religion

The Fear of “The Great Replacement” and Impact on Society

Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, 2 PM to 3 PM ET

Join Live via Zoom or Facebook. Please click here to register.

Please join Religions for Peace for a discussion on how the fear of “The Great Replacement” has provided motivation for many heinous attacks on racial and religious minorities and what should be the role of religious communities in dispelling this myth perpetuated by white supremacist groups.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns-NY, please visit csvgc-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. 

Preserving Life on Land: Plans, Projects, Pitfalls and Partnerships for Rainforest Preservation

Dear UN partners and participants at the HLPF,

On behalf of co-sponsors The Episcopal Church, Interfaith Rainforest Initiative Colombia, World Council of Churches, and the Parliament of the World’s Religions, you are warmly invited to a virtual parallel event on the occasion of the HLPF review of Goal 15 – Life on Land:

“Preserving Life on Land: Plans, Projects, Pitfalls and Partnerships for Rainforest Preservation”

Monday, July 11th, 1 – 2:30 pm EDT

Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJItfu6tpz4vG9Q-XsUmPdh2r5SPPQ4H8CRv

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com.

Leadership for Change: A Call to Action from Sisters Supporting Vulnerable Communities

This side event will address SDGs 14, 15, and 17 – under review at this year’s High-Level Political Forum – by featuring panelists with expertise in creating environmental initiatives that serve and support our planet’s most vulnerable communities. Panelists will include Sisters engaged in grassroots advocacy, speakers from civil society sharing best practices for partnerships around the SDGs, and representatives from Member States with experience of collaborating to make the 2030 Agenda a reality for all. With this event, we aim to model effective implementation of SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals. UNANIMA and UISG are partnering to produce a concise and powerful call to action, drawing from the experiences of Sisters as development leaders, with concrete policy recommendations on achieving the relevant SDGs.

Join live here on July 7 at 1pm Eastern / 7pm CET:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82672796766?pwd=uuOs9L9gjyMT_WOZAq3SV38ZlU4CWs.1&mc_cid=13e5b4d572&mc_eid=e1bba69d46#success

Through this event, UNANIMA International and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) will bring to Member States the distinctive voices of Catholic Sisters – women leaders supporting marginalized communities around the world – with a strong call to action on SDGs 14, 15 and 17, under review at this Forum.

The Goals:

SDGs 14 and 15 were established by the UN in 2015. Life Below Water aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” Life on Land was created to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.” The Earth’s delicate ecosystems sustain and nourish life for all humans.

However, extractive industries, plastic pollution, and many other toxic practices are disrupting the relationship between people and our planet. Marginalized groups, Small-Island Developing States, and countries in the global south are particularly reliant on oceans and land for food security and wellbeing. Habitat loss caused by rising sea levels, deforestation, and other climate-related factors is wreaking havoc around the globe, forcing people to seek out temporary, crowded, and unsafe shelters where illness and infection spread quickly.

Climate injustice – including the loss of homes, biodiversity, and essential food and water supplies – is one of the most pressing obstacles to achieving the SDGs. Indigenous and local communities suffering from changes to their environments can often provide solutions to the challenges we face below water and on land: their insights will be essential in caring for the Earth as we approach 2030.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship at the United Nations, please visit  ngocsw.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit  ngocsw-geneva.ch.

Dispelling Misconceptions & Myths: Faith Actors Advancing Gender Equality & the Empowerment of Women and Girls

Dear friends,

You are warmly invited to an HLPF side event organized by the UN Multi Faith Advisory Council, Dispelling Misconceptions & Myths: Faith Actors Advancing Gender Equality & the Empowerment of Women and Girls.

The event will be held virtually, Thursday 7th July 7:30 – 9:00 EDT.

Please register here!  We hope you will be able to join us.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit  ngocsw.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. 

Torture in Our Name: A Moral Call to End Solitary Confinement

Please join us for a film screening and discussion about how survivors of solitary confinement and religious communities are working together to abolish torture once and for all. Join live via Zoom or Facebook!

