New York, USA - Two hundred religious leaders from around the world convened at the Church Center across from the UN headquarters on September 21 to collectively reflect, share, and commit to “follow the call of our religions [that] we must all learn to live together within the shared limits of our planet.”
The gathering ended with a Call to Action which recognized that "climate change is not merely an economic or technical problem, but at its core is a moral, spiritual and cultural one," and therefore "governments alone cannot make the change of heart and mind that will turn the human-earth community into a global culture of ecological responsibility. This task belongs to all of us."
Faith communities were urged to join their religious leaders in this commitment and persuade world leaders to take urgent action to stop and reverse the detrimental impact of climate change.
The UN Development Programme Assistant Secretary-General Olav Kjorven reflected that the task of the government representatives at the upcoming summit was in fact a spiritual responsibility, and he lauded the efforts of religious communities such as the Taoists and Buddhists who committed to a concrete seven-year plan of action to reverse climate change.
Universal Peace Federation staff served on the Organizing Committee and co-sponsored the event.