Juan Pablo Restrepo, Liliana Moreno, and Daniel Abreu represent GPIW at COP16 - The UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). This is the first time that GPIW has participated in the CBD. It was held in Cali, Colombia for ten days in late October, with more than 25 thousand registered delegates, including heads of state and environmental ministers from across the globe. | |
Short Reports and Highlights from Colombia | |
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"My experience in the COP 16 was deeply illuminating. Although the official event itself did not reach a satisfactory conclusion, I have never been in a gathering like this (and I have attended 6 Climate Change COPs, including the famous Paris 2015) where participation from civil society and citizens was so much present. The whole city of Cali became a vibrant living organism of debates, protests, learnings, publications, performances and gatherings on how humans can be better stewards of Mother Earth. To illustrate this, one of the most relevant events I attended was the publication of a book titled Mother Earth has Rights which was organized on the outskirts of the city, very far from the negotiations and despite that it was fully attended by locals, indigenous people representatives and by COP participants like me. Events like this were happening at the same time in multiple locations every single day. The whole city of Cali became an extended venue of the COP. Such events opened perspectives on how I can most effectively engage in biodiversity work.
It was truly remarkable, the visibility of indigenous communities, who were present at all venues, notably in the official pavilion of the host country, Colombia. This space hosted numerous daily forums and panels (and the one I attended the most), allowing the voices of affected local and indigenous communities of the Americas to express the perils they are facing from multinationals and their own governments to defend ancestral and protected natural sanctuaries. This indigenous representation helped to achieve the most notable success of the COP, in which Parties adopted a new programme of work and a new subsidiary body to foster more meaningful contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities in the UN Biodiversity Convention."
– Daniel Abreu
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Evening program at Teatro La Mascara organized by Juan Pablo, Liliana, and Daniel, who led an interactive session based on Joanna Macy's groundbreaking work, The Work that Reconnects called 'Seven Generations'. | |  |
Participants were invited to adopt the role of humans living 200 years in the future sharing their insights with present day humans. The premise is that all of us are the ancestors of the beings of the future. The group immersed in reflections from that perspective. The response of participants was profound with many sharing moving and impactful insights. | | |
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"Attending the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) was an unparalleled opportunity to learn about the many efforts and initiatives that are being carried out in various fields of knowledge and at different levels - global, national, local - to address the current planetary crisis. Our planet cries out for a determined commitment to the care of life, but we are often overwhelmed by skepticism and fatigue in the face of the magnitude of the disaster, which makes our efforts seem so small.
It is true that, once again, the spaces for negotiation did not lead to clear commitments by the centers of power to allocate resources to the protection of biodiversity on our planet, but the COP16 in Cali was much more than that. It was the meeting of thousands of people - activists, scientists, indigenous people, artists, public officials - who, no matter how adverse the circumstances, dedicate their lives to the care of life. Being immersed in this planetary gathering was an opportunity to regain the inspiration and courage needed to tell other stories of the future in which it is possible to relate to ourselves and to everything else in a generative way. In many ways, the COP16 was a space to build bridges, those liminal places where transformations become possible.
It is said that the darkest moment of the night is just before dawn. In these moments, when multiple wars break out ravaging entire countries, when the effects of the climate crisis explode everywhere, in short, when the possibilities of our life on Earth seem most precarious, Shambhala warriors emerge everywhere, showing us with their actions that in the midst of the crisis there are no small efforts. It was a privilege and an honor to be there to witness it."
-Liliana Moreno
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On Sunday, October 27, Juan Pablo Restrepo and others organized a full-day event, "Spiritual Ecologies: Practices to Honor the Earth," with 60 participants.
This 'Earth' festival was a day dedicated to pausing and offering to Mother Earth,
practices such as yoga, meditation, and more interactive sessions on
"The Work That Reconnects". The day closed with a dialogue on the relationship between ecology and spirituality.
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In this event Daniel leads his favorite practice from Joana Macy's The Work that Reconnects methodology that he calls the 'Inner Council' 1] . In this exercise around 45 participants were invited to work in groups in the lush gardens of the Ashram. Each individual was asked to share an intention related to the caring of Mother Earth and then listen to the voices of Doubt, the Ancestors and Future Humans represented by the others in the small group. By the end of the exercise everyone had assumed the character of each role -- the conversations were deeply immersive and several participants were moved to tears. Nourishing connections are created by such activities. Hope and strength were shared by participants as key takeaways from the experience.
[1] The original name of this exercise is Corbet in reference to the place where it was first practiced.
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“In addition to the activities carried out during our week in Cali, we managed to establish alliances with scientists specializing in biodiversity, spiritual leaders of various traditions (Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims), indigenous leaders, along with prominent figures from the artistic world. One of the most significant aspects of our participation was recognizing
the need to incorporate in events like COP, spaces dedicated to practices that allow attendees to pause, such as yoga and meditation.
In our service and work in future gatherings we may consider the importance of offering scientists and political leaders an environment that fosters deep well-being and authentic inner peace, enabling their decisions and actions to come from a clear mind and heart in favor of the Earth.”
– Juan Pablo Restrepo
| Thank you, Juan Pablo, for leading the delegation and for being the inspiration for GPIW to apply for official status to the UN Convention on Biodiversity. For the past 15 years GPIW has been engaging young ecologists and climate activists in gatherings around the world. We are ever grateful to many of the young people we have worked with who are now taking over the helm and carrying forth this work into the future with energy and heart. Gratitude goes to DDMBA, ITRI, and Shumei International who sponsored their participation, and the two events the young people organized for the citizens of Cali. | |
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Upcoming: A Virtual One Day Program
on the Sacred Feminine
November 23, 2024
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The Sophia Institute is organizing a program on The Mysteries of Sophia, joining are GPIW's founder Dena Merriam and GPIW's longtime friends Lama Palden Drolma and Carolyn Rivers.
The Sophia Institute invites you to a special Sophia Convocation to explore The Mysteries of Sophia, laying the groundwork for our collective return to a peaceful and harmonious way of life. Sophia, which translates from Ancient Greek as "Divine Wisdom," is powerful, ancient and timeless, representing the feminine aspect of the Divine. Sophia is the embodiment of wisdom, spirit, and consciousness. She has appeared in various spiritual and religious traditions throughout history, including Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, Native American and other Indigenous cultures each interpreting and embodying her in unique ways. Sophia is the total inspiration behind The Sophia Institute. For more information on the speakers, details of the program, and to register for the one-day program click here.
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