ACTION ALERT: A Critical Biodiversity Summit
Calls for an End to Wars and “Peace with Nature”
Avaaz

(October 28, 2024) — On October 29, a global declaration to make Peace with Nature will be released at the most important biodiversity summit in the world. Let’s join to demand leaders take action now to stand up to the powerful interests scarring our planet. Add your name so we can bring our people power calling for lasting peace with nature:

The Avaaz team is at the world’s most important biodiversity summit, right now. The Colombian government hosting the summit wants to rally leaders, communities, and corporations to take decisive steps toward making peace with nature.

They want our support. Powerful nations and corporate interests continue to prioritize short-term gains over the health of our planet, driving us toward dangerous environmental tipping points. It’s time to change course and act for the future of all life on Earth.

This plan for peace with nature will be released to world leaders this Tuesday, securing important support from key nations. But they need people around the world to back it.

Your voice matters, and together, we can make a powerful statement. the call to show world leaders that people everywhere are demanding concrete action to transform our relationship with nature.

We understand why many of us feel hopeless — and we recognize that it is not easy to turn around the systems that attack both our planet and the people who defend it.

But this is our opportunity to show the world that we are nature defending itself, and that our movement is unstoppable.

Sign the declaration to push governments to act now, to protect our planet’s biodiversity and ensure a sustainable future for all.

Time and again we take part in these global summits to shine a light on the change we want to see in the world. Let’s make sure our voices are heard once more.
ACTION: JOIN THE GLOBAL CALL TO MAKE PEACE WITH NATURE

With hope and determination,
Laura, Ana Sofia, Lily, and the whole Avaaz team

Declaration of the World Coalition for
COP16: Peace with Nature: A Call for Life
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
República de Colombia

Santiago de Cali, Colombia (October 29, 2024) — The World Coalition for Peace with Nature, living well in balance and in Harmony with Mother Earth is a call for action to enhance national and international efforts and commitments towards achieving a balanced and harmonious relationship with nature to ensure greater sustainability, by protecting nature, and the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of our global biodiversity.

Aware that the planet is facing a critical juncture in which humanity’s global ecological footprint exceeds Earth’s biological capacity, and that environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity threaten humanity and the health of our ecosystems and society’s collective social, economic, and political stability:

1. Recognizing that a harmonious and peaceful relationship between human beings and nature is fundamental for the sustainability of our planet and its living and non-living resources, for the well-being and enjoyment of present and future generations, and for conserving the intrinsic value of nature, hence making it imperative to make peace with nature and actively work towards conserving and restoring biodiversity.
2. Recognizing the need to promote greater awareness and strengthen efforts at local, subnational, national, regional and global levels in matters of human rights, peace among peoples, sustainability, social and environmental justice, traditional knowledge, bio-cultural issues and international cooperation.
3. Emphasizing that halting and reversing biodiversity loss, restoring the health and integrity of ecosystems, as well as their conservation, restoration and sustainable use, requires the collective and sustained action of States, international organizations, civil society, private sector and all relevant right holders and stakeholders.
4. Reaffirming that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right. We acknowledge that respecting this right requires the collaboration and shared responsibility of all sectors of society.
5. Reaffirming the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which recognizes, among other things, that respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contributes to sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment.
6. Recognizing that the ongoing and interrelated crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution and degradation of land and seas have adversely affected multiple human rights and increased inequality and poverty in aspects such as the right to life, health, water, sanitation, food, clothing and housing, development, education, peaceful assembly, cultural rights, as well as the right to live in a healthy, clean and sustainable environment.
7. Recognizing that One Health approach is based on the understanding of the inseparable relation between healthy ecosystems and people ́s health and thus creates sustainable and holistic solutions.
8. Highlighting that the interconnections between the three Rio Conventions on biodiversity, climate change and desertification should always be considered, to ensure more efficient and effective actions and measures to meet their principles and achieve their goals, in line with respective mandates.
9. Recognizing that the adverse effects of biodiversity loss, climate change, desertification and pollution disproportionately impact children, women, girls, and adolescents and youth; people living in poverty, minorities, older people; racially and ethnically marginalized groups; Indigenous Peoples, People of African Descent and local communities; people with disabilities, migrants and internally displaced people, LGBTI and other groups in vulnerable situations.
10. Recognizing that all women, girls and youth in diverse situations and conditions play a fundamental role as agents of change in favor of sustainable development and for peace and nature priorities.
11. Acknowledging that the full, equal, effective, and meaningful participation of women, and meaningful inclusion of youth in addressing the global environmental challenges is essential to achieving sustainable development and for peaceful, just and inclusive societies.
12. Recognizing that the knowledge, innovations and practices of Indigenous Peoples, People of African Descent, peasants, farmers and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles, are essential for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and also recognizing the importance of promoting their wide application with the approval and involvement of their holders; as well as the need to prompt, fairly and equitably share the benefits arising from the use of such traditional knowledge, innovations and practices associated with genetic resources.
13. Considering that education for sustainable development should be at the center of government and educational agendas worldwide to raise awareness of the urgent need to act and confront biodiversity loss, climate change, desertification and pollution, and to promote sustainable production and consumption patterns. In this context, we underline the key role of academia and scientific research in contributing to tackling these crises.
14. Recalling the negative impact of deforestation and forest degradation on biodiversity, and the need to halt and reverse it.
15. Recognizing that there can be no sustainable development without peace, nor peace without sustainable development.
16. Recognizing the link between environmental protection and the promotion and building of peace. Achieving peace with nature requires making peace between peoples, respecting international law and focusing efforts on the conservation, sustainable use and restoration of life on our planet.
17. Reiterating the importance of due respect for and observance of international law as the crucial barrier against actions that threaten the lives of human beings and nature itself.

Therefore,

18. We call to change the relationship between humans and nature to address environmental challenges in a comprehensive manner, and to make peace with nature.
19. We reaffirm the importance of the Vision, Mission, Goals and Targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and of its swift, full and effective implementation, which should follow a human rights- based approach.
20. We call for sustainability to always be accompanied by social and environmental justice, poverty eradication, increased equity, inclusive and informed environmental governance; ensuring full, equitable, inclusive and effective participation in decision-making processes of affected communities.
21. We call for the development of public policies to strengthen institutional and human capital, governance, intercultural dialogue, technical capabilities, and adequate finance to achieve a balanced and harmonious relationship with nature.
22. We commit to promoting the consolidation, strengthening, and creation of partnerships among countries, regions, sectors and peoples, as well as to enhance international cooperation and solidarity, increasing assistance to developing countries for biodiversity, including financial, technology transfer and capacity building.
23. We commit to make efforts to mobilize the whole of government and the whole of society, empowering local action, as from this source comes the power of this coalition, with the potential to be reached and mobilize billions to spark collective action for change.

These efforts are fundamental to reverse environmental deterioration and achieve peace with nature, living well in balance and in harmony with Mother Earth.