The Second Interfaith Youth Forum on Environment and Peace

Greetings of peace and blessing from URI-Africa. This is to inform you that URI-Africa hosted, along with other organizations, the second interfaith youth forum on Environment and Peace held on 9th and 10th October 2015 at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. 

The second interfaith youth forum on Environment and Peace was hosted by the office of JPIC Franciscans Africa (JPICFA) in collaboration with the Centre for Social Justice and Ethics of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CSJE-CUEA), Mother Earth Network (URI CC), Kenya Interfaith Network on Environmental Action (URI CC), United Religions Initiative -Africa, Ecumenical Centre for Justice and Peace (ECJP) and Global Peace Foundation(GPF).

The Interfaith Youth Forum is an annual event, which started in the year 2014, that brings youth from diverse religious backgrounds and walks of life to discuss their role as young people on issues of environment and peace. This year, the peace component of the forum focused on sharing the knowledge of world religions and universal peace in the context of a global ethic. Young people familiarized with the essentials of interreligious dialogue, coexistence, tolerance and the danger of radicalization. The environmental component of the forum proposed the building of awareness among the youth about the issues in the forthcoming UNFCC negotiations in Paris and what a young person can do in regard to curbing global warming through environmental conservation.

The Forum brought together about 800 young people from high schools, universities, youth in the community and young professionals from different regions around Nairobi. The Chief Guest was Mr. UWE Wissenbach from the European Union.  Among the invited guests were Dr. Hasmukh Dawda (Goodwill Ambassador of the Golden Rule), Fr. Charles Odira, Fr. Herman Bog, Prof. Dorcas Otieno, Mr. Abdalla Kamwana (SUPKEM), Mr. Robert Njeru (TOTAL Eco-Challenge), Dr. Tuesday Gichuki (GPF).

This much-anticipated celebration began with a tree planting ceremony that was graced by the Chief Guest Uwe Wissenbach, European Union Representative to Kenya. This activity kicked off the Interfaith National Environment Day Celebrations, that saw various interfaith leaders share with the youths and audiences some of the noble initiatives taken by faiths to care for creation.

The celebration provided a great platform for the interfaith leaders to motivate the young people to undertake environmental conservation as a greatest determinant to peaceful coexistence. 

The interactive session with different stakeholders was a great eye opener among the youths as they were able to clearly see the link between conservation and peaceful coexistence. Some of the action items proposed by the youths as way forward involved: celebration of World Environment Day, and organizing of peace walks and advocacy walks on climate change. These were to form part of the common actions to be undertaken towards the next celebration for next year.

The following declaration was made by the youth:

YOUTH DECLARATION

On the Occasion of the second Interfaith Youth Forum on Environment and Peace (IYFEP)

Nearly 800 interfaith youth participants from Kenya met for the second time for the Interfaith Youth Forum on Environment and Peace on 9th and 10th October 2015 at Catholic University Of Eastern-Africa – in a spirit of inclusiveness and with a willingness to learn from each other, share diverse points of view and gain new interfaith perspectives on issues environment and peace.

The Interfaith Youth forum offers the following vision for environment and peace as a way of contributing to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

• The enthusiasm of youth for creating a better world should be harnessed and supported through multi-stakeholder participation, engaging youth and attracting ever-larger numbers to the agenda of promoting peaceful coexistence and enabling environment.
• Peaceful coexistence and interreligious tolerance can offer a solution to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Sustainably caring for our common home will increase the resilience of ecosystems and societies while also providing other environmental services and meeting the demands of social justice.
• The youth ought to commit to signing of the Global Catholic Climate Movement Petition on climate change, the global petitions by 350.org and several other pro-poor petitions. The interfaith youths would like to be actively involved in climate change talks as they have a critical role to play in climate change mitigation adaptation and resilience for a sustainable future.
• Need to recognize the role played by religions as a healing force in the word, people of diverse religions spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions, to cultivate peace and justice by engaging young people to bridge religious and cultural differences and to work together for the good of our communities. We aspire to create a peaceful united and prosperous Africa.
• Giving priority and involving youths actively in the conservation of environment, promotion of economic, social and cultural development, peace building and participation in all levels of decision making processes because it affects their lives today and has implications in the future. In addition to their intellectual contribution and their ability to mobilize support, their unique perspectives need to be taken into account.
• The success of this vision will require further investment in peace and environment education; dissemination of relevant information to youth organizations and other nongovernmental organizations on current youth positions and activities, continuous forums for active youthful engagements on environment and peace, capacity building, creation of jobs, especially for young people. Gender equality with women participating fully.
• This Declaration reflects a diverse set of viewpoints of the participants in the 2ndInterfaith Youth Forum on Environment and Peace.
• Participants Gratefully acknowledged the efforts put by the Government and people of the Republic Kenya, and the support of the civil societies and church organizations that have been in the forefront in providing the young people with platforms for sharing of experiences and best practices on environment and peace, and more so the organizers of the II Interfaith Youth Forum on Environment and Peace.

May Peace Prevail on Earth.