Dear partners,
Salakyag 2018 is bearing fruits.
As we made it a platform for launching the Rights of Nature (RoN) framework in protecting the environment, local and international organisations are getting interested. The CBCP-NASSA/Caritas Pilipinas is among the strongest supporter of the campaign being our major partner also in Salakyag 2018. Other organizations such as the The Association of Major Religious Superiors (AMRSP), Conservation International, Franciscan Solidarity Movement for Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (FMSJPIC) and the Global Catholic Climate Movement-Pilipinas (GCCM-Pilipinas) are also supporting the campaign. Other PMPI partners with a strong environmental advocacy — Interface Development Interventions (IDIS), Silsilah Dialogue Movement, Upholding Life and Nature (ULAN) are likewise excited to push the RoN framework.
Also, to our delight, an international NGO campaigning to make nature a right-bearing entity Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) & the International Center for the Rights of Nature saw our social media platforms and Salakyag over the internet. They offered to provide technical help to push and develop the Rights of Nature Campaign in the Philippines particularly in developing the RoN Bill.
In the Asia-Pacific Conference on Human Rights and Extractives we attended, we were able to present Salakyag as a strategy and Rights of Nature not only as environmental protection framework but as a development framework as well. The good news is the conference has adopted RoN as one track in campaigning within the region.
We are happy with these developments. Salakyag indeed resulted to something good. We are hoping that this could be mainstreamed not only here in the Philippines but also within the Asia Pacific region. We are sharing these concept note for feedback and comments also.
In the meantime, we encourage more learning activities on RoN. CBCP-NASSA proposes a regional conference where SACs, PMPI clusters, other CSOs and academe can converge to learn and plan how to push the campaign.
In the NCR, we wish to invite members attend the following activities this September 2018, in view of the month long celebration of the Season of Creation being celebrated worldwide by the Catholic Church.
Rights of Nature Forum on September 22 at Malate Church at 1-5pm and Launching of Rights of Nature on September 29 in Manila City from 5-9pm. Details of these activities will be announced later.
