We are excited to share an update about the UUA Office at the UN’s upcoming Intergenerational Spring Seminar, “Displacement and Human Rights: All In for Climate Justice.”

Programming for the 2022 Intergenerational Seminar will be offered fully online, April 22 – May 1, 2022.

The online programs will be offered in shorter blocks to make virtual participation manageable for attendees. We will also invite congregations to host local gatherings, allowing attendees to connect with others who live nearby.

A tentative schedule will be released in the coming weeks as we get closer to opening registration in January.

This event is hosted in partnership with UUSC and UU Ministry for Earth. The 2022 Seminar’s focus on human rights, climate-forced displacement, and an ongoing pledge to be “all in for climate justice” reflects our Unitarian Universalist commitment to affirm the inherent dignity of those most vulnerable to the climate crisis and to honor the interdependent web of all existence of which we humans are a part.

At the current moment, in addition to the threat posed by the Omicron variant, Covid-19 cases are surging in many places as we enter cold weather months and the winter holiday season. It is impossible to say what trajectory the pandemic will take between now and April. As a planning team, rather than forging ahead with a tenuous in-person Seminar in New York City, we felt this could be a great opportunity to try out a new format, allowing Seminar participants to learn from one another across the U.S. and Canada through virtual programming while also getting rooted in their local context and building deeper ties of engagement nearby.

Amidst insufficient climate action on an international level, we recognize our responsibility as individuals and organizations to strengthen our advocacy for climate justice, and make sure that – as much as possible – we ourselves do not contribute unnecessarily to a worsening crisis. Keeping the climate front and center of our considerations and recognizing the sizeable impact of travel on carbon emissions, we hope this format will significantly limit the negative climate impact of this year’s Seminar.

To read more about our considerations and what to expect from this year’s Seminar – including opportunities for congregations to host local gatherings – please check out our Seminar website!