From 25 to 31 October, a delegation of Pax Christi International attended the 16th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16 on Biodiversity), on the theme: “Peace with Nature”. The delegation was composed of Bishop (Em.) Marc Stenger, Co-President, Martha Inés Romero, Secretary-General, and Alejandro Garcia Pedraza, Latin America and Caribbean Program Officer.
On 27 October, Bishop (Em.) Stenger co-celebrated mass (organised by the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network -REPAM) at the Cathedral, for all environmental defenders. Then, on 28 October, a “Ritual for Life in Harmony” took place, with the presentation of the Pax Christi International Peace Award 2024 to the Haitian Justice and Peace Commission (JILAP) and Sister Gladys Montesinos, celebrating their relentless efforts in accompanying their communities and in the protection of the Creation through a ritual living ancestral Eco-Spirituality in the region.
Then, on 29 and 30 October, we held two side-events for participants to COP16:
- Event in the Green Zone: What do we understand by Peace with Nature from the approach of active nonviolence and ecological conversion? (The recording is available here).
- Event in the Blue Zone: Observations on the strategy of nature conservation from the perspective of militarisation and the impact of extractive companies. (The recording is available here in English, and here in Spanish)
Both events were opportunities to push forward advocacy for nonviolence and integral ecology, in line with Pope Francis’ encyclicals Laudato Si’ and Fratellli Tutti, as well as contribute to the Regional Laudate Deum Road Map, implemented by CEILAC -an ecclesial coalition of which PCI is an active member.
