LWF delegates mark halfway point at COP28
(LWI) - “I feel the need to fight for mother earth.” The words by Sandra Kwamboka Ombese – a youth leader and climate activist from the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church, a member church of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) – are spoken as world leaders, negotiators, people of faith and representatives from broader civil society all gather in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the annual United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP).
Online and onsite, the LWF facilitates participation of more than 60 people coming from 29 member churches in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and North America.
For the youth, it is an opportunity to grow spiritually, practice leadership skills, and to engage in climate change-related decision-making including enabling them to provide solutions to a crisis that ultimately affects us all.
As this year’s conference (COP28) completes its first week and negotiations arrive at their halfway mark, LWF delegates take stock of progress made so far, and review specific focuses for what lies ahead.
"Our climate justice advocacy is grounded in evidence and human rights, which are essential to accelerating climate justice and action at all levels. At COP28, we are raising the voices and concerns of communities on the frontlines of climate change impact,” says LWF program executive for climate justice Elena Cedillo, who co-organizes the work of the LWF delegation.