Presentation of the Manresa 2022 Pact in Washington, D.C.

Bhikkhu Vasu Bandhu, member of the Religions for Peace International Youth Committee, travelled to Washington D.C. from July 5-14, 2023. Recently ordained a Buddhist Monk with Sangha Dhammapada, Vasu had the opportunity to meet with the U.S. Senator for Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, and her staff to share and present the Manresa 2022 Pact, presented during the At a Crossroads: An Intergenerational and Multireligious Response to the Social and Environmental Crises forum organised by Religions for Peace in partnership with the City of Manresa, in Manresa, Spain in November 2022. During their meeting, they discussed the need for people from diverse faiths to come together and support sustainable environmental initiatives. During At a Crossroads forum, there were 70 religious leaders representing 16 different faiths that came together to commit to intergenerational, interreligious, multisectoral and gender-sensitive approaches toward addressing inequalities in cities and promoting awareness for the urgent need to care for our planet and future. 

In addition to his meeting with Senator Sinema, Vasu was in D.C. to support the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition’s proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument, to attend the 2023 Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) Conference, and the Bread for the World Annual Advocacy Summit. 

Vasu also met with Sally Hardin at the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) within the Executive Office of the President; Leslie Jones at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); Liz Reese at the White House Domestic Policy Council; Laura Daniel Davis, Nada Culver, Henry Wykowski, Kate Kelly, and Shantha Ready-Alonso at Dept. of Interior; Representative Raul Grijalva, and Glenn Miller Environment Issues staff.  

Learn more about At a Crossroads.