälven River within its county and council jurisdiction.
This year saw the bold proposal to include Rights of Nature into the swedish Constitution:
62. On 15 May 2019, at a seminar in the Swedish Parliament on the legal rights of Nature, Rights of Nature Sweden made a proposal for an amendment to the Constitution to the effect that “Nature, including ecosystems, natural communities, and species, shall be guaranteed the following rights to naturally exist, thrive, regenerate, evolve and be restored; and freedom to exercise, enforce, and defend these rights and freedoms”.
Read more about the seminar in the Parliament
The report also mentions Earth Rights Conference with participants from large parts of the world and including the Tribunal on Lake Vättern:
116. The Second International Earth Rights Conference on the Rights of Nature was held in Sweden on 10 and 11 May 2019. A tribunal for the rights of Lake Vättern, the second largest freshwater body in Sweden, was held. The Conference adopted a declaration on the Rights of Lake Vättern and launched a European hub for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature to coordinate campaigns to adopt rights of Nature laws throughout the continent.
Read the Harmony with Nature report