Organisation of the Conference

The conference will be opened by a global digital and a High-Level event on 5 October 2020.  The opening will be followed-up by workshop discussions in hubs in the different regions of UNEP on 5 and 6 October. On 7 October, the conclusions of the discussions in regions will be communicated to the global hub in Iceland which will integrate and consolidate the results both from a global and regional perspective. The findings of the overall discussions will be endorsed and communicated through a global High-Level event on 8 October.  

Discussions in the regions will be organized with interfaith partners. The global interfaith partner, Religions for Peace, will organize Hubs in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia-Australia while the US based National Religious Partnership for the Environment will manage the Hub for North America. These interfaith partners will be responsible for moderation and administrative and logistical aspects of the conference in their respective areas. They will have freedom to determine the most suitable way of organizing the discussions (online, in-person, etc.) but are required to respect the following conditions: 

• Participation by official representatives from key FBOs in the region

• Inter-religious participation through balance and diversity in religious participation

• Gender balance 

• Youth representation

• Indigenous participation

• Organize timings, the location of the conference venue and use of online participation with a view to ensure maximum inclusion.  Use mutually accepted languages and/or interpretation when needed. A regional conference can be broken further down into discussions by language groups to overcome language barriers. 

• While this is not an intergovernmental dialogue, interested states are welcome to participate.

In preparation for the discussions, the regional partners will be provided with a draft of the UNEA resolution, the communique as well as a concept paper and other key documentation on the Faith for Earth Coalition. 

The Global Hub in Iceland will invite 30+ participants for in-person conversation in historic Skálholt on 5-7 October to be followed up with a High-Level event on 8 October in Reykjavik involving more participants. Serving as an integrator and platform for communicating the findings of the workshop to relevant governments and global audiences, the Iceland Hub will be composed of representatives from key international organizations, Nordic governments, scientists, NGOs as well as Faith Leaders.

Regional hubs