 Our creation story tells of a balance, a way of knowing that earned our place with that which was always here. We came into this world imperfect, we came here to learn how to be in this world from our places of origin. We traveled through this land from far north to the south, to the west, to the east. Our boundaries of this land were sacred, and the mystical experiences helped shape our form within it. All wisdom comes from the land from lived experiences. In later generations, we made relationship with one another through diaspora, and time on our traditions with other tribes. We welcomed the stranger, the explorers, the missionaries, the settlers, and the descendants and members of the Métis nation as well, as well as every newcomer. This has not been a good history for a lot of us, each bringing a different understanding, a different testimony, and a different way of life. In these lands, the lands of dreams and sacred stories where we once learned how to live with creation, we struggled to live with one another, especially when the tables were turned and prejudices were acted upon. Today, as we struggle to restore our balance with the environment and the story of the land, may we hear the wisdom of this land anew, as it continues to teach us how we must live within it to survive. In our tradition, from my people, the Stony people, we burn a smudge from the plants we gather in the mountains, the mountain sage, the sweet grass, and other different elements that we use to cleanse and purify, to offer our prayer to the Creator. We believe the smoke carries our message to the Creator. And so we gather here as a reminder of our connection to the earth, and of those around us. So we pray, as our ancestors have done from time immemorial, at the beginning of the day, as the sun enters the world, the light of the world, knowledge of the world, we take time to remember our connection. Well, do you have your Shigenoaka, Creator God, one who abides with us, who guides us, who offers us love and nurture in this space? We give thanks for your presence in our lives. We give thanks for your understandings that have taught us to live in this world. We give thanks for all parts of creation and a reminder of our connection within creation, that we are a part of it. We are meant to help in our way as stewards, as ones who learn the ways of nature. So for these things we give thanks, when we have overstepped our bounds, we beg for forgiveness, where we have done wrong, we beg for your atonement. We know that we have much work to do in these days, if we want to leave a place that is wholly nurturing for the next generations that come. We have so much work to do to change minds, to change perspectives. We pray that you would be with us in this work for those that travel to be with them as well and their safety to return back to their motherland. We will begin with our first panel, which will be here with Teddy Stringer, who is a, I'm going to introduce the person who will introduce the panelists. So Teddy Stringer is from the Métis Nation of Ontario and a Vice President of Development and Peace for the Montreal Diocese. So, Teddy, please take it away. Teddy, can I jump in before you start. We're having a little issue with the Spanish interpretation. Paulina, are you able to change your mic a little bit, so that the folks can hear the Spanish better. Thank you. Go ahead. Is that, is that better now? We're good now. Thanks. Well, for the first panel, we have three, three wonderful participants who are going to be delegates to COP 27, two in Canada and one, I believe in the Philippines at the moment is that I hope that's that's correct moment. In Canada, we have Tia Kennedy, who is the youth delegate as well as Indigenous delegate. She's a very experienced Indigenous climate activist leader. She has international experience, including exchange with Indigenous people at Peru, and has spoken at, events including the Global Women's Forum in Paris and the Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit. She's working for the Assembly of First Nations as a policy analyst and also working on a short film highlighting her family's connections to the devastating water crisis in First Nations. And we're very lucky to have her. And also in Canada, we have a, sorry, Clifford Musquash, who's Anishinaabe from the Pugwashing, I'm sorry, I hope I'm pronouncing this correctly, Pugwashing or Pais Blatt First Nation on the north shore of Lake Superior in Kichigame. He is completing a Masters in Public Health with a specialisation in Indigenous and Northern health at Lake Heads University Thunder Bay. He is committed to advancing social justice for Indigenous and LGBTQ plus people in Canada. And he is also an extremely experienced Cairo's blanket exercise facilitator, has turned it alongside more than 2,000 participants, if he will tell us something about that perhaps in a minute. And in Philippines, one of the global solidarity partners of Cairo's, we have Paul Belisario, who is the Assistant Global Coordinator for the International Indigenous People's Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation. His work focuses on campaigns, mobilisation and outreach on the theme of liberation movements and right to self-determination, land rights, climate justice and food systems. He will be representing the Indigenous People's Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation, IPMSDL, and the Global Indigenous People's Delegation to COP 27. He's also agreed very kindly to join the Cairo's delegation to lend experience and expertise working Indigenous rights and climate change issues in the Philippines. So those are three wonderful delegates who will be answering the discussion of why is it important to put Indigenous leadership, Indigenous history and knowledge at the centre of climate action. And so three general questions, each one of you can answer all or one as you choose, would be why is it important that Indigenous leadership and history are at the centre of climate action? What would this look like? And how does the Cairo's blanket exercise relate to this? There will be questions afterwards, please put them in the chat. I think probably without the questions about maybe five minutes ish to begin each. And I don't know if one of you would like to go first or nobody would particularly like to go first. I can. You would. All right, thank you. Good morning everybody. I'm coming to you from Thunder Bay, Ontario on the North Shore League Superior, the traditional territory of Fort William First Nation who were signatories to the Robinson Superior Treaty 1850. I'm excited to be a part of this delegation. To answer the first question why I think it's important to centre Indigenous leadership and history and climate action. Firstly, it's important to recognize that Indigenous people globally have always been environmental stewards. We have always, you know, I can only speak to the Canadian experience but I know for myself, our people have always been environmental stewards and have lived off the land and have cared for the land in ways that left enough for future generations. Very long term vision. We lived off the land and used its resources in ways that were very sustainable prior to contact, even during and after contact. And I think it's important to remember that that the climate emergency that we're in right now has really come on the heels of industrialization and the commercialization or modification of natural resources that are found in our lands and our water. So I think it's important to recognize the steadfastness of global Indigenous peoples in caring for the land that we're in. This is our land. For the Anishinaabe, such as myself, we understand ourselves to be part of that land and part of that water, very physically, not just spiritually. So we see ourselves as extensions of land and water and land and water as extensions of ourselves. So what's done to the land is done to ourselves. So I think when we look at addressing environmental issues, I think the approach could dramatically change if the people who are developing policy and legislation and programs or developing industry, etc. would do it very differently if they saw the land as being a part of themselves. And the work that would then come would be health focused and sustainable and uplifting and it would bring people together and it would be equitable. So I think that those are the lessons that we can learn from our global Indigenous people. I think that that's part of the message that we can bring forward as Indigenous delegates to COP, and that's part of what I'm looking forward to being able to do. What would that look like? Well, it would look like having Indigenous people at the table, being part of the conversation, being part of solutions. This has always been our land. It remains to be our land, even though cities and communities across the country are now where our traditional lands are. It's still our land. So the transactions and the activity that is done upon that land, we still have a vested interest in. So when we look at centering Indigenous leadership and history in climate action, it means having Indigenous people at that table. It also means having Indigenous people lead those efforts or going off of their intentions and their objectives in how they see activity needing to be done in a good way. We are the people who can bring that knowledge and help teach and show non-Indigenous people how we can care for the land. And we have always done that. So I think that it's important to recognize that place and that role for Indigenous people in a contemporary or current context. And how can the blanket exercise relate to this? You know, I've facilitated many, many exercises as you have indicated. One of the things that I described the blanket exercise is, you know, it's a story. It's a walkthrough history, but it's not just a history lesson. It's geography. It's politics. It's environmental science. Our people were scientific and numeric people. It didn't always look like the Western understanding of science and, you know, numbers, but our people were scientific and numeric just in a different way. And those lessons are all contained within the blanket exercise. So the blanket exercise is a really good starting point for conversations about how to move forward. And so I think that that's how we can use the blanket exercise as a tool to have these conversations about Indigenous leadership and centering Indigenous history in our actions towards climate