URI Climate Action Coordinator

Raised in the Midwest, Lauren's professional life began as a performing artist in NYC before attending interfaith seminary in California. After ordination (1999), Lauren served as chaplain in both healthcare and corporate settings, and seminary Dean at The Chaplaincy Institute. Her passion for spirituality, art and Earth's teachings construct her focus in eco-ministry, grief & loss, and sacred activism. She is a guest writer for “Progressing Spirit,” an online publication exploring theology, spirituality and public events. She holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and Naropa University. Lauren is a spiritual director and serves as guest faculty for several schools in the Bay Area.

Professor-Researcher of the Chair of Environmental Law and member of the Academic Board of the Doctorate in Law of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico. Social Counselor of the Coordination of Evaluation of the National Policy on Climate Change 2015-2024

She is a lawyer from the University of Guanajuato, a Master in Criminal Law from the University of Guadalajara and a PhD in Criminal Sciences from the National Institute of Criminal Sciences. She is a full-time Professor-Researcher, Titular C, at the University of Guadalajara, where she has worked since 1987 to date. She teaches the Chair of Environmental Law in undergraduate and graduate degrees. She coordinates different research projects related to the environment, access to justice, human rights and climate change. She has directed several bachelors, masters, and doctoral theses on law, management and environmental policy at the University of Guadalajara and as an external reader at other academic institutions. It receives students in summer academic research stays in the DELFIN Program. She is a member of the Academic Board of the Doctorate in Law of the CUCSH of the University of Guadalajara. She is part of the National System of Researchers in the category of National Researcher Level I.

Since 1997 she has participated in the World Environmental Law Alliance (E-Law) and in the Living Lakes Network. She is the author of the book Introduction to the Study of Environmental Law, the ninth edition published by Porrúa, as well as countless articles and collective books.

She has received the recognitions of The Kerry L. Rydberg Ecological Activism Award in 2007 granted by the Public Interest Conference of the University of Oregon, USA, Ecological Merit Award in 2009 granted by SEMARNAT, in the individual category of the academic sector Svetlana Kravchenko Award from the University of Oregon in 2013 for incorporating human rights in the defense of the environment.

In 2015, she was appointed Social Counselor of the Coordination of Evaluation of the National Climate Change Policy by the Inter-ministerial Commission on Climate Change for a period of 4 years and ratified for a further period 2020-2024.

Professor and Coordinator of the Research Group of Social Consciousness in Venezuela and Latin America of the Faculty of Humanities and Education of the University of Los Andes, Venezuela.

Dr. Maria del Pilar Quintero is a Venezuelan who has an interdisciplinary training and is a Doctor in Human Sciences of Zulia’s University (LUZ], Master in Philosophy of Central University of Venezuela (UCV), Master's degree in Ibero-American Literature obtained at The Andes University (ULA), Graduate in Psychology at the Iberoamerican University of Mexico and Specialist in Social Psychology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

She is a tenured professor and active researcher at The Andes University (ULA) in Mérida, Venezuela. She is Coordinator of the Social Consciousness Research Group of the ULA: CDCHTA and the Faculty of Humanities. Her field of research has been the formation and development of Social Consciousness, especially in the field of ethics, alternative education, culture of peace, interculturality, psycho-socio-cultural identity, literature for children and Latin American thought. She is editor of the scientific magazine “Conciencia y Diálogo” (Awareness and Dialogue) of The Andes University: www.erevistas.saber.ula.ve /Consciencia y Diálogo. She has many publications: books and scientific articles. She belongs to several associations: Louis Dolan Chair at the UCV, URI Cooperation Circle of Dialogue of Caracas, Inter-American Council for the study of indigenous spirituality (CISEI) and Venezuelan Association of Social Psychology.

Indigenous Kolla, Former Global Trustee of URI and first representative of the Qewña URI Cooperation Circle in Jujuy, Argentina.

He was born in Jujuy, Argentina, in a Kolla Indigenous Community. In 1980 he settled in Buenos Aires and in 1982 he joined in this capital city the NGO “Centro Kolla”.

In 1985 he started and important work towards rescue of indigenous thoughts and cosmovision through oral tradition, together with other indigenous brothers. He was invited to join the United Religions Initiative since the very beginning of this movement, being part after his election

as Trustee of the Global Council between 2005 and 2010. He had an outstanding participation in 2000 at the URI meeting of indigenous cosmovision in Quito-Ecuador. His participation was highlighted in three meetings of the Parliament of Religions: Barcelona, Spain (2004), Melbourne, Australia (2009) and Utah-USA (2015). He also made several visits to Indigenous Peoples in the 5 Continents with the aim of exchanging opinions on the Cosmovision of Indigenous Peoples of the World. He is the founder and first representative of the URI Cooperation Circle Qewña of Jujuy, Argentina, where he currently resides supporting the community development of indigenous people with projects of planting traditional products and ecological tourism in the area.

