In an atmosphere of constructive dialogue and cooperation, on November 5, IRI-Colombia met with prominent personalities from the ecumenical and environmental fields with the aim of exploring synergies and defining lines of joint action around the Peace with Nature project in the Colombian Amazon.
The working breakfast was attended by Peter Prove, director of the Commission of Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches; Humberto Martín Shikiya, special envoy of the World Council of Churches for the peace process in Colombia; and the representatives of IRI-Colombia, Blanca Lucía Echeverry, national coordinator, and Carlos Augusto Lozano, the national advisor.
The main objective of the meeting was to identify strategic opportunities for collaboration within the framework of this innovative project, which seeks to articulate the efforts of local communities, spiritual leaders and international organizations to promote a development model based on environmental justice and the restoration of the Amazon. In this sense, mechanisms were discussed to strengthen the participation of faith communities in territorial peace and conservation processes, as well as the incidence of public policies that recognize the interconnection between social reconciliation and ecological sustainability.
This alliance represents a significant step in the construction of a shared vision for the defense of the Amazon, understood not only as an essential biome for life on the planet, but as a territory deeply linked to the cultural, spiritual and social identity of its inhabitants.
The Interfaith Initiative for Tropical Forests in Colombia, in conjunction with the World Council of Churches, reaffirms its commitment to the protection of the Amazon as a heritage of humanity and to the construction of a sustainable peace that recognizes nature as a subject of rights. This joint effort, framed by the principles of solidarity, justice and care for creation, promises to generate transformative impacts in the region.
This meeting is just the beginning of a collaboration that seeks to transcend borders and strengthen a model of collective action that inspires other initiatives in the world.
Click here to read the full Spanish edition of the November IRIboletín.
