ACT member Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) has released new a report of interest to all ACT members.  Religious Actors as Peacebuilders in Contexts of Violent Conflict: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Self-Understandings in Relation to Peacebuilding. will inform NCA’s Global Peacebuilding programme. The study highlights the strategic value of, and the potential risks for, religious actors as peacebuilders in violent conflicts.

At a December meeting of ACT and NCA, lead researcher Dr.Sven Thore Kloster said that the findings and recommendations will enhance the meaningful engagement of religious actors in peacebuilding. Investments in local and credible partnerships, community ownership and adapting peacebuilding methods to different contexts are among the suggested recommendations.

The report also documents  potential risks for religious actors.  Peacebuilding in  violent contexts has risks that can become complicated. “Religions have  vast resources for peacebuilding, but violence is also committed in the name of religion. How do we cope with that? ” said Dr. Kloster. 

ACCESS THE REPORT HERE 

The recording for the webinar is linked below. 

By Joy Kennedy

After the surreal bubble of the Sharm el-Sheikh Congress Center on the Sinai Peninsula where the international community gathered for COP27, I had the opportunity to visit mainland Egypt and the upper Nile River Valley. Here are a few glimpses I witnessed of realities on the ground. 

Beauty – of the land, the Nile, the people, the buildings, the writing, the paintings, the sculptures, the stories going back to at least 6000-4000 BC. It is breathtaking and awe-inspiring. 

Pride – in the restoration of monumental ancient temples and tombs that preserve the millennial history and development of rich cultures and religions. The omnipresence of the “Key of Life.” In some places there are links to stories from the Hebrew testament – pictures of the seven years of plenty and seven of famine of Joseph’s time; a sense of what those enslaved people underwent building these enormous pyramids and edifices that led to the exodus under Moses. The wonderful museums portray the influences of conquering civilisations – Roman, Greek, Christian and Muslim — and the cultural gifts they brought to the existing vibrant tapestry.

Today’s Christians – I met local Orthodox Christians, who were tired but rejoicing after a week of camping outdoors at the ancient St. George monastery, near the Valley of the Kings. Faith is vibrant, strong and celebrated daily in a family I came to know and love. I overheard Coptic and Catholic tour guides arguing over baptism – which was the true one! I weighed in as a Protestant who they skeptically allowed to join the debate. We never did resolve it. 

Muslim dominance – evidenced by things like land redistribution under Anwar Sadat, who displaced Christian owners from farms; still a sore point. But those I talked to say that President Sisi seems to protect Christian interests, and there is no problem building new churches. Human rights is talked about carefully and quietly. 

Reliance on renewable energy – with massive hydro generation by the High Dam at Aswan (a remarkable feat) and an enormous inland 50km long solar installation. Irrigation from canals and water-powered machines add to the mix. 

Attempts at recycling and going green – everywhere in new public buildings like museums, but thick smoke still blows from mountains of rubbish burning in Cairo city. On a bright note, polluting tuk tuks were banned in Luxor, leaving only newer combustion energy vehicles and horse drawn caleches (which I had the pleasure of driving!) 

Grand new infrastructure projects underway – the President says Egypt won’t be recognisable in thirty years; but, says my guide, in the meantime “the people have to eat.”

Harsh poverty – I experienced this in a Nubian household in a village where the community is strong but lacks resources to break the cycle. There are worries about young men at 19 years who must go for 2-year army training. Children have school, but only half days or whatever is affordable. Women have fewer opportunities for paid work. 

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – debilitating for poor communities which saw much death and illness, leaving widows and orphans in its wake. Tourism and commerce is just now reviving. Markets are colourful and vibrant again. 

Agriculture – fertile farms in the desert employing many migrant workers from Sudan and the Middle East. 

Active trade with Sudan – long queues of trucks laden with goods easily enter Sudan, but must pay large tariffs returning to Egypt. 

Refugees – from Syria and the drought-affected regions to the south. Immigrants from all over Africa and the Middle East. 

Street children – stream children – Nubian orphans living dangerously on paddle boards and hitching rides on motorboats plying the river, singing for a little money. 

The “informal economy” and black market – very much alive. Greasing palms at every checkpoint – even a customs agent at the airport “suggested” a fee for service before we went to the gate. 

