Youth are today.  And youth are the future. They remain key actors in the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals. ACT’s youth representatives provide the alliance a unique opportunity to engage and collaborate on ACT’s work with future leaders from around the world.

ACT’s newly approved Global Strategy (2019-2026), has a strong focus on youth participation in the Alliance. Discussions from the Assembly have emphasised that youth participation is essential for democratic societies and for sustainable development.

Sheba Chikombo from ACT member Norwegian church aid youth network (NCA-youth Network)  and Ben VanderWindt, working for World Renew reflected on the week and noted the positive feedback from assembly participants on the need for enhanced engagement of youth in the alliance. “As youth, we want to learn and be mentored by role-models such as yourself, but we also want to be heard,” said VanderWindt.

“We pray and ask the forums to consider involving us in their different activities more than they have done before,” said Chikombo. 
 
Youth have put forward their requests to the General Assembly to be included in ACT forums and advisory groups. They have also requested a Global Youth Forum and two representatives to ACT’s Governing Board. “We have no desire to fight against you, but rather to walk with you,” concluded VanderWindt.

In an event earlier this week, Her Excellency, Ms Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary General reminded assembly participants, “If the faith-based organizations do not include their youth, then Faith-Based Organizations will be left behind because the youth are marching on.”

Member conversations were an important part of the agenda at the 3^rdACT Alliance General Assembly in Uppsala, Sweden. Member conversations allowed participants at the Assembly to spend a significant amount of time learning about and discussing a particular issue facing the alliance.  Each conversation brought a recommendation forward to the Assembly.

Three member conversations are summarised below.

Shrinking Space for Civil Society – Our role as churches and ACT members to promote a public space that is safe and just for all.

Over the years there has been an increasing concern over the shrinking of civil society space, reducing opportunities for freely associating, assembling, expressing oneself, and participating in public life. Increased attacks on human right defenders and journalists are also concerns. In this conversation, members explored the role of the church and faith-based actors to advocate for access to safe and inclusive public spaces.

ACT members recommended that an Advisory Group on shrinking space for civil society is created. A designated space to discuss this topic would allow members to share their tools, approaches and best practises for an increased collaboration with other networks working on this issue. The group suggested that increasing the capacity of members to address disinformation campaigns and advocating for rights-based approaches to protect the right to freedom of expression, association, and assembly would be an important contribution to ongoing efforts to protect civil society spaces.

Principles of Partnership – Are steady, faithful and loving partnerships possible between members of ACT Alliance?

Partnerships are fundamental to the identity and future of the alliance. In the conversation, members reflected on the partnerships between members of ACTAlliance. They noted the varying perspectives and priorities within the alliance. Some of the specific concerns that were raised included competition between members, access to information and resources.

The group acknowledged the importance of engaging together across different contexts so that partnerships are dynamic and creative, affirming each other’s values and contributions. The group concluded with a recommendation to create ‘safe spaces’ at the forum level as a way forward.

Private sector accountability – towards a shared understanding of its role in development and humanitarian response

This conversation explored the issue of private sector accountability and engagement from the various perspectives and experiences of ACT members.

Members recognised the role of the private sector as a development actor and the need to explore the challenges or potentials for cooperation. Members noted that on the one hand, institutional donors are increasingly looking to the private sector for development funds, and on the other, there is a shift towards emphasising the Sustainable Development Goals, including access to fair wages and human rights.

Members recommended that ACT develop learning spaces for members and partners at the country and regional level that will encourage learning, exchange, and cooperation on this topic to ensure effective engagement with the private sector. Members further noted that they must continue to develop and collect good practises for working with the private sector while continuing to confront the private sector on issues related to human rights.

Other member conversations included:

• New ways of working – strengthening the intentional nexus between ACT’s humanitarian, development and advocacy mandates.
• Youth Participation – How can ACT make a step change in enabling youth participation across the work of the alliance?
• Duty of Care – Putting people first in our work: how do we keep our staff safe, our programming effective and our alliance engaged where we are needed most?
• A Forum Driven Alliance – How does it look and what does it feel like?

Birgitte QvistSørensen, General Secretary of ACT member DanChurchAid, was elected ACT Alliance Moderator at the third General Assembly held in Uppsala, Sweden.

QvistSørensen spoke to the significance of achieving gender justice in her decision to run for the Moderator position.

“I have always wanted to work to promote gender justice. In so many countries, including my own, women are not equally represented in society. Every one of us is created equal in the image of God and working in a faith-based organisation on issues of equality, and gender justice is very close to my heart,” she said.

QvistSørensen welcomed ACT’s new Global Strategy (2019-2026) and noted her willingness to contribute to the Gender Campaign. “One of my roles as a moderator would be to get the Gender Justice Campaign moving.”

“We have different opinions and expectations on this issue, and as a result, my role will be to listen to the membership so that we can work together towards a just society against all forms of oppression,” said QvistSørensen.

“The world is not going in a very positive direction. However, we are called to care for the poor, to work towards justice, and to make sure that no one is oppressed. It is very important for us to be a strong alliance with a strong voice,” she concluded.

La reducción del espacio para la sociedad civil no es un problema aislado de ciertas regiones, sino un problema global. Una sociedad civil fuerte, libre y organizada es necesaria para garantizar un desarrollo sostenible y una democracia plena. En el Conversatorio de los Miembros de ACT Alianza sobre este tema, se compartieron testimonios sobre las amenazas que la sociedad civil esta viviendo en las regiones.

En varios países se han implementado leyes que ponen trabas administrativas y económicas a las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales, para debilitar su trabajo. Leyes y discursos Anti-terroristas o Anti-narcotráfico son usados para atacar a las organizaciones de la sociedad civil.

“Es importante visibilizar que la violencia, los ataques y la persecución, también se viven en el mundo digital, en internet”, comentó Lorenzo Vargas, de la Asociación Cristiana Mundial de Comunicación. Vargas agregó que hay un sesgo de género en la manera como se presenta la violencia en internet, por ejemplo las mujeres periodistas son atacadas en línea, simplemente por el hecho de ser mujeres.

La persecución a defensoras/os de derechos humanos y periodistas es una realidad alarmante en Latinoamérica. El asesinato de Berta Cáceres en 2016, refleja que la defensa de la tierra y los recursos naturales es una de las actividades más peligrosas.

Desde la firma del Acuerdo de Paz en Colombia en 2016, 360 líderes sociales han sido asesinada/os, relató Jairo Barriga Jaraba, Director de la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Colombia. “En los espacios de la sociedad civil y en los espacios ecuménicos tenemos que ser más innovadores, necesitamos otra forma de resistencia. Tenemos que presentar contra-narrativas contra estas falsas noticias en las redes, que hacen que los líderes sean perseguidos.”

Algunas de las recomendaciones para los miembros de ACT, que surgieron en el conversatorio, fueron: documentar los ataques a defensores/as, promover el trabajo en redes e incidir, tanto en los gobiernos que limitan el espacio de la sociedad civil, como en los gobiernos de países que pueden proveer ayuda para el fortalecimiento de las iniciativas y plataformas de la sociedad civil.