ACT Alliance has joined over 170 peacebuilding organizations in issuing an urgent call to action for peace. The statement points out that responses to the COVID-19 crisis that increase violence, injustice and exclusion will increase human suffering and deepen development losses. A focus on peace, justice and inclusion must be at the heart of the response to COVID-19.

The statement, released at the opening of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, calls on governments and the international community to: mainstream peace in the response to COVID-19; prioritize inclusion in analysis and action; make space for building peace; and reaffirm multilateralism and international norms as a safeguard for the most vulnerable.

The full statement can be read here.

The 18^th of September is International Equal Pay Day which symbolizes how far still have to go to guarantee women earn the same as men. According to the UN, ‘[a]cross all regions, women are paid less than men, with the gender pay gap estimated at 23 per cent globally’. Evidence shows that Equal Pay Day is about much more than just pay. For example, World Bank’s Women Business and the Law 2020 report states that we still have laws and regulations imposing job restrictions on women which go beyond the gender wage gap. Not only. I argue that we should even go one step further by recognising that toxic sexist work culture is also responsible for the slow progress on gender equality. That is, while fighting for equal pay, we must make sure we acknowledge and fundamentally change unequal power structures to ensure equality in all senses when it comes to the workplace.

Let’s put this into a concrete picture. More than 10 years ago, when I was working for a prestigious law firm, had been there for over 3 years and had raving reviews from colleagues, I was told that someone else was being hired for my role because, and I here quote, they ‘simply preferred working with a man’. They (or rather He) added quite abrasively: ‘It’s not personal’. How on earth that is not personal? Telling me I was discriminated against for the mere fact of being a woman? Being able to tell me that and get away with it because you are a white middle class privileged man? Or perhaps disregarding good professional performance to create your very own ‘boys club’?

That incident could have crushed my self-esteem and erased my prospects of actually putting my skills to good use. Instead, I quit that job two days later and decided that my mission would be preventing similar issues from happening. Unfortunately, that was not the only time I was discriminated against and certainly it will not be the last. God knows how much I work (and overwork) to prove that I am just as good as the people being deemed ‘suitable’ by the system (which of course changes depending on the setting you are in). But, the reality is that when I look back I am actually grateful. That was a defining moment. It sparkled my love (unapologetic and fully committed love) for human rights and gender equality; it gave me the courage to actually pursue a new career track in spite of my family’s resistance; and it gave me the opportunity to learn and meet many other feminist activists that devote(d) their whole life to changing our inherently patriarchal and racist system. 

I speak from a perspective now which I simply could not have done back then. In fact, I was only able to share this history with my parents and siblings last year. This is the first time I actually write about it. The first time I spoke about this openly was at the beginning of 2020 when a group of young girls asked me about my career path during a CSW 64 discussion. I have met my past co-workers (who where well aware of what had taken place) several times but they never mentioned the incident directly or reached out to me with a word of encouragement. I don’t blame them. The system demands silence as it only awards those that circumscribe by its rules. That must change!

Last month, when someone asked me if I had suffered discrimination in my recent past, I answered fully but felt like crying as I did it. It is soul crushing to think that we still live in a world where people thrive by having power over other people; by creating artificial socially constructed categories to benefit from your oppression. I never accepted the status quo but also know that not everyone has the privilege of options. I had that privilege and think it is my obligation to use it strategically. I would urge others in similar positions to do the same. This is of course not a novel call to action, it is a personal plea. Many social movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter highlighted the discriminatory face of our ‘normal’. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything is that the moment to change things is right now!

My bottom line is: Fight discriminatory systems…whatever it is that you face and whatever they discriminate against. Fight it! If you feel you can’t fight it, take a stand. Make it clear that you are not complicit with it. And then define what that means to you rather than being defined by it. Take the power from those trying to have power over you. That in itself is a radical thing to do.

A luta continua!

ACT Alliance joins Civil Society around the world to call for a Global Fund for Social Protection to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and to build a better future.

