WCC Media advisory: Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees

Religious leaders will gather on 12 December for an event inked to the Global Refugee Forum. Hosted by the UNHCR, the World Council of Churches (WCC), and Religions for Peace (RfP) at the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, the programme is entitled: “Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees.”  Photo: Albin Hillert, all rights reserved 06 December 2023 Building on significant faith-based engagement and recent efforts at COP28, the event aims to strengthen inter-religious synergies for solidarity and support for climate-related displacement. Compelling testimonies shared by refugee delegates will be accompanied by keynote addresses from international and local religious leaders. Roundtable and town hall conversations between participants will follow. The event is officially linked to the UNHCR Global Refugee Forum (GRF) 2023, which begins on 13 December. Date and time: 12 November, 14:00-18:00 Location: Ecumenical Centre in Geneva. The event will be live-streamed on www.oikoumene.org/live  and open on-site to accredited media.  Media accreditation is required.  Please fill in your application before 11 December at 8 am CET.   Accredited media are invited to attend the entire programme, and can request interviews during the coffee break in the afternoon.  About the program:  Speakers: Welcome by H.E. Archbishop Dr Aykazian Vicken, vice moderator of the WCC central committee.  Keynote address: H.A.H. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Refugee delegate (tba). H.E. Judge Mohamed Abdel-Salam, secretary general of Muslim Council of Elders, Member of Religions for Peace (RfP)-UNHCR Multi-Religious Council of Leaders. Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt, general secretary of Lutheran World Federation (LFW).  Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, deputy general secretary of RfP International.  Bishop Mathias Ri Iong-hoon, Korean RfP Korean Conference on Religion and Peace (KCRP) delegation. Rabbi Diana S. Gerson, associate executive vice president, the New York Board of Rabbis. Archbishop Buti Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Member of RfP-UNHCR Multi-Religious Council of Leaders. Ms. Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the UN and co-president, RfP. Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, OBE KSG, Chairman, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, Member of RfP-UNHCR Multi-Religious Council of Leaders. Emina Frljack, Youth Representative, RfP-UNHCR Multi-Religious Council of Leaders. Imam Razawi, Chief Imam, Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, Member of RfP-UNHCR Multi-Religious Council of Leaders. Ms.Gillian Triggs, assistant high commissioner for protection, UNHCR. Mr. Khaled Khalifa, Senior Adviser & GCC Regional Representative, UNHCR. Roundtable discussion with religious Leaders and faith-based UNHCR Global Refugee Forum delegates.  This session will be opened by a dialogue between Rev. Dr. James Movel Wuye, and Imam Nurayn Ashafa Muhammad, both co-directors of the Interfaith Mediation Center of the Muslim-Christian Dialogue in Kaduna, Nigeria. They will deliberate on the role of religious leadership and inter-faith dialogue in response to climate change and displacement. Roundtable discussions will be followed by an open floor conversation for pledging and commitment announcements in thematic areas of GRF. Moderators:  Ms. Safak Pavey, UNHCR. H.E. Archbishop Dr Aykazian Vicken, vice moderator of the WCC central committee. Photo opportunity: Planting of trees for Climate Peace and Solidarity with Refugees at 3 pm CET. Link to accreditation form WCC News: Religious leaders will gather for 2023 Global Refugee Forum linked event Page of the event Global Refugee Forum 2023 WCC special page on COP28 For more information, please leave a message in the WCC media inbox:  media@wcc-coe.org, and we will respond promptly.    See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland