Waterspirit’s Executive Director, Blair Nelsen, will spend the next 8 days at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France representing our sponsors, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. She will participate in in-person and virtual events with Faith in the Ocean, the NGO Mining Working Group, and other civil society collaborators to promote faithful, ocean-honoring actions.
Faith in the Ocean:
On June 11, we will present the Faith in the Ocean Declaration to the world at a special in-person side event. This inspirational call to action invites people of all faiths into a revolution of consciousness to reset our relationship with the ocean. It also tasks world decision-makers at this conference with taking real, ambitious action to protect the sacred ocean. This declaration has been endorsed by over 500 signatories from across the world, representing all of the world’s major religious traditions.
Read the press release about the Faith in the Ocean Declaration here.
RSVP for the in-person side event on July 11 from 3-5 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church (11 Rue de la Buffa, Nice 06000) here. Our Executive Director will moderate this panel and present the Declaration.
Endorse the Faith in the Ocean Declaration here.
NGO Mining Working Group:
On June 9 from 7-8:30 p.m. CEST (1-2:30 p.m. New York time), our Executive Director will moderate a virtual side event entitled, “Disturbance in the Deep: A Rights-Based and Values-Based Approach to Deep Sea Conservation”. This virtual side event will use a rights-based approach to evaluate concerns over unsustainable proposals to develop the deep seabed, including deep sea mining, and to posit more sustainable pathways forward. Speakers from religious and scientific backgrounds will explore how their values inform their actions and Voluntary Commitments to promote a healthy ocean. This panel will also explore ocean-climate-biodiversity linkages on the path toward achieving SDG14.
Other Actions
On June 11 from 1-2 p.m. CEST, our Executive Director will share personal reflections about Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter, Laudato Si’, at an in-person side event entitled, “Laudato Si’ and Al-Mizan: Catholic and Islamic Approaches to Ocean Stewardship”. Learn more about this event here.
(If you’d like a sneak peak at what Blair will share on this panel, please listen to Creation Justice Ministries’ newest Green Lectionary Podcast episode on “Preaching Ocean Month”.)
On June 7, Blair will join other members of civil society for a massive, peaceful demonstration called the Blue March. The last Blue March in Lisbon (at UNOC2) was inspiring and energizing— keep an eye out for photos and stories from this great public event!