Dubai, UAE – Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru will address the first-ever Faith Pavilion at COP28 on Friday December 1, kicking off a programme of over 70 sessions on interfaith cooperation on climate action.
Head of the Isha Foundation and founder of the Save Soil movement will present his vision on the critical role of healthy, living soils in mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Sadhguru has built up a huge international following – with over a billion views on YouTube and 11 million followers on Instagram – with his message of spirituality and climate action.
Sadhguru is the first of a variety of high-profile speakers in a daily 10am slot at the Pavilion, including High Commissioner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living Foundation, and World Evangelical Alliance General-Secretary Archbishop Dr Thomas Schirrmacher.
At 12pm on Friday 1st December, the UNFCCC Climate Action Zone will host an event recognising faith as the missing piece in climate action, held in collaboration with the UNFCCC Executive Secretary.
Over 300 faith representatives and public figures are expected alongside over 70 leading faith-based organizations at the Faith Pavilion, a dedicated space for different religions, traditions, and perspectives to come together to achieve a better future for planet Earth and humanity.
Inclusive collaboration and dialogue
Throughout the conference, the Faith Pavilion will be a space designed to be the focal point for fostering meaningful interfaith collaboration and engagement, with the goal of catalyzing effective and ambitious climate action. It will create an opportunity for dialogue with religious and Indigenous representatives, scientists, young people, and political leaders to accelerate climate action.
The Pavilion will also house the Tree of Conscience – a tree collectively planted by 28 high-level faith leaders from over 19 faiths and denominations during the Global Faith Leaders Summit on climate change this past November in Abu Dhabi.
The Faith Pavilion will also host discussion groups, youth cafes, daily prayers and pastoral care for negotiators.
The Faith Pavilion will be hosted by the Muslim Council of Elders in collaboration with the COP28 Presidency, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), and a coalition of faith partners including the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, the Episcopal Diocese of California, the Partnership on Religion and Development, Peace Department, and over 50 faith-based organizations.
The Pavilion will host more than 65 sessions with religious figures, scientists, and political leaders, as well as encouraging intergenerational dialogue involving young faith leaders and indigenous peoples.