IEF 28th Annual Conference

28th Annual Conference 
of the International Environment Forum

A World-embracing Vision for a Sustainable Future

In the face of an accelerating environmental crisis with an escalating climate emergency, of social disintegration and confusion, the urgency of our actions has never been clearer.

This year’s annual conference of the International Environment Forum will take place alongside the UN Summit of the Future (SoTF). It aims to contribute to the global discussion about our planet's future and the transformative changes essential for our collective survival and progress. The overall conference theme is A World-embracing Vision for a Sustainable Future. Such a vision of global interconnectedness and solidarity must be at the foundation of global governance and even guide local action for environmental sustainability and human wellbeing. You are invited to listen to the voices of youth, of leaders of thought, and of community and sustainability builders from around the world. Everyone is welcome to participate in the conference discussions.

The International Environment Forum thanks its conference co-sponsors, the Wilmette Institute, the US Baha'i Office of Public Affairs, and ebbf-Ethical Business Building the Future.

The Bahá'í International Community is also organising many activities at the SoTF described here, with some co-sponsored by IEF.

Below you will find

• a conference overview
• information about each of the four online events
• brief biographies of the conference speakers

Register for each conference event separately!

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

Saturday, 14 September, 1pm EDT / 7pm CEST
A vision for a Sustainable Future - a Conversation with Youth
Young people from around the world shared their perspectives on their vision for a sustainable future and engaged the audience of all ages in a thoughtful and interesting conversation. 
Short video clips with highlights from the conversation, a written report, and biographies of the speakers are available here: https://iefworld.org/node/1602 

Tuesday, 17 September, 11:30am EDT / 5:30pm CEST
Developing a vision for global collaboration
Offering insights from a Baha’i perspective, the panel discussion revolved around transforming global governance toward a system that enables genuine global cooperation for human wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
Link to the recording: https://youtu.be/Oy_kKIGSk98

Sunday, 22 September, 1pm EDT / 7pm CEST
Building Futures in Communities
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/IEF-BuildingFutures
Panelists will reflect on Baha'i-inspired approaches to community building based on experiences with a reforestation project in Iceland, community gardening in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, coral reef rescue in Samoa, agricultural and environmental education in Colombia, and relief work following recent flooding in Brazil.

Saturday, 28 September, 1pm EDT / 7pm CEST
Where Do We Go from Here? - Deeds not Words
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/IEF-DeedsNotWords
Panelists will reflect about the Summit of the Future and discuss how IEF and all of us can apply Baha’i principles to the Summit outcomes and support any projects or initiatives launched.

DETAILED EVENT INFORMATION

The IEF conference began with a forum showcasing the perspectives and ideas of our youth. In this interactive event, youth shared their viewpoints on social action and a sustainable future, and engaged the multi-generational participants on the issues they raised.

Moderator Khela Baskett was joined by youth from around the world and engaged the audience of all ages in conversation.

Short video clips with highlights from the conversation, a written report, and biographies of the speakers are available here: https://iefworld.org/node/1602

The speakers focused on the fifth topic of the Pact for the Future, which revolves around transforming global governance, offering insights from a Baha'i perspective. Their discussion emphasized the significance of global cooperation in ensuring environmental sustainability, a crucial element for human welfare and even survival.

The recording is available here: https://youtu.be/Oy_kKIGSk98

Panelists:
Payam Akhavan: International Human Rights Lawyer
Sovaida Maani Ewing: Director of the Center for Peace and Global Governance
Joshua Lincoln: Senior Fellow Center for International Law and Governance (CILG) at the Fletcher School of global affairs, Tufts University

Moderator: Wendi Momen, MBE, FRSA

PAYAM AKHAVAN: THE QUEST FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE
Frustrated by the lack of meaningful progress in the COP negotiations under the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 2015 Paris Agreement, Small Island States many of which face extinction because of rising sea-levels and extreme weather events, have exercised unprecedented global leadership in raising the obligations of the major polluters most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions before international courts and tribunals. In their quest for climate justice, their basic demand is that States respect their pre-existing obligations to prevent trans-boundary harm to climate vulnerable States, failing which they must provide compensation for loss and damages. What does the introduction of international law and "the polluter pays" principle mean for the future of COP negotiations at a time when the threat of catastrophic harm has reached an alarming stage?

