On International Day of Biodiversity 2020, BirdLife CEO Patricia Zurita explains why a healthy planet should be a new human right.
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Article 31: Make the right to a healthy natural environment a human right
Language: English | Spanish | French
The Birdlife Partnership calls on the United Nations to amend the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for the first time in over 70 years to add a new human right: the right to a healthy natural environment.
Sign the petition now
From the ashes of the Second World War, one of the biggest humanitarian crises in history, rose one of humankind’s greatest accomplishments: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Forged by experts from various cultures and backgrounds, and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, this sacred document maps out, in its 30 articles, the fundamental human rights that must be protected.
These rights protect us from slavery and torture, and empower us to enjoy freedom of movement and thought. They have stood the test of time, and after 70 years, remain as relevant as ever.
But one right is missing: Article 31 - our right to a healthy, natural environment, and this is a critical gap. In the 70 years since the UDHR was formed, our society has wreaked havoc on the natural world. From the air we breathe, to the water we drink, to the earth in which we grow much of our food, our environment impacts our health in many ways.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is thought to be linked to illegal wildlife trade and the destruction of natural habitats – human activities which dramatically increase the risk of new diseases emerging. The science is clear: human health and the environment are closely linked, and we can already see how our lack of care for the planet infringes other established universal human rights, such as the right to life, liberty and security.
In our letter to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, BirdLife calls on the UN to:
- Include the right to a healthy natural environment – potentially an Article 31 – on the Agenda of the UN General Assembly and the UN Summit on Biodiversity in September 2020
- Include the right to a healthy natural environment in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Achieve this by December 2023 to mark the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration by the UN General Assembly.
The United Nations must show leadership by recognising a healthy natural environment as a human right as part of their response to the coronavirus crisis. We know adding a new human right is a sacred act. Our planet is equally sacred. There has perhaps never been a more important moment to enshrine a human right that would oblige us to respect it, for the benefit of all.
We appreciate your interest in securing this essential right for humankind. We hope that you, as an individual, as another NGO, environmental or otherwise, a company or a governmental agency, are ready to join us and mobilize the planet’s citizens, across all continents, seas and oceans, to back such a vital call. We welcome the opportunity to share your institution’s support on this website.
Read our full letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres:
English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic
Sign our petition to make a healthy environment a universal human right
We invite organisations from around the world to join us.
BirdLife Partners supporting this campaign:
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Argentina - Aves Argentinas Australia - BirdLife Australia Austria - BirdLife Austria Bahamas - Bahamas National Trust Belarus - BirdLife Belarus Belgium - Natuurpunt Belize - Belize Audubon Society Bhutan - Royal Society for the Protection of Nature Bolivia - Associacion Armonia Botswana - BirdLife Botswana Brazil - SAVE Brazil Bulgaria - Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds Burkina Faso - NATURAMA Canada - Birds Canada Canada - Nature Canada Chile - Comité Nacional Pro Defensa de la Flora y Fauna China (Hong Kong) - Hong Kong Birdwatching Society Chinese Taiwan - Chinese Wild Bird Federation Colombia - Asociación Calidris Cook Islands - Te Ipukarea Society Croatia - Association BIOM Cyprus - BirdLife Cyprus Czechia - Czech Society for Ornithology Denmark - Sansk Ornitologisk Forening Djibouti - Djibouti Nature Dominican Republic - Grupo Jaragua
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Ecuador - Aves y Conservación Egypt - Nature Conservation Egypt El Salvador - SalvaNATURA Ethiopa - Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society Faroe Islands - Faroese Ornithological Society Fiji - NatureFiji-MareqetiViti France - Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux French Polynesia - Société d'Ornithologie de Polynésie Georgia - Society for Nature Conservation Germany - Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Ghana - Ghana Wildlife Society Greece - Hellenic Ornitholgical Society Hungary - Magyar Madártani és Természetvédelmi Egyesület India - Bombay Natural History Society Indonesia - Burung Indonesia Iraq - Nature Iraq Ireland - BirdWatch Ireland Italy - Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli Japan - World Bird Society of Japan Jordan - Jordan Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature Kazakhstan - Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan Kuwait - Environment Protection Society
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Latvia - Latvian Ornithological Society Lebanon - Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon Liechtenstein - Botanisch-Zoologische Gesellschaft Luxembourg - natur&ëmwelt Madagascar - Asity Madagascar Malawi - Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Malaysia - Malaysian Nature Society Mauritius - The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Mexico - Pronatura Montenegro - Center for Protection and Research of birds of Montenegro Morocco- GREPOM Myanmar - Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association Nepal - Bird Conservation Nepal Netherlands - Society for the Protection of Birds New Caledonia (to France) - Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie New Zealand - Forest & Bird Nigeria - Nigerian Conservation Foundation North Macedonia - Macedonian Ecological Society Palau - Palau Conservation Society Panama - Panama Audubon Society Paraguay - Guyra Philippines - Haribon Foundation
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Portugal - Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds Saudi Arabia - Saudi Wildlife Authority Serbia - Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia Seychelles - Nature Seychelles Sierra Leone - Conservation Society of Sierra Leone Singapore - Nature Society South Africa - BirdLife South Africa Spain - SEO/BirdLife Sri Lanka - Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka Sweden - Swedish Ornithological Society Switzerland - SVS/BirdLife Switzerland Syria - Syrian Society for Conservation of Wildlife Thailand - Bird Conservation Society of Thailand Tunisia - Association Les Amis des Oiseaux Uganda - NatureUganda UK - Royal Society for the Protection of Birds USA - Audubon Zambia - BirdWatch Zambia Zimbabwe - BirdLife Zimbabwe |