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Meeting under the theme “Confluence of Conscience: Uniting Faith Leaders for Planetary Resurgence,” the summit will be hosted by the COP28 Presidency in collaboration with the Muslim Council of Elders and the United Nations Environment Programme.
The gathering will take place ahead of the 28th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP28, in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December.
In a reflection for the summit, Pillay spoke of sharing the gift of life on our common home of Earth.
“We may come from different faith traditions, yet what unites us is that we all share the gift of life on Earth, our only home,” he said. “All our faiths teach us that we, human beings, have a sacred responsibility to nurture and protect the gift of life.”
Pillay also noted that the climate emergency disproportionately affects children and young people. “Today, this gift of life is imperilled by our society’s deep-seated addiction to fossil fuels and obsession with maximising financial gain and economic growth,” he said. “The latest scientific findings warn us that we are sliding from climate crisis to catastrophe.”
Pillay said that it is the moral imperative of faith leaders to urgently call our leaders and communities to a profound and rapid change of heart.
“As governments convene for COP28 taking place at the end of 2023 – a year that is set to be the hottest year on record, it is nothing less than our moral duty to call on our leaders to act immediately for the phase-out of fossil fuels,” said Pillay. “This means halting new extraction of fossil fuels and ending fossil fuel subsidies.”
Address of the WCC general secretary at the Faith Leaders’ Summit on COP28
