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ARC-UN: Long Term Commitments for a Living Planet
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Prince Philip and Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-moon at the Celebration of the faiths' long term commitments, Windsor, November 3, 2009 |
Latest list of over 50 long term faith commitments.
Faith Commitments
Supporting the making of well-planned and realistic commitments by faith organisations is a fundamental part of ARC's strategy. Establishing both the theological basis for action and identifying relevant priorities laid out over a period of seven years or more enables religious groups to make real environmental changes that can be sustained over time.
This process was begun in November 2009, at Windsor Castle, UK when ARC and the UNDP joined with 31 faith traditions to launch and celebrate their Long-Term Commitments for a Living Planet. The meeting was hosted by HRH The Prince Philip and attended by HE The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, in advance of the United Nations 2009 Copenhagen summit on Climate Change.
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| "Those who would transform a nation or the world cannot do so by breeding and captaining discontent or by demonstrating reasonableness and desirability of the intended changes or by coercing people into a new way of life. They must know how to kindle and fan an extravagant hope" - Eric Hoeffer |
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Link here for our Windsor page and here for more information about the event.
A second wave
The Windsor event was always intended to be the beginning of a process that would encourage others to follow suit. In 2011 ARC held another major international event in Assisi, Italy and during the programme further long-term commitments were made by Mongolian Buddhists and the Coptic Orthodox Church. You can read more about the Assisi event here.
African Faith Commitments
Also inspired by the Windsor celebration, Christian, Muslim and Hindu faith groups in Africa came together in Nairobi in March 2011 to discuss developing their own long-term action plans on the environment. The result of that meeting was the presentation of 27 plans from 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa - with several more in development - at ARC's 'Many Heavens, One Earth, Our Continent' celebration in Nairobi in September 2012.
You can read more about the Nairobi 2012 event and the African faith commitments here and you can download the conference booklet (including summaries of all the long term commitments presented) by clicking here.
Can your faith group contribute?
It doesn't need a global meeting to start a planning process - any religious organisation of any size can make a plan of their own. Follow this link to learn more about how your community can, over the next seven years or so, make an action plan to protect the living planet.
Links
Latest Guidelines to the Long Term Commitments.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Why faiths have the power to shape future generations.
"The world's faiths joined together in this cause - if viewed in terms of sheer numbers of people - could become the planet's largest civil society movement for change. With their unparalleled presence throughout the world, the world's religions could be the decisive force that helps top the scales in favor of a world of climate safety and justice for future generations... this event will be one for the history books," - UNDP Assistant Secretary-General Olav Kjorven.
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Taking on the climate challenge
ARC is working with faith communities to set a lead in tackling Climate Change |
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Power with eco-responsibility
How Christians in North America brought together Interfaith Power and Light to supply their own sustainable energy |
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African Faith Commitments
Christian, Muslim and Hindu faith groups in sub-Saharan Africa have developed long-term faith commitments to protect the living planet. These range from planting millions of trees, engaging in environmental education programmes and mobilising their communities to manage land and water sustainably. |
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