BOLIVIA AT THE UN
A VOICE FOR GLOBAL REFORM
Bolivia is one of the poorest and smallest nations in the
world. However, under the leadership of Evo Morales and its able
U.N. Ambassador, Pablo Solon, Bolivia has become a truly prophetic voice
in matters related to the survival of the planet.
As Bolivia's UN Embassy correctly states:
"In the last two years, the UN General Assembly has approved five
resolutions initiated by the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Four were
approved by consensus, and one in a vote with no country opposed (the
resolution on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation). Never before in
the history of Bolivian diplomacy has the country had such an impact in
the UN."
BOLIVIA'S FOUR RESOLUTIONS APPROVED BY THE UN
Resolutions on the Environment
Creation of International Earth Day
(UN Resolution - Adopted, April 2009)
"Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann thanked Bolivia for
having taken the lead in bringing the resolution to the Assembly and
added that, 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... 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."
UN
General Assembly Document
Harmony With Nature (UN Interactive Dialogue,
August 2010)
"The General Assembly of the United Nations approved by consensus two
resolutions presented by Bolivia. The first, entitled “Harmony with
Nature,” asks to convene an interactive dialogue on International Mother
Earth Day on April 22nd, 2011. Topics will include methods for promoting
a holistic approach to harmony with nature, and an exchange of national
experiences regarding criteria and indicators to measure sustainable
development in harmony with nature.
The second resolution convenes in 2014 a World
Conference on Indigenous Peoples with the objective of contributing to
the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples."
UN General Assembly Document PDF
UN General Assembly - Interactive Dialogue On Harmony With Nature
Includes video of speeches.
Bolivia UN - Speech By Bolivia on Harmony With Nature At UN General
Assembly (World People's Conference on Climate Change)
Human Right to Clean
Water (UN Resolution - Adopted, July 2010)
The resolution states, "Introducing a draft resolution on the human
right to water and sanitation (document A/64/L.63/Rev.1), the
representative of Bolivia said that human right had not been fully
recognized, despite references to it in various instruments. Each year,
more than 3.5 million people died from diseases spread by contaminated
water, he said, pointing out that the lack of access to water killed
more children annually than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. By a
text on the human right to water and sanitation, the Assembly expressed
deep concern that some 884 million people were without access to safe
drinking water and more than 2.6 billion lacked access to basic
sanitation. Bearing in mind the commitment to fully achieve the
Millennium Development Goals, it expressed alarm that 1.5 million
children under five years old died each year as a result of water- and
sanitation-related diseases, acknowledging that safe, clean drinking
water and sanitation were integral to the realization of all human
rights."
UN
General Assembly Document
Resolution On Indigenous Peoples
United Nations World Conference on
Indigenous Peoples (UN Resolution - Adopted, November 2010)
"Following an initiative by the Plurinational State of Bolivia,
the United Nations General Assembly approved by consensus yesterday a
draft resolution (A/C.3/65/L.22/Rev.1)
in which countries agreed to hold a “World Conference on Indigenous
Peoples” in 2014. The Conference, which will take place at the end of
the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (2005 –
2014), aims to exchange criteria for the fulfillment of the objectives
of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The resolution calls on Member States and the international community to
help find solutions to the problems faced by indigenous peoples in areas
including culture, education, health, human rights, the environment, and
socio-economic development. The resolution makes reference to the first
World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother
Earth, organized by the Plurinational State of Bolivia in Cochabamba
from April 20th to 22nd, 2010. It also expands the mandate of the United
Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples to include facilitating
the participation of representatives of indigenous organizations in the
sessions of the UN Human Rights Council. ." -World People's
Conference On Climate Change And The Rights Of Mother Earth
RELATED LINKS
World Conference on Indigenous People Site
UN General Assembly Resolution GA/SHC/3997
Bolivia UN - Bolivia's Initiative Leads UN To Organize "World Conference on Indigenous Peoples"
Wikipedia - Declaration On The Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Bolivia UN - Letter From President Morales To The World's Indigenous
Peoples
The Guardian - "Indigenous Thinking Can Solve Climate Crisis", Says Bolivian Foreign Minister
World People's
Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth (Also known
as The Cochabamba Conference)
We call upon States to recognize, respect and guarantee the effective
implementation of international human rights standards and the rights of
indigenous peoples, including the United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples under ILO Convention 169, among other
relevant instruments in the negotiations, policies and measures used to
meet the challenges posed by climate change. In particular, we call upon
States to give legal recognition to claims over territories, lands and
natural resources to enable and strengthen our traditional ways of life
and contribute effectively to solving climate change."
World People's
Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth Main Page
Wikipedia - World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights
of Mother Earth
Alternet - World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of
Mother Earth: An Antidote to Copenhagen?
Huffington Post - World People's Conference on Climate Change and the
Rights of Mother Earth Kicks Off in Bolivia
Bolivia's Law on the Rights of Mother
Earth
For more information, please visit our page dedicated to this historic
law:
World Future Fund - Law of Mother Earth
This is a really interesting idea. Poor nations damaged by climate change would not need to plead for help that is not going to come from rich nations.
Instead, they could go to court to sue the nations that have put the most carbon in the atmosphere.
At the top of that list is the U.S. One can see why the U.S. does not want this kind of "rule of law".
Bolivia Rising - International Climate Justice Tribunal Preliminary
Hearing, Cochabamba, Bolivia
The Guardian - Grassroots Summit End With Calls For International
Climate Court
BBC - As Glaciers Melt, Bolivians Ask For Compensation