Interfaith Youth Convention on the European Green Deal: the final report is out!

The European Green Deal was adopted by the European Commission in December 2019: since then, its provisions have been elaborated in more detail with respect to key sectors such as energy, transport, the circular economy, food, agriculture, climate protection, the preservation of biodiversity and so on. The primary objective of this monumental policy is to make our planet more sustainable: it can be achieved if we redesign our role within the planet’s ecosystem and the conditions needed to shape a society where people and nature thrive, enjoying fair access to resources and social and ecological justice. In a nutshell, a radical change in both mentality and actions is necessary and will only be possible through a comprehensive dialogue capable of involving all constituent elements of the society, including faith communities.

In this sense, faith can give purpose to human actions, allowing us to understand our world in a deeper and more profund way and to take care of our Common Home. The Interfaith Youth Convention on the European Green Deal played a role in this sense, providing young people of faith with an opportunity to exchange ideas and opinion on the European Green Deal. The initiative involved over 100 young Europeans aged 18 to 35, delegated by several faith-based organisations active at the European level and representing the Bahá’í, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Muslim confessions and took place between 1st October and 25th November 2021. It included a series of webinar where participants formulated proposals on the European Green Deal vis à vis five thematic areas considered as priorities for young people: housing and energy, mobility and transport, agriculture and food, production and consumption, education, ecology and skills. In a second webinar, participants had the opportunity to share their views with the VP of the European Commission and Commissioner for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans.

The final comprehensive report sets out the 21 proposals developed by the participants in the Convention so that they can be shared with a wider audience. The proposals and this report are a reflection of the commitment of young people of faith to a shared European project, the care for our Common Home, and their aspiration for the future of the European Union and its role in the world.