Pujya Sadhviji at G20 Interfaith Forum – IF20 in Brasilia, Brazil
Pujya Sadhviji participated in the G20 Interfaith Forum- IF20 in Brasilia, Brazil this week — a large, high level forum that united global faith, civic and political leaders to have challenging conversations around the Well-being of the Planet and its People and to ensure that we Leave No One Behind as we strive for equality, empowerment and sustainability across the globe.
The forum was also attended by high level ministers from the Brazilian government including the minister of the environment and the minister of human rights.
Sadhviji spoke in the opening assembly of the Forum joining many luminaries from around the world including 1) Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and Chair of The Elders 2) W. Cole Durham, Jr., President, G20 Interfaith Forum, Founding Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies; 3) Katherine Marshall, Vice President, G20 Interfaith Forum; Executive Director, World Faiths Development Dialogue; 4) Flávio Pazeto, Brazil’s G20 Sherpa Team, Ministério das Relações Exteriores 5) Ya Gilda, General Coordinator for Religious Freedom, Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship 6) Dom Zanoni Demettino, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Feira de Santana; CNBB – Conferência dos Bispos; 7) Mohamed Bahr, Head of Strategic Planning at the Muslim Council of Elders; Sheikh Al-Mahfoudh Bin Bayyah, Secretary General, Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace منتدى أبوظبي للسلم, United Arab Emirates and many more.
In her powerful address Sadhviji beautifully shared that “in the Hindu tradition, we don’t see nature as a resource. Nature is not something for us to use and abuse and discard for our purposes. Our faith, in general, requires us to live consciously. And it teaches us how, in every choice that we make – in what we wear, how we dress, how we shop, how we work, how we eat – to make a choice for peace, for sustainability, and for equality.”
Sadhviji also participated as a speaker and discussion launcher in sessions on women and the environment and climate finance.
The Interfaith G20 Forum coincided with the annual General Assembly of PaRD, the International Partnership for Religion and Sustainable Development, headquartered at GiZ in Germany, which Sadhviji has been part of since its inception, serving also as one of the first members of the Steering Committee.
