Conference on “Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals: Listening to the Cry of the Earth and of the Poor”
Research Fellow Peter Blaze Corcoran attended the International Conference on “Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals: Listening to the Cry of the Earth and of the Poor” on March 7–9, 2019 in Vatican City. The conference was to aid the Holy See in its intention to enhance and support the contributions of the religions to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As part of the Vatican’s broad interreligious commitment to a sustainable future, the meeting included over four-hundred invited participants. Faith traditions, women, youth, indigenous peoples, and geographic regions of the world were well-represented. Corcoran was privileged to discuss the Earth Charter with organizers and distributed copies of the Earth Charter to attendees.
4th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)
Research Fellow Peter Blaze Corcoran attended the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, on March 11–15, 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. It was a diverse and multi-agenda meeting which drew 4,700 participants from all 194 UN Member States. Corcoran concentrated his efforts on an extraordinary five-day series of side events called Faith For Earth, which focused on the role of faith in achieving climate justice, sustainable production and consumption, and engagement of the faithful in pushing governments toward action. UN Environment has moved to partner with faith-based organizations to achieve the UN SDGs. The Nairobi events drew several hundred spiritual activists from many faith traditions and nations. Corcoran promoted the Earth Charter among organizers and participants.