change. Stephanie, you're muted. Sorry. Thank you very much. I think Paul would like to speak next and then Tia, and I'm sure there will also be questions. And I was wrong. Paul corrects me. He is in fact already in Egypt, not in Philippines. Okay, hello everyone. Am I audible? Yeah. Okay, so hello everyone. Good afternoon here from you. I'm actually already here at the conference center in Shamashik. I was here a bit earlier to attend the Facilitated Working Group of local communities and Indigenous peoples under the UNFCC who are meeting before the official start of COP 27. Together with the IP and SDL networks and partners, we are here to observe and to participate on the pre COP meeting of the Facilitated Working Group. And I think it speaks a lot on the discussions ongoing here. I will actually step out of the meeting right now to meet you all. The meeting centers on the discussion on how Indigenous knowledge should center on the discussions addressing climate change on the capacity of Indigenous communities to engage on the policies and programs that the parties are forwarding. And of course, for them to be able to be at the center not only on the crafting of such policies, but to be at the center also when it is implemented to have safeguard and guarantees that when these solutions that are made are done in consideration of Indigenous peoples' rights to their lands, their ways of living. And I think that the very reason that why Indigenous peoples, the very reason that Indigenous peoples should be their history, their very existence should be at the center of the climate discussion is basically it is them who have first the Indigenous values that they have sharing the values of communal sharing, the values of using the resources not just for themselves, but for the future generation, the value of using the resources not only for their communities, but for other communities. The next communities that will use it and how they relate on a spiritual level to the environment is the very antithesis of the system that have cost the big problem that we are facing now using lands, using resources, extracting it, encroaching the territories for personal interests and profits and gains. So I think that's why the contribution centering Indigenous peoples who are at their very core are climate heroes because they are the one who has been protecting, just like what Clifford have shared, protecting our planet ever since. And again, they have been the legacy of fighting encroachments, the colonial structures and colonial legacy against those who encroach their lands and conquer them, which happens now in a new different level. Again, a very, very important contribution on the discussions of climate solutions. And I think this has been still a challenge. There are a lot of hurdles. We are moving forward in terms of making opportunities and space to hear them. But again, COP 27 has been labeled as the COP of implementation. And its implementation of what we're talking in the international level will still be based on how it is applied on the local, on the national. And on that level, I think there's still a lot of challenge on how parties and states report on the contribution of Indigenous people, how they really create an environment where Indigenous peoples can voice out, can defend and live their knowledge, practice their culture without fear of being attacked, being vilified, being called enemies because they just want to protect their waters, their rivers, their mountains and the environment that they were in for centuries. And I haven't personally been experienced the blanket exercise and I'm very much looking forward, but based on our networks, our partners who have been told stories on how it is done. I think my takeaway is how the blanket exercise not only engage Indigenous peoples, but also non-Indigenous peoples, which is very, very important because as we know, Indigenous peoples are a very tiny percentage population of our planet. And they really, we really, really need a lot of solidarity from different sectors, non-Indigenous advocates for to amplify their fight because they themselves are just a very tiny percentage of the population. And the solidarity that the blanket exercise I think builds is very, very much useful of value on really forwarding the voice, centering the voice of Indigenous peoples, their knowledge, their solution in addressing and ultimately fighting climate change. Thank you so much. Thank you very much, Paul. And so, next, Tia, who mentioned Indigenous voices are often not heard can probably add to that women and youth voices are not heard often. So, you would have felt here what Tia has to say. Yeah, thank you. Good morning, everyone. It's really nice to be here on this panel. I think everything that Paul and Clifford said I'll probably just reiterate in a different way. I'm really excited for the blanket exercise that will be facilitating in Egypt, bringing people together in a good way. That's always a really good opportunity. Not only that, but I think what my goal is to accomplish through this through COP COP 27 is to shift mindsets and so we've been focused through Western society on a hyper individualism or hyper individualistic mindset. So we need to shift that to think about how we can be in relation with each other, be in relation with Mother Earth. And I think this is a really interesting period because this is happening while things are reopening after COVID. We can learn anything from COVID. It's the interconnectedness that we have with each other, how quickly that virus was able to spread. We really are so interconnected as people. And so that's one thing that we were able to learn from that. And now this is the time that we can really implement that knowledge that we learned. And to think about our interconnectedness as people and our interconnectedness not only as people, but with the planet as well. So our animal relatives, all the medicines are plant relatives. And in terms of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous history, I'm really looking forward being able to share our stories, our teachings, because those all give us instructions how to be in relation with the Earth, how to be in relation with each other, even within our languages, and being able to share that. Those tell stories and they share prayers and teachings. So I'm really looking forward to that and also hearing from other Indigenous folks globally, because they, people that are local have the best solutions and best understanding what work needs to be done in terms to mitigating climate change. It's really this war that we need to tackle together. And the best people to bring and support uplift during this war are those who have been impacted by climate change and see the real raw effects every single day right in front of their eyes. So especially within Canada, if we're thinking in the Canadian context, 81% of Canada's global greenhouse emissions come from resource extraction within Indigenous territories, Indigenous communities and traditional territories. So again, these are the people that are seeing the impacts right in front of their eyes every single day. And then there are also the people with the longest standing relationship with Mother Earth. And so how can we use that knowledge in a good way instead of, again, another extractive way? We really want to do this in a good way, a meaningful way together instead of constantly from like this extractive model. So I'm really looking forward to that. And I think that's kind of all I have to add today. Excellent. Thank you very much. Now, you actually all three of you have 15 more minutes. And so far, nobody has put any questions in the chat. So first of all, probably everybody is still thinking about what you were saying. But first of all, I thought I'd ask, would any of you like to respond to each other? I think I'll just say I agree with Tia and Clifford. But yeah, I think I'll have to follow Tia's what she's saying on how the extractive model has really affected the many territories of Indigenous people. And take notice, territories are the, some of them are the only hope that absorbs all the emissions that we have. And another thing from the work of IPMSDL focusing on the rights of Indigenous people, their safety and security. One of the issues that we are really forwarding making it make wanting to make it heard here in COP is on how to protect and keep Indigenous people safe and secure, meaning they're very existence because Indigenous people has been making headlines on how of them are receiving fatal attacks in Latin America, in the Philippines, most dangerous countries for land defenders, Indigenous peoples defenders. And I think we really cannot talk about preserving their Indigenous knowledge, practicing their contribution, fulfilling their role in climate solutions, if they're criminalized, they're in jail, or if they're already gone, or their communities are in danger, they are in fear of their life. Again, an alarming emergency, other than the emergency of climate that we know is the alarming state of Indigenous peoples being at the receiving end of the attacks by different forces, usually related on how they defend their lands. And as we know, their connection to their land is the very root of how they can practice their knowledges and culture. Thank you. Excellent. And by now, quite a few people have actually put questions in. So I think I'm just going to read a couple of them, and then you can decide who would like to answer what. So the first one is clearly for Tia. So Mirei Church would like to know if you would say any more about your family in the water crisis. And also, if you'd like, wondered if you have your contact information for future presentations, I think you might put some of that in the chat. So if you would like, often we get sense more is better, will youth lead the way on accepting less consumption, less travel? And a third one here is quite specific, but you might have answers for it. Could you give an example of how to change the process of extraction of mineral resources using Indigenous practices? Probably those three are plenty to start with. Yeah, so I can start with a couple of questions in regards to the water crisis for First Nations communities. I did a short documentary, and so within that documentary, I think I'll be answering another question when I'm talking about my documentary. So I highlighted not only the water crisis, but more in particular the Anishinaabe relationship with the water, trying