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Towards UNCOP27: Fresh initiatives of prayer and meditation

Background

In the lead up to and during COP26 in Glasgow, the Interfaith LiaisonCommittee encouraged supportive prayers and meditations. Many faithful souls around the world and in Glasgow offered the fruit of their spiritual practice. https://interfaithliaisoncommittee.carrd.co/

An Australian group resolved to continue after Glasgow and so now meet on zoom each Tuesday. People of diverse faiths are participating. Elaine George is convener in Perth. People join in from around the country at 9am on the west coast, noon on the east coast.

The working title of the group is:

“Towards UNCOP27: Contemplative Tuesdays for Climate Justice”.

The format is simple:

  • By roster, someone offers a 2-3 minute reflection.
  • After a gong is rung we enter silent meditation for 20 minutes, each according to our tradition.
  • The gong sounds to end the silence. Those who want to take the silence with them then can leave. Those who want to stay and converse do so, for a few minutes. We aim to conclude in 30 minutes.

Next steps

In the coming weeks we plan to focus on the advocacy tasks for the first part of the year, taking account of the Glasgow Climate Pact and its obligations for signatories in 2022.

For UNCOP26, with the assistance of the Representative for Climate Change at the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), Ms.Lindsey Fielder Cook, we offered a list of the matters needing prayerful attention.

Attached to this note is Lindsey’s analysis of UNCOP26. It is entitled “Two Steps Forward and One Step Back” because it conveys both matters to be grateful for but also the serious challenges that require our spiritual practice and our persistent advocacy.

Recommendations

*That we continue to encourage a global wave of prayer and meditation in these coming months,noting examples such as this one above.

*That we consider how to invite, through 2022, current and emerging “Prayer and Meditation “groups to share their plans, issues and insights as regards COP27.

*That new and emerging groups study Lindsey’s analysis and similar documents to focus both spiritual practice and advocacy through 2022.

Bishop Philip Huggins, February 2022.