7 December 2012: The UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved draft resolution A/C.2/67/L.37/Rev.1 on “Harmony with Nature,” on 7 December 2012, in New York. The draft, sponsored by Bolivia with the additional sponsorship of the Group of 77 and China (G77/China), Georgia, and Ukraine, calls for promotion of the rights of nature and holistic approaches to sustainable development.

The text requests that the UNGA President hold an interactive dialogue on Earth Day 2013 (April 22) about the economic and ethical bases of humanity’s relationship with the Earth, and the establishment of a trust fund for the participation of independent experts in such dialogues.

The draft also welcomes the launch of the Harmony with Nature website, which is maintained by the Division for Sustainable Development (DSD), UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

Finally, the draft resolution recognizes a need for “broader measures of progress” to complement gross domestic product (GDP), and calls for expediting this program of work. [Draft Resolution A/C.2/67/L.37/Rev.1] [Status of Draft Resolutions in Second Committee] [Harmony with Nature Website]