to come from a strength-based solution while addressing the water crisis within my short documentary. So I had to interview youth environmentalists within the community, waterwalkers, hunters who have been there for over 70 years and saw the land change over time, as well as other local interviews. And so I think there's a couple minutes where I'm in there, but again, this is really centering those local voices and their experiences. You can do this all across Turtle Island. So at the Heritage Center on Walpole Island First Nations, they've been doing this work, environmental stewardship work, for over 30 years, maybe even decades longer, in terms of environmental science and indigenous stewardship together. So again, all these solutions are across Turtle Island, and they're locally based. In terms of, yeah, that's pretty much it, in terms I just finished filming the last day of my short documentary. So it's with the editor right now, we're hoping that it might get screened at COP if we can make it happen. The Heritage Center is on Walpole Island First Nations. So, yeah, and then in terms of youth leading the way, I think that's a great question too. I actually thought to myself before coming to COP, I was like, I've been traveling quite a bit this year. Is this something that I should be doing in person or is this something that I could be doing virtually. So I think our generation definitely has that consciousness and that of self awareness where we're able to think about all these opportunities and what we can do hybrid, or what we can do virtually versus what we need to do in person. And I felt this experience since it is my first COP, it's definitely a good decision to attend in person and see if I can start shifting those mindsets and telling those stories while being in relation, because again like Western technology. It's kind of binded in the imagination of Western thought. And so through this laptop, are you able to get across that relationship building like you would in person. So that's why I made the decision for my first COP to attend in person, but it's definitely something to consider for future trips. So maybe I'll just come in here if that's okay. So just kind of in response to Paul and Tia so far, what I would say for myself, what I'm really looking forward to being a part of this delegation and being given the opportunity to meet many different people from throughout the world. One of the things that is exciting for me in this is that we're all coming together under the banner of climate change climate action climate justice, but all from very different perspectives with how we intersect with that topic or or that kind of work. Tia comes at it from a very different place than I, even though we're both First Nation people from Canada. I have a background in health and social service delivery so I'm a social worker myself. I'm studying public health public health as a discipline is very broad. It's not just, you know, water, water quality and, you know, restaurants inspections. We look at health on a very holistic level so for myself as an indigenous person in my program, what where we're looking at health holistically it feels very right for me right so within that are a lot of environmental issues and ecological issues so for myself. And that's how I am. I intersect with this material and and these topics. So I just think it's really exciting to hear kind of the different perspectives that we come from because they think the broader our understanding of an issue is the better and more holistic. Our approaches and our actions will be following that. I have a question or two in the chat just about the Kyra's blanket exercise. I think I saw something in there about logistics. So I'm happy to address that. So, maybe so I don't leave too many blanks I'll just kind of give a quick synopsis of the exercise. This exercise is a very participatory activity where participants take on the role of indigenous people on Turtle Island. They stand on blankets on the floor that are representative of the land of Turtle Island. So they are the people standing on blankets representing indigenous people on the land. The blanket exercise is a scripted exercise that takes participants through the story of Turtle Island. It's not the happiest of stories. There's some very hard truths to hear in there. But it's a conversation starter. Once we all kind of get on to the same starting point, understanding the history of the land that we're on. It can be a little unsettling for people because it really challenges, you know, inner working models and our previous understanding of our country, our history. How we as individuals intersect with these issues, this history, this continuing, this continuing living history. These aren't just issues of the past. For COT, we have applied to host the exercise as kind of a breakout session in one of the centers at COT. And so right now we have confirmed one exercise for next week. I think it's on Wednesday or Thursday. The 16th I think is what I saw. So that is one way that we are bringing the blanket exercise and the story of Turtle Island to the global community. The scripted exercise is about 45 minutes. Bookended on the exercise is an introduction and then a sharing circle where we start to talk about and process what we have heard and our reactions to that and then talk about what we as individuals were professionals, or whatever roles we are taking on, what we can do within those roles going forward to make the future better than the past. Thank you very much. There was also a question that specifically for Paul. If any of you know who gave us the beautiful opening would like to know what kind of what people in the global north can do about the targeting the targeting the criminalizing the murdering etc of activists of landed rights wanted defenders in the global south. Yeah, thank you so much Irvin Tony. There's a lot of big help. We really need a lot of support and solidarity from the people of Canada and the global north on this issues because when we talk about the attacks, most of them are linked on how businesses big corporations encroach their lands related to the encroachments of their lands extractions of their resources and mostly not maybe not all of the time these businesses corporations are from Canada from from the global north so I am with some of the members from the barric gold mining in PNG, a Canadian company. Of course we are working with the indigenous community in the deep in the weather this guy and again another Canadian company so you know, the indigenous people cannot go to Canada anytime soon there didn't need so far. And for the people of the global north to echo this to ask accountability on their governments or on the companies in your in your own country to respect the rights to respect the lands and to keep the indigenous peoples in the countries where where where there's an investment there's a project of of your country is very very big help really exposed and find ways to protect indigenous people even though we are seas miles and miles away from each other so again it will it is it's actually happening of course to Cairo's always there to help us to ask us on the help that we need but again the more of the people from the global north to speak about this issues, the better it will be held to know so that the companies and government cannot ignore them anymore so your your your voices your your solidarity in one way or another in many many ways is always helpful. Thank you very much. I think that's the time. I've put in the link anyone who'd like to hear I find a little bit more about these people I've put up a links in the chat and we look forward very much to hearing what you will have to say after COP 27. Thank you so much for all the speakers and and we wish you well for your journey and for your advocacy in these difficult areas. We're going to turn now to our next panel, which is going to be introduced by Nelson Lee, president of green skies sustainability consulting and with the Mennonite church. And it is called false solutions including resource extraction and climate change so I'll turn that over to Nelson. Thank you very much, Tony. That was a great panel. The following. I do work with companies in the extractive industry so I think this is a very, I see it as a very current topic, you know the context of this panel. We'll be, you know, the false, maybe the false message just coming from governments and decision makers saying, you know, we have all these solutions as a technology and whatnot. But is that really addressing the root cause of the climate crisis. Personally, I think not and so the panelists we have. We'll be addressing that and all I'll put the questions to them as we go along. But so first of all, I'd like to see what we have you sir. I see you're right here right now so maybe I'll start with you. And you're an international student at U of T and you've been working with development at peace and very interested in sustainable development goals. I could go on and say more about you but maybe I'll stop there and just put the first kind of question is, you know, what are these false solutions, you know, the tech promise maybe job promises even, and versus you know that root cause like why actually do we have a climate crisis and put that to you first. I think I can begin with kind of like the most obvious I can address the elephant in the room, I guess, and that's greenwashing. I feel like that's become such an incredible strategy really. Honestly, I am baffled to see how corporations continue to essentially make a full of us. At the start, I think it was very easy kind of look through it and be like okay they're, they are kind of being dodgy about this but now these, these solutions kind of sound almost legitimate. There's a lot I can go into carbon neutrality to start off with is a concept that has come under consistent scrutiny over the last couple of months especially. Basically the idea of just, you know, putting carbon into the air anyway and then finding ways in which to offset it which I do recognizes necessary for the carbon that we have already put into the air. However, I do think that is one of the most prime examples of what a false solution is climate justice cannot be achieved ecological justice cannot be achieved if we continue to go down this path. Now, fancy schmancy. They, what kind of technologies they put into place carbon capture which is exceedingly expensive and statistics have shown that it almost never