SOVAIDA MAANI EWING: BUILDING A WORLD FEDERATION — THE WAY TO BRIDGE OUR GLOBAL GOVERNANCE GAP
Our world is buffeted by a cascading series of global crises. Since humanity has become interconnected and interdependent as never before, it is subject to systemic risk. One of the most existential of these global challenges is the destruction by humans of our environment upon which we rely for our very life and sustenance as demonstrated by climate change and its accelerating and devastating impacts. This wanton destruction is spawning other crises including violent conflict. The only way to resolve such seemingly intractable challenges is to take principled and systematic collective action at a global level. Humanity must voluntarily take the next step in expanding the circle of integration and unity. The model offered by the Baha’i Writings is the creation of a world federation or a United States of the World. The remit of its authority would be limited to certain narrow areas in which common action is the only path to tackling the shared challenges. This idea of a world federation was promoted by Abdu’l-Baha, one of the Central Figures of the Baha’i Faith during His year-long travels in the United States in 1912. Other great thinkers like the famous 20th century historian Arnold Toynbee, have also called for the creation of a voluntary and limited world government. There are many exciting and impactful features of this vision, a few of which I will endeavor to highlight during our dialogue.

JOSHUA LINCOLN: OBSERVATIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GLOBAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE SYSTEMS AMIDST GEOPOLITICAL FRAGMENTATION, EONOMIC DEGLOBALIZATION AND CRASHING PLANETARY BOUNDARIES
Observations on the relationship between global and environmental governance systems amidst geopolitical fragmentation, economic deglobalization and crashing planetary boundaries. Description of talk: The inclusion of global governance reform as the fifth topic of the draft 2024 Pact for the Future reflects an accelerating acceptance that existing systems are no longer fit for purpose. Reform is seen as increasingly urgent. But meaningful global consensus on what comes next is elusive. The very divided geopolitical present makes progress toward that consensus even more challenging. At the same time, the Triple Planetary Crisis (climate change, pollution and biodiversity) is acting as a push factor for change even as it offers no direct answers for other global challenges such a nuclear proliferation or SDG implementation for example. Nonetheless, several specific milestones over the 2015-2025 decade are worth appraising more carefully. First, they offer clues about their own directions of travel. Second, they raise further questions about the evolving relationship between the brittle over-arching system of global governance and the fragmented emerging sub-system of environmental governance.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/IEF-BuildingFutures

Panelists will report and reflect on various local projects aimed at enhancing environmental sustainability and human well-being. These initiatives include a reforestation project in Iceland, community gardening in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, coral reef rescue in Samoa, agricultural and environmental education in Colombia, and relief work following recent flooding in Brazil. They will offer real-life experiences and insights related to Baha'i-inspired approaches for social action.

Panelists:
LEONG Lau Kheng Janice, senior member of the Baha'i community in Singapore, social activist
Halldór Thorgeirsson, Chair Icelandic Climate Council, Iceland
Ayman Reyhan, Cluster Coordinator for the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program in Ajman, UAE
Amelia Hedley, undergraduate student of English, did an internship with FUNDAEC in Colombia
Tavita Faletoese, Project Manager for Reefs of Hope, Samoa
Lucas Umpierre Conter, biomedical scientist with PhD in Molecular and cellular biology, Brazil
Louisa Yazdani, Psychologist, therapist for individuals and families, Brazil 
André Akhavan, physician specialized in anesthesiology and pain medicine, Brazil 

Moderator: Peter Adriance, former Representative for Sustainable Development, U.S. Baha'i Office of Public Affairs, retired

