A graphic from the platform guides users to the examples of best practices that most interest them.
Do you need to develop an internal climate policy and want to know what other organisations have done? Or do you want to find out more about disaster risk reduction or locally led adaptation? Maybe you have a great adaptation project you’d like to share with other ACT members.
Visit ACT’s new Platform for Climate Change and Programmes, meant to strengthen ACT’s Climate Justice members and networks. Available on the Fabo Learning site, the platform has several functions:
a one-stop learning site for climate change issues;
a sharing space for climate policy and members’ work on adaptation, resilience, loss and damage; and,
a digital space in which to network with and learn from other ACT members’ work on climate justice.
“This is an opportunity for members to share their best experiences adapting to climate change,” says Tewaney Seifesellasie, co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Justice Programmes team. The team focusses on the climate adaptation work of ACT members at the grassroots level and is also responsible for running ACT’s Resilience Award. They started designing the platform in March 2022.
The first, Climate Programming, includes training opportunities and news on ACT Climate Justice opportunities such as the Resilience Award. Users are invited to submit their own climate programme interventions addressing adaptation, resilience, loss and damage and/or low carbon transition. A template is provided.
The second section, Internal Climate Policies, has examples of ACT member climate policies from DanChurchAid, Norwegian Church Aid and Christian Aid, a helpful slide deck on implementing such a policy, and a climate game to help members of organisations reflect on their climate change goals.
Member policies can be downloaded from the platform.
Both of these sections feature a useful resources library with ACT and member publications on climate change and climate justice.
The third section, Dialogue Forums, has two components. The Practice Forum invites ACT members to “collaborate, share examples of good practices, learn from others and exchange ideas or questions.” The Networking Forum features photographs and short biographies of the members of the Programmes team and invites users to add their own profile.
Graphics guide users to the dialogue forum of their choice.
“We want to increase networking among ACT members,” says Ruusa Gawazaa, co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Justice Programmes team. “We can learn a lot from each other.”
The final section gives an overview of ACT Alliance, and how users can participate. Members of the ACT Alliance are welcome to join the community of practice, with possibilities for regular cooperation and exchange of ideas and experiences.
ACT members are invited to share news of the Platform in their Forums and with their own members. “We can leverage our strengths by sharing them, and also strengthen the climate justice movement within the alliance,” says Tewaney.
Step 2: Access Climate ACT alliance platform for climate change and programs
Step 3: Click Dialogue Forum (on the Tool Bar)
Step 4: Click on “DO YOU WANT TO SHARE EXPERIENCES FROM YOUR ORGANISATION? DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? OR AN OPINION? CLICK HERE TO ENGAGE IN THE DISCUSSIONS IN A DIALOGUE FORUM”
ACT Palestine Forum’s statement on the situation in Gaza
The ACT Palestine Forum is appalled, and grief-stricken by the unacceptable attacks being committed against unarmed civilians.
We condemn all violations of international law committed by both sides of the conflict and we deplore the attack that targeted innocent Palestinian civilians seeking refuge in the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on October 17th. An attack on a hospital is a grave and unacceptable violation of International Humanitarian Law and must not be tolerated by the international community. Initial reports by the Palestinian Ministry of Health spoke of more than 500 casualties, including patients, medical personnel, and individuals seeking shelter at the hospital. It is even more heartbreaking that a significant number of the casualties were women and children.
The ACT Palestine Forum expresses deep concern for the loss of innocent lives and the extensive destruction of vital civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, mosques, churches, and private homes. We call on all governments to promptly demand and implement a humanitarian ceasefire and put an end to the conflict in Gaza.
Any attack on civilians is not justified under any circumstance, we also demand accountability. The protection of civilians and the adherence to international humanitarian law (IHL) must be upheld in any conflict. Those who are currently targeting civilians must be held accountable.
The current escalation of violence is intolerable and shows no concern or respect for human life. Thousands of women and men, girls and boys, have been killed on both sides of this conflict so far, and many more have been injured. In Palestine, those injured cannot access proper care, they lack medicines, water, and food. The blocking of humanitarian aid must be revoked, and civilians must be assisted.