This is a complex society, emerging as a leading country in the geopolitical landscape, with its own struggles and challenges as climate change impacts hit. It is resilient with many blessings too. 

And always the Nile – river of dreams, and heartaches, of promises, and life. It keeps rolling on.  

Joy Kennedy, Canada, is an activist and COP veteran and an ecumenist. She is a former Church executive, Moderator of the WCC Working Group on Climate Change; Convenor of Fast For the Climate; Chair of Climate Action Network, Canada; and a grandmother. She continues to have faith in working together with love toward a just and sustainable future for all. 

Faith based organisations including ACT Alliance were able to send a few members as delegates to COP27, the annual UN climate conference, held this year in Egypt. But many more ACT members followed the negotiations from a distance, through Twitter, e mail, What’s App and other channels including ACT News. They supported the negotiations in many ways; by following, reading, sharing FBO’s news and tweets, through advocacy and through prayer. This story illustrates how one thwarted COP27 delegate ended up in two other countries prayerfully supporting both the COP27 and COP28 negotiations.

Bishop Philip Huggins 

On good days and on perplexing days, say one’s mantra and follow the light. In recent days, I have had an unexpected experience of divine providence and presence. This has been whilst saying my mantra, ‘Jesus have mercy’, and following where the light seems to lead! It seems an experience both personal but also evidencing the yearning of our humble God for the well-being of all living beings, now and future. That is a big statement but here is the explanation. 

After having devoted my energies to helping COP27 as best I could, at the last minute I and many others were prevented from attending.  Our hotels cancelled our accommodation (already paid for and confirmed), then gave these rooms to those able and willing to pay highly inflated prices. For me, in Australia, there was no time to know if anything would be available, let alone what might be the profiteering price. Some people I subsequently spoke to paid quadrupled prices. 

So it goes. As Fr. Laurence Freeman reminded us later in the week, St. Ignatius of Loyola had a fifteen-minute rule for dealing with disappointments and opposition. “It would take me fifteen minutes to compose myself. Then I’d carry on,” he apparently said.  So, what happened next? 

Ceremony relocated to London

Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein and those organising the “Return to Mt Sinai” Ceremony in Egypt also had difficulties. With little time, they somehow moved the Ceremony from Mt Sinai to London. I was invited to join them and composed myself during a long flight, although not quite in St. Ignatius time frame! Rabbi Alon had many experiences of bounteous providence and many sleepless nights. Miraculously, he brought our small group together in London on the same day we had expected to be in St Katherine’s monastery on Mt Sinai! Rabbi Alon is one of those energetic souls upon whom progress depends.

The hospitality and enthusiasm of the Jewish community in London also made this possible. As an aside, being in the Jewish community in North London made me vividly aware of the consequences of antisemitism. Even today, the entrance to some synagogues do not convey whose spiritual home this is, for fear of attacks. Other places have security guards at the gates. Being in that community on the Friday and Saturday of Shabbat, also reminded me of the resilient strength and beauty of Jewish faith and culture.  

Ten principles of climate repentance

For three days, our small interfaith group worked on ‘Ten Principles of Climate Repentance’, echoing Moses’ encounter with the divine on Mt Sinai. We hope this will be of enduring benefit. We were very mindful, as we worked, of those engaged in demanding negotiations at COP27. Late on the following Sunday, led by Archbishop Rowan Williams, we walked up Parliament Hill in London, chanting as we went, each taking a turn. Then we read the Ten Principles that we pray will bring more heartfelt commitments to help prevent further catastrophic climate events. Our prayers were and are with those implementing the agenda of COP27 and COP28 next year in Dubai. We pray that this all happens before time runs out. We pray the containment of global warming to the target 1.5 degrees is achieved.  As the Ten Principles were read, with silence between each, the crowd that had gathered (and some just happened to be on the hill for recreation) entered into the poignancy and solemnity of the occasion.  

At the end there was a deep bond of friendship between us all. Discerning, each from our traditions, the wisdom that might help in this time of crisis drew us all closer. More cooperative activity is planned.  For me, this was another experience of the unified and unifying consciousness that we share. Contemplative souls and little children intuit this. My reflection is that God is drawing us ever deeper into cooperation because of God’s love for all living beings. One experience of divine providence and presence therefore leads to the next. An apparent dead-end turns into a new possibility that is life-giving. 