LEONG LAU KHENG, JANICE: COMMUNITY GARDENING IN SINGAPORE ENGAGES YOUTH AND SENIORS
The passion of gardening and love of mother nature inspired me to write to the National Parks, Singapore to grant us a piece of land next to the school at the edge of the park to plant fruit trees, grow vegetables and medicinal herbal plants. We affectionately call our garden Ridvan Garden@Mount Emily and we are are Google Maps. We started the project during Covid in May 2021. We share the fruits of our labour with volunteers and kindergarden children for the work they did. The focus is on education. We reuse car tyres for pots, friends in the community bring their kitchen waste for composting and we recycle twigs and,large branches as support structures. We also work with community partners to collect egg shells, spent coffee, soya bean, banana peel, orange peel to make soil probiotics and natural fertilisers. We host devotional gatherings and picnics where we serve herbal drinks from medicinal plants and share the seeds provided by National Parks.

HALLDÓR THORGEIRSSON: RESTORING THE LAND AND NURTURING THE SOUL: REFORESTATION EFFORT IN ICELAND
The Icelandic Bahá'í community has continued land restoration efforts started around 1950 by one of the pioneers of reforestation efforts in Iceland and one of the early Bahá'ís in Iceland. The site in Skógar in Þorskafjörður is exposed and windswept and growing conditions are quite challenging. Patience and determination has made it possible to transform the site. The priority is now shifting towards building paths and bridges to make the site more accessible to the general public, including the birth place of one of the nation's most beloved poets and author of the national anthem. Formal reforestation agreements have been made with the government agency Land and Forest Iceland and with the Icelandic Road Administration.

AYMAN REYHAN: CULTIVATING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND FOSTERING BONDS WITH NATURE THROUGH A LOCAL GARDEN
The idea for a community garden in our urban neighborhood originated from a suggestion by a member of our junior youth spiritual empowerment group. Our neighborhood in Ajman, UAE, consists of many residential buildings around a central common area. While this space is functional, it lacks natural elements that foster a connection with the environment. In my talk, I will highlight the importance of increasing community awareness and rekindling our relationship with nature. By exploring gardening as a way to bring people together and work towards a shared goal, this project can strengthen community ties and create a greener, more connected neighborhood.

AMELIA HEDLEY: PREPARATION FOR SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAM IN COLOMBIA
This talk will explore key insights from the experience of engaging the community in a process of spiritual and social transformation through the PSA in Colombia. The PSA program is an education program focused on the role that integrative education (both intellectual and spiritual) can empower communities to learn how to apply the concepts and knowledge to address local needs. The talk shares experiences of promoting and growing the program and the role that the agricultural and environmental education aspect of the program plays in addressing the needs of the region of Cauca, Colombia.

EFFECTS OF COMMUNITY BUILDING ON THE APPROACH TO A CLIMATE DISASTER IN RIO GRANDE DU SUL, BRAZIL
We are fortunate to have three speakers for this topic, each one highlighting a specific aspect: 
LUCAS UMPIERRE CONTER, LOUISA YAZDANI, AND ANDRÉ AKHAVAN: 
In May 2024, the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul was affected by the worst floods in its history, displacing around 600,000 people from their homes in a matter of days. Baha’i-inspired community building efforts had been underway for years in areas neighboring the floods. These neighboring areas were severely affected by the incoming flow of people seeking shelter, by water-borne illnesses and shortages of food, water and electricity. We describe how conditions created by previous community building efforts allowed for a more effective response to the climate crisis. A collective sense of belonging, a deeper understanding of the connections between individual and collective well-being, an active approach to problem-solving, close ties between neighboring families and a habit of visiting each other allowed for rapid assessments of a very dynamic situation, identification of needs, dissemination of accurate information, and harboring a sense of hope.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/IEF-DeedsNotWords

In this closing session of the IEF conference, the panelists will report about and reflect on the Summit of the Future and its main outcome document, the Pact for the Future. They will explore how IEF and all of us can apply Baha’i principles to the Summit outcomes and support any projects or initiatives launched.

