With heaviness, we lament that the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on. Here is an invitation to pray alongside our brothers and sisters. Let us lift up our hearts and voices in prayer and petition to God, standing alongside all those who are suffering.

With the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, there has been a terrible ecological catastrophe. At least 8 villages are entirely flooded, with 12 more villages and towns submerged. While there is a massive clean-up going on now, the extent of the ecological and environmental devastation is yet unknown.

Our Lausanne friend, Oleksandr Malov earlier reported that:

“According to approximate estimates, only today (!) 20,000 people will lose their homes and households as a result of this terrorist act. We expect some half a million climate refugees in Ukraine.

Besides the human side of the story, there is also an environmental one. The flood destroys rare ecosystems. The dam was part of the water supply system that provided fresh water to several large cities, including Mykolaiv, Kryvyi Rig, and the Crimean peninsula; now, these cities have problems with water supply. Tons of toxic materials from the hydroelectric power station have penetrated the rivers and soils. Domestic and wild animals are going to die because of the flood.

Please, pray for the victory of Ukraine! Pray for God’s creation that suffers along with human beings because of the war! Don’t get tired of raising your voices in support of Ukraine. Speak about the Ukrainian ecological catastrophe with other brothers and sisters who care for creation. ”

Photo: Kakhovka Dam (before the destruction), photo by Volodymyr Dziubak

In late March 2023, a team of WEA colleagues from the WEA Sustainability Center in Bonn and the WEA UN Liaison Office in New York participated in the UN Water Conference at the UN headquarters in New York to monitor its debates and decisions for the global evangelical community. On Friday, March 24, the conference came to a successful conclusion, even though the commitments and decisions could have been more ambitious and stronger in light of the global water and sanitation crisis. The most important result is the Water Action Agenda, for whose implementation voluntary commitments were registered by conference participants. At the end of the UN 2023 Water Conference, the total number of commitments was 708 and according to Csaba Kőrösi, President of the UN General Assembly, financial pledges made equal USD 300 billion. Another joyful outcome of the conference is the announcement that the role of a UN Special Envoy for Water will be established for the first time.

The WEA team has published daily update articles from New York (follow the links): Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 – Special article on the WEA’s side event during the UN Water Conference.