The famous hymn of John Henry Newman, so loved by Mahatma Gandhi, seems like our song afresh: “Lead kindly light, one step ahead for me.” The invitation to London then led into an invitation to join a retreat at the Bonnevaux Centre for the World Community of Christian Meditation in France. This was an opportunity to prayerfully support those at COP27, much as I had planned to do anyway. That prayerful support, as ever, merged with what solidarity in advocacy was and is possible, notably the faith leaders’ urgent call for increased ambition as COP27 drew to an end.

‘Silence is the deepest form of conversation’

Looking ahead, the theme of the Bonnevaux retreat speaks further into our direction. Fr. Lawrence Freeman explored the importance of contemplation in the shaping of truly civilising conversations. I was able to share a little of our work, both with Fr. Laurence and with young seeker Oliver from England. Oliver liked our book on Forgiveness and sent it on a journey that now includes young meditators in Brazil who are convened by Tayna Malaspina, WCCM Director of Meditation for Young People. Tayna  also makes olive oil. She carries her fondness for St. Francis and St. Clare into both her labelling and her meditative life. Those of us who meditate know, as Fr. Laurence said “silence is the deepest form of conversation.”  Within that is “the silent music of God,” in the beautiful phrase of St. John of the Cross. Equipped by grace and by sustained practice, the interior silence we acquire through meditation helps us to listen well and enter into conversations with a better awareness of our own motives and projections. 

Always there remains the necessity to make the choice of words and actions which are the truest, kindest and most beautiful. My unexpected days were a renewal in this ‘wisdom for the common good’! 

Bishop Philip Huggins is the director of Ecumenical Studies at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture.

By Mattias Söderberg

This year’s climate summit, COP27, is now over. As in the past, it was a complicated meeting. Participating countries had to prolong the negotiations by more than a day before a final agreement was reached. Where do we stand now, and has the summit made a difference to our climate? 

One good result 

Using a positive lens, COP27 ended with a good result. In fact, a historic good result. This was the year when countries from all over the world finally agreed to provide financial assistance to people and countries facing climate-related loss and damage after 30 years of discussion. 

With this agreement, the world community recognises that climate change is a threat, and that we must work together to address the consequences of climate related events and disasters. This recognition is an important step forward, as the debate over the past 30 years has been filled with mistrust and disappointment. The decision to establish a fund to address climate-induced loss and damage offers hope. It can enable support for communities affected by, for example, floods and lasting droughts. 

It has taken this long to reach this agreement because it acknowledges that climate-related disasters, and the associated loss and damage, are a shared responsibility. This means that large polluters will face a big bill. Researchers point out that future climate disasters may be substantial enough to cause entire countries to disappear. As a result, the amount of the bill is difficult to comprehend. For this reason, the agreement is not that concrete when it comes to who must pay for climate-related loss and damage. 

It will probably take some time before the fund begins to have a real effect, as the parties must establish the details. There is no doubt, however, that it is still a good result and that it is a clear signal to developing countries that they are not alone. 

The bad results 

Unfortunately, there is not much else that was positive about COP27. The summit did not improve our ability to find solutions to the rapidly growing climate crisis, and both commitments to and decisions about action and money are missing. 

A major challenge is that global warming is rapidly passing the 1.5 C degrees that scientists have identified as crucial to keep the consequences of climate change at a reasonable level. When the temperature rises by more than 1.5 C degrees, we risk passing “tipping points” where, for example, the Amazon or the Russian tundra are affected. This will cause changes to the climate that could have major consequences that cannot be rolled back. 

Precisely for this reason, it is deeply disappointing that the countries could not agree that fossil fuels must be phased out or agree that the countries’ climate plans must be updated so that the 1.5-degree target can be realistically achieved. 

The low level of ambition when it comes to reducing emissions is directly linked to another disappointing result. During the negotiations, the oil-producing developing countries did not want concrete agreements on a green transition as it will have a direct effect on their economies and opportunities for growth. 