meets its goals. The technology still has a really, really far way to go and kind of using that to pacify the masses. I think is a huge problem. Yeah, that's kind of all I have to say, as like a cursory introduction to all solutions. I, I don't want to go into too much more yet. I'll save that for the next couple of questions. Great start you throw. Thank you very much. I see we're joined by noble wadza, and he's a coordinator at oil watch Africa's Ghana chapter, and they have a wonderful slogan. Keep, or leave the oil in the soil. I love that. And that's of course where it should be so noble. I could tell us a little bit more about you if you'd like but I'm, what about that. The promise of this resource extraction, you know, jobs, maybe even looking for minerals that are going to be used in in electrifying the carbonizing the society. But how does that translate on the ground like where you are. I mean, what, how does it impact the environment and people. Thank you. Clearly, the first solution is expressed by the dichotomy between how resource extraction is expected to translate into developments. And there's several evidence of that. The first solution is recently much more maintained by certain phrases, development phrases like investments, investor, particularly the global sub these words are heavily used as doses to to quieting the masses or the ordinary citizens into that anything coming from an investor is good for all to the extent that the investor is being marketed by governments as an agency that could not be questioned. But everything that they produce or they bring or they bring about is good. So citizens and ordinary community people are reeled into a certain pattern of questions. So they don't question anything about the investor. And this thing is being done by governments in some inclusion with the agencies or capital those who finance or the bank role, the companies and the companies themselves have managed to communicate this line of arguments so strongly. So, there are many levels of four solutions. Some are glaring link to what I've just said, but they are the four solutions are also marketed on the basis of the very systems that ordinary citizens are contesting forest and mining. When mining is affecting communities, forest rivers and agricultural lands, then you have a alternative phrase development phrases sustainable mining. Then it becomes a basis for contention and most of the times you are made to believe that the companies have the technology. They have the skills they are what it takes. So at the end of the day, you don't really, you are twatted in your efforts or you are, I mean, the space is stifled for achieving what you want to achieve. Then again, link that linking all these two development at the local level, we see very little in the group as a particularly from where I come from in Ghana, where mining communities are the most impoverished among the larger segment of society where communities are nothing to write home about where farmlands are taken away from people who cannot even meet their daily primary economic needs. Yet, these extractive sector investments are going on the periphery of these communities. People have lost their lands in the name of compensation and compensation is always one time off. In the name of employment, extractive industries and the acronyms in government have been very vociferous in marketing job opportunities only to realize on the ground that these jobs are false because community people don't have what it takes to participate in the industry activity. And at the end of the day, at best only a few community people will be handhooked will be picked to be working in this industries, and even that they work at the lower echelons of the staff hierarchy. And then at the job level to community people or nice citizens are missing. But on top of all these you realize that the extractive industry is a political economy industry is of interest to the high political class. And then that we make laws to back some of these things so it begins with a system where the resources before it's even get extracted, it is already taken away from the local economy, so they don't have parts, they don't have a path to play in the decision to extract or not. Look at people are missing out there. In the process of production, they are not there. In the process of even revenue, so called revenue that comes, look at people don't receive it goes into some states arrangements, and in the decision to use the revenue to the So clearly you cannot develop from what you don't have the resources already gone is taken away from them and all the value chain, so they don't pass the pace. And at the local level to when they are even lucky that some revenues find their way into the local administrative level there to this elite capture. So the grassroots citizens whose resources whose common resources that we are all talking about, don't get to benefit. And we can't figures. And we are happy government officials are happy to be mentioning figures like GDP and all that, and all becomes an illusion to audiences I like to stay only over here, I mean there are more to talk about that show when we find ourselves in Egypt, give the time to make a commitment, but these are the fundamentals of how local people miss out on all these funds job, employment opportunity, the resource benefit and all that is just a mirage honestly. Well thank you very much noble I hope you find the opportunity to share that voice at COP 27. And I hope certainly the rich nations delegates will listen to that you know how to make that work out fair. They don't know if we have we had another analyst Chantel. She here, or are you here. If, if not, I mean maybe she might join later what we can go on continue on back to you so yeah so obviously you're you're young you're a woman. How does that get translate to, you know, climate action on the ground like I mean where. How do you see things so what's your perspective that you'd like to share with us. Yes, that's a big question and I guess what I can do is I can start like pretty locally in the Middle East, there has been a very large push to move women into more policy making policy forming roles in the UAE I believe almost 50% of managerial roles by women and women make up two thirds of private sector public sector jobs. A lot of those are directly related to how climate change is being addressed and being perceived by Middle Eastern populations. Companies see a large correlation between women led organizations and the, and their sustainability index essentially. And I think that just goes to show that climate rights heavily intersect with women's rights. And in so so so many ways. I'm talking just about the Middle East in this particular example but if you think about indian indigenous communities in Latin America. I would say that, again, like we are hoping to see more of the shift in decision making roles. So a lot of these communities in Ecuador and Peru have done so much for their land have taken so many steps have defied societal norms, completely but have had so many successful endeavors. And we were just continuing to see an increase in that which I think is absolutely incredible and they are examples to the rest of the world, really. It's, it's great to see and I hope we see more of it in other parts of the world. When it comes to being a youth and also women past conferences have minimized youth voices and women's voices I think that is very evident from their agendas it's very evident from their agendas and it's kind of very evident by the way kind of cop was initially presented as you know just something for the government something for the leaders to come and talk about how to solve the climate crisis without listening to the voices of the people who are most affected by it. Top 27 this year will be held in Egypt in Africa, in Africa 70% of the population is aged under 30. They are the ones who are right at the front of this climate crisis. They are the ones who are being most heavily impacted. So having youth voices so incredibly important. And for the first time this year there's also a children and youth pavilion that is a dedicated to listening to youth voices and addressing youth led solutions and kind of giving them a platform for this. So the youth envoy to cop 27 Dr. I'm nail and Ronnie has done so much to ensure that youth voices are being given a platform, and I've never seen that in the past. It is probably the greatest scale. Thus far that we've seen youth voices on. I'm sure that it's going to be an incredibly emotionally charged kind of day. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of emotions flying high I think. And I've mentioned this at like other speaking engagements and other panels who I do really think that the day dedicated to you will probably yield the most productive outcomes. I am a very firm believer in that fact. And I guess it remains to be seen and very very excited for that particular day. I'm also really excited to hear from diverse voices from diverse youth from all over the world because I think that for invention this in an earlier panel and I actually he has said to us exactly. The solutions are the locals. They have solutions to the climate crisis and I think that this opportunity is basic with the normal life. Very, very excited. Thank you very much. Now just remind everyone project drawdown talks about how to decarbonize one of the top handful in the top five or so choices is empowering women and youth. So yeah, that's great and I just want to remind you to when you're talking to some of these decision makers they might look like me you know some old guy with gray hair. Remember, they probably have a daughter like you. They're soft part. You know, anyways, no, I have a question for you. I'm not sure how colonization effect again, but is decolonization approach that would could work in practice is that happening. Is there any potential for for reversing. You know you talked a little bit about what's not working can decolonization work and are there opportunities there. Please come again. Okay, well decolonization I guess it's reversing that whole colonial process you know what you described really is that centralized the rich get richer you know the privileged benefit. Other, you know, the majority just get pushed away right and you know, make way for the projects. Is there a reverse process in place in Canada or do you see that or how could that work, how could that unfold. We are at another stage of colonization the