The official launch event of the Statement “Sisters for the Environment: Integrating Voices from the Margins” is contextualised within a series of integrated initiatives launched by UISG, in partnership with the Global Solidarity Fund, to give voice to the world’s most vulnerable communities through the action and advocacy of Sisters to prevent and counter the negative effects of climate change and the loss of biodiversity.
Between September and December 2022, UISG will implement the following activities, building on previous initiatives and partnerships, including an online side event at the UN’s High-Level Political Forum in July:
1Statement Sisters for the Environment: Integrating Voices from the Margins
- The publication of the Statement Sisters for the Environment: Integrating Voices from the Margins, and its launch at the UISG headquarters in Rome;
2The participation of UISG Sisters, and particularly its ecological group Sowing Hope for the Planet, in the African Climate Dialogues convened by CIDSE:
The participation of UISG Sisters, and particularly its ecological group Sowing Hope for the Planet, in the African Climate Dialogues convened by CIDSE:
A strong collaboration between UISG’s ecological campaign Sowing Hope for the Planet and its advocacy initiative Sisters Advocating Globally has led to participation in the African Climate Dialogues, a process to reflect on key topics affecting African countries ahead of the UN Climate Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt. This synodal process, launched in July 2022, brings together Church and civil society actors, as well as allies and leaders from across the African continent and European organisations.
Sisters representing UISG’s ecological campaign Sowing Hope for the Planet have participated in dialogue sessions through July, August and September, and will continue to contribute to the drafting of a joint communiqué, which will empower participants to advocate with a common voice at and around COP27.
3COP27 and COP15
COP27 and COP15
Catholic Sisters will take part in the United Nations conferences on climate change (COP27, November 6th-18th) and on biodiversity (COP15, December 7th-19th), in order to raise the voices of Sisters and the vulnerable communities they serve. The conferences will be an opportunity to present Sisters for the Environment: Integrating Voices from the Margins to global development stakeholders, together with the main outcomes and ideas garnered from the international launch event in Rome.
4Online campaign
Online campaign
To create space for engagement with current and potential partners, UISG’s advocacy initiative Sisters Advocating Globally will launch a three-month social media campaign to:
- Share updates on Sisters’ activities under the banner Sisters for the Environment, including the launch of a Statement from UISG, their participation in the African Climate Dialogues, and their presence at COP27 and COP15;
- Increase the visibility of the work of Sisters around the world, and particularly within the Sowing Hope network, to protect the environment, foster biodiversity, and raise awareness of the need to care for people and our planet;
- Increase visibility for the initiatives that religious and non-religious stakeholders, locally and internationally, carry out for the protection of our common home;
Share Catholic Social Teaching and messaging from Pope Francis on tackling the ongoing climate crisis.