The ACT Palestine Forum appeals to the global community to commit to addressing the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while upholding the principles of international humanitarian law and human rights. The ACT Palestine Forums’ mission is to bring an end to the Israeli military occupation, alleviate human suffering, and emphasize the urgent need for an immediate and peaceful resolution to this conflict.
The ACT Palestine Forum urges all members of the ACT Alliance to stand in solidarity with us and join in the call for a three-day period of mourning. The situation is deeply distressing; a mourning period would allow us to honor the victims and express our empathy and concern for those affected. During these challenging times, we must come together to remember and pay our respects to the victims of these attacks and their families. We continue to pray for justice and peace.
Announcing the ACT 2022 Annual Report
PHOTO: Paul Jeffrey / ACT
“In 2022, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the existential threat of climate change, and the impact of ongoing conflicts were exacerbated by the war in Ukraine,” says Rudelmar Bueno da Faria, ACT General Secretary in his 2022 Annual Report message. “Despite these challenges, ACT and its members were able to consolidate our work as a relevant and cohesive faith-based alliance.”
The 2022 issue of the ACT Alliance Annual Report has special features on the work of ACT’s MENA region and ACT’s global advocacy programme. You will find out more about the work of other ACT regions and members as well as about 2022’s activities on Climate Justice, Migration and Displacement, Gender Justice and ACT’s other programmes.
You’ll also find news on ACT’s engagement at the World Council of Churches General Assembly, our new joint ACT/WCC publication on ecumenical diakonia, and our work to combat vaccine inequity.
PHOTO: Simon Chambers / ACT
The Annual Report can be downloaded in English, French or Spanish using the links below.
ACT members responding to deadly earthquake in western Afghanistan
A devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake flattened homes and infrastructure in western Afghanistan on October 7, 2023. Photo: ACT member
Just before lunchtime on October 7, 2023, a devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake with continuous aftershocks struck Herat province in western Afghanistan, flattening thousands of homes as well as schools and other infrastructure, with over 2000 reported killed and over 12,000 people impacted. These numbers are expected to rise as some remote areas have not yet been reached by first responders.
Because of the timing of the earthquake, many women and children were in their homes preparing lunch for the families, which led to 2/3 of the affected people being women and children.
ACT members immediately began to respond to the needs in the communities affected, contacting local partners, beginning to do needs assessment and to move relief supplies into the area, including winterized tents, hygiene kits, and other needed items.
Winterized tents like this are being provided by ACT members to affected families after the October 7 earthquake. Photo: ACT member
ACT members also immediately engaged in the complicated coordination with local and national authorities, the UN and other NGOs needed to ensure that aid reaches the communities and families where it is most needed as quickly and effectively as possible. ACT members are planning to provide emergency assistance as soon as possible before the harsh winter hits western Afghanistan.
ACT members are planning response over the coming year and a half, including the provision of emergency shelter like the winterized tents, blankets, clothes and kitchen supplies, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), providing hygiene and dignity kits, building latrines and bathing places, providing water purification systems, multi-purpose cash assistance, and protection for people who are more vulnerable now that they have lost their homes.
In the longer term, ACT members plan to rebuild homes, to provide solar systems to health centres, build community kitchens, and provide lanterns to households impacted by the earthquake and its aftershocks.
For more information about ACT’s response, or to contribute, please contact Waqas Muhammad, Humanitarian Program Officer Asia-Pacific at waqas@actalliance.org.
Message of Hope for Ukraine
On Oct 10, 2023, we are celebrating World Mental Health Day themed “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right.”
ACT Alliance recognizes this universal right as well as the rising needs of the traumatized nation of Ukraine by prioritizing psychosocial support to the refugees. On top of its professional services, ACT offers a message of hope through the spiritual consolation of its faith leaders.
We invite you to read the inspiring stories of those who received our support.
