Dubai, UAE
Religious Philanthropy: Catalyst for Climate Change at COP28
Faith For Our Planet hosted a side event, “Religious Philanthropy: Catalyst for Climate Change” at the first-of-its-kind Faith Pavilion at COP28 in Dubai, UAE on 6th December 2023. The theme of the event focused on how religious giving can potentially unlock substantial resources, bridging the global climate financing gap. The event featured a panel discussion followed by the launch of the report on the same theme published by FFOP in partnership with the Divinity School at Duke University, USA.
Religious Philanthropy
The event themes were based on discussing the significance of religious philanthropy across various Abrahamic traditions and how it can be used to bridge the climate financing gap, creating an immersive experience to encourage commitment by presenting research and case studies highlighting the latent potential of religious philanthropy to address climate change, and encouraging stakeholders to actively participate in advancing religious philanthropy and collaborate on identifying effective strategies to harness and maximize this influential resource.
The workshop featured esteemed speakers and experts who have made immense contributions to the fields of environmental preservation, religious communities, and civil society, including Nik Nazmi Bin Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Malaysia, Hon. Philda Nani, Minister of Enviornment, Natural Resources Conservation & Tourism of Botswana, Chief Doliwura Zakaria, Steering Committee Chairman for the Africa Union Commission’s (AUC) Interfaith Dialogue Forum (IFDF), Chris Elisara, Co-founder, World Evangelical Alliance Sustainability Center, Maha Qasim, Chief Executive Officer, Zero Point Partners, Fachruddin Mangunjaya, Chairman of the Centre for Islamic Studies Universitas Nasional, Indonesia and Shiraz Ahmad, International Director, Faith For Our Planet.
Additionally, Over 50 faith leaders, policymakers, and youth representatives from across the globe were in attendance, with the event also being live-streamed on the Faith Pavilion’s official YouTube channel