As a collaborative partner to the G20 Interfaith Forum (G20i), ACWAY was invited to take part in both the G20 Interfaith Youth Forum and the main Interfaith Forum. The aim of the Youth Forum was to gather the youth to contribute with the recommendations to the man G20i platform. 19 ACWAY Fellows were nominated to take part in the Forum. The fellows brought their unique perspectives and insights to the prioritized global issues. It was also an opportunity to exchange best practices across regions and identify potential concrete policy recommendations to be presented during the G20i panel discussions.
This year the Forum was organized by The G20 Interfaith Forum Association, KAICIID, and several other partners.
“I was participating in the Working Group 2: Addressing the needs of refugees and migrants and advancing solutions, with a focus on women and youth. My personal recommendation for the topic was the effective enforcement of laws in order to prevent and punish violence against women. The commitments made under International Law need to be given life and force on the ground through national laws alongside programs working to bring about changes in norms about violence.”
I was happy to see that the scope of G20i this year went beyond the typical interreligious issues of security and peacebuilding, and addressed equally pertinent global challenges of political ecology, modern slavery, and the COVID-19 impact upon communities across the globe.
At the YG20i, my group discussed how religious communities could contribute to combat climate change from within the communities, by linking religious teachings to the preservation of the environment and to have adequate training for the religious leaders on the climate and ecological awareness.
– Lina Sakin Salim, Singapore