In 2023, the humanitarian crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine and its neighbouring nations persists, impacting millions of lives and devastating communities, infrastructure, and livelihoods. As we approach a second winter of conflict, this booklet aims to shed light on the crucial psychosocial support ACT Alliance members are providing in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, including Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support. We encourage you to stay updated on our activities through our website and social media platforms.
Your continued support is vital in addressing the needs of displaced Ukrainians and host communities.
ACT Palestine Forum statement on the violence in the Gaza Strip
The ACT Palestine Forum has issued the following statement regarding the escalating violence on the Gaza Strip. The statement can be downloaded here.
We at the ACT Palestine Forum feel deeply concerned and distressed after a day full of escalating violence in the Gaza Strip and its surrounding area. The resulting potential for major escalation throughout all of Palestine and Israel is extremely likely. The ACT Palestine Forum extends its heartfelt empathy and concern to all affected innocent civilians and their families, and we lift them up in prayer during these challenging and uncertain times.
The current situation demands our critical attention. As a local forum deeply committed to promoting the rights and well-being of the Palestinian people, we recognize the urgent need to respond efficiently and effectively to the crisis in Gaza. We have been in close coordination and communication with ACT Secretariat and with our dedicated colleagues on the ground in Gaza to assess the immediate needs and ensure that our response is timely and impactful.
Assessing the immediate needs on the ground is an exceptional challenge due to the current situation. We are currently collecting data that will inform our plans as a forum and as ACT Alliance to provide critical needed assistance to those affected by the war.
Our response efforts will encompass a wide array of vital humanitarian interventions including delivering crucial psychological support to individuals wrestling with the emotional aftermath of the warfare.
We wish to emphasize the protracted nature of the Gaza Strip’s enduring blockade, which has persisted since 2007, resulting in countless violations upon the basic rights of its population. In response to these distressing circumstances, we not only demand an immediate cessation of this blockade but also strongly advocate for the establishment of a fair and enduring peace that will secure the restoration of these essential rights to all people.
Furthermore, as members of the ACT Palestine Forum, we are in strong agreement in denouncing the violation of sacred sites, especially Al Aqsa Mosque and ongoing harassment faced by Christian sites and pilgrims. We acknowledge the significance of safeguarding and upholding the sanctity of these locations. Additionally, we sincerely appeal to the international community to stand with us in our endeavors to address the root causes of the conflict and uphold the principles of international humanitarian law.
As members of the ACT Palestine Forum, we strongly call for an immediate and peaceful resolution to this conflict. Our unconditional commitment is to ensure the well-being and fundamental rights of all individuals involved.
A love supreme – ACT and faith at New York United Nations week
“A love supreme!” With these words, Cornel West, well-known US commentator on anti-black racism, ended a multifaith ceremony just before the September 17 New York Climate March to End Fossil Fuels. The ceremony was to create a “sacred space” among marchers in the faith hub part of the march.
West drew on his own faith background saying he “followed the tradition of the Jesus… who ran out the money-changers from the temple, and we need to run out the fossil-fuel profiteers to make sure there’s air we can breathe and community we can connect to.”
He called the global climate crisis “the blues all the way down. But we have solidarity in the face of catastrophe. Let us dance… a love supreme” referring to US jazz giant John Coltrane’s song of that name.
The Climate March drew 75,000 creative, passionate souls from around the world, of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, to the streets of Manhattan. Their message to US President Joe Biden was to keep fossil fuels in the ground. It was also directed to the decision-makers who would appear at United Nations General Assembly, particularly at the special September 20 Climate Ambition Summit called by Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
ACT, its partners and its members made their voices heard in the march and in a series of special presentations throughout the week, on topics as diverse as migration and climate change, adaptation needs and issues, the COP28 Global Stocktake, faith-based perspectives on the SDGs, gender, and support for sexual and reproductive rights. Following the Sustainable Development Goals Summit September 18 and 19, it was a busy week for faith actors near the UN.