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hIAox0YhQOCLvRJgLqxMHA

Religions for Peace (RFP) USA is the largest and most broadly-based representative multi-religious forum in the United States, with participants from more than 50 religious communities, representing each of the major faith traditions. The organization identifies shared commitments among religious communities in the U.S., enhances mutual understanding among these communities, and facilitates collaboration to address issues of common concern.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit crngo.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns, please visit csvgc-ny.org. For more information on the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, please visit crimealliance.org. 

International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People

As customary, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 32/40 B of 2 December 1977, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (Solidarity Day) will be marked by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) with a Special Meeting of the Committee where UN Members States express their solidarity with the Palestinian people through messages by Heads of States and Government. Similar events are held at UNOG, UNON, UNOV and UNICs around the world.

This year, the Special Meeting will be held on Monday, 29 November from 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. (New York time) and will be livestreamed on UN WebTV.

The International Day of Solidarity provides an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine remains unresolved and that the Palestinian people are yet to attain their inalienable rights as defined by the General Assembly, namely, the right to self-determination, the right to national independence and sovereignty and the right to return.

The Special Meeting will be presided by the Chair of the Committee, Ambassador Cheikh Niang, who will deliver the opening statement, followed by remarks by the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Security Council, and by the Chef de Cabinet, speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General.

The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine will deliver a statement on behalf of Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine. Video messages of solidarity by H.E. Ms. Tarja Halonen, Former President of Finland, Ms. Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International Secretary-General, and Ms. Hanan Hroub, Palestinian winner of “Global Teacher Prize,” will be broadcast.  Mr. Mohammed El-Kurd, Palestinian activist from Sheikh Jarrah and Representative of civil society, will also deliver a statement.

The Chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories and representatives of regional organizations (AU, LAS, OIC, NAM) will deliver statements in the second part of the Meeting.

This year, the Special Meeting will be held in-person, in the General Assembly Hall, with some of the COVID-19 restrictions and limits to access to the UN compound.

The Special Meeting will be open to the media. The Special Meeting will be conducted in the six official languages.The meeting will be broadcast on UN Web TV

Updates, including on the programme of the event and press releases, will be posted online at Home – Question of Palestine (un.org).

There will be live updates from the Committee Twitter account and Facebook page.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.  For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. 

Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN (CRNGO) Annual Membership Meeting

Venue: Online and Baha’i International Community (866 UN Plaza, Suite 120)

RSVP required: https://bic-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvf-uorDkuH9GvRCtVkcF-JfCsuk8EOTY5

As we emerge from a pandemic-induced hiatus during which the Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN (CRNGO) largely carried out its activities through the CRNGO Climate Working Group, the CRNGO Bureau invites its members to come back together, in community, in a moment of reflection, to be together for its first Annual Membership Meeting in three years. 

The event will be hosted in a hybrid format in recognition of the fact that the pandemic is still ongoing, and each individual’s comfort level with gathering in physical space is different. 

The purpose and objective of the Annual Membership Meeting is to help foster community and facilitate learning and interaction among religious and spiritual NGOs working at the United Nations as well as those interested in engaging with the UN.

The Annual Membership Meeting will open with welcoming remarks by members of the Bureau, followed by a consultative process where participants are invited to reflect on how their organizations have successfully engaged with the UN in the past three years, and share their perspectives on some of the challenges to creating change at the UN.

At the meeting, annual membership dues will be collected, the results of the election of the new Bureau will be presented and it will launch a process to create our 2022 to 2024 programme of work, striving to deepen the Committee’s religious community engagement with the UN. 

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CoNGO Notes: The Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns, please visit csvgc-ny.org.

Two years after the death of George Floyd: Antiracism, #BLM and the United Nations

As people continue to challenge the systemic racism that has devalued the lives of Black and Brown people globally, many are asking the question: why do some of these tragic events spark a stronger call for change than others?

Floyd’s murder also revived the concept of antiracism. The webinar will explore, in practice, what it means to be antiracist. Participants will also be invited to reflect on the role played by Christian nationalism in reinforcing white supremacy and racial subjugation, thereby fueling racism, xenophobia and racial discrimination.

As a follow up of its 1 June 2021 webinar marking the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the World Council of Churches Commission of the Churches on International Affairs will host this webinar on the sides of the 30th session of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, which will be taking place in New York city, USA, from 23 to 27 May 2022.

