Greetings of peace and blessing.
URI is participating in the 7th annual G20 Interfaith Forum, which is co-organized by the G20 Interfaith Forum Association, the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), and the National Committee for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (NCIRD).
The 2020 G20 Interfaith Forum will take place online from 13th to 17th October 2020 prior to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The agenda for the 2020 G20 Interfaith Forum will build on the goals of social cohesion, equity and sustainability. The general themes are reflected within five tracks, tailored within the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are mainstreamed in all five tracks:
- The role of religion in peace-building and conflict prevention
- Education, youth and women
- Peaceful coexistence and social cohesion
- Governance and faith
- Protecting the planet
Sessions will focus on ways religious leaders can work with governments to combat racism and hate speech; contribute to the advancement of migrants, refugees, women and youth; address the issue of modern slavery and human trafficking; protect shared religious and cultural heritage; and mitigate the consequences of environmental degradation and climate change. An entire day of the program will be dedicated to discussing the COVID-19 pandemic as religious communities are uniquely affected by the pandemic.
The Forum ensures that religious voices are integral partners in global relief efforts. These discussions contribute to the annual G20 Leaders’ Summit, which is the premier forum for international economic cooperation.
The G20 Interfaith Forum offers an annual platform where networks of religiously linked and faith-inspired actors engage on global agendas, within the broad framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the G20 host country’s agenda.
This year, G20 countries and policymakers are at the centre of global action to address the social, economic, and political consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, an effort in which religious actors continue to offer crucial partnership and creative solutions.
During the 2020 G20 Interfaith Forum, more than 500 leaders and representatives from several of the world’s major religions and global policy institutions will participate and address crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, disaster risk reduction, hate speech, and racism.
The G20 Interfaith Forum seeks global solutions by collaborating with religious thought leaders and political representatives, and calls upon the world’s political leaders to include religious actors in the policymaking process leading up to November’s 2020 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Riyadh as well as to build policy based on shared values of solidarity, coexistence, and respect.
The 7th annual G20 Interfaith Forum represents the culmination of a year-long process of the consultation that has brought together more than 500 representatives of religious and faith-based organizations, international and national policymakers and experts in six regional meetings.
Recommendations from these meetings and of continuing task forces on priority topics will be presented to the G20, which is chaired this year by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Information on The G20
The Group of Twenty (G20) is an international forum that brings together the world's 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies. The group accounts for 85 percent of the world GDP and two-thirds of its population.
Membership of the G20 consists of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Founded in 1999, the G20 aims to discuss policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability.
The G20 presidency rotates between member countries each year, with Saudi Arabia assuming the rotating presidency on December 1, 2019.
May Peace Prevail on Earth.
