Panama proposes UN declaration to give legal rights to nature

Panama has proposed recognizing the universal rights of nature at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. The goal is to create a UN Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature, which would treat nature as a direct subject of rights with its own value.

New Coalition

On 24 September, Panama, Tonga and Vanuatu started the For Nature Coalition of States. Palau and Dominica are also founding members of this group. The platform is informal and voluntary, allowing member states to share ideas and discuss a proposed intergovernmental process for the UN declaration. Joining the coalition does not mean a country supports any specific legal text or outcome.

Global Laws

Current environmental laws often fail to stop ecological destruction and mostly just place a report, timeline or price on ongoing harm. Corporations currently have legal rights, but nature largely does not. Thirty countries have already recognized the rights of nature in some way, with around 300 examples of laws globally. These include Oaxaca in Mexico, Te Awa Tupua in New Zealand, and the Mar Menor lagoon in Spain. Panama is the fourth country to recognize nature's rights on a national level, following Ecuador in 2008, Bolivia in 2010, and Uganda in 2019. On 10 April, two individuals signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding to commit to an international process to negotiate the UN declaration over the coming years.

Context

Calls to recognize the rights of nature aim to shift legal systems so that ecosystems have a standing similar to corporate entities. This approach uses principles like favoring nature when in doubt and taking preventive action despite uncertainty. Such frameworks seek to hold governments and businesses legally and financially responsible for their environmental impact.