Here are a few of the events of that week. You will find social media posts for some events under the hashtag #ACT4Climate, others under #headwayforadaptation or #allrightsallpeople. All are available on social media site X (formerly Twitter).
The Trilateral Partnership of Regional Faith-based Networks for the SDGs (Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean), including ACT Regional Representative Alwynn Javier, hosted speakers on the topic of Inspiring faith, Hope and Transformative Action to Accelerate Progress towards the SDGs.
September 20
Taking Stock of our Ambition: Faith-based Action at the UN. Hosted by the Episcopal Church, this workshop encouraged faith groups to look at their own climate actions. It featured an overview of the UNFCCC Global Stocktake process by Athena Peralta of WCC and a faith-based perspective on COP28 by Julius Mbatia of ACT.
ACT member Church World Service hosted a panel presentation by people with lived experience of displacement.
The Multi-Faith Advisory Committee (MFAC), which ACT General Secretary Rudelmar Bueno de Faria has co-chaired, hosted their annual Kofi Annan Briefing with speakers from all faiths.
September 22
The UNFPA launched the High Level Commission on the Nairobi Summit’s third and final report on the sidelines of UNGA78. ACT General Secretary Rudelmar Bueno de Faria was a member of this commission. Tweets use the hashtag #allrightsallpeople: https://twitter.com/ACTAlliance/status/1705216622439305639
ACT Honduras Forum condemns attack on environmental and human rights defender
The ACT Honduras Forum issued a statement condemning the attack on José Ramiro Lara from ASONOG, the Forum Coordinator, on September 15. Ramiro Lara had been working with a community in the “La Hondura” micro-watershed, denouncing the degradation of the forest which has in turn contributed to a water crisis in the region. He and his family were targeted and attacked. Fortunately, they survived the attack.
The Forum is calling on the Honduran government to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators. “We urge the government of Honduras to conduct a thorough investigation into the attack against José Ramiro Lara and to ensure that both the material and intellectual perpetrators are held accountable,” the statement reads.
The full statement in Spanish and English can be found here.
Business as usual no longer an option
By Mattias Söderberg
On September 20 the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, invited the world to a Climate Ambition Summ-
Using creativity for a serious message at the March to End Fossil Fuels, New York City, September 17. PHOTO: Simon Chambers/ACT.
it. The headline is good, because we do need more ambition if we, as humanity, are going to manage the current climate crisis. But leaders have been talking about increased ambition for many years. It is now time for them to turn their words into real action.
While the climate crisis is a reality, the majority of world leaders continue with business as usual. This is no longer an option. All of creation is at risk, and it is now time for bold, even drastic, initiatives.
Such initiatives will influence how we live, and how our countries develop. Fossil fuels must become a solution firmly left behind, and our future must become green and sustainable. This has implications for the kind of energy we use, but also for how we travel, how we live, and what we produce and consume.
These drastic changes will be part of our efforts to adapt. Droughts, heatwaves and floods are part of a harsher new reality, especially for vulnerable communities in the Global South. We must develop all our communities so that they are robust and adapted to this new reality. That may well have implications for where and how we live, how we produce our food, and how we build infrastructure and communities.
A future where we have learned how to handle the climate crisis is not bad, but it will be different. Business as usual is no longer an option. If leaders want to show real leadership, and talk about real ambition, they must show a willingness to transform our way of life.
Speeches about a new and ambitious tomorrow must be turned into concrete decisions, real actions and concrete budget allocations. Fossil fuel subsidies must be cancelled. Restrictions to ensure that both public and private investments contribute to a sustainable future must be introduced. Scaled-up climate finance, to be delivered by the global north to vulnerable countries in the global south, must be introduced in the next budget review.
I listened to the speeches at the Climate Ambition Summit, and I hoped the ministers would make bold and ambitious commitments. I hoped they would talk about how to reform their countries, and how to correct the current, unsustainable development path. But all talk about ambition must be turned into real action!
Mattias Söderberg of DanChurchAid is the co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Justice Reference group.
