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Panorama of Events
Bolivia
World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth
By Mexico News Group (Originally in Spanish)
All beings are entitled to all the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration without distinction of any kind… Every being has the right to wellbeing and to live free from torture or cruel treatment by human beings. ---- Universal Declaration of Mother Earth’s Rights
[Cochabamba] Bolivian President Evo Morales, known as a leader of the world’s indigenous people, called for the first World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, from April 19 to 22, Golden Year 7 (2010) in Tiquipaya, Cochabamba, Bolivia. Over 35,000 people hailing from more than 150 countries attended the climate summit, which offered governments and civil society groups a cherished opportunity to work together to address climate change with the shared goal of halting the devastating impact of global warming. As a result, a collective document entitled “Submission by the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action” was produced, which incorporates and develops the main content of the “Peoples Agreement” and the draft proposal for a “Universal Declaration of Mother Earth’s Rights.”
During the conference, different workshops with topics ranging from action strategies to agriculture and food policies were open to all. Everyone was welcome to voice their concerns and to contribute to the final conference declaration. Representing the world’s indigenous communities, many participants highlighted the traditional values of sustainability and respect for nature, which is much needed to restore harmony on Earth. Official delegates from 47 countries including Finland, France, India, Iran and the UK attended a dialog between the people and governments. Among the recommendations, it was suggested that an international environmental court be created to protect the rights of Mother Earth.
To bring awareness to those who took part in the event that the vegan diet is the most efficient solution to climate change, our Association members raised the issue during workshops, and distributed more than 1,000 free vegan sandwiches plus over 85,000 SOS flyers and related information packs created for the conference. The press office was provided with an abundance of materials regarding Supreme Master TV and climate change. In addition, our group was pleasantly surprised by the keen interest of the people in an alternative lifestyle and the fact that many attendees were already aware of the harmful effects of the meat diet and were vegans or cutting down their meat consumption. They were also delighted to see that the government had arranged an area to serve free vegan meals during the climate summit, and a participant’s stand with vegan cakes and treats was a very popular choice for the attendees. The goodwill and determination to save the planet was a shared feeling throughout the event. 
For banning the use of all animals in circuses in Bolivia, President Evo Morales was honored with the Shining World Leadership Award from Supreme Master Ching Hai. (Please refer to the Shining World Leadership Award column in this issue for detailed report.) President Morales also spoke of the need to reduce meat consumption and shared the relevant information with other Latin American government officials.
We are grateful to Bolivian President Evo Morales and all
who were part of the World Peoples’ Conference on Climate Change
and the Rights of Mother Earth for the love and respect shown to our
planetary home. May the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Earth
and all beings be protected by formal legislation as proposed by the
Declaration formed during the gathering. May our world survive and
flourish in peace with more people awakening to the compassionate
vegan way of life.
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