The Power of Sisterhood

NEW INTERFAITH WOMEN COUNCIL LAUNCHED FOR NATURE

Recognising the impact of women in faith in supporting out natural world, two initiatives have been launched in the last few months. Following on from the establishment of the more advocacy-driven 'Women, Faith and Climate Network' , formed to combat climate change and announced at COP 29 in November 2024, UNEP's Faith for Earth coalition have just formally launched a separate but complementary 'Interfaith Women Council' for women in senior leadership positions of faith and interfaith organisations.

Faith for Earth's new 'Interfaith Women Council' is composed of distinguished women presidents/CEOs or strategic leaders, with the aim of amplifying their influential voices in faith-based environmental action by utilising their roles in mobilising communities, advocating for environmental stewardship and connecting spiritual principles and traditions with environmental protection. According to Dr Iyad Abumoghli, Founder and Director of UNEP's Faith for Earth Coalition, the Interfaith Women Council will serve as the Coalition's voice on matters also relating to gender, religion and the environment. "It is a structured component of UNEP's Faith for Earth engagement strategy with a more formal policy and institutional focus".

The inaugural meeting, chaired by Dr Iyad Abumoghli, took place on Thursday 30th January 2025 with the participation of Ms. Inger Andersen, UN Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP, Dr. Patricia Mbote, Director of the Law Division of UNEP, and 21 of the 24 Council Members - spanning16 different religions and spiritualities. Each of the new Council Members gave a 3 minute presentations about projects they were working on.

In an address by the UNEP Executive Director on the important role of Women Faith leaders in tackling the Triple Planetary Crisis, Ms Inger Andersen said: "When women stand up and stand up together across continents, across languages, across religions, and across cultures, we are, and the world is, stronger."