Wilton Park (https://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/) recently held a groundbreaking event in Frascati, Italy, launching a women-led, multi-faith climate action network designed to inspire and mobilize climate action across global faith communities.
Attendees, including prominent women faith leaders, were joined by supporters from various organizations and embassies, such as the Irish and British Embassies to the Holy See, Islamic Relief UK, and the International Union of Superiors General. His Holiness Pope Francis, a vocal advocate for urgent climate action, also extended his support to this initiative, emphasizing the moral imperative to address climate change. Mary Robinson, Chair of the Elders emphasized the urgent need for united, localized leadership to address the growing climate crisis. Other participants included Lorna Gold, Chair of the Laudato Sì Movement, Prof. Husna Ahmad, CEO of Global One 2015 and Jean F. Duff, Partnership for Faith and Development.
The event was marked by a palpable sense of urgency and commitment to collective action, as described by Dr. Anabel Inge, Deputy Head of Mission at the UK in Holy See Embassy, who noted the “energy and passion in the room” to advance climate efforts.
Participants committed to leveraging their influence to foster climate resilience in faith communities, which represent over 80% of the world’s population. This initiative is expected to provide a powerful voice at the upcoming COP29COP29, or the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, is the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The 2024 conference builds on previous commitments by pushing for more ambitious climate action to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Key agenda items include setting a new climate finance goal to replace the prior $100 billion annual target, operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund to aid vulnerable countries, and enhancing national climate goals or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2025. A central focus of COP29 is improving the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which deals with global carbon markets. The host country, Azerbaijan, also introduced the Climate Finance Action Fund (CFAF), aimed at securing $1 billion annually for renewable energy projects and climate resilience in developing countries.
• UN Climate Change Conference Baku – November 2024 | UNFCCC
• COP29 Azerbaijan – United Nations Climate Change Conference
UN Climate Change Conference.
Susan Hendershot, President of Interfaith Power & Light and a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, expressed her inspiration, emphasizing the network’s potential to drive impactful environmental progress globally.
The meeting was part of Wilton Park’s broader efforts to create innovative, cross-sector partnerships to address major challenges such as climate change. Tom Cargill, Wilton Park’s Chief Executive, highlighted the organization’s unique ability to forge “alignments of influence” around urgent global issues, stressing the need for continued innovation and collaboration in the face of climate crises