Summary of COP28 Engagement

Summary of COP28 Engagement

by the Interfaith Coordination Group on Climate Change
Last updated on 22 June 2023

Welcome to the summary of the preparations and planned engagement ahead of COP28. We look forward to welcoming you to our events and to combining our energies, networks and ideas.

Structure

• UNEP’s Faith for Earth Coalition is facilitating the engagement of faith actors at COP28 under the mechanism of an Interfaith Coordination Group on Climate Change with 30 collaborating FBOs and multistakeholder partnerships.
• This year, UNEP has partnered with the Muslim Council of Elders, UAE to coordinate and facilitate engagement at COP.
• The Interfaith Coordination Group on Climate Change gathers regularly in the Coordination Group meetings in which we plan our engagement.
• Within this Coordination Group, there is a smaller core team made up of the Muslim Council of Elders, Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, GIZ/PaRD weCare, the Episcopal Church USA, and the World Evangelical Alliance to support the work of the coordination group.
• The core team are also drafting an Interfaith Statement, led by Bishop Marc from the Episcopal Church, USA.

Engagement

Pre-COP

• Thematic Consultation Series: These take place monthly on COP28 priorities, mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and climate justice, with the aim of building the capacity of the faith network through peer-to-peer exchanges. The aim is to ensure the effective engagement of the faith network to the COP process and outcomes, as discussed.
• Thus far, two sessions have been help (on COP28 priorities and on Loss & Damage) and six more are in the pipeline.

• To be held in Rome, Italy in November. Planning is underway.

The Pavilion

• A Pavilion will, for the first time, be hosted at the UNFCCC COP from 29 November to 12 December, facilitated by the Muslim Council of Elders.
• An Expression of Interest Form has been launched from Wednesday, 21 June 2023 until Thursday, 17 July 2023 to hold a session at the Pavilion.
• The sessions at the Pavilion will include regional consultations from all regions, faith-specific consultations, Gender, Youth, thematic, other stakeholder groups, etc.

Interfaith Statement for COP 28

• An Interfaith Statement will be drafted led by Bishop Marc of the Episcopal Church, USA.

Join us or request more information
Contact arne.oosterlinck@un.org and cc azmaira.alibhai@un.org