Entering the Vatican Apostolic Palace is in itself ethereal, but being with forty highest level eminent religious leaders to launch a COP 26 appeal was heavenly. After seven months of preparations and 36 hours at the Vatican, religious leaders and scientists signed a unified appeal to the world in relation to the faith community expectations of COP26 and their commitment to action.
The Appeal was but one milestone and the beginning of a long journey to ensure our moral and spiritual responsibility towards our only planet, our life support system. Faith for Earth has been a major support to this colossal achievement and will continue to provide a unifying platform as part of its Faith for Earth Coalition with its different councils. Bilateral meetings with religious leaders and scientists confirmed that the goals of UNEP's engagement strategy with the faith and scientific community is needed more than any other time.
We do not have time to waste. The science is clear, the spiritual guidance is motivating action, multilateralism and interfaith collaboration are the way, and technology is on our side. And as Alok Sharma, president of COP 26 said: "We need to leave a garden as we received it, not a desert to future generations.