first place and to decolonize that colonizing system to achieve a reverse order will call for mass citizen awareness and empowerment. So it is also the case that we we are under the hardware colleagues. The influence of democracy we are not you need to use the democratic spaces that we have in a more positive direction into the strategy sector. Democracy is not only about waking one day in the morning and go to put somebody into power, and the person becomes or begin to do something else and you wait for the next four years to take him out. No, I think democracy is expected to deliver a certain outcome. That outcome is not only the political outcome in terms of making choices of people who rule in a particular type no, but it is expected to also deliver on citizens needs and aspiration. And for for the countries that some of us come from which are resource based or resource rich countries, so called. It is important that citizens after electing people into offices continue to participate in the decision making and choice making of how their resources are managed. And that is the way we can decolonize because once you choose people into places who are not talking to others outside the political space from which they have been elected to govern. At times we don't even get to know you see there are so many things happening we use even diplomacy. People say because of diplomacy settings is kind of question you will let people into offices. And the next day we hear them talking to some people from elsewhere, some of the, for instance, I'm not saying so as I live by for instance maybe the director of Coca Cola global has come to me the Ghana president. And you as a citizen want to meet the same president. It is virtually impossible for you. And the news media will go will something happen to your audio just discussions and that discussion is under close doors. They asked you also what is my president discussing with others under close doors is that democracy. So the whole agenda of democracy needs to be properly interrogated. And citizens must understand the need to interrogate that process and make it more useful to our needs otherwise. Yeah, nobody does it and I think we need to use the democracy in a way that in yours to the benefit of citizens needs. That is the way we can decolonize the colonization process that we find ourselves. Thank you very much noble and maybe I could continue on just a little, you're speaking to probably mainly Canadians, how can we help in that process because, you know, we, we, for example, want to electrify maybe one electric vehicles. I know a lot of the minerals may come from Africa or some of that and we're putting pressure on. How can we contribute. I think, yeah, one that we find ourselves in the same global community. Well, we know we're in a globalized world so of course those countries that have advanced in the course of that democracy through agencies like you, or Canadian political systems should be able to hear our cases probably through you, which we hear our cases and also amplify the kind of challenges that we have. We face over here because Canada is a provides development support to Ghana, and it is important that you don't only provide that development support, but you understand what that your development will do to citizens over here and doing that will also mean that we provide information you amplify our voices in Canada, however it's done to whatever means I can't he can be skills esteem to us sometimes it can only be a documentary showing somewhere that is relevant and stuff like that. Great, great, great ideas. Yeah, and hopefully, especially as the church can do a more more being a champion coming alongside things like that. Thank you very much, noble. By the way, I just want to share with everyone that we were planning to have another panelist Chantel. Unfortunately, she's working to get her visa and having all kinds of difficulties and internet and whatnot. Of course, these are just symptoms of why is different. I guess one more challenge that the developing nations are having to come to places like caught right. It's really disadvantageous expensive. You can't get the visas you can't get the internet is not working so it's just not a level playing field at all. But anyways, we can our prayers can be with Chantel that she can get through that as a matter of fact, she's she would have. She is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and where we know there is a lot of that extractive mining going on and so keep her in our thoughts there too. We'll just have a few more minutes going on. Maybe I get back to you, you sure. I can. What would you say your message to the audience, you know, for the love of creation. What can we do to come alongside or to champion, say the, the quieter voices in the global south, and particularly say women and children. So I, I know Clifford and Teal so mentioned this in their panel but being given a seat at the table and just just more than that really giving being given opportunities like such as the one that I'm receiving to be part of this delegation. Making sure our education systems are really touching upon these themes in a way that is more than just surface level. So, like, inciting a genuine respect for the environment and inciting a genuine respect for ecological crisis and social justice and really getting in and explaining those interconnections I think that also kind of touches upon one of the questions in chat. The more aware we are about these greenwashing piece, you know, solutions, the more we know about them, the harder we are to and I think when the harder it is to fool us I think that's when the real action comes out. Yeah, no, being given a seat at the table, being, being acknowledged, I think is also a really, really important step. I do not think IPCC reports have touched upon this as thoroughly as they should have should be doing. Again, we are finally seeing some sort of acknowledgement but I, I don't think it's enough, I don't, I don't think it's enough I know it's not enough and it's, it's a work in progress and it's like as a youth delegate for me it's all about managing my expectations to understandably youth that have a lot of faith in conventions like the COP, understandably they do not have a lot of faith in governments. And I think the only way that that can change is collective action. Yeah, thank you. I apologize for any contribution I have made to do that kind of frustration, you know, from from youth and especially women. I have a few more minutes wrap up but noble what if I could ask you a question about, you know, again, what more of how can we come alongside as a church and and support you give you a greater voice you mentioned about amplifying the message. How could we actually do that like who to connect with your organization, others. Sorry. So a call came through so I missed part of your question but if I got, I hope you want to say how do we go about what's my proposal as well. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, how would you go about amplifying your your voice. That's a great question I hope you have you have to help me out in this but I think that basically we have to produce the voice in the first place. We have to produce the material that you have to amplify in your meetings, probably if you do have those meetings with officials that matter. Like I also said earlier or the instances stability availability of resources. We can also create a platform for us as sometimes, like I said a study tour, people will have to stand on platform and speak directly to policy makers that have that influence our government over here. And that is also one and also we can also do regular. Generate information through research and generate these voices and share with you. And you can also amplify that on our behalf. So we can create a conversation scheme through the web systems regularly and have regular meetings and meet with people just like we are doing here. So I think there are many avenues some I cannot find immediately, but I think these are just a few that I can think of immediately now. Great. Well, so I hope for the love of the creation kairos we can get connected. You know, we have your contact details and that's that is a call to action I think for us, you know, to be the amplifier for your voices from the ground. So I'm going to wrap it up right here. And turn it over to Tony for the next panel. Well thank you very much and thank our speakers to. Thank you also. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having us. Thank you so much for that presentation I think it's really important points that were being brought up there. We have our next panel and our host Sabrina Shafari, who is the creation care animator for ministry for justice piece and patient care for sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto and this panel is dealing with women peace and security and climate change conflict and gender inequities so turn it over to Sabrina. Thank you very much Reverend snow and I just want to take a second. I'm sure there'll be lots of thanks later on but what a wonderful job all of our interpreters are doing. I'm absolutely in all watching all of the simultaneous translations happening in the chat and I imagine they're happening with audio as well. So thank you. Merci and gracias. Hi everyone and welcome Hannah and Kelly as Reverend snow said my name is Sabrina and the focus of this panel. We're looking at Columbia South Sudan and the West Bank, some of the countries and territories that continue to face the impacts of protracted conflict and increasingly the climate crisis. As we've seen, we're going to pose a couple of questions to each of the panelists, and then have some time at the end for questions from the wider audience. Now we were scheduled to have a third panelist join us as well to on Rachel, Michael Roberto my apologies for not pronouncing that name correctly but unfortunately she's experiencing some technical issues and we'll be able to join us. We all had our share of those types of instances. So our thoughts are with her. So once again, welcome Kelly and welcome Hannah. Does it matter who I start with does anybody have anybody raring to go right away. It's still a bit early isn't it. You're muted yourself so we're going to go with you so allow me to provide a brief introduction and you're more than welcome to add to it. So, Hannah curry is a researcher trainer and peace activists with why I'm Palestine Conflict Transformation Center, like