UN Habitat – The Pollinator: Creation Care Network News

Developments in Urbanism

Ed — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 18:20:14 +0000

Urbanism, or New Urbanism should be of much greater concern for those of us in the creation care movement than it often is. More of us live in cities now around the world. How do we bring the message of creation care to city dwellers, and how can we redesign our cities so they are healthy, sustainable, and even, perhaps, beautiful?

The 3rd International Symposium on Religious Life held this week included a special event, the launch of the International Council of Faiths for Urbanism.

Following Habitat III and the ratification of the New Urban Agenda in 2016, the International Council of Faiths for Urbanism (ICFU) was founded in 2017 at the inaugural UN-Habitat Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campus in Singapore. Filling an observable absence of faith-based involvement in the multi-year process leading up to Habitat III, the ICFU has developed over the past three years. Through attending UN-Habitat’s 9th and 10th World Urban Forums, co-hosting Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campuses, and attending other international events, the ICFU has worked towards the fulfillment of its mission to be the highest global faith-based body specializing in representing the interests and concerns of diverse faith traditions regarding urban development in the international arena. As well as encouraging the grassroots engagement of faiths in their urban contexts. At this inaugural public launch event, the ICFU will share with the international community its vision and work, and how its focus on urbanism at all scales—cities, towns, and villages, and its engagement with urban policy and development contributes to enhancing both religious life in communities and the common good for all.

We don’t find a link for the new organization yet, but if you’re interested, contact Chris Elisara (celisara@worldea.org), who informs us that he was recently elected to the Secretariat of the UN Habitat World Urban Campaign as co-chair of the Civil Society Partners group. Congratulations, Chris!

Cities and Covid-19: UN Habitat Consultation Opportunity

Ed — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 15:59:00 +0000

The WEA Creation Care Task Force has developed a strong relationship with UN Habitat over the years, and will be hosting one of Habitat’s upcoming Urban Thinkers Campuses in two weeks. This is an excellent opportunity for LWCCN members who are working in cities to join with others in thinking through how Covid-19 is affecting our communities and how to respond. Here’s the announcement:

UN-Habitat has launched a campaign responding to COVID-19 (https://unhabitat.org/un-habitat-covid-19-response-plan). As part of that campaign it is hosting a special on-line series of Urban Thinkers Campuses (UTC). The WEA Creation Care Task Force, which has developed a relationship with UN-Habitat over many years, is co-hosting the UTC focused on “Community Leaders on the Frontline” on May 14. The WEA’s COVID-19 Task Force (https://covid19.worldea.org), which has an Impoverished Communities working group, will be sharing directly about its work and the lessons it is learning from frontline churches and leaders responding to the pandemic.
Space is limited, so sign up to participate in these UTC’s. The Christian community has something to learn and something to share in all of these conversations. The most important thing, however, is that we can contribute recommendations and suggestions that can have an impact on policy makers, governments, industry, and civil society, including our own Christian community, through our participation. So let’s participate! Learn more and sign up here https://www.worldurbancampaign.org/urban-thinkers-campus

UN Habitat 10th World Forum, 8-13 Feb: Delegates wanted!

Ed — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 17:51:49 +0000

How cities develop over the next twenty to thirty years of rapid global urbanization, especially in Africa and Asia, will be critical to our global ecological future. For this reason the WEA Creation Care Task Force has engaged with UN-Habitat since 2013 and has sent delegations to Habitat III, the 9^th World Urban Forum, and hosted UN-Habitat Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campuses in 2017 and 2019 where we hosted a regional conference for Africa, Central and South America, Asia, North America, and Europe.

We also helped form the Urban Shalom Society, which will be sending another delegation to UN-Habitat’s 10^th World Urban Forum (WUF10) in Abu Dhabi Feb. 8-13, 2020.

If you are interested in joining the Urban Shalom Forum’s delegation to WUF10 please go to this link to learn more http://urbanshalomsociety.org/save-the-dates-10th-world-urban-forum-urban-shalom-forum/. To learn more about the LWCCN’s perspective on cities and creation care we suggest reading the Gospel and the Future of Cities: A Call to Action statement developed in response to Habitat III at this link: http://www.weacreationcare.org/the-gospel-the-future-of-cities-a-call-to-action/.

City People: UN Habitat conference opportunity coming soon

Ed — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 19:39:22 +0000

Over 50 percent of the world’s population now lives in cities, and due to today’s rapid global urbanization it is estimated that 75 percent of the world’s population will live in cities within the next 20-30 years. This is equivalent to building a city of one million people every week for the next 20-30 years. Cities, therefore, and in particular their ecological design and liveability, are a vital focal point for creation care. This is the reason why LWCCN co-leader and director of the WEA Creation Care Task Force, Dr. Chris Elisara, has focused on cities and invites LWCCN members to attend several important conferences focused on cities in November that the LWCCN co-hosting.

If you reside in the UK, Europe, or North America you are invited to attend the joint UN-Habitat Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campus entitled, Faith and the Path Towards a Better Quality of City Life,at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 23^rd and 24^th of November 2019, andimmediately prior to attendthe Urban Shalom Forum on Nov. 21-22 which will focus exclusively on Christian perspectives, dialogue, collaboration, and networking pertaining to cities and the future of urban development. To learn more about the purpose, outcomes, and to register for these free events go to this link: http://www.weacreationcare.org/usf_utc_london_2019/

If you reside in the Asia region we are also co-hosting UN-Habitat Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campus in the Philippines on Nov. 29 and 30 at the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture. To learn more about the purpose, outcomes, and to register for this free event go to this link: https://utc-asia.eventbrite.com.au.

Here’s the full press release.