This summer, the United Nations’ Committee of Religious NGOs (non-governmental organizations), also known as CRNGO, held its annual meeting at the Baha’i International Community U.N. Office in New York City. According to the committee, CRNGO “is composed of the representatives of national and international organizations which define their work as religious, spiritual or ethical in nature and are accredited to the U.N. The Committee of Religious NGOs meets regularly to share information and insights about the complex issues and events at the U.N.” CRNGO is primarily a forum through which its members can work together to face the world’s challenges ethically.

The theme for this year’s annual meeting was “Making Peace the Future.” Guest speakers John Gilroy, climate and sustainable development lead, Permanent Mission of Ireland to the U.N., and Kehkashan Basu, founder-president, Green Hope Foundation, spoke to a variety of issues at the fore of the U.N.’s work, including global responses to climate change as well as feminist approaches to sustainable development.

The Episcopal Church is a member of the steering committee, which is chaired by Beth Blissman of the Loretto Community, the Rev. Doyeon Park of Won Buddhism, and Julia Grindon-Welch of Brahma Kumaris. The member communities are diverse, and The Episcopal Church benefits greatly from this partnership. CRNGO will continue to be a crucial forum for interreligious dialogue and partnership as we follow a multifaith call to heal a broken world.

To learn more about CRNGO, visit https://crngo.org/.