From Dubai to Baku: Faith Pavilion Mobilizes Voices to Tackle Climate Challenges
Last year, as the United Arab Emirates hosted the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the COP28 Presidency emphasized the importance of inclusivity in climate action. This vision aligned with the Muslim Council of Elders' commitment to activating the role of religious leaders and figures in addressing global challenges, particularly the climate crisis. This shared vision led to the launch of the Faith Pavilion at COP28, a groundbreaking and unprecedented initiative in COP history. The Pavilion provided a global platform that brought together leaders and representatives from various religions, alongside scientists, academics, environmental experts, indigenous peoples, youth, and women, to develop effective and decisive solutions to the climate crisis.
Over two weeks in Dubai, the Pavilion hosted more than 65 sessions featuring 325 speakers from around the world. These sessions sent messages of hope to policymakers, governments, and decision-makers, emphasizing that achieving climate justice, meeting the Paris Agreement goals, and keeping global temperature rise below 1.5°C requires the moral voice of faith communities.
Building on the success of COP28, the Faith Pavilion returned in COP29 as a global coalition of 97 organizations representing 11 diverse faiths and denominations at COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Pavilion addressed critical topics aligned with current climate challenges, including the shared moral responsibility of faith communities to protect the environment and its natural resources, ways to enhance sustainable food systems, and support for small-scale farmers, particularly those on the frontlines of climate change. Discussions also explored the non-economic impacts of climate change, such as cultural, psychological, and spiritual effects, the need to strengthen global governance for environmental care, and the importance of supporting marginalized and vulnerable groups in communities most affected by climate change.
Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, stressed that tackling the climate crisis requires a holistic approach combining scientific efforts with moral and spiritual values to achieve climate justice, especially for the most vulnerable communities. He expressed gratitude to the UAE’s Higher Committee for COP28 Preparations for its support in amplifying the voices of religious leaders in addressing climate challenges and also thanked the COP28 and COP29 Presidencies for their support of the Faith Pavilion initiative, which has become a practical model for collaboration between religious leaders, experts, and scientists to transform climate initiatives into practical and sustainable solutions that help protect the planet, humanity’s shared home.
During the first week at COP29, the Faith Pavilion hosted numerous events, featuring over 150 speakers from diverse nationalities and faiths. Sessions showcased leading climate efforts and practices implemented by various religious institutions worldwide while discussions highlighted frameworks that integrate traditional environmental knowledge with modern scientific approaches to enhance resilience and promote sustainable practices. Participants called for decisive action to address cultural and psychological losses caused by climate change, particularly those affecting indigenous communities and heritage sites. Additionally, specialized programs and projects were proposed to empower women to enhance their climate adaptation capabilities, especially in rural and agricultural sectors.
The Faith Pavilion continued into the second week of COP29, focusing on the role of faith in promoting efforts to restore ecological balance, advance climate and environmental care, and implement effective solutions to build community resilience to climate impacts with sessions also exploring the connections between biodiversity, climate, and food systems, leveraging these links to enhance climate resilience. Other discussions focus on fostering constructive partnerships to address adaptation challenges and engaging religious actors in planning and implementation processes.