Global Faith Summit: Indigenous needs are being listened to more

By Francesca Merlo and Christopher Wells - Abu Dhabi

Grandmother Mona Polacca, an Indigeous leader from The Colorado River Indian Tribe, spoke on Monday to the Global Faith Summit held on 6-7 November in Abu Dhabi ahead of COP28, sharing her thoughts on the sacred connection between humanity and the environment.

Following her address, Grandmother Mona spoke to Christopher Wells, emphasising the urgent need for faith leaders and communities worldwide to unite in the fight against climate change.

With nature, as one

"This concept of being related to all of nature, our balance and harmony that we are instructed to uphold and how we live, how we care for the earth because it cares for us: It's a sacred reciprocity," said Grandmother Mona. 

She shared an Indigenous perspective that sees humanity's role as stewards of the earth, emphasising the importance of maintaining harmony with the natural world.

She also highlight the importance of coming together to share different views and experiences in addressing climate change. 

"We all have various experiences with it," she said. "Our experiences could range from, droughts, to severe flooding, sea level rise, things like that that are occurring because of climate change."

With this in mind, she continued, the Summit offers an opportunity for these different experiences, minds and beliefs to come together to help come up with tangible solutions to protect the environment.

Indigenous needs being heard

Grandmother Mona went on to discuss the historical role of Indigenous people in advocating for environmental preservation.

She recalled her experience from the 1990s, when “indigenous people for the first time were allowed in to address the General Assembly of the United Nations.”

She noted that at that time “they delivered messages calling on the United Nations to preserve and protect the environment, Mother Earth." She pointed out that the warnings delivered by Indigenous peoples then are now becoming a reality, underscoring the urgency of their message.

What has struck Grandmother Mona as particularly significant in recent years was the shift in focus. 

“I see that as being no longer the message that the indigenous people brought to the United States but now it's the message of all of the faith leaders, all of the faiths of the world,” she said, describing the shift in values and priorities among faith leaders as being a positive step towards collective action and positive change.

A good step forward

In closing, Grandmother Mona expressed her hope for the future. 

"I see this as a great step forward in addressing and taking action, putting action, making your prayers part of the action," she said.

Finally, she offered a heartfelt prayer for COP28, saying, "I pray that COP28 on climate change will see very strong actions, taken, strong commitments, and fulfilment of those goals to address climate change."