United Nations Environment Programme

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The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environment agenda, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with URI-Africa on October 29, 2018, and with URI-Global on August 19, 2020, agreeing to collaborate on leveraging the wisdom, power and influence of faith-based and spiritual communities in mobilizing the citizenry in environmental awareness and action, including but not limited to:

  1. working together on the issue of faith and environmental sustainability;
  2. enhancing and facilitating interfaith cooperation and fostering consistent working partnership between UNEP and religious leaders from different faith traditions on environmental sustainability issues;
  3. promoting the role of religious leaders in the stewardship of Mother Earth in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
  4. mobilizing interfaith and  faith-based organizations, and religious and spiritual leaders for the implementation of the Faith for Earth and Interfaith Rainforest Initiative of UNEP;
  5. enhancing participatory contribution of faith based organizations to bridging policy and operational gaps aimed at implementing the Paris Agreement and the SDGs;
  6. actively engaging followers of different religions in environmental campaigns;
  7. collaborating in promoting of the Green Rule Initiative, which says “Do unto the Earth as you would have it do unto you;” and
  8. observing the World Environment Day on the 5th of June of each year.

URI Stories of Impact

Global Online Earth Day 2020 Celebration

For Earth Day 2020, Parmarth Niketan, URI Global, and the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance are bringing together Faith Leaders from all over the world to unite with one vision of how humanity can move forward from this crisis into a period of healing and harmony.