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Fundación Pachamama celebrated Earth Day, April 22, with various events focused on Rights of Nature in Ecuador, including a free film festival and a “Rights of Nature Week” that resulted in concrete proposals for the Ecuadorian delegation to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) next month.
Spreading the Message through Film
A free film festival was offered during the entire month of April in the cities of Manta, Guayaquil, and Quito. Showings included documentaries and short films dealing with themes of Nature and social environmental conflicts caused by Ecuador’s extractive industries and activities.
Rights of Nature Week
For a week following Earth Day, civil society organizations and interested people were invited to strengthen the country’s environmental movement during “Rights of Nature Week.” Participants included lawyers, biologists, human rights defenders, sociologists, community representatives, students, and other members of the social sector.
As a result of the week’s meetings, twenty new members joined the national Collective for the Rights of Nature, one of the fundamental legs of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature.
Informing Ecuador’s Rio+20 Delegation
Two days of Rights of Nature Week were dedicated to the discussion of the possibilities of the Río+20 Conference in Brazil in June. Participants debated the country’s official position and aspects of the Zero Draft of the Outcome Document.
The comments and suggestions generated in the meetings will be presented directly to the Coordinating Ministry of Heritage of Ecuador, the leader of the Ecuadorian delegation.