Panelists:
Arthur Lyon Dahl, Environmental scientist, President of the International Environment Forum
Liliane Nkunzimana, Representative of the Baha'i International Community’s UN Office in New York 
Monica Maghami, International regulatory lawyer, focused on sustainability and technology

Moderator: Victoria Thoresen, emerita and former UNESCO Chair for Education about Sustainable Lifestyles

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

A vision for a Sustainable Future - a Conversation with Youth

Moderator:

Khela Baskett studied chemistry and computer science at UC Berkeley. She has worked in biotech at the Joint Genome Institute, and held software engineering and project management roles for academic, government, and industry projects. Her latest venture is an environmental retrofit start-up for residential customers. She is interested in bringing people together and collaborating on what we can do in our daily lives and communities to address the climate crisis.

Developing a vision for global collaboration

Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing is a prolific author, speaker, and international lawyer with 20 years of experience in public and private legal practice. She is the founding director of The Center for Peace and Global Governance (cpgg.org), a virtual think tank and online forum that pools and proposes principled solutions to pressing global challenges. She has published five books in the area of peace and global governance. Her latest book is “The Alchemy of Peace: 6 Essential Shifts in Mindsets and Habits to Achieve World Peace.”

Joshua Lincoln (PhD) is a Senior Fellow with the Center for International Law and Governance (CILG) at the Fletcher School of global affairs, Tufts University. He is also an advisor to leaders in government, business and non-profit organizations, sits on the advisory board of the Cambrian Futures Group and is a member of the New Carbon Economy Consortium. His current work includes projects on the governance implications of the global decarbonization shift and the negotiation and implementation of a plastics pollution treaty.

Moderator: 

Dr. Wendi Momen is a social activist and advocate, focusing on a cluster of issues that promote social justice: the advancement of women, poverty eradication, health, criminal justice, interfaith harmony, housing, the environment and business ethics. She is a trustee of Widows Rights International, an executive board member of the UK Civil Society Women’s Alliance, treasurer and trustee of Bedford Council of Faith, an ambassador for the National Alliance of Women’s Organisations, trustee of the Bahá’í Agency for Social and Economic Development UK and trustee of the Ashworth Charitable Trust and a member of two women’s organisations, Soroptimist International and Advance. She is co-founder and Governing Board member of Ethical Business Building the Future (ebbf.org) and a board member of the International Environment Forum.

Building Futures Communities

LEONG Lau Kheng, Janice is an active senior member in the Bahai Community in Singapore, engaged deeply in social action and building vibrant communities in her neighbourhood. She previously worked in Cisco Systems Singapore, NCS, the Info Communication Technology arm of Singapore Telecom holding senior positions providing Smart government and IT solutions in Hong Kong, India, China, Australia, and Malaysia. Upon retirement, she also helped in ICT consultancy work and in a social entrepreneur company Angels of Impact to help women entrepreneurs in the region to improve the lives of their communities by offering technical expertise and financial governance support to entrepreneurs.

Halldór Thorgeirsson has been the Chair of the Icelandic Climate Council since 2018. He served as senior director at the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) in Bonn for fourteen years (2004-2018). His responsibilities included managing substantive support to international climate negotiations culminating in the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015. As a climate negotiator for Iceland, Halldór served as the Chair of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) for a two-year term. He holds a Ph.D. in Plant Ecophysiology from Utah State University.

Ayman Reyhan is 29 years old and has served as a pioneer in a neighborhood area of intense activity in the United Arab Emirates. He is an animator and is involved in helping expand the youth movement. He is also part of the neighborhood core team.

Amelia Hedley is an undergraduate student studying English with a focus on education and literacy. She did an internship with FUNDAEC with the PSA (Preparation for Social Action) program.

Tavita Faletoese is serving as Samoa Reefs of Hope Inc. Executive Member and Project Manager and works closely with communities setting up Coral Gardening Projects and Fisheries Reserves in Samoa. He collaborates with Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as well as Samoa’s Fisheries Division under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. As a project manager for Samoa Reefs of Hope, Tavita leads all the project implementation in their communities with regards to Marine Protected Areas and Fisheries Management. Tavita is also representing the Polynesian region to the Small-Scale Fisheries Summit in Rome, Italy.

