Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth

Summary

On April 22, 2010 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth was presented at the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. This civil society declaration frames Mother Earth [Pachamama] as a living entity with inherent rights, and articulates corresponding duties for states, peoples, and institutions. The declaration is non-binding soft law but functions as a normative charter for Earth-centered governance for States and advocacy by civil society.

The document states that “Mother Earth and all beings of which she is composed” have inherent rights and that “every human being is responsible for respecting and living in harmony with Mother Earth.” It was presented in the UN Dialogues on Harmony with Nature in 2011. The document calls on the United Nations General Assembly to adopt it as a common standard, and for all nations to respect the rights recognized in this Declaration and ensure prompt and progressive measures and mechanisms for their effective recognition at the national and international level.

Background & Context
The declaration emerged amid dissatisfaction with multilateral climate negotiations post-Copenhagen (2009). The Cochabamba conference was convened by the Plurinational State of Bolivia and gathered Indigenous peoples, social movements, scholars, and NGOs from dozens of countries to formulate society-driven proposals on climate justice and ecological governance. The Declaration incorporates Indigenous cosmovisions, ecological science, and principles of Earth law, and builds on antecedents such as the Earth Charter (2000) and Ecuador’s 2008 constitutional recognition of Nature’s rights.

Impact Statement

While the Declaration remains non-binding and has not been adopted as a UN treaty, it has profoundly shaped global ecological jurisprudence. It informed Bolivia’s Law of the Rights of Mother Earth (2010) and Framework Law No. 300 (2012), inspired numerous local ordinances, tribal resolutions, and advocacy platforms across the Americas and Europe, and became a normative touchstone for UN Harmony with Nature dialogues. Today, it continues to serve as a widely used template for translating ecological jurisprudence into concrete laws, policy proposals, civil society tribunals, and academic initiatives.