the other women peace and security partners, we am is a long term ecumenical and Kairos partner now active in the emerging gender conflict and climate program. She conducts trainings for youth and women on leadership conflict resolution communication, non mental awareness and gender based violence. She was the Middle East representative for the women peace program working group in the Netherlands, and contributed to a book titled a force such as the world has never known women creating climate change good morning Hannah and welcome. Okay. I might have missed that can you say something Hannah. I think we've got a good audio connection for you. Let's try that again. So I can see that you're unmuted in zoom, but I think something. No, I'm not sure if the other interpreters can hear. There we go. Sabrina much better Hannah. Welcome. Okay, so yes, the first question is, what do we need to do as Canadians and the international community to address Sabrina I can't hear you well. Your voice is a bit far. Oh, okay. Well, to this point, I have just done a brief introduction to you. I have not introduced Kelly yet. I'll put the first question in the chat. And then I will, and then we'll go from there so just give me a quick moment. Did I just, where did it go. Yes, I'm going to ask if one of the support people can put the question in the chat because I seem to have lost that document all of a sudden that I was working off of. Yes. Okay. Can you say something now. How about now Hannah. Yes, now I can hear you. Yes, that's wonderful. And the first question, which we are discussing how, how are communities impacted by the climate crisis and this protracted, you know, the protracted conflict areas, how are communities in the global south, particularly women affected by it. As you know, in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza, the situation is totally different than other countries. In West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza, the political situation has its impact on women affected and the community in general affected by climate change. Of course, when we talk about climate change, this means that there is an increase of violent conflict, and it creates risks to human security and challenge conflict recovery and peace building as well. Of course, Palestinians in this context are vulnerable to the impact of climate change and its severe implications on economy and the daily of life of the civilians as well. The impact of climate change in the Palestinian territory, including West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza can be clearly seen in the decrease of precipitation, rising temperature, water scarcity and extreme weather events and rising the sea level. So these are the things that really touches the community in this area. Of course, when we talk about the climate and gender and security, we know that all these components are interlinked. To add to this, the Palestinian society is considered a patriarchal society. And of course, because of this, women are affected more by the social norms as well as the customs and traditions of the society in this area. Of course, a patriarchy hinders women independence and participation in the labor market, and of course, it hinders them from holding senior positions. Plus to this, women are really affected by climate change that they are exposed to risks in health due to increased use of pesticides and bad waste management. Dumping waste such as sewage waste and dangerous medical waste into Palestinian land causes contamination and this affects the health of Palestinian civilians in large and specifically when we talk about women. This kind of waste management and the untreated sewage, which is this chart into the open land of the Palestinians into the health, into the stream, and there were like many decades where this dumping hasn't been really controlled. And this causes, of course, lots of environmental problems which affects mainly women more than men. In Palestine, there is also a very limited access to water. The water quality and equality is really very, very bad equality. And the equality, of course, due to the Israeli control over the water resources is very, very few. When we talk about water, we can give an example, Gaza, where 90% of the water in Gaza is really contaminated, salty and not fit, even for the human consumption. As I mentioned, Israel controls water resources in Palestine and it causes unequal water distribution and scarcity of water. This is a very, very huge problem that people in the community face, of course. Again, when we talk about lack of water, we can say that this hinders the ability of women to develop their agricultural projects when we talk about women working as farmers. It also hinders their role to irrigate the agricultural crops during heat waves. In addition to this, to the water and to all of this, we can also add that Israel presents Palestinian women and households from addressing problems of climate change, including lack of water, digging wells, and delivery of equipment, and water, tanks, and water, of course, yes, tanks. Tanks to many parts of the West Bank. If we talk about the health issues, we know that women face and suffer from real diseases and disorders like pulmonary disorders, lung cancer, and breast cancer, which has been really increasing among women. And you, to all the poisonous smells to all the other dumpings and contamination of water. I would like also to add to this, the presence of the checkpoints and the separation wall, which causes more restrictions of movement to Palestinians in general, and to women in specific. And this is such, like when we talk about checkpoints and separation wall, this hinders the livelihood and well-being of women when they do engage with different activities, and this causes a very risky environment where these women are engaged in. So we can say that women's rights and freedom is continued to be violated by many factors. And also, yes. No, please. Sorry. Please finish your thought. Okay, my thought. Okay. Yeah, so I would like summarize that the climate change, the heat, the cold waves, all these factors really touches women, freedom, women development, women capacity building, and their well-being and their freedom to movement as well. So, okay, I can stop here if the time is up, because there are lots of things that we can talk about Palestinian women. Yes, I think so. And I think what's very interesting is in hearing back, you're sharing on that. There's so much on what has already been discussed throughout the morning that is present in what you have just shared. And I think I know that some of the Sisters of St. Joseph that are attending this morning will appreciate pointing out the importance of water. Indeed, everybody here will appreciate the importance of water and how sometimes the climate change conversation can overtake the conversation around water rights and water privatization and so many of the other issues that you've mentioned. I do want to come back, of course, for a larger discussion, but I do want to introduce Kelly and hear her responses on that first question as well. Thank you. So Kelly Johanna, oh, you're most welcome. Kelly Johanna Campo Berchera, a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Organization Feminina Popular, responsible for the feminist popular economy and environmental programs in Colombia. She is also a leader in the youth movement of OFP. With undergraduate studies in chemistry at the Universidad Industrial de Santander Kelly has also completed a diploma in sustainable economy from the Universidad del Medio Ambiente de Mexico, and is pursuing a master's degree in environmental sciences and technology at the Universidad Santo Tomas in Colombia. Born in, and I'm not going to say this correctly Kelly so please correct me, born in Baranca Bermeja. Yes Kelly is committed to constructing spaces for alternative and sustainable economies and when we hear. Please feel welcome to add anything else to your introduction Kelly and when you have a moment your response to the question at hand of how these elements are affecting particularly women in local communities in the south, local south, protracted conflict and the climate crisis. Thank you so much Sabrina. Thank you for that presentation it's perfect. My greetings to everyone that is listening to us all thank you for your time for participating in this dialogue and sharing with us. There were a lot of conflict in our territories but as we can see from this morning's panels it's something that we share in many of our territories in terms of how climate change affects women and women's bodies and women's bodies. It's also important to talk about the social impacts that come from environmental conflicts, particularly in Baranca Bermeja, where we work, where we live here in Colombia. There is a region where there's a lot of extractive activity. There have been 100 years of oil extraction 100 years of extracting resources in our territory, and that brings about all sorts of conflicts such as the armed conflict, which has been present in the region for more than 50 years and in spite of the peace agreements, it continues to be a problem in our region. And that fight for land, which is a fight for natural resources women are always in the midst of that fight. And there's the what we see the feminization of poverty, there is an extractive industry that principally contemplate women where men have more opportunities and economic participation, and a perspective of women that is very different in terms of the opportunities that women want to find a way to stay in their territory, in their land, and this is land that has been polluted rivers have been contaminated the Magdalene River, which is our main river here and it goes through our lands is contaminated because of so many years that they have been discharging oil, there are many extractive and industries that pollute our soils, and all of that has an impact on women who are looking for alternative ways to continue living on these lands. There's a very large social debt that comes from environmental conflict. There's also a debt in terms of health specifically women's health in our region in government there has been oil extraction for 100 years and quotation marks economic development. We don't have a regional hospital for example, we don't have access to health care to take care of women, women's lives and women's health, and in more remote regions women have to travel for hours, just to have a medical