As a contribution to the "Spiritual Dimensions of Sustainability" Project launched by the Soetendorp Institute and the Earth Charter Task Force on Religion, Spirituality, and Ethics, Rabbi Soetendorp has drafted the interreligious statement "Towards Rio + 20 and Beyond - A Turning Point in Earth History". The statement is geared at enabling spiritual and religious communities to speak in a unified voice for providing a spiritual input into the major UN Rio + 20 Conference that will be taking place from June 20 - 22, 2012.

A draft version of the statement signed by religious leaders of different traditions with input from an international steering committee has been sent to the United Nations for inclusion into the Compilation Document for the "Zero Draft" of the Political Outcome Document of the Rio + 20 Conference. To make the appeal more credible, the statement includes the commitment to pledge a special Millennium Share of 0,1 % of our annual income to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and the creation of a Council of Conscience, which would speak with moral authority and provide guidance on how to address the systemic crisis that we are currently facing. Please read some conceptual thoughts from Rabbi Soetendorp on these two mechanism here.

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