The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a draft resolution initiated by Bolivia and co-sponsored by 50 other countries on Wednesday to designate April 22 as International Mother Earth Day.

Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma, who was in the United Nations headquarters to attend the observance, applauded the move, hailing the members of the general assembly had "taken a historic stand for Mother Earth" by acknowledging humanity's common interest in the protection of the planet and its environment.

"Sixty years after adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Mother Earth is now, finally, having her rights recognized," said Morales after the adoption.

In his address to the general assembly, Morales appealed to all members of the United Nations to live up to their responsibility to ensure life on the planet by working for unity, equality, dignity and, above all, humanity, which inherently involved protecting, and restoring, Mother Earth.

Action to that end had never been more vital, as the toll of years of environmental degradation and callous exploitation of the planet's natural resources and ecosystems could no longer be ignored, he said.

"We are strangling the planet, strangling ourselves," Morales said, stressing that, for too many years, the world had been held captive by the seductive notion of capitalism.

However, it was now clear that "we don't own the planet, we belong to it," he said, calling for the 21st century to be dedicated to recognizing and protecting Mother Earth and her ecosystems.

"If we want to safeguard mankind, we need to safeguard the planet; if we are to safeguard the planet, we need to recognize the rights of the planet, the rights of Mother Earth -- that is the next task of the United Nations," the Bolivian president said.

Miguel D'escoto Brockmann, current president of the general assembly, told a plenary meeting of the 192-member body that the proclamation of April 22 as International Mother Earth Day "is an acknowledgment that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance throughout our lives."

It also recognized the responsibility to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity, D'escoto said.

Since the 1970s, Earth Day, which has no international designation, has been celebrated in many countries to inspire awareness and appreciation of the environment.

"The proposed International Mother Day does not seek to replace these other events, but rather to reinforce and reinterpret them based on the evolving challenges we face," the General Assembly president said.

"All of us came from the Earth and to the Earth we will return," D'escoto said, adding the proclamation of the International Mother Earth Day provided "a timely opportunity to raise public awareness around the world to the challenges that we face regarding the welling-being of the planet and all the life it supports."