A/RES/70/208 Harmony with Nature its resolution 63/278 of 22 April 2009, by which it designated 22 April as International Mother Earth Day, Recalling also the 1982 World Charter for Nature, 7 Noting the interactive dialogue of the General Assembly on Harmo ny with Nature, held on 27 April 2015 to commemorate International Mother Earth Day, on the promotion of the balanced integration of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development through Harmony with Nature, Recognizing that planet Earth and its ecosystems are our home and that “Mother Earth” is a common expression in a number of countries and regions, noting that some countries recognize the rights of nature in the context of the promotion of sustainable development, and expressing the conviction that, in order to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations, it is necessary to promote harmony with nature, Noting that, in promoting a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development in harmony with nature, Earth system science plays a significant role, Expressing concern about documented environmental degradation, potentially more frequent and intense natural disasters and the negative impact on nature resulting from human activity, and recognizing the need to strengthen scientific knowledge on the effects of human activities on the Earth systems, with the aim of promoting and ensuring an equitable, balanced and sustainable relationship with the Earth, Taking note of the Peoples’ World Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, hosted by the Plurinational State of Bolivia in Cochabamba from 20 to 22 April 2010, 8 Recognizing that a number of countries consider Mother Earth the source of all life and nourishment and that these countries consider Mother Earth and humankind to be an indivisible, living community of interrelated and interdependent beings, Noting that in recent years there have been many initiatives on sustainable development governance, including policy documents on living well in harmony with nature, Taking note of the conceptual framework of the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, 9 Recognizing that gross domestic product was not designed as an indicator for measuring environmental degradation resulting from human activity and the need to overcome this limitation with regard to sustainable development and the work carried out in this regard, Recognizing also the uneven availability of basic statistical data under the three dimensions of sustainable development and the need to improve their quality and quantity, Reaffirming that fundamental changes in the way societies produce and consume are indispensable for achieving global sustainable development and that all _______________ 7 Resolution 37/7, annex. See A/64/777, annexes I and II. 9 IPBES/2/17. 8 2/4