from United Nations Indigenous Permanent Forum

Dear Friends of the Permanent Forum,

On 22 April 2009, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution designating April 22 each year as International Mother Earth Day. This move was sponsored by Bolivia and 50 countries. The Earth day Observance was started in 1970 in the United States and many other countries as way to bring awareness to the environmental problems facing the planet.

In adopting the resolution, the General Assembly invited all member states, the U.N. system, regional bodies and non-government organizations to “observe and raise awareness of International Mother Earth Day, as appropriate”.

“Sixty years after adopting the [Universal Declaration of Human Rights], Mother Earth is now finally having the rights recognized” said Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous President.

Please visit the link below to view the draft GA Resolution in English:
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/mother_earth_day_RES_en.pdf

Best regards,
Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
www.un.org/indigenous
indigenous_un@un.org
UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
DC2-1454