High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly
“Harmony with Nature and Living Well”
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 – Trusteeship Council Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York
From 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. New York time – Live broadcast on UN WebTV
Objective of the Conference
In accordance with General Assembly resolution A/RES/79/210, this high-level meeting marks the official celebration of International Mother Earth Day, held annually on April 22. It aims to strengthen multilateralism by promoting sustainable lifestyles and holistic approaches in harmony with Nature, in direct connection with the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The discussions will focus on the conditions that enable Member States, Indigenous Peoples, academics, NGOs, and stakeholders to integrate ecocentric worldviews into public policy, where humans are seen as part of Nature, not separate from it.
Strategic Context
This conference is part of the United Nations’ Harmony with Nature Program, active since 2009. It seeks to recognize the intrinsic value of Nature, including through ecosystem contributions, the rights of Mother Earth, and Indigenous knowledge systems.
The reference framework includes the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the SDGs 12, 13, 14, 15, and Target 12.8, which aims to ensure that everyone has the information needed to adopt lifestyles in harmony with Nature.
Official Conference Program
Location: Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York
Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
10:00 – 10:40 | Opening Segment
Speakers:
- H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang, President of the United Nations General Assembly
- H.E. Ms. Celinda Sosa Lunda, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
- Mr. Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
- Ms. Sofie Sandström Jaffe, Permanent Observer of IUCN to the UN, on behalf of Dr. Grethel Aguilar, Director General of IUCN
10:40 – 13:00 | Plenary Segment
Statements from Member States and General Assembly Observers
13:00 – 15:00 | Lunch Break
15:00 – 18:00 | Interactive Roundtable
Theme: Promoting sustainable lifestyles and holistic approaches in harmony with Nature
Moderator:
- Ms. Ligia Noronha, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNEP New York Office
Speakers:
- Ms. Callie Veelenturf, Executive Director, The Leatherback Project
- Mr. Thomas Egli, CEO of the Geneva Forum, Founder of Objectif Sciences International
- Mr. Francis Verreault-Paul, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador
- Ms. Saoudata Aboubacrine, Secretary General, Tin Hinane Association for the Development of Nomadic Women
Watch the Conference Live
The meeting will be broadcast live on UN Web TV.
Part 1: Opening and Plenary Segments: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k13/k136pm5d8i
Part 2: Expert Panel: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1d/k1dfnawzks
Statement by Mr. Thomas Egli – CEO of Geneva Forum & Founder of Objectif Sciences International
In response to the request from the President of the United Nations General Assembly, 79th session
High-Level Meeting “Harmony with Nature and Living Well”, April 22, 2025
Harmony with Nature: Living by the Laws of Life
Mr. President, Excellencies, Delegates, Colleagues, Friends of the Earth,
I sincerely thank you for the invitation to take part in this essential gathering. It is both an honor and a duty to represent today the ideas advanced by Objectif Sciences International, a scientific and educational NGO specializing in the co-construction of sustainable solutions inspired by the ecosystemic rules of Life.
Our Core Belief: Humanity is Part of Nature
For nearly 35 years, our organization has worked to integrate into human practices—whether in education, governance, innovation, or economics—the fundamental rules of living systems, such as:
- Adaptability in complex environments,
- Systemic cooperation over competition,
- Diversity as a lever for resilience,
- Interconnection as a source of stability and creativity,
- Self-organization and regulation through feedback,
- Respect for life cycles, renewal, and transmission.
These principles are foundational not only to ecological regeneration but also to economic and social resilience. A regenerative economy, modeled after Nature, creates long-term shared value benefiting both the planet and its inhabitants.
We assert that these principles, observable in any balanced ecosystem, are applicable to human organizations of all sizes, local or global, and to individuals alike.
A Paradigm Shift Is Underway
Our response to your call for a transition toward sustainable lifestyles and holistic approaches is grounded in a scientific and cultural reality:
“Nature is a 3.8-billion-year-old enterprise... that has never gone bankrupt.”
This shift requires us to stop viewing Nature as an external resource to exploit and instead see it as an organizational model we are part of. A circular economy, designed with respect for ecological cycles, supports this transition by valuing closed loops, mutualization, functional simplicity, and zero-waste production, product cycles seen in a sustainable way, with an ecosystemic approach to industry (industrial ecology).
In Practical Terms, We Propose:
- Systemic educational tools developed and tested in our participatory science programs, fostering experiential informal education, which is significantly more powerful in terms of learning, personal transformation, and engagement than traditional formal education.
- Bio-inspired governance models, successfully tested in our field projects (international cooperation, ecological incubators, adaptive enterprises).
- An organizational analysis matrix based on the vital functions of Life (production, elimination, communication, protection…), applicable to any human structure seeking internal transformation.
- Recognition of the rights of Life, integrated into our methodology—not as a legal abstraction, but as a practical guide for all human decision-making.
- Impact finance that does not seek to monetize Nature but rather to serve it, by supporting regenerative, educational, cooperative, and structural projects aligned with co-evolution with the planet.
In Response to Your Questions:
How can this paradigm be integrated into public policy?
By training decision-makers in systemic logic, embedding bio-inspired approaches into lawmaking, and designing economic plans around regeneration, circularity, and equity.
What governance mechanisms?
Modular, totipotent, and distributed structures, inspired by the functioning of living organisms, that support subsidiarity, adaptive resilience, and networked innovation, while accommodating diverse cultural approaches.
What are the challenges?
The greatest challenge is not technical, but cultural: to unlearn and let go of the domination model, making way for co-evolution with Life. This requires a change in posture—starting with institutions themselves.
How to include Indigenous knowledge?
By acknowledging that it has always carried a systemic, interconnected, deeply resilient worldview—often more advanced than modern rational systems. OSI works in partnership with several Indigenous communities around the world.
In Conclusion, I Say: Dare to Live in Harmony
This “harmony with Nature” is not a distant utopia, but a tangible reality for those who observe and draw inspiration from the laws of Life. Many Indigenous civilizations have long understood this. Today we have a historic opportunity to shift from an extractive model to a regenerative one—restoring the planet while elevating humanity.
An economy that generates revenue while increasing Nature’s resilience will ultimately create conditions for sustainable abundance, where human prosperity becomes a consequence of ecological health. Every amount invested in life creates circular value that strengthens both ecosystems and communities.
We are ready to fully cooperate with all stakeholders to implement these approaches and equip the UN with a universal methodology, rooted in Life and adaptable to each culture and territory.
Thank you for allowing Life, Nature, and Earth to once again become our common reference.