Indigenous Mapuche, Former Global Trustee of URI, first representative of the URI Cooperation Circle Aflaiai in Temuco, Chile and President of the Raiman Pinoleo Community of Lumaco.

Woman of wisdom of the Mapuche Culture of Chile, she was born in the community of Dibulko, Commune of Lumaco. She is a self-taught teacher, with experience and achievements as a leader, participates from a very young age in the Mapuche Cultural Centers of Chile, founder of one of the first Mapuche organizations in Santiago in 1980. She has worked at the national level contributing to the rescue, dissemination and socio-political, economic and cultural development of the Mapuche people.

It organizes various workshops and training courses in organizations, schools and universities aimed at children, young people and adults in different areas such as textile art, silverware, native music, and healing songs. In educational matters, she has contributed a graphememory or alphabet that includes all the existing letters in the universe of sounds of the Mapuche language.

She is an artist and singer-songwriter, with extensive experience in cultural exchange. She created the Mapuche Music and Dance Ensemble "Aflaiai" that has performed in different local, national and international stages and has songs in the recording industry. In 2005, she received the Folk Music Award from the Municipality of Santiago and is currently nominated for the Traditional Culture Award.

She has extensive experience and achievements in political leadership. She is elected Councilor of the Lumaco Commune (2008-2011), Presidential Counselor of the National Corporation for Indigenous Development (CONADI) in 2016 and 2017, and Elected President of the Raiman de Lumaco Community in the current year. Honorary President of Religions for Peace representing the Spiritual Council of Indigenous Peoples (2006-2014). She has been linked to the URI since its inception, collaborating with the CC Spiritual. Forum of Santiago for more than a decade, and created in 2014, in Temuco, Chile, the Alflaiai Cooperation Circle, she is its first representative, this group which comes from the Fotm Mapu organization, registered as Folilche Aflaiai in 1980 in Santiago, of which she is also a co-founder. She was elected Global Trustee of URI for Latin America and the Caribbean in the period 2016-2020. This healer woman has represented the Mapuche Culture as a lecturer on the cultural, socio-political and economic reality of her People in different national and international meetings: France, Spain, Kenya, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Tripoli, among others.

 

Indigenous Quinaroes, Biologist from the University of The Andes dedicated to the protection of environmental work and first representative of the Quinaroa URI Cooperation Circle in Trujillo, Venezuela.

Licensed in Biology (2007) at The Andes University (ULA), Mérida, Venezuela with a Master in Environmental Sciences (2010) of the Bolivarian University of Chile, Santiago de Chile. From 2018 to the present she is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and Chemistry of Rafael Rangel University Center of the ULA in Trujillo, Venezuela. She is the first representative of Quinaroa URI Cooperation Circle in Venezuela.

From 2018 to the present she works as Assistant Manager at “Castan Distillery”, a Company dedicated to the artisan elaboration of a local kind of sweet liquor and its derivatives based on honey as raw material, called Trujillana Honey Brandy. From 2016 to the present she is an independent Entrepreneur managing the production and sales of GIPRONA C.A.

Between 2013 and 2015 she served as Environmental Advisor of the Indigenous Peoples of Lagunillas, communities that live in Sucre Municipality of the State of Mérida, being also member of the Environment Commission representing Quinaroes Indigenous People of San Martin. In partnership of University of The Andes and Central University of Venezuela, she did a stage as Biologist at the Institute of Experimental Biology of the Faculty of Sciences in the Ecological Garden of Bello Monte.

URI Director of Global Partnerships, URI Representative at the UN and the African Union, URI-Africa Regional Director, Former Ambassador

Ambassador Mussie Hailu is a peacebuilder who is working at national, regional, and international levels for peace, reconciliation, interfaith harmony, disarmament, the Golden Rule, world citizenship, right human relationships, and international cooperation for the preservation of the environment. He considers himself a Citizen of the World, believing strongly in the inter-dependence of human beings. He celebrates cultural diversity, seeing the differences in race, ethnicities, religions, politics, and nationalities as important elements of the one and indivisible humanity. He has served many national and international organizations, including the United Nations. Mussie also served as Diplomat in the rank of Ambassador and Special Envoy of the President of Burundi. Currently, he serves as URI Director of Global Partnerships, URI Representative at the United Nations and the African Union, and URI-Africa Regional Director.