Wilton Park recently hosted a pivotal event in Frascati, Italy, to launch a women-led, multi-faith climate action network. Lorna Gold, Chair of the Laudato Sì Movement, was one of the expert participants. The event aimed to unify women faith leaders in the global effort to combat climate change, bridging religious and secular efforts to foster climate resilience in communities around the world.
Lorna, a well-known advocate for climate action within faith groups, joined other influential figures such as Mary Robinson, Chair of the Elders, Prof. Husna Ahmad, CEO of Global One 2015 and Jean F. Duff, Partnership for Faith and Development, in shaping the direction of this emerging network. Her involvement underscored the importance of Laudato Sì’s principles, which call for urgent environmental stewardship inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical.
The participants, emphasized the critical role of faith communities in mobilizing action, with over 80% of the world’s population belonging to some form of faith group. Leaving Rome, Lorna expressed her thoughts on the remarkable few days, saying, “It was a truly extraordinary conference—it was more than a conference, it was a moment when women from all different faiths came together and made a solemn commitment to accelerating climate action and supporting each other in our individual and collective endevours to safeguard the earth for future generations. Personally, I was deeply moved by the event and made many new friends. We said that the first thing we want to do is to create a network of friendship among all participants, aiming to overcome the cultures of competition and division. In the coming years, we will focus on how we can move forward together. We also committed to establishing a new network, for which we need a name, but currently, it’s being referred to the “Women of Faith for Climate Justice Network.” This network will be a framework for ongoing collaboration.
Plans are underway to organize similar events at national and regional levels, possibly concentrating on specific topics. We aim to explore how this new model of collaboration, led by women of faith, can unblock some of the challenges and difficulties we’re we facing today. It was very touching, especially for those who had travelled from regions most affected by climate injustice, such as parts of the South Pacific and many African countries. They really put it up to us as women leading faith organizations in the Global North to deepen our listening and engage in a different kind of dialogue—which really listens to their concerns and the urgency of their appeals and puts that at the centre of everything.”
The atmosphere at the event was marked by an overwhelming sense of urgency and determination, particularly ahead of COP29, where this network is expected to play a prominent role in climate advocacy. Dr. Anabel Inge, Deputy Head of Mission at the UK in Holy See Embassy, remarked on the “energy and passion” in the room, a sentiment echoed by other participants like Susan Hendershot, President at Interfaith Power & Light Member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, who highlighted the network’s potential for driving impactful environmental progress globally.
This gathering is part of Wilton Park’s broader initiative to forge cross-sector partnerships, uniting faith leaders, governments, and NGOs to tackle the climate crisis with innovation and collaboration. Tom Cargill, Chief Executive of Wilton Park, emphasized the organization’s unique ability to form strategic alliances that push forward meaningful climate solutions, leveraging their global influence to address the world’s most pressing issues.
This event laid the foundation for a powerful women-led climate action network that will continue to gain momentum as it heads toward its involvement in key international climate dialogues.