Despite agreements on the fundamental human rights of all people to social protection and health, over two-thirds of the world’s population are still denied the right to comprehensive social protection. This is especially concerning as the number of people without protection as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic increases. For example, as a result of COVID-19, the number of people that are food insecure is projected to double to a quarter of a billion this year.

“We, civil society and faith-based organizations, trade unions and members of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, in view of the global harm from the COVID-19 pandemic, call on governments worldwide to ensure – through national and global solidarity – that national social protection floors are made available to all people with the help of a Global Fund for Social Protection,” reads the Civil Society Call.

The Call explains that national floors of social protection can help to ensure that no one is left behind by securing universal access to essential health care and basic income security. 

“Social protection systems can help to reduce and prevent poverty, counter inequality, and can unleash the creativity and productive capacity of people,” reads the Call.

Signatories to the Civil Society Call also recognize that while the financing of social protection systems falls to national budgets, some countries will require technical support and co-financing from the international community.

The Call further outlines the envisioned governance structure of the board, potential financing sources and notes that the Fund would operate under the principles of accountability, transparency and participation.

The full Civil Society Call is available here.

ACT Alliance joins various humanitarian and development organizations calling on Heads of State and Government ahead of UNGA 75 to make bold and ambitious decisions to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and put nature and ecosystems on a path to recovery by 2030.

ACT Alliance members around the world are witnessing the various ways that the rapid loss of nature, ecosystems, and biodiversity are threatening our environment, health, diets, development, social equity and human rights. 

The Call to Action states, “Biodiversity is essential not only for poverty and inequality eradication but also for social justice and human rights, including the rights to food, water, human health and a healthy environment.”

The Call to Action further reads:

We must take action now to set nature, ecosystems and societies on the path to recovery, to build a safe, healthy and equitable future for people and the planet. Together, we can reset our relationship with nature and secure a resilient carbon-neutral, nature-positive world.

We call on the Heads of State ahead of UNGA75 to make bold and ambitious decisions to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and put nature and ecosystems on a path to recovery by 2030 by:

1. 1. Embracing a green, sustainable and just post-COVID19 recovery, protecting and regenerating nature as a sustainable foundation for a healthy and just society, and equitable economy, in line with WHO Manifesto.
   2. Transitioning to sustainable carbon-conscious agriculture, fisheries and forestry by harnessing agro-ecology, food sovereignty and alternative livelihoods. Eliminating subsidies harmful to nature, climate and health, without compromising on food security and nutrition for all.
   3. Strengthening resilience to climate change and environmental degradation of the poor and vulnerable. Ensuring fair and equitable distribution of and access to natural resources as a condition for social and gender equality while investing in public services that ease the burden of care for all in society.
   4. Halting the loss of and restoring natural habitats, while applying a human rights-based approach and respecting indigenous people and local communities’ human, land, water and tenure roles and rights.
   5. Ensuring that the benefits from biodiversity, including healthy and nutritious diets and fresh water are equitably shared by all people.

The full Call to Action is available for download here.

In September 2018 the UN IATF established the Multi-faith Advisory Council (MFAC), an informal and voluntary entity which consists of 45 religious leaders and heads of faith-based organizations (FBOs).  The composition reflects the diversity of religions, regional and national presence, and covers different thematic areas that mirror the UN’s mandate. In 2019 Rudelmar Bueno de Faria was elected co-chair of this body.

ACT Alliance joins the other members of the MFAC to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the UN.

Watch the trailer below

The World Council of Churches (WCC), ACT Alliance and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) present their condolences to all Lebanese people who lost their loved ones in the catastrophic explosion that ripped through the heart of Beirut on 4 August 2020.  We stand in solidarity with the bereaved, the injured, the

displaced and the suffering.

On behalf of the international ecumenical community, ACT Alliance is launching an appeal as part of the international humanitarian response to this disaster, and we join in calling on the international community for a comprehensive humanitarian mechanism of coordination and collaboration with Lebanese civil society.