These countries know that there is a need to focus on green transition in the long run, but they find it difficult to see how their economies will have the opportunity to keep growing if their income from oil disappears. A UN decision that oil must be phased out could, for example, affect the countries’ opportunities to attract investment and thus their development opportunities. 

It is a fair concern, and that is exactly why cooperation on the green transition is so important. How can oil-producing countries be helped to find new development opportunities? And how can opportunities for green growth be created? There is a need for cooperation and investment. Therefore, it is a great disappointment that there were no additional concrete agreements about financial flows or climate finance at COP27. 

The ups and the downs 

Looking at the COP27 results it’s clear there is still a long way to go before we find a way to deal with the climate crisis. Yet with the agreement on loss and damage, we can see that international diplomacy can have an effect and that the long and difficult UN negotiations can deliver results. 

Next year, countries will meet again at COP28 – this time in Dubai. Time is running out, and all the countries in the world need to be convinced that now is the time to step up and improve their climate ambition. So now we must scale up our push and call for climate justice! I hope our governments will listen as we continue our call for action this coming year. 

Mattias Söderberg of DanChurchAid is co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Justice Reference Group.

Dr. Ahmad Safi 

Climate change is real. As I write this, it is happening at faster than expected rates. The negative impacts of climate change prompts hundreds of governments and heads of state to participate in the annual UNFCCC Conference of Parties; most recently COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  

Palestine has contributed almost nothing to climate change as Palestinians’ greenhouse gas emissions are minimal compared to those of others. Yet Palestine suffers from disproportionate impacts of climate change. According to the Palestinian National Action Plan, Palestinian lands can expect a temperature increase between 3 and 4.5 C° by 2050. Precipitation is also expected to decrease significantly and exacerbate the existing water shortage, especially in the Gaza Strip. 

The Gaza Strip has suffered from a severe and worsening water crisis for decades, as the enclave is dependent on a coastal aquifer as its sole source of fresh water. High extraction levels have resulted in major deficits in the groundwater balance, leading to the possible collapse of the aquifer as a water source. The accelerating decrease of the coastal aquifer water level has also resulted in the deterioration of the quality of the groundwater. Seawater now intrudes from the Mediterranean Sea.  

Increasing farmers’ resilience and food security 

Water shortages and water quality deterioration result in diminished crop production and diversity, which in turn increases farmers’ vulnerability. Weather variability and extreme events damage crops and push farmers into bankruptcy. Combined with unpredictable market conditions, this makes Gaza Strip farming a very risky business. As a result, many farmers are abandoning their livelihoods, increasing food insecurity in the Gaza Strip. 

ACT Alliance member Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe has been working to enhance the resilience of the most at-risk communities and farmers in the Gaza Strip for many years. With our local partner organization, the Association for Agricultural Development (PARC), Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe  has been working with 17 of the most vulnerable communities using the community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) approach. Communities establish their own Local Protection Committees that are engaged in the full project management cycle, beginning with risk and needs assessments through to project design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.  

Rainwater-harvesting ponds and low-cost technology 

Building on local knowledge, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and PARC have established hundreds of rainwater-harvesting ponds. These range from individual farmer’s ponds and group ponds to communal ponds. They provide farmers with high quality water which meets a significant portion of their irrigation needs and allows them to enhance crop productivity and diversity. In addition, rainwater-harvesting ponds increase farmers’ resilience to frequent power cuts and have decreased flash floods in some of the targeted communities.  

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and PARC have also provided hundreds of Gaza Strip farmers with low farming tunnels, a low-cost technology that enables them to cultivate more crops. This also allows them more control on cultivation timing and more resilience to weather variability. With low farming tunnels farmers can use mesh or plastic sheeting to protect their crops from the spring heat and the autumn cold.  Low farming tunnels increase productivity, crop diversity and give more control to farmers.  

Dr. Ahmad Safi, an ACT COP27 Delegate, is the convener of the ACT Palestine Forum and a member of the ACT MENA Climate Justice CoP. He is the Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe Representative for Gaza/Palestine, based in Amman, Jordan. He has a PHD in environmental science and years of experience in disaster risk reduction, environmental action, humanitarian aid, programme management and research and writing.