Introduction
In 2023, the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) will organise a series of dialogues, culminating with the Annual UISG Advocacy Forum in the Autumn, inviting representatives of Vatican institutions, international organisations, civil society, academia and the press, as well as young people to join Catholic Sisters in discussing key issues for the sustainable development of our societies and the protection of our most vulnerable communities.
UISG is a membership organisation for the leaders of Catholic women’s congregations, representing over 600,000 Catholic Sisters worldwide.
UISG Sisters are committed to caring for people in need and creating a platform for the voices of the most marginalised, supporting them to tackle challenges ranging from poverty, disease, discrimination and displacement to the exploitation of their lands and limited access to education.
UISG’s Sister-led dialogues are conceived as a space to:
- reflect on key development issues from a variety of perspectives;
- identify measures to support, empower and integrate those on the margins;
- build a coalition of people and institutions to advocate for a safe and prosperous future for all.
Environment
On 17 April 2023, the first Sister-led dialogue will focus on the needs and challenges of the most vulnerable people affected by climate change, pollution and the loss of nature and biodiversity.
2022 marked significant political commitments for the environment, its safeguard and the protection of the people most affected: a loss and damage fund was established, the UN General Assembly recognized the universal right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, negotiations for an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution started and the Framework to protect and revive biodiversity by 2030 year was adopted in Montreal.
Dialogue
The event will be a one-day meeting involving approximately 20 participants in Rome, at the UISG Headquarters.
Based on their experiences, the testimonies they have gathered, and the challenges they face in different parts of the world, Catholic Sisters and their allies will explore where greater resources should be allocated and how to foster, both locally and internationally, solutions to support all people who are affected by climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental
exploitation.
ROME / 17 APRIL 2023
International Union of Superiors General
Lungotevere Tor di Nona, 7 – Rome h. 9.00
Chair
Sister Maamalifar Poreku, Coordinator,
Sowing Hope for the Planet, UISG
Moderator
Ms Catalina Hinojosa Lopez, Project Administrator,
Sowing Hope for the Planet – UISG
Welcome by Sister Patricia Murray, Executive Secretary – UISG
SESSION 1
INTEGRATING RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS
SESSION 2
INTEGRATING CARE FOR PEOPLE AND OUR PLANET
SESSION 3
INTEGRATING VULNERABILITY IN LEADERSHIP AND DECISION-MAKING
SESSION 4
JOURNEYING TOGETHER TOWARDS THE UISG ADVOCACY FORUM 2023
Building on the launch of UISG’s statement Sisters for the Environment, our first Sister-led dialogue will focus on the needs and challenges of the most vulnerable people affected by climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, with a focus on the needs of marginalised groups including women and girls, displaced and homeless people, children and the elderly, indigenous communities and other ethnic minorities.
This event is the first in a series of dialogues inviting representatives of Vatican institutions, international organisations, civil society, academia and the press, as well as young people, to join Catholic Sisters in discussing key issues for the sustainable development of our societies and the protection of our most vulnerable communities, and to explore where greater resources should be allocated to foster solutions both locally and globally.