Dubai: The Faith Pavilion at COP29, organised by the Muslim Council of Elders in Baku, Azerbaijan, marked the launch of the Global Alliance of Religious Women Leaders to Combat Climate Change. The event brought together 50 religious women leaders from eight major religions across 15 countries, including Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, a founding member of The Elders, and co-founder of The Project Dandelion-a global women-led campaign for climate justice-alongside young climate activist Ridhima Pandey.
According to Emirates News Agency, in her speech at the launch of the Alliance, Robinson highlighted that religious leaders hold immense power, capable of mobilising over 5.8 billion people-80% of the global population-to turn moral and religious values into concrete actions against the climate crisis. The global alliance, named “Women, Faith, and Climate,” aims to engage climate action alliances led by women from diverse religions and geographies, leveraging the powerful influence of religious wome
n leaders to accelerate progress toward achieving global climate goals.
The alliance also seeks to highlight women’s roles in addressing the climate crisis at both national and international levels, promote best practices in environmental sustainability, strengthen collaboration among women’s alliances from different faiths, and inspire more women to participate in global climate action efforts. This alliance benefits more than 73 million people worldwide through major organisations such as the “Mothers’ Union,” the Buddhist “Tzu Chi Foundation,” the “Brahma Kumaris” movement, and the “International Union of Superiors General.”
Its plans aim to raise global awareness of women-led climate efforts through media campaigns and inspiring stories highlighting their successes. The alliance also seeks to expand collaboration on projects such as greening places of worship, tree planting, and promoting renewable energy use. Furthermore, it plans to intensify advocacy for effective climate policies during upcoming glo
bal events, including COP30, while establishing a coordination mechanism to support communication and knowledge exchange among members, uniting efforts to tackle climate challenges.
