The entire world has come to a halt with the COVID-19 pandemic. While it may not be the deadliest outbreak of the 21st century, it has definitively caused the greatest disruption to all sectors. We now begin to question our future and what we know life to be.
We at the Haribon Foundation believe that ecosystem disturbances caused by humans is one of the urgent environmental issues that should be addressed today in order to prevent pandemics. COVID-19 marks the persistence of an old enemy. Biodiversity loss from habitat conversion, illegal wildlife trade, climate change, and environmental degradation are just some of the causes of the many disease outbreaks that ail us today.
As the BirdLife partner in the Philippines, we support the call of BirdLife International to the UN Secretary General on the need to recognize the right of human beings to a healthy natural environment. It proposes an additional provision – ‘Article 31’ to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – enshrining a universal right to a healthy natural environment, guaranteed by public policies, governed by sustainability and by scientific and traditional indigenous knowledge.
The United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 has proclaimed The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Since the Declaration, all signatories have agreed that these are the fundamental human rights to be universally protected regardless of culture, race, nation, color, age, or gender. This is a milestone document in the history of human rights.
As we live in these uncertain times, we witness history unfold before our eyes. We call for the conservation and sustainable use of the environment and biodiversity to prevent another pandemic. We need to stay vigilant in ensuring that our life-giving natural ecosystems and the habitats we share together are protected. The future of the human race lies on the crucial decisions we make today.
Our planet’s health is our health. Together, let’s #ChooseTheEarth today!
Message from:
Alejandro T. Flores, Jr.
Haribon Foundation, Board of Trustees Chair