jpnn.com, VATIKAN - Members of the Youth ECCO Indonesia Foundation, a local organization focusing on increasing climate literacy, had the chance to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican recently.
On Wednesday, October 27, 2021, ECCO founders Walissa Tanaya Pramanasari and Hendra Adhigoena Prakarsa from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, represented the foundation to meet the Pope, along with delegates from the PIRE (Polish Chamber of Electromobility Development), the Polish Youth Climate Council, the Polish Ministry of Environment, Pictureworks, and several other institutions.
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During the meeting, Walissa and Hendra talked about their environmental activities in Indonesia, gifted TeluCraft bamboo bags from Lombok, and asked the Pope to sign the book "Sahabat Bakau" (Mangrove Friends).
Mangroves are an essential part of ECCO's programs that support the United Nations Decade on Restoration through the #GenerationRestoration movement.
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The young Indonesians also thanked the Pope for his continued efforts in raising the world’s attention towards climate change.
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On October 4, the Pope attended the "Faith and Science: Towards COP26" meeting at the Vatican, where religious leaders from around the world discussed the importance of saving the earth without political, cultural, and social boundaries.
In line with this, the Youth ECCO Indonesia Foundation will hold a youth interfaith meeting on climate change in December.
The meeting with Pope Francis itself was a preparatory event for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) from October 31 to November 12 in Glasgow.
It also marked ECCO's commitment to increasing climate literacy, supporting interfaith dialogue about the environment, planting mangroves, and disseminating information about the acceleration of electric vehicles in Indonesia. (mcr20/jpnn)