We recognize and lift up the swift and effective actions taken by Lebanese civil society to respond and to alleviate the suffering of those affected. The civil society response to the disaster is a significant sign of hope, strengthening people’s capacity to overcome this enormous crisis and to restore hope in the society for the future of the nation.

Together, WCC ACT Alliance and MECC emphasize the following elements as crucial for a sustainable recovery:

1. There must be real accountability for this disaster, through an independent investigation. We call on the international community, through the UN, to ensure that the causes of this disaster are investigated and established by a credible independent process, that those responsible are brought to justice, and that impunity is avoided.
2. While immediate humanitarian assistance is essential and fundamental, ensuring long-term resilience is crucial for Lebanon’s sustainable recovery from multiple shocks – bringing together humanitarian, development and peace and human security components in a comprehensive systemic approach. The explosion and its consequences compound a deep pre-existing economic and social crisis, with 50% of Lebanese people living under the poverty line and 400,000 suffering displacement. A comprehensive, detailed and sustained engagement is required to ensure lasting positive impact.
3. WCC, ACT Alliance and MECC join in calling on all their members and partners to galvanize their resources – human, financial, communication/technical and spiritual – to support the Lebanese people to overcome this profound crisis.
4. WCC and ACT Alliance affirm and support the role and response of the Middle East Council of Churches, the Lebanon ACT Appeal, and all initiatives faith-based organizations and churches take to respond to not only to the humanitarian needs of the Lebanese people but also spiritual needs through trauma-healing interventions and counseling.

This is a critical and historical existential moment for Lebanon – a haven for religious and social diversity in the Middle East – and as such, we are all concerned and called upon to help ensure Lebanon’s survival. With all the tragedies and challenges of its past and present, Lebanon stands as a sign and symbol of living together in diversity.  The people of Lebanon deserve our support to survive and endure, and to regain hope for their future.

MIDDLE EAST COUNCIL OF CHURCHES

Dr. Souraya Bechealany   | Secretary General 

WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES       

Rev.Prof. Ioan Sauca   | Acting Secretary General 

ACT ALLIANCE            

Rudelmar Bueno De Faria | Secretary General

Download the statement in English here

Download the statement in Arabic here

Global celebration urges “radically new ways of living” to protect our common home

The Season of Creation, an annual celebration of prayer and action for the environment, begins on 1 September. During this annual event, Christians around the world renew their relationship with the Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment.

Although Christian communities have incorporated this annual event into their calendars for years, this year’s celebration has particular resonance. During the health, economic, and environmental crises that have shaken our world, the season asks Christians to enter a “jubilee for our Earth,” which is the suggested theme for the season, and to find “radically new ways of living.” 

The season begins with a prayer service led by young people. With their prophetic stand for radically new ways of living, young people are urging adult allies to act now, while the option for acting is still with us. 

Throughout the season, thousands of digital commitments and hundreds of local events continue the momentum in locations as diverse as Nanyuki, Kenya, where shade and fruit trees will be planted to protect an ecologically sensitive site, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where a group will plant trees in commemoration of the Amazon, and Wellington, New Zealand, where an ecumenical group will hold a walking reflection on the Genesis creation story. These events will draw from the celebration guide available here. 

In addition to commitments from the laity, high-level leaders including the Vatican and Catholic bishops’ conferences and bishops, Anglican Bishop Holtam of Salisbury, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and other leaders have made statements in support of the season and its opening day, the World Day of Prayer for Creation. 

The history of the Season of Creation reveals its true ecumenism. Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed 1 September as a day of prayer for creation for the Orthodox in 1989. The World Council of Churches was instrumental in making the special time a season, extending the celebration from 1 September to 4 October, the Feast of St. Francis. Pope Francis made the Roman Catholic Church’s warm welcoming of the season official in 2019.

An ecumenical steering committee suggests resources for the season each year. More information is available at SeasonOfCreation.org

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Through the ACT Alliance’s Global Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, ACT continues to respond to the needs of affected individuals, families and communities around the world.