Dr. Lucas Umpierre Conter is a biomedical scientist and holds a PhD in Molecular and cellular biology. He is an active member of the Bahá'í community and supporter of the junior youth empowerment program.

Louisa Yazdani is a 26 years old Brazilian Bahá'í. She is a psychologist and works as a therapist for individuals and families. She is also involved in community-building efforts for moral, spiritual and social development.

Dr. André Akhavan is a 29 years old physician specialized in anesthesiology and pain medicine. Through his personal experience with Baha'i inspired community building in Brazil and having witnessed the shortcomings of current healthcare, he is interested in the necessary connections between health, community and sustainability.

Moderator: Peter Adriance served as Representative for Sustainable Development in the U.S. Baha'i Office of Public Affairs from 1990 to his retirement in 2016. He represented the Baha'i International Community and the Baha'is of the U.S. at numerous national and international fora on sustainable development issues. He also helped found and served for several years on the governing board of the International Environment Forum. He and his wife now live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Where Do We Go from Here? - Deeds not Words

Liliane Nkunzimana is a Representative of the Baha'i International Community’s UN Office in New York. Her areas of work include gender equality and peace. Liliane has a background researching and writing issues related to diversity and inclusion. She currently serves as a Member at Large on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women. Previously, Liliane served as Secretary of the NGO Committee on Social Development and as Co-Chair of the Communications Task Force of the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security. Liliane has also served as a community organizer engaging youth and their families in educational programs designed to build capacity to contribute to the well-being of society. She has worked on government-funded development projects as well as public affairs in the private sector. Liliane holds a Masters in Public and International Affairs and a Bachelor of Social Science specializing in African Studies with a minor in Political Science.

Dr. Arthur Lyon Dahl, a specialist in complex systems, is President of the International Environment Forum, and a retired Deputy Assistant Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. He coordinated the UN System-wide Earthwatch, led work on indicators of sustainable development and global solidarity accountability, represented the Baha'i International Community at the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment and other international meetings, served in the Secretariat of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit drafting Agenda 21, and has participated in numerous UN conferences on sustainable development and climate change, addressing most recently challenges of global environmental governance.

Monica Maghami (LLB and LLM) is an EU and Brazilian senior regulatory lawyer, with focus on technology and sustainability for over 20 years, living in London, England. She holds a Master's degree in Commercial and Business Law from Coimbra, Portugal. Monica worked for global leading law firms (Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith), Big 4 consultancies (Deloitte) and top tier technology and media companies (Accenture, G&D and BBC). Most recently she was invited to participate at COP28, the UN Nairobi Conference and speak at the upcoming IF G20 in Brazil. Monica is a trustee of NAWO, an NGO that advocates for the rights of women and girls in the UK. She facilitated a SotF workshop for the FCDO UK and regularly consults with them in meetings to review Chapters 3 and 4 of the Pact for the Future. Monica is a convenor and co-convenor of several Working Groups, including Institutional Mechanisms and Environment of the UN UNECE countries for Beijing+30, AI SIG and Climate Change for the OPA UK and an active member of the global IF 20 Environment forum.

Victoria W. Thoresen As an educator and researcher, Victoria W. Thoresen has specialized in curriculum development, global education, value-based education and education for sustainable development. She has written articles and textbooks for teacher training and has functioned as an international educational consultant. Thoresen has been the leader of PERL, The Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living, (a network of 140 universities in 50 countries) and founder and director of The Collaborative Learning Centre for Sustainable Development at the Inland Norway University. She has worked closely with UNEP, UNESCO, the E.U. and other international agencies concerned with sustainable development. Thoresen was appointed UNESCO Chair for Education for Sustainable Lifestyles in 2014 and became professor emerita in 2020. She is also presently adjunct professor at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa.