The President of the General Assembly will convene an interactive dialogue on Harmony with Nature on 22 April at UN Headquarters in New York. The dialogue will commemorate International Mother Earth Day and is arranged to advance discussions on Harmony with Nature in order to promote a balanced integration of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

The Harmony with Nature initiative speaks to the need to move away from a human-centered worldview – or “anthropocentrism” – and establish a non-anthropocentric, or Earth-centered, relationship with the planet. Under this new paradigm, nature is recognized as an equal partner with humankind.

The Interactive Dialogue will examine the key characteristics of a new, non-anthropocentric paradigm and begin to identify specific strategies on how the society subsequently would need to function consistent with this paradigm.

Given the complexity of the task, the Dialogue will provide guidance to build up a knowledge network that will further advance this paradigm, upon which all the different approaches that reflect the drivers and values of living in Harmony with Nature will be rooted. These strategies will rely on the most current scientific information to achieve sustainable development, in light of the fundamental interconnections between humanity and nature.

The programme can be found on the recently updated Harmony with Nature website, which also features the latest legal developments on the rights of nature, law and policy. An extensive and in-depth bibliography of academic expertise focusing on an Earth-centered relationship with nature instead of the prevailing human-centered paradigm can also be found on the website.