Speakers:

Moderator: Rev. Chebon Kernell, ordained elder in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference

  • Gaynel D. Curry, member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
  • Rt. Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
  • Rev. Dr. Leah Gunning Francis, vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the Faculty at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis
  • Prof. Gay McDougall, member of the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

Register here to join this webinar live on Wednesday, 25 May, 3:30 pm CEST / 9:30am EST.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

[book launch] Contemporary ecotheology, climate justice and environmental stewardship in world religions

Seasonal Greetings from Switzerland,

On behalf of the World Council of Churches’ Economic and Ecological Justice Programme, please find below the invitation to attend our upcoming ECOTHEE book launch webinar: 

“Contemporary ecotheology, climate justice and environmental stewardship in world religions” (ecothee. Vol. 6) taking place Tuesday, 14th December 2021 at 17:00 CET

Please register through this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpd-2pqTorGdBLN1P6LWw67PhPNO8pDAVo

Kindly find the link on our website, for additional information about the programme: https://www.oikoumene.org/events/book-launch-webinar-contemporary-ecotheology-climate-justice-and-environmental-stewardship-in-world-religions .

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. 

Racism, Land, and Food

Warm greetings from Geneva!

On behalf of our colleague, Dr. Manoj Kurian, Coordinator of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) of the World Council of Churches, we are happy to share with you an invitation to attend an upcoming webinar on Racism, Land, and Food.

New York, Bogota 09:00-11:00; London 14:00- 16:00; Geneva 15:00-17:00, Johannesburg 16:00-18:00, Nairobi 17:00-19:00, New Delhi 19:30-21:30, Bangkok 21:00-23:00

Objectives for the Webinar:

• Explore the intersections of food, land and racial injustice.

• Discern key lessons from initiatives and good practices that work to overcome the impact of racial injustice and inequity on food sovereignty.

• Reflect on how the Holy Scripture can assist and guide in bringing justice, dignity and rights to marginalised communities with regard to food and land

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvduGspj4iHtceXhhER9aLh9wJeRPv1hB1

Background documents: https://seafile.ecucenter.org/d/d35a42625eaf40b29c9b/

Languages: English and Spanish

Brief description:

Worldwide, communities are increasingly experiencing poverty due to severe climate changes and lack of access to fertile farmlands and the deploying of fertile farmlands for cash crop farming at the expense of food production. In fact, in many countries, especially, former colonies, the most productive farmlands are shared by the very rich, normally descendants of the colonisers/ other privileged classes and castes and some indigenous elites, while the masses continue to try to eke out a living from their inherited but tired lands that have been farmed without rest over decades if not centuries. In some instances, the rich have used their access to financial and material resources to coerce poor farmers to plant and grow cash crops for the export market at the expense of growing staple crops, however, the rewards from cash crops are great for the merchants and exporters while starving the poor farmers who are left without any significant returns from their cash crops and without food.

This webinar seeks to explore the intersection of these two injustices across the globe. It helps to consolidate the analytical, advocacy and practical resources, to explore, understand and expose the effects of the combined force of food, climate and racial injustice.

Resource persons

· Rev. Chebon Kernell, Indigenous Perspectives  Executive Director, Native American Comprehensive Plan, United Methodist Church, USA 

· Dr. Fransina Yoteni, Gereja Kristen Injili Di Tanah Papua (GKITP)- Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua, Member of the Central Committee of the WCC, West Papua, Indonesia

· Dr. Betty Ruth Lozano Lerma, Director of Research, Fundación Universitaria Bautista (Unibautista), Colombia

· Dr. Mervyn Abrahams, Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group, Republic of South Africa

· Mr. Angelious Michael, Coordinator, Partnership and Youth Desk at Jeypore Evangelical Lutheran Church, Orissa, India

· Rev. Elton Williams, Pentecostal Minister championing Food sovereignty, Antigua and Barbuda

· Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, Senior Associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church Engagement, Bread for the World. Member of the Central Committee of the WCC, USA

Moderators:  Ms. Katlego Mohuba (South Africa) & Mr. Tsiry Nantenaina (Madagascar)

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

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