A Global Initiative for a Universal Declaration on the Rights of Nature: Pathways to Establish a Mechanism for Endorsement and Adoption by World Governments

The legal and cultural concepts underpinning the Rights of Nature framework have gained significant traction in recent years as innovative approaches to environmental governance. According to the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, Earth Jurisprudence—the legal philosophy that informs Rights of Nature action and legislation—“can be seen as the fastest growing legal movement of the twenty-first century.” This ecocentric framework recognizes that ecosystems, natural entities, and all species possess inherent value and rights, independent of human use. Rights of Nature laws, policies, and court rulings recognize that humans are embedded within the natural world and that, therefore, socio-economic systems must be nested within environmental rights in sustainable development models. 

This legal and cultural paradigm shift is essential in addressing interlocking environmental and social crises of our time, including biodiversity loss, climate change, ecological degradation, and environmental injustice. This Rights of Nature Global Initiative presents the importance of and outlines a strategy for national and subnational governments to have a mechanism for countries to adopt a Universal Declaration on the Rights of Nature, which would draw upon a foundational document, the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth drafted in 2010. Click the button to download the report for more details.