ACT members PELKESI, YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU) and the Center for Disaster Risk Management and Community Development Studies (CDRM & CDS), share two human impact stories from communities that they have supported during the pandemic. In line with ACT’s commitment to the Localisation Agenda, national ACT members are working with local partners, churches, faith actors, and governments to support the most vulnerable.

The first story highlights the impact of ACT member CDRM & CDS through their support to 38-year-old Mrs Jernita Sababalat, a small store owner from the Makukuet Hamlet of Matobe Village, Indonesia. Despite her disabilities and being a mother of three children, the support provided by CDRM & CDS has allowed Mrs Jernita to continue to work in her store and provide for her family amidst the difficulties that they face during COVID-19.

Mrs Jernita is one of the many women who received support from CDRM & CDS back in 2016 to set up her store, which, serves as an important source of income for her family. Today, CDRM & CDS continues to support the Matobe Village, this time raising awareness of COVID-19 and sharing transmission prevention tools and strategies.

“First, I heard about the Corona Virus through the TV/media. More and more people were infected and died. This situation scared our family of being infected by the deadly virus,” said Ms Jernita. “We got more scared and decided not to go out because we did not want to get infected,” she said.

Mrs Jernita’s family is one of the many who received informational materials and personal hygiene tools including buckets, soap and masks. “It is not because the virus is no longer dangerous, but the health information and personal hygiene kits make me and my family less worried of being infected as long as we follow the recommendations of CDRM & CDS,” said Mrs Jernita.

Mrs Jernita’s husband echoed sentiments of gratitude to the ACT member, “thank you very much to CDRM & CDS for sharing information on how to prevent COVID-19. More communities are aware of prevention techniques. Thus, I am calmer now,” he said.

The second story sheds light on the work conducted by ACT member YEU in supporting female-headed families, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses.

Ms Mugiyem is a 76-year-old woman who harvested rice, cassava and peanuts. While some of her harvests were unsuccessful, others have been destroyed by monkeys. The destroyed crops, along with worsening pain in her knees, which have left her unable to work her farm and in need of support.

She has not sought medical assistance due to a lack of funds for the treatment and has also been worried about the risk of contracting COVID-19 at the Community Health Center.

Ms Mugiyem’s is one of 150 families that received cash-transfer assistance during the pandemic. Through a cash transfer program supported by ACT member YEU in collaboration with the local church, she received Rp.600.000 (approximately USD 41), enough to seek the necessary treatment for her knees and some needed household items.

“I used the money to buy things for my daily needs, such as seasoning, and clothes for my daughter.  I also used the money to pay for the treatment for my knee. Before I received this assistance, I did many things to meet my daily needs, but this assistance has helped me a lot,” she said.

These stories have been adapted from Human Impact Story, July 2020. The full stories are available here.

The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic hit people hard all around the world. But it hits people like Sani and her parents-in-law in Nepal particularly strongly. Single mothers, persons with disabilities and elderly people with no or very small incomes have no resources to bridge a crisis like the current pandemic. That’s why ACT Alliance-members like Christian Aid focus their aid on highly vulnerable groups like these.

Sani Tamang lost her eyesight due to an illness when she was eight years old. She didn’t have the opportunity to study or learn a vocation skill. Currently, her life revolves around her four-year-old son who is her reason for living. Her husband left her a few years ago just after a month of marriage. She now lives with her elderly in-laws in Tamakoshi, Dolakha. Padam Lama is 77 years old and his wife, Batuli Lama, 73 years old. The couple are tenants on a small farm and their only regular income is the old age allowance they get. Sani helps them by cutting grass and peeling vegetables to cook. Her father-in-law works as a labourer whenever he can to meet the family’s needs. When the government of Nepal announced the lockdown due to the COVID-19 crisis though, he had no option but to stay home. As a result, the family has problems earning enough income to cover their daily needs.

