International Environment Forum

Read on line: Leaves 14(1) January 2012

On 10 January the UNCSD Rio+20 bureau released the zero draft of the outcome document for Rio+20, "The Future We Want": http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=12&nr=324&menu=23. This draft is based on hundreds of submissions from governments and civil society, including IEF, compiled at http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=115. It will serve as the basis for intergovernmental negotiations leading up to the conference in June, starting in New York on 25-27 January.

The United Nations General Assembly has decided that all organizations that were accredited to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 are automatically accredited to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro next June. The IEF is therefore accredited to the conference and can send its own delegation to Rio.

INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT FORUM 15th ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Ethical Responses to Climate Change: Individual, Community, and Institutions

Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 10 and 11 December 2011

held at the Bahá’í Centre of Learning for Tasmania, 1 Tasman Highway, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, http://www.tasbcl.com.au

The main sessions were streamed live on the internet, and can now be viewed at http://www.tasbcl.com.au/live.html (see conference report below).

The IEF collaborated with the Baha'i International Community in the launching of action plans on climate change from the major religions at a celebration at Windsor Castle in 2009. One of the outcomes was a proposal from the Mayor of Jerusalem to create a network of pilgrimage cities, and this has now been launched with the aim of making pilgrimage a greener experience.

The Climate Ethics Campaign is aiming for 1,000 endorsements of its new climate change statement by November 30th, the day the campaign plans to officially release and circulate the statement on Capitol Hill.

A representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha‘is of the United States recently endorsed the statement, titled “Statement of Our Nation’s Moral Obligation to Address Climate Change”

The Brazilian government and the UN have just announced (4 November) a change of dates for the Rio+20 conference to 20-22 June 2011, with the 3rd PrepCom on 13-15 June. This will be confirmed by the Bureau at the end of November. The dates of the parallel IEF Annual Conference in Rio will be changed accordingly.

The International Environment Forum (http://iefworld.org), a Bahá'í-inspired professional organization for environment and sustainability with members in over 50 countries, accredited to WSSD in the science and technology major group, offers the following specific elements for the compilation of the zero draft outcome document for UNCSD next year.

Ottawa, 27 October 2011 — The Bahá’í Community of Canada has joined dozens of other faith communities and leaders in calling for new approaches to address the challenge of climate change. This initiative is among the first to bring together such a large and diverse number of religious leaders to speak with one voice to an issue of social concern.