Delegates of the 3rd General Assembly of ACT Alliance gathered in Uppsala, Sweden, have elected governing board member Birgitte Qvist-Sørensen, secretary-general of Dan Church Aid, as leader of the highest body of the network, on 31 October.
Qvist-Sørensen, from Denmark, is the new moderator of the alliance, a global network of 150 churches and church-related organizations working together in humanitarian aid, development and advocacy in over 125 countries.
She replaces Dr Sushant Agrawal and will be accompanied by Tegwende Léonard Kinda, from Dignus Burkina Faso, Africa, as vice-moderator, and Simangaliso Hove, from Lutheran Development Services, Africa, as treasurer.
The slate of 19 candidates for the governing board was widely supported by the voting delegates of the General Assembly, which meets every four years.
ACT Alliance’s 3rd General Assembly ends on 1 November, with a joint day of reflection on ecumenical diakonia and sustainable development with the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches.
On 30 October, the General Assembly approved a new membership model and the 2019-2026 Global Strategy.
Full list of new governing board members:
Isabel Phiri – World Council of Churches, Permanent Seat
Maria Immonen, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Global – Permanent Seat
Minnieanne Mata Calub, National Council of Churches Philippines, Asia
Karen Janjua, Community World Service Asia, Asia
Qiu Zhonghui, Amity Foundation, Asia
Tegwende Léonard Kinda, Dignus, Burkina Faso, Africa
Girma Borishe, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Makane Yesus – Development and Social Services Commission (EECMY-DASSC), Africa
Simangaliso Hove, Lutheran Development Services Zimbabwe, Africa
Dragan M. Makojevic, Philanthropy The Charitable of the Serbian Orthodox Church, East Europe
Erik Lysén, Church of Sweden, West Europe
Martin Kessler, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, West Europe
Birgitte Qvist-Sorensen, DanChurchAid, West Europe
Joel Ortega Dopico, Cuban Council of Churches, Latin America and the Caribbean
Marta Judith Castañeda Amaya, Centro Evangélico de Estudios Pastorales en Centro América (CEDEPCA), Latin America and the Caribbean
Nicolás Rosenthal, Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar, Latin America and the Caribbean
Ramzi Ibrahim Issa Zananiri, Department of Service to Palestinian Refugee: DSPR, Middle East
Rev. Dr Bob Mitchell, Anglican Overseas Aid, Pacific
Rev. Dr Laurie Ann Kraus, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Church, USA, North America
Ida Kaastra-Mutoigo, World Renew, North America
