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Civil Society Organizations call to action: “An equitable, carbon-neutral, nature-positive world”

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Calling Heads of States for ‘An equitable, carbon-neutral and nature-positive world’
On the eve of the High Level Week of the UN General Assembly, a call for Heads of State to act to halt and reverse nature loss this decade comes from far and wide.


“Never has it been more clear that we need to reset our relationship with nature. The way we currently produce and consume is destroying the very natural systems that support our health and our economies. Urgent action is needed to tackle the drivers of biodiversity loss, most notably our food system, and secure a sustainable future for people and the planet. » said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF-International.

 

Seven distinct groups, representing global concerns and cultures, are calling for governments to take action on nature loss: Environment, Development and other partner organizations; Development and Humanitarian organizations; Faith-based organizations; Indigenous People; Business; Local and Regional Governments; and Youth. In total, more than 1,000 organizations and individuals, present in almost every country worldwide, are represented in issuing an extraordinary coordinated call for immediate action to tackle our nature crisis, and committing to take action themselves to help halt and reverse the loss of nature.

 

As part of this concerted effort, 15 partner organisations from the Post-2020 Pavilion Partnership including environment, development and other organisations issued today a call to action to Heads of State and Governments to set nature on the path to recovery by 2030 and secure an equitable, carbon-neutral and nature-positive world.

 

This decade must become the pivotal moment in human history when we change our relationship with nature and restore a healthy environment, for the sake of all people and the planet.

 

“The current, devastating pandemic provides a stark warning that healthy economies and healthy people rely on a healthy planet. We urge world leaders gathering at the UN General Assembly’s Summit on Biodiversity to commit to take action now to ensure an equitable, carbon-neutral, nature-positive planet for all people. BirdLife International Chief Executive, Patricia Zurita

 

Signatories supporting the call to action include, among others, African Wildlife Foundation, BirdLife International, Business for Nature, Capitals Coalition, Conservation International, Global Youth Biodiversity Network, IFAW,International Institute for Environment and Development, International Land Coalition, MAVA Foundation, WWF International.

 

“It is crucial governments seize this opportunity to halt the loss of biodiversity and start the process of restoring what we have lost. How this is done must respect the rights of the Indigenous Peoples and local communities who live in and around vital nature-rich areas, and not lead to their displacement, marginalisation or impoverishment. Indigenous Peoples and local communities are the most effective at protecting nature and depend on it for their lives and livelihoods. Their priorities need to be at the heart of any biodiversity agreement if it is to be successful.”  Andrew Norton, Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

 

This call for action together with other Calls to action launched by different constituencies are coming ahead of the High-Level Week of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA-75), highlight how the destruction and degradation of nature is placing human health and livelihoods at risk.

 

Nature loss directly increases our vulnerability to pandemics, such as COVID-19, natural disasters and conflicts, with the most vulnerable and marginalized people hit first and hardest. Protecting nature is intrinsically linked to protecting values, human rights, indigenous peoples, women, children and youth; while at the same time essential to tackling the climate crisis. Sustainable use of natural resources means building resilient economies – more than half of the global GDP is moderately or highly exposed to nature loss.

Organizations representing hundreds of millions of individuals globally, alongside more than 560 global businesses with combined revenue of $4 trillion, have today issued unprecedented coordinated calls for urgent action on nature to protect human and planetary health.

Read the call to action here!



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