Meeting the needs of people displaced by climate change
Farmer James Kuony Malual in Akobo, South Sudan can no longer depend on the weather. The rains don’t come when they used to, and when they do, they cause worse flooding than he’s ever seen. PHOTO: Paul Jeffrey/ACT.
By Sabine Minninger, Dr. Katherine Braun, and Christian Wolff
The Climate Action Summit on September 20, part of the UN General Assembly, will draw policymakers, academics and civil society from around the world to New York. That’s why ACT Alliance, Bread for the World and the Open Society Foundations are hosting the workshop Addressing the Protection Gap – Human Mobility and the Climate Crisis in International Frameworks in New York on September 19. It will raise awareness and encourage collaboration among a variety of stakeholders in the international community.
To meet the needs of people on the move, to protect climate-affected communities and individuals, and to ensure they can move with dignity, we must reimagine current frameworks and create new ones. Those who permanently lose their land or livelihoods should have access to alternative long-term solutions which include socioeconomic rights and preserve their cultural life.
People fleeing the effects of the climate crisis because their livelihoods are destroyed must be supported and protected, as must those who elect to stay. To address the current protection gap, international responsibilities must respond to the needs of both.
Climate (in-)justice
Global warming has led to more intense and frequent weather events around the world. Slow onset weather events such as sea level rise and desertification and sudden events such as droughts, tropical storms and hurricanes, heavy rainfall and floods disrupt the lives of millions. Most will not be able to move.
Industrialized nations and emerging economies with high levels of emissions are primarily responsible for the climate crisis. Although they have contributed the fewest emissions, the countries most affected by the impacts of climate change are the so-called least developed countries (LDCs).
Within them, those most affected are those groups that are already the most marginalized. They are constrained by their geographic location, but also by limited coping and adaptation capacities: the lack of financial, technological and technical resources, insufficient social protection systems and poor governance. Most will not be able to move. Those who can, lack sufficient international protection and regular pathways.
Human mobility and climate change
The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), notes that 3.3 to 3.6 billion people worldwide live in environments vulnerable to climate change. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimates that since 2008, 288 million people have been displaced within their own country’s borders due to climate-related disasters. In 2020, 30.7 million people in 149 countries were displaced for this reason. An unknown number of people have had to leave their homes due to slow-onset processes such as drought or sea-level rise.
The worst impacts have yet to be felt. The IPCC Special Report “Global Warming of 1.5°C” notes that climate change will significantly speed up migration. By 2050 more than 140 million people will be threatened by drought, desertification, crop failure, storm surges and rising sea levels just in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. Under the most optimistic scenarios, slow-onset processes and extreme weather events will drastically impact the habitability of the most affected areas of the world.
The climate crisis amplifies and interacts with already existing threats and security risks, exacerbating humanitarian crises, social and political conflicts, economic insecurities and existing vulnerabilities, compelling more people to move.
What is human mobility in the context of climate change?
Human mobility in the context of climate change (HMCCC) includes internal displacement, seasonal and permanent cross-border migration and planned relocation.
The impacts of climate change can affect human mobility both directly and indirectly. Climate change can reinforce, decrease or redirect existing movements of people, often from rural to urban areas. It influences temporary and seasonal as well as permanent migration patterns.
Human mobility in the context of climate change (HMCCC) is determined by the nature of the hazard, and social, economic, political and demographic factors, among others. Women, children, LGBTQI,, the elderly, people with disabilities and members of ethnically and racially marginalized groups have the fewest resources to prepare for and protect against the impacts of climate change and disasters.
Tailored solutions are necessary to respond to the needs of affected populations, especially people living in vulnerable situations. They should not be left behind.
Human mobility can be an adaptation strategy, if….
Human mobility can be an adaptation and risk reduction strategy and may help reduce vulnerability, but only if human and social rights are protected and if movement is voluntary, safe, and orderly. This was confirmed in the Sixth IPCC Assessment Report on Vulnerability and Adaptation. The higher their freedom of mobility, the greater is the potential for individuals, their communities of origin, and host countries.
