International Mother Earth Day 2024: An Ode to Mother Earth

In honor of International Mother Earth Day 2024, Dr. Juana Vera Delgado, the Senior Gender Advisor at GFC, has penned and recited a heartfelt ode to our planet, our shared home and the sanctuary of all life. This ode resonates with an indigenous, ecofeminist, and intercultural perspective, offering a stark contrast to the Lord’s Prayer, which begins, ‘Our Father…’ which originated over two millennia ago in a deeply patriarchal and colonialist era, which persists to this day.

Established in 2009 by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, April 22nd marks International Mother Earth Day, a day dedicated to recognizing Earth and its ecosystems as the common heritage of humanity. It underscores the imperative to safeguard our planet, not only to improve livelihoods but also to combat climate change and halt the alarming loss of biodiversity.

You can listen to Dr. Juana reciting her ode in her own voice, in English and Spanish.

GFC is also launching greeting cards for International Mother Earth Day with the Ode, in Russian, French, and Dutch. You can download them below – feel free to share these, to commemorate this powerful day. GFC honors the Indigenous Peoples and local communities the world over who safeguard the vast majority of biodiversity and life on Earth.