Communities of faith and spiritualities in the country met at a summit prior to COP16 –

• This summit joins the events leading up to the COP16 Conference of the Parties that will be held with different sectors of society. COP16 will be held in Cali from October 20 to November 1.
• Spirituality is key to biodiversity and to guarantee harmonious coexistence in the common home.
• The Ecospirituality Platform joins the call of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development to promote the World Peace with Nature Coalition.

Bogotá, August 7, 2024 – The Ecospirituality Platform and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development held the Spiritual Summit prior to COP16, the most important event on biodiversity in the world that will be held this year in Cali (Colombia).

This summit, under the motto ‘Every act of care towards the Earth is a prayer in action’, was held on August 6 at the Teatro de la Salle University, in Bogotá. The meeting brought together a wide range of actors committed to the integration of spirituality and ecology, with the aim of fostering a dialogue that unites religions, faith communities, environmental movements, non-governmental organizations and faith media.

“The participation of all religions in COP16 generates a process of spiritual vindication and recognition with nature and an atmosphere, a meaning and a purpose that goes beyond ourselves: making Peace with Nature,” said Susana Muhamad, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development.

In line with the minister, Deacon Alirio Cáceres, eco-pedagogical coordinator of the Ecospirituality Platform, pointed out that for the Platform “the open and collaborative dialogue between various religious traditions, spiritual and environmental movements inspired by faith, reflects the connection between spirituality and ecology for the care of creation and the sustainability of the planet. We publicly commit to working together to care for biodiversity and we hope that at the end of the ‘Artificers of Peace with Nature’ diploma, there will be more than 1,000 proposals and projects of ‘prayer in action’, as a seed that the religious sector contributes to the great Global Coalition for Peace with Nature.”

In that sense, COP16 is an ongoing process where the Ecospirituality Platform and the Ministry of Environment seek to promote a global coalition of Peace with Nature, where each gesture of care and conservation becomes a sacred act, contributing to harmonious living. and peaceful in our common home.

The Spiritual Summit had the participation of more than 25 organizations from the platform, students, academics, faith, social and environmental leaders, as well as representatives of the youth and women’s community. The program included cultural activities with artists such as Tatiana Samper from Canto al Agua, digital murals, the launch of the virtual diploma ‘Artifices of Peace with Nature’, keynote lectures by Leonardo Boff and Gustavo Wilches-Chaux and an interreligious prayer to close the day .

The event received the Ecological Blue Flag award. It is the first time it has been awarded in Colombia in the special events category. From Costa Rica, Mariana Barquero, in charge of the program, reported the rating of 100 points out of 100 for having met the sustainability parameters in the organization of the event. This was achieved through great teamwork coordinated by the Platform, together with the MESETI (Interreligious Ecotheological Table of Bogotá), the Laudato Sí Movement, the University of La Salle, the Youth Network for the Environment, Ikumeni, PortaPaz and the Uraku Foundation.

With this summit, the People’s COP continues to materialize, where there is space for perspectives and contributions from various sectors of citizens, reaffirming the importance of linking communities from faith and spirituality to the global call to make Peace with Nature and the conservation of life.