test, such as a pap exam, or any kind of test that women need to take care of of their health. When we talk about environmental impacts we're also talking about social impacts that come from these issues. For us it's also very important, because during these past 100 years of oil extraction, we're also seeing effects of fracking and conflicts that are rising from fracking, because it has disastrous effects on the land and on the water, and we see that it's something that's growing, it's being debated in our country currently if it's something that should be prohibited or not, and there are some pilot projects that are already in place, these are pilot projects that have been approved for fracking in Colombia in Valanca, it's something that worries us a lot, because there's not only conventional oil extraction, but also fracking, because it has a much greater impact on the environment. In many cases, fracking displaces people from their lands in order to be able to create space for their platforms and for their extractive activity, that's something that concerns us very much. And climate change, of course, it's a reality, it's a fact, it affects us all. We don't only want these conflicts to change, but women in these regions are actively creating proposals about how to improve the situation and the conditions in our region. And we're preparing ourselves to address that from a science and a community focus. We talk about empowerment tools so that women can participate in regulation and in decision-making processes. We're proposing environmental alternatives that can mitigate the impacts that we see in our region. That's something that I think is important to mention, because although there are a lot of conflicts and a lot of impacts, it's also true that the women are actively working and fighting to mitigate those impacts. Muchas gracias, Kelly. Thank you for that. I started listening to you speaking in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish. And then I remembered that we have live interpretation. Thank you to both of you. And you know I'm really struck at how there is such a strong common denominator between the health of the women in the areas that you are working in and advocating for and how closely tied in they are to foreign activity polluting and degrading those natural areas around you. So thank you both for the work that you do and thank you both for sharing these stories with us. I think as Nelson must have mentioned, I think it was also mentioned in the earlier panel, this being a Canadian audience, I think it's a good reminder that they're particularly in South America. There are so many Canadian industries that are behind some of the activities that are perpetuating these issues for these areas. So we do of course have one more question, and I encourage everyone to put questions in the chat for our two panelists that will be translated and relayed. But the second question to both of you and you can choose which of you goes first. Perhaps Hannah as Kelly just finished speaking, but ultimately, whomever. And the question on this topic to, you know, this is about COP 27 this is about being in a delegation. So, can you share with us what would policies that address the climate crisis conflict and gender inequalities look like on the ground. What are some of the things that will help address these situations that you have described for us. Yes. Yes, if you allow me just to answer this question. In this regard, of course, there are lots of policies that the Palestinian government has really assigned. There were lots of international conventions as well, like the Rotterdam Convention, like the Paris Agreement, and the Stockholm Convention. Of course, the Palestinian Authority and the other organizations, the other organizations that work with women and work with the community as a whole are aware of the importance of promoting gender equality. And the environmental issues that affect women and the community in large. Also, the Ministry of Women's Affairs has also participated with other civil and international institutions in order to promote climate change, adaption and mitigation as well. Of course, also we can't forget about the State of Palestine National Adaption Plan, which is very important in this topic. Also, we have to mention the importance of the work of the NGOs promoting SIDAO, and especially when we talk about climate change, we talk about Article 14, which has been also a very important topic to discuss in order to raise awareness among the community and among women as well. Also, a 1325 UN resolution, which is very, very important to really talk about and conduct workshops and try to try to bring things on the ground regarding this resolution. All of this has been done by governmental and non-governmental institutions and organizations, but unfortunately there were lots of challenges into the adaptive capacity of climate change. For example, when we talk about the situation within the Palestinian Authority, we can talk about unrevisited policies, about unrevisited strategies, responses, coordination, and the donor support also is very important in this issue. Also, we talk about the water, the sanitation, the nutrition, all this affects the adaptive capacity. Also, again I would mention the Israeli occupation, which really reduces the ability of producers to respond to any consequences of climate change, as land continues to be confiscated for the benefit of the Israeli illegal settlements, regime and administration, and expansion wall. So all these really hinders the policies that we are trying to really put on the ground and work with women and the community in large. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you very much, Hannah, for outlining those pieces for us. Kelly, your response to what policies would address the climate crisis conflict and gender inequality on the ground for you? Well, specifically in the case of Colombia, this is a country that has signed so many agreements related to human rights and environmental rights. I don't think there's a lack of policies in our country, but there is a lack of action to follow through those policies. If there's a constant struggle in our territories, for example, the Esgazú agreement was recently ratified. Now we have to oversee its implementation. Colombia has signed a lot of agreements and a lot of policies, but what is lacking is a follow through with those policies and those agreements. Colombia is part of the ODC. We are part of the Esgazú agreement. And also regionally, there are autonomous corporations which have created regulation about regarding economic activity and corporate activity. There's the idea that the person who contaminates is the one who pays or the entity that contaminates is the one that pays. But that isn't right at all. It's important for that money to go towards the community to help restore justice and health in those communities. What's important for those agreements and those policies to be carried out is that we receive from carers and from the Canadian embassy has been and will continue to be essential so that the environmental resources and the well-being of our region and for America continue to thrive. That is very important for us. For example, our participation in international agreements and our dialogue with the international community is also very important for us. Gracias again. Thank you, Kelly, for adding those observations. And again, I can't help but think of these common denominators between what the two of you are describing in terms of the policies. And we can draft the policy, but unless it's followed through with, hopefully the policy looks pretty on the wall somewhere, right? So I can appreciate that we are drawing to a close with our time with this gathering today. So I'm going to ask for any questions coming from the audience. And I think I do see one there that I will read aloud, which is might any of the Canadian delegates want to say anything about the enormous. So I've seen that question there, but I just want to give a moment to our two panelists at hand. My apologies, Mr. Davis. I'm certainly, I'm sure people will chime in into the chat. And thank you, Cheryl, for sharing the information on the third panelist that was meant to join us today. Any final thoughts, Kelly and Hannah, about what this delegate experience, what this delegation will help you to do in your work. You know, once, you know, I don't want to get too far ahead, but once COP is over and once you're back home, after you've had this experience, what are you hoping you will bring from it from this experience. And this will be a very brief answer as we are drawing the time to a close. Kelly, why don't you go ahead and then we'll go to Hannah. For us and for our organization, it's the first time that we participate on an event about climate change organized by the UN. Our organization has existed for 50 years and we focus on defending land and territory. And we've been working on climate change only for a few years, so participating in this space has been very enriching for us and very important for us. We hope to learn from other experiences and to bring that back with us. We hope to continue creating networks and links with others. We also have a movement of women activists, women environmental activists, approximately 300 women participate in this program, and they receive training as leaders in terms of education, and how to play out other programs, community science. We'd like to provide a political and economic support for them that will enable us to support continuity and to continue building and continue mitigating the impacts and to strengthen interstation in our region and to stay in our territory, because that's what we would like to do to continue living in our territory in peace. Thank you very much for that. And Hannah. There we go. Yes, for me, it is really a very, very exciting experience to come to COP 27 and be a delegate with the TIROS Canada. I would like first to thank you for all the efforts for this for making this possible, because my dream is always to come to COP and participate and bring the voices of the women who are really suffering, who are facing challenges in their life, because of the different aspects we have just, I have just mentioned. After the COP 27, I would like to come back with lots of information, experience that I gained from the other delegates, and to take this into the organization and into the community to the women, to share with them this and try