The protection gap
International protection and the freedom to move remain severely restricted. We are far from realizing the principle of “migration in dignity.” Climate migrants are not covered by the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention. The absence of regular pathways for migration forces people to take life-threatening migration routes and exposes them to human rights violations, labour exploitation and gender-based violence, and other threats.
Planned relocation processes are often accompanied by non-economic loss and damage and human rights violations, including to economic and cultural rights. Internal displacement is insufficiently addressed and lacks financial resources and institutional capacities.
Regular pathways for migration support coping strategies which protect lives and prepare communities for future losses and damages. Yet people who wish to stay should be able to.
It is the responsibility of the international community to protect people affected by the adverse effects of climate change, to assist with adaptation measures, and to address loss and damage to ensure all lives are lived with dignity.
A people-centred human rights- and equity-based approach
A large and rapidly increasing number of climate migrants and displaced people, and those at risk of displacement, must fend for themselves without protection to ensure their rights. HMCCC is also increasingly seen as a security risk. We are far from closing existing protection gaps for affected people.
A people-centred, human rights- and equity-based approach to “averting, minimizing and addressing displacement” requires policy frameworks that respond to the rights, needs and aspirations of people whose lives and livelihoods are directly affected by the impacts of climate change. This is especially the case when those impacts (combined with other stressors) make them particularly vulnerable.
This approach demands diverse, coherent policy approaches to ensure that people can stay in the face of a changing climate or can migrate freely and with dignity within or across borders.
HMCCC has been part of climate negotiations and UNFCCC mechanisms since the 2010 Cancun Agreement but is not yet sufficiently included in climate policy. There is far too little funding available, especially regarding cross-border migration, displacement and planned relocation as adaptation.
What is needed
To protect people threatened by climate-related displacement, states should ensure the full implementation of the Paris Agreement to keep global warming at 1.5°C and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet the UNFCCC goal. Human mobility should be more effectively included in UNFCCC processes by strengthening existing international initiatives and including HMCCC in workstreams on adaptation and Loss and Damage.
Climate finance should support action on displacement and migration. States should be supported by the UNFCCC in addressing HMCCC. The financial architecture must be improved to meet different needs, for example through differentiated, targeted funding streams.
Human mobility should be a pillar in proposals to international climate financing instruments, including adaptation scenarios. According to the polluter-pays-principle, and to implement climate justice, a needs-based Loss and Damage Fund should secure additional funding for mitigation, adaptation, Official Development Assistance (ODA) and humanitarian aid.
To address the rights and needs of people displaced by the climate crisis, cross-silo strategies in Climate Action, Disaster Risk Reduction, International Protection and Migration Policy are urgently needed. The effective participation of affected communities and civil society organizations is essential.
The protection gap for displaced persons and migrants affected by climate change must be effectively addressed in migration policy. Host countries of internally displaced persons need greater support. Where planned relocations are needed, planning must be inclusive and human rights must be respected.
States should improve migrant protection in situations of vulnerability by applying more predictable and human rights-based frameworks based on regular and legal pathways.
Additional protocols to protect climate-induced cross-border migration must meet international human rights obligations.
Industrialized countries should fulfil their commitments to dedicate 0.7% of their GNIs towards Official Development Assistance (ODA). Some can be dedicated to financing measures to address HMCCC. They must avoid conditionalities that link the provision of ODA to the establishment of restrictive border and migration policies. All financial support should favour grants over loans, particularly in interactions with LDCs and especially climate vulnerable countries and be accompanied by swift and effective debt relief for these countries.
Sabine Minninger is Senior Policy Advisor on Climate Change with ACT member Bread for the World. Dr. Katherine Braun is Migration Researcher and Policy Advisor for Refugee Affairs and Human Rights with the Church of Northern Germany. Christian Wolff is the ACT Alliance Policy Advisor on Migration and Refugees. They are co-authors of the ACT/Bread for the World study: Addressing the Protection Gap – Human Mobility and the Climate Crisis in International Frameworks, released in March 2023.
