Your Excellency Mr. Philemon Yang, President of the General Assembly,
Your Excellency Ms. Lena Yanina Estrada, Minister for Environment of Colombia,
Your Excellency Ms. Celinda Sosa Lunda, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia,
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
I am pleased to join you at this high-level meeting on Harmony with Nature and Living Well, as we mark International Mother Earth Day. I thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this important event.
Human well-being is inseparable from the health of our planet. Yet today, our relationship with nature is dangerously out of balance.
2024 was the warmest year on record. Biodiversity is vanishing at an alarming rate. One million species are now at risk of extinction -- many within decades.
Plastic pollution has more than doubled since 2000, profoundly harming our ecosystems and disrupting food chains.
Earth¡¯s capacity to regulate climate, cycle nutrients, and support biodiversity is rapidly diminishing.
To mitigate these interlinked challenges, the linear ¡°take, make, dispose¡± economic model must become a relic of the past. We urgently need a regenerative, circular approach that restores balance with nature.
With only 17 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals targets on track, the urgency for transformative action is undeniable.
Excellencies,
Allow me to highlight four key areas of action.
First, we need to advocate responsible governance for sustainability. Integrating the Harmony with Nature paradigm into national, regional, and international development frameworks is essential. Governments must champion nature-positive solutions, strengthen environmental governance, and align economic growth with long-term sustainability.
Upcoming global milestones like the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, the 2026 UN Water Conference, and the Second World Summit for Social Development, offer crucial opportunities to accelerate synergistic actions on SDGs and scale up ambition to protect nature.
Second, we must embrace inclusive, knowledge-based decision-making.
Indigenous peoples and local communities have long been custodians of environmental stewardship. As recognized at COP 16 in Cali, their invaluable knowledge of biodiversity must be integrated alongside science and technology into environmental governance.
We must ensure their direct access to climate and biodiversity financing mechanisms, and invest in capacity building, supporting data management, geospatial mapping, and ecosystem monitoring, to support Indigenous-led, nature-positive initiatives.
Third, we must promote sustainable consumption and production patterns. We need a cultural shift fostered through awareness and education. Governments, civil society, and the private sector share the responsibility in shaping narratives and systems that make sustainable choices accessible, affordable, and appealing to all.
Fourth, we must support and scale effective local actions. Last year in Costa Rica, I witnessed an inspiring initiative where women micro-entrepreneurs, transform discarded fish skins into jewelry and handbags. Such circular economy solutions can achieve much greater impact through targeted financing, visibility, and policy support.
Excellencies,
As we engage in today¡¯s dialogue, let us reaffirm our shared responsibility to protect the Earth¡ªour only home.
The Pact for the Future demands that we place harmony with nature at the heart of how we live, produce and govern.
Let us rise to this challenge, with commitment and solidarity. UN DESA stands ready to support Member States and partners in turning this vision into a sustainable reality.
Thank you.