UN Retreat in Vermont

grace iniative

Manchester and surrounding communities will play host this weekend (September 30 – October 1) to the first United Nations meeting ever to take place in Vermont: the United Nations Retreat on Sustainable and Resilient Communities, co-organized by the Vermont-based non-profit for Governance, Reconciliation and Coexistence – Grace Initiative and the United Nations Group of 77, which brings together more than 130 Member States of the United Nations from Africa, Asia and Latin America. In addition to Manchester, the participants will also visit Peru, Rupert, Stratton and Dorset.

The purpose of holding this meeting in Vermont is to look at the local practices for sustainability and resilience and the positive change that this approach has brought in terms of the strengthening of the peaceful and inclusive society in Vermont and draw lessons and inspiration from them.

During the retreat, UN diplomats will hear from senior representatives of the State Government, academic and business community, Vermont policy experts and practitioners on sustainable agriculture, energy, business and community networks, in the context of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy and Sustainable and Resilient Communities. The discussions will incorporate local approaches to a global platform for the 2030 Agenda for Development, adopted by the United Nations in 2015, drawing on the best local practices and ways to adopt and apply them to another local environments. Attending this retreat will be Ambassadors and other high level diplomats from the Global South, as well as representatives of various United Nations entities.

This retreat provides an opportunity to establish and build on this unique local-global connection.

This will be a truly inclusive Vermont retreat: The diplomats will begin in Manchester, visit the Burr and Burton Mountain Campus, Stratton Mountain Resort, Merck Forest and Farmland Center, Marble House Project and the Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home.