Description/achievement of initiative
The Environmental Network of the United Religions Initiative (URI) is a thriving experiential global grassroots partnership that unites nearly 200 interfaith communities in solidarity building, skills and knowledge exchange for the purpose of environmental wellbeing. The power of the Environmental Network comes from the emphasis on skill and knowledge sharing; and intercultural and interfaith dialogue. We use co-create webinars, host dialogues, organize peer-to-peer exchanges, and contribute to best-practice kits in order to support one another in biodynamic farming, harnessing renewable energy, sustainably managing natural resources, restoring biodiversity, reducing waste, increasing WASH, and empower women and youth socially and economically.
Implementation methodologies
Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
Coordination mechanisms/governance structure
The United Religions Initiative has an Environmental Coordinator facilitates relationships among 150 grassroots interfaith communities engaged in environmental work in order to concentrate the wealth of diverse experience, knowledge and sense of solidarity to benefit groups interpersonally and to equip them to take meaningful environmental action. Apart from one-on-one connections with the coordinator, the network actively engages in monthly dialogues and webinars; create newsletters, toolkits and online knowledge resources; and participate in peer-to-peer skill exchanges to increase the impact of organic agriculture, tree planting and biodiversity restoration, in particular.
Partner(s)
United Religions Initiative; Inter-Cultural Youth Council (Pakistan); G3S Foundation (India); Forward Action for Conservation of Indigenous Species (Nigeria); Rosebud Continuum (USA); Santa Barbara Interfaith Initiative & ECOFaith (USA); The Chaplaincy Institute (USA); Lilongwe Central Cooperation Circle (Malawi); Multifaith Association of Southern Australia; Green For All (USA); Arava Institute (Israel); IBS Cooperation Circle (Netherlands); Network of Spiritual Progressives (USA); Mother Earth Network (Kenya); La VIlla D'Arcilla (Costa Rica); GreenFaith (New Jersey, USA); Faith Ecology Network (Australia); Tamera & Grace (Portugal); Parliament of the People (Southern Africa); Arizona Faith Network (USA); Kashi Foundation (USA); Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (Israel); EcoPeace Middle East
Progress reports
Goal 3
3.3 - By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases
Goal 5
5.5 - Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
5.b - Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
Goal 6
6.2 - By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.4 - By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
Goal 10
10.2 - By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
Goal 12
12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
Goal 15
15.1 - By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
15.2 - By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
Goal 17
17.6 - Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.16 - Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.17 - Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
Data, monitoring and accountability
17.19 - By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
Staff / Technical expertise
Environmental Network Coordinator, Katherine Hreib, supports groups in the network through one-on-one meetings, connecting like-minded groups, hosting webinars on specific environmental topics, organizing knowledge and spiritual resources, and submitting
March/2019