Desperate situation

Sani says that there was no cash to buy food and the grocery shop also stopped giving anything on credit as they already had old debts to pay. Due to the lockdown, Sani couldn’t get the social security allowance for disabled persons as the government offices were closed for some time and the money was not released. This meant that they were not sure when they would get the allowance. Sani’s family urgently required support to meet their basic food needs. They had very little savings so they were depending on some food they had in the farm, including millet and maize. With their little available money, they had to buy vegetables, oil and lentils. They could not afford much and also had to save some of their money as they were not sure how long the lockdown would last.

Happy moment

However, the local government of Tamakoshi included Sani and her relatives in the list of families to receive support from organisations like Christian Aid and the Community Development Forum (CDF) Nepal that provide food supplies for the families in need.

It was really a happy and delightful moment for the family as they received enough food supplies for a month. For Sani it meant that she could feed her son a proper meal and not worry about food. “We are cooking the food we got and enjoying our meals. My son heartily savours eating and that makes me content and joyful,” she expresses.

Positive changes in the Municipality

The Tamakoshi Rural Municipality realised the difficulties that people were going through due to the lack of a social security allowance. So after a few weeks of lockdown they released the money to help them in these critical times. The municipal government in spite of the restrictions due to COVID-19 allowed development and construction work so that people could earn money for their daily household needs by working for the building owners.

As part of their response to COVID-19, Christian Aid Nepal has been supporting the communities of Rasuwa, Khotang, Dolakha, Dhading, Bardiya and Kailali districts, focusing on women, persons with disabilities, elderly and other vulnerable groups.

ACT Alliance Response

ACT Alliance launched its global COVID-19 response globally, directly funding ACT members’ support of communities affected by COVID-19. ACT’s total response includes members like Christian Aid who have raised their own funding. ACT members support people like Sani and her family in improving their own lives by supporting national health systems, working with community leaders in providing accurate and timely information to communities, and providing sorely needed support.  Always with a focus on gender, and the protection of the most vulnerable communities while engaging local faith actors to actively participate in humanitarian action. 

Sunjuli Singh Kunwar, Christian Aid Nepal

The ACT Brazil Forum (FEACT) has been closely following developments around the eviction of 650 families in the Quilombo Campo Grande, a community that has been producing healthy, organic food for over 2 decades and whose land is desired by agribusiness.  FEACT has issued this statement in the wake of the actions taken against the families in Quilombo Campo Grande:

Today is a sad day for Brazil.

Amid an unprecedented pandemic that has already killed more than 100,000 Brazilians, the “Quilombo Campo Grande” camp, in southern Minas Gerais, was surprised last morning by war-like acts. Hundreds of police cars made a violent appearance to evict the 650 families that have resisted and produced healthy food over the last 20 years. One of their products is the Guaií organic coffee: Quilombo Campo Grande is located in an area that produces one of the best coffees in the world. Coveted by large agribusiness corporations, those lands are the scenario for a dispute between two models. One of them shares income and respects the environment, whereas the other concentrates wealth, excludes people and destroys the environment.

Those families have suffered with threats from gunmen for many years. According to some sources, they act under the command of the former owner of a bankrupt plant. Over 22 years, there were 5 evictions and many demonstrations of national and international solidarity.

The eviction we witness today is consequence of the pressure made by João Faria, one of the biggest coffee traders in Brazil. This agribusinessman is seeking to extend his production area and the interests of large corporations are also involved in this eviction, including multinationals like Nestlé and Mondelez. It is worth highlighting that João Faria was one of the main donors to the President Jair Bolsonaro campaign in 2018.

We “demand” from Governor Romeu Zema and from competent institutions the immediate suspension of the eviction, and the respect for the human rights of those families and other thousands that suffer with similar violence in Brazil nowadays.

Once again, this action evidences how the Brazilian government is exclusively oriented by the interests of the financial capital and multinationals. The lives of Brazilian people are jeopardized by those who should protect them.

They want to extinguish our culture, our spirituality, our right to dream. It is no surprise that the first act of the military police was to attack the local church and the local school, which is called Eduardo Galeano.

These are the open veins of Latin America, which bleed in face of a new colonialism that “hastens the domain of violence”. (Am 6.3)

                          12 August 2020.