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More than 600 people attended the Ninth Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-based Organizations in International Affairs, held online on 24 January. Exploring the theme “Securing People’s Wellbeing and Planetary Sustainability,” the symposium was organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and a coalition of faith-based and UN partners. The event featured UN officials, representatives of international faith-based organizations, and other experts on climate change, disarmament, and other relevant topics.

Media coverage of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly—held in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2022—indicated a global interest in how ecumenism can and will address the pressing concerns of the world, including climate change, the war in Ukraine, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, in its first online meeting on 19 December, reviewed and approved plans and a budget for 2023.

A webinar on the global food crisis, responses, and innovations brought the voices of people from across the world in a frank assessment of what the human face of the crisis looks like—and why the world needs a fundamental shift in the way it manages food.

The 2022 G20 Interfaith Forum convened in Abu Dhabi from 12-13 December under the theme “Engaging Faith Communities: G20 Agendas and Beyond.”

As the UN Conference of Biodiversity opens in Canada, African church leaders and scholars are urging urgent action to reverse nature loss to mitigate climate change.

“As the Living Planet statement highlighted at the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, this year, Christ’s love calls us to deep solidarity and a quest for justice for those who have contributed to this emergency the least, yet suffer the most, physically, existentially, and ecologically, through a transformation of systems and lifestyles”, said WCC deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri. “Therefore, as churches, we welcome the COP27 decision to compensate and support communities on the frontline of climate change impacts”.

The second week of the COP27 conference in Egypt focused on the link between global warming and water. This is the first time that water has been included on the agenda of a major global environmental event.

“COP27 is a critical occasion for governments to together re-envision, develop, commit to and implement a roadmap towards a fossil fuel-free, post-growth, equitable and sustainable tomorrow,” said Bishop Arnold Temple of the Methodist Church in Sierra Leone, representing the interfaith liaison group, to the High-Level Ministerial Segment of the 27^th Session of Conference of the Parties (COP27).

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca joined other faith leaders in signing a collective message calling on world leaders and their representatives at COP27 to make the bold decisions necessary and ensure that there are clear and concrete outcomes from this COP.