Climate Crisis, Ocean Plastic, Species Extinction. Humanity faces mounting and massive Sustainability problems.

Despite huge efforts – e.g. the UN IPCC – change is not fast or effective enough.

Our client, The Government of the Republic of Ecuador, saw the urgency. Ecuador has some of the greatest environmental resources in the world – and also feels the threats from exploitation and climate change.

But how can Ecuador make a difference to such a Global issue?

Taking this open brief, and thinking like a creative agency, we looked for a new way into the problem. Can we reframe the problem? Can we find a single simple solution? Can we make it scalable and sellable and emotionally persuasive?

Our aim – to build an enduring, powerful, implementable solution to humanity’s sustainability problems.

Behind our many sustainability problems is a single cultural belief: human primacy over nature - it’s ok to destroy nature if we want.

Progress is hard because this is embedded systemically - in laws, institutions.

In 2008, Ecuador made a revolutionary systemic change its constitution gave Nature Rights equivalent to Human Rights in Law. Rights to existence e.g. poisoning a river is as illegal as poisoning a human.

It’s proven effective throughout Ecuador and in test cases in New Zealand (Whanganui River), India (Ganges and Yamuna Rivers), Colombia (Amazon forest), USA (Lake Erie, Shapleigh).

We saw the opportunity to apply Nature Rights globally.

But how?

After the horrors of WWII, the UN created a document of rights for every human: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Seven decades later, that single document remains the driving force behind all international human rights laws.

This was our inspiration to global systemic change.

The UNIVERSAL DECLARATION of the RIGHTS of NATURE: a document saying that Nature has fundamental rights, universally protected.

8 articles to give Nature the same rights as humans. If adopted by the UN, these can become Nature’s own Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

They will provide an inspiration and a template for global change, just as the UDHR has. One solution that can get to the root of the sustainability problem, and drive systemic change.

Once in a constitution, it is very hard to undo these rights. Institutions, industries, bodies with power build around them, become embedded players in politics. They become systemic.

It’s time for The UNIVERSAL DECLARATION of the RIGHTS of NATURE, to be signed at the UN and lead global change just as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights does.

Nature rights is an idea – but to activate it and bring it to life, we would

GET: the UN General Assembly

TO: sign the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature

BY: creating a movement solely dedicated to achieving this.

Timing: General Assembly vote in September 2021

Audiences – activating through several audiences

- to write the UN resolution: NGOs (Earth Law Centre, CELDF and Harmony with Nature (part of the UN), Earth Rights Alliance) and 17 UN stakeholders

- the Ecuador government: persuading our clients in The Government of the Republic of Ecuador to take this to the president of Ecuador, as the UN proposer

- build enough supporter nations in the UN to make it pass the vote (requires 100 nations out of the 193)

- broad population: creating a media campaign (digital, social media & documentary film) to build popular support ahead of the vote.

PHASE 1: SET UP (2020)

1.1 campaigning materials:

- Cause film: the idea and objectives, sent to prospective partners, before actual conversations

- Website: naturerightsdeclaration.org

PHASE 2: DEVELOP SUPPORTERS, RESOLUTION, PROPOSER (2020-21)

2.1 recruited NGO allies to build momentum globally and co-create the UN resolution.

2.2 took to the President of Ecuador asking to be the UN proposer

PHASE 3: VOTE (April 2021- vote September 2021)

3.1 Created NatureNeedsUNow – NGO devoted to vote campaigning

3.2 Diplomatic campaign for votes (2020-)

- passing in the UN General Assembly takes 100/193 Nations

- ongoing comprehensive lobbying, direct and email campaign, building from most sympathetic nations to the 100

3.3 popular campaign (launch April 21)

- Nations are more likely to vote if their populations support us

- Digital and social media campaign (youtube, Instagram, TikTok)

- a mass audience documentary is in production “LAW OF THE LAND”

1. We have created and staffed an effective campaigning organisation

2. Created and registered a new NGO, Nature Needs UNow – dedicated entirely to building support for the vote

3. the resolution supporting the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature is written and approved ready for the vote

4. the president of Ecuador has agreed to propose the resolution at the UN in September 2021

5. diplomatic campaign: we have the support of our first wave of environmentally-progressive nation governments: Costa Rica, Ecuador, India Colombia, New Zealand, Paraguay, Mauritius

6. popular campaign: digital and social have launched; the mass media documentary is in production, ready to build support behind the vote