to work together in order to make change and climate change mitigation possible, so that change will happen and people will, lives will be different. Thank you women. Thank you. You're welcome. Do I have it right to say Chokran? Chokran, yes. Chokran and gracias to both of you. Thank you. I'm going to turn it back over now to Reverend Snow to draw us all back together as a large group and close out this event. Thank you so much. And for all the input and all the presentations, all the research and years of advocacy from all of the panelists and the work that we do here in For the Love of Creation. It is a continual effort that we put forward and continue to work towards this climate advocacy that is very important for our people, for all of those that are, that we are impacted disproportionately and need to find a way to express our voice in this form. It's going to be very difficult for I know for a number of the groups that are going and having been there to see the silencing that we see through the greenwashing and through the lobbying that goes on. It will be frustrating. And I know that a lot of the prayers and well wishes that we bring forward are meant in the effort to encourage those that are taking this time and the effort to participate and to take the opportunity from the various groups that have stepped forward. And it's going to as part of this reflection on on what we've heard to read a poem here by and Scott Momaday, and as a reminder that a particular segment of our collective existence has drifted beyond the knowledge and wisdom of our origins. That makes them see the world as a commodity and that makes them treat the world as merely material to be molded in their image. And this poem that he writes called the earth is directed towards I think particular audience. It reads once in life, a man ought to be ought to concentrate his mind upon the remembered earth. I believe he ought to be give himself up to a particular landscape in his experience and to look at it from as many angles as you can to wonder about it to dwell upon it. He ought to imagine that he touches it with his hands and every season and at every season and listens to the sounds that are made upon it. He ought to imagine the creatures there, and all the faintest motions of the wind. He ought to recollect the glare of noon and all the colors of dawn and dusk. We are held by more than the force of gravity to the earth. It is the entity from which we are sprung and in that into which we are dissolved in time. The blood of the whole human race is invested in it. We are more there, rooted as surely as and as deeply as are the ancient redwoods and crystal cones. In this drawing back to connection that says at the same time we see you and your disconnection and by your actions you are known. Your path of destruction is evident. Though you have fractured your psyche to create justification and dispensation for your actions. The results still form a path back to you and your beliefs and it is this reparation, this reconciliation with that which you will be alienated to your earth, to our mother, the earth that brings us to this moment here today. And though you will not repair, know that our path is not yours. Our path is balance and in the inner workings of creation that lives within us, we are connected and we remain faithful to creation. This notion that the difficulty of changing the beliefs of those that are decision makers and trying to put forward positions that are going to affect us all in the future. It's a very critical time for all of us to be thinking along the lines of what can we do in our own communities. I'm so proud of the for the love of creation and for Kairos for coming together, bringing this message and this idea of hope and of encouragement for a youth delegation to go strongly into this space. So I'm going to first introduce our two speakers here, Aisha Francis from Kairos, the president of or the they don't have the information here for me to read quite. Executive director, executive director, there you go for for Kairos and a Willard Metzger who is executive director of Citizens Republic Justice. On behalf of photo of the creation. So I will turn it over to Aisha first for her words. Thank you so much for everything snow. And thank you to all the panelists today that you have poured so abundantly into all of us with the information and affording us great hope as we bless you this morning to go to Egypt as the delegation for cop 27 I asked is three, it says to everything there is a season and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven. This indeed is what we would call a Kairos moment, an opportune time for each of you. You are set to touch the ground in Egypt for cop 27 and prepare your hearts and mind for this moment. I bless you with the courage to Nassity and resilience, as well as love for creation and justice, hope, wisdom and deep purpose to plant ideas and community truth and justice to stand in truth and solidarity to build others and yourself up, as well as networks, senses of unity terms of accountability to speak candidly and prophetically in your own voices to influence with integrity and intention and confidence to impact everyone you meet through your authenticity and with your gifts and to forge the seats for the tables you belong at and pathways where there is yet vision to see and for those who are to follow. May you be guided by the calling of your lives and your fierce convictions, protected in every way, physically, psychologically and socially from harm and strengthened inwardly for the rising of your prophetic voices outwardly that are bold and unapologetic and graced with truth, justice and love. May your influence and impact in Egypt resonate deeply and be a resounding noise for generations rooted in purpose and love to reveal the nature of God who makes all things beautiful in their time and sets eternity in our hearts and our minds. My favorite scripture is Ephesians 41 and it tells me and I share with you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have received. That is to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity and mature behavior, a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation. I bless you all as the COP 27 delegation for you have been called for such a time as this. God bless you as you go. Let me also add my gratitude and thanks for the rich presentations today and just to know that as Aisha says that you carry your voice as individual delegate members but we've also entrusted our voice with you. And the presentations this morning or today just give us great confidence that you carry our voice well. So let me just offer a prayer of blessing, creator and sustainer of life. As but a slice of your creation, we honor you as does the rest of creation. As the delegation prepares for COP 27, we seek your blessing, grant a blessing of courage and humility, boldness and peacefulness. Where wisdom is needed, granted in full measure, when silence must be broken, grants a loud voice. When anger must be conveyed, grant a gentle tenacity. And when your hope needs to be fostered, bring a strong sense of your presence. This delegation has been prepared and this work has been initiated because we love you. We love your handiwork. We love your creation. Grant vigor to this love so that the earth and all its inhabitants may feel strengthened. Receive the voice and presence of this delegation as an expression of worship. It is action driven by devotion. This is an act of solidarity for the love of creation, for the love of you as creator. May this worship be a blessing to you as you bless this delegation. Amen. Amen. Thank you both for those beautiful words. I am going to turn to Cheryl McNamara for some announcements before we close the session here. Thank you very much, Tony, and thank you to all of the panelists. It was excellent. And looking forward to what you have to say when you're at COP. Just some very quick announcements. Tonight, we invite you to following the voices at 5pm Pacific time on Turtle Island, which is 8pm Eastern Standard Time. This is going to be a follow up to this event and to accommodate the people living in Western Canada. This will be a one hour session to discuss how we will follow the delegates throughout their time at COP. Following the voices this evening will be on the same link as this event right now. So you can access it that way. COP begins this weekend and the delegates arrive on November 9th. Of course, some like Paul are already there. Be sure to check the Kairos website throughout COP to read all the reports and reflections. We will be posting also on social media. I will place in the social media handles for the love of creation, Kairos, and a few of the delegates in the chat. And I encourage the other delegates to place their handles in the chat as well. I'll do that in a sec. Also, on November 22nd, please join us for a rescheduled webinar for the love of creations. The road past COP spirit and change with Angélée Alouk. I hope I got that name right. And a representative from the Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty. Also, please note that we are going to be planning a follow up event to this one post COP 27. It will start at 8.30am Eastern Time like it did today on December 1st. So please mark that in your calendars and we will keep you posted on that. Finally, I just want to make a plug. We have an advocacy action through Kairos in support of three private members bills in the Canadian House of Commons. That will help with just transition efforts. And again, I will post that link in the chat momentarily. Tony, back to you. Thank you so much and thank you to everyone who has come for this event and for your attention. Over the next little while as we hear a number of presentations and gatherings will be will be coordinated around COP 27 and the work of for the love of creation for Kairos and for the partnerships of our interfaith communities that are involved with those particular groups. So be sure to ensure that you're on our mailing list and also help to coordinate the global action that will be taking place in November 11th to 13th as well. Part of the ongoing work that we will continue to do as communities of faith and as representatives of our various communities in action and we thank you all for your presence here. It's very important for our work to know that we are reaching out to the community in this way. Thank you. Thank you all. Nice meeting you. Thank you everyone for coming. Goodbye.