March 2020 marked one year since Tropical Cyclone Idai struck parts of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The impacts of the cyclone displaced millions of people, claimed lives, livelihoods and caused widespread destruction which communities are yet to fully recover from.

ACT Alliance launched an appeal (SAF 191) to raise funds to respond to the recovery, livelihood and resilience needs of communities affected by Cyclone Idai. To date, USD 4, 584, 103 of the USD 8, 168, 517 appeal has been funded (approximately 60 per cent).

Mozambique

Cyclone Idai struck Mozambique just weeks before the annual harvest, destroying acres of farmland and crops and leaving thousands of people, particularly in the Sofala Province in need of food assistance. Through the ACT Appeal, over 5, 000 people were provided with food kits and cash assistance.

The cyclone triggered floods which contaminated many of the water bodies that people relied on. To reduce the risk of water-borne diseases, ACT members provided water treatment services to over 3, 000 households and constructed over 45 latrines for schools. Through the appeal, ACT members were also able to provide capacity building on hygiene practices and water resource management.

As a result of the severe destruction caused by the cyclone, there was also a need for psychosocial support in the various settlement camps. ACT members including Igreja Evangelica Lutheran Mozambique (IELM), Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM) and the Lutheran Church in Chimoio encouraged pastors and Bishops to visit several settlement camps which gave hope to many communities in the wake of the trauma caused by the disaster.

Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, ACT Alliance launched a hygiene awareness initiative to build the resilience and capacity of health workers so that communities would be better prepared should a similar disaster occur in the future. Through the appeal, ACT provided Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) kits to 1, 194 households. Despite these efforts, there is still a great need for hygiene kits for women.

Through the Appeal, ACT constructed 147 houses for families in the hard to reach districts of Chipinge, Buhera and Bikita. The decision to construct houses as opposed to providing temporary shelters was in line with the government of Zimbabwe’s long-term housing plan to support families whose homes were destroyed by the cyclone.

In addition to these services, ACT Alliance hosted sporting activities and provided psychosocial support to over 3, 000 people.  ACT member ACT Church of Sweden trained over 50 church leaders to offer psychological support to individuals, families and communities.

The ACT Zimbabwe Forum has an ongoing appeal related to drought, more information on this appeal is available here.

Malawi

Through the ACT appeal, the ACT Malawi Forum supported 140 displaced families in the Nsanje District with tents. As communities in Malawi worked to rebuild their lives, many faced additional burdens as high temperatures and a worm infestation obliterated crops. In light of this, ACT provided 73 households with agriculture and irrigation tools and connected them to a small solar irrigation farm to support their agricultural efforts despite the dry conditions.

The Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi Emergency Response to Cyclone Idai-SAF 191 is available here.

Finn Church Aid (FCA) has granted 100,000 euros to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in South Sudan, Somalia and Uganda, in addition to 50,000 euros previously allocated to Kenya.

Vulnerable communities across the world are bracing for the impact of a potential spread of the coronavirus.

An essential part of slowing down the pandemic is maintaining sufficient hand hygiene and avoiding human contact but the measures are not easy to apply in for instance refugee contexts. Camps and settlements are densely populated, and people even lack access to soap.

Uganda hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa. FCA partners with the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR in the education sector and the work includes the two largest refugee settlements: Bidibidi in the north and Kyaka in the southwest of Uganda. They are home to over 250,000 refugees.

Read the full story:

https://www.kirkonulkomaanapu.fi/en/latest-news/news/an-unprecedented-disaster-looms-in-east-africas-fragile-countries/

ACT Alliance members Christian Aid and CREAS joined other churches and ecumenical organizations from 6 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean to host a training course titled, ‘Religion and Development: Advocacy for sustainable development‘. The course aimed to support joint advocacy strategies for sustainable development in the region.

The need for a sustainable transition has become ever more relevant and urgent in the wake of COVID-19. The Social Economic Council for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has projected that impacts of the pandemic will place 35 million (M) people in the region into poverty and that the number of people living in extreme poverty will increase from 67.4M to 90M. 

“The current economic system makes people, their communities and the planet sick. When we started the formation program, we wanted to gather prophetic voices in the region who dared to announce that the current development model deepens historical inequalities. FBOs have the courage to advocate for an economy for life, not for profits,” said Marcos Lopes, Christian Aid’s Advisor for Economic Justice and Inequalities (LAC region).

The course encouraged participants to exchange perspectives and experiences of churches and FBOs in the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda. As a result of the travel restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the final session of the course was hosted virtually. It included expert inputs from ACT Alliance, Paz y Esperanza, the Interreligious Alliance for the 2030 Agenda and Caritas Internationalis (LAC region). Horacio Mesones, Head of Training at CREAS reflected on the session, “through this dialogue we were able to gather the experiences of ACT forums in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua and Honduras as well as other churches, ecumenical and inter-religious platforms working on sustainable development. We identified the contributions of churches and FBOs to the 2030 Agenda and noted various prophetic advocacy strategies on sustainable development.”

The course provided a space for FBO’s to continue to strengthen their engagement in various national and regional processes. Jhon Martínez and Elena López of CREAS’ Religion and Development team noted the commitment of their organization to promote more spaces for the ecumenical family to engage, for example, the ecumenical initiative of Awakening the Giant in Colombia.

“Based on the experiences and contributions of each one of the participants and their organizations, we have managed to build a much stronger and more capable collective voice to advocate so that the Sustainable Development Agenda is not an empty agreement, but a tool for building an economy for life,” concluded Lopes.

The group intends to continue to strengthen their contributions to sustainable development and identified the following next steps;

1) To further engage with the various structures of ACT Alliance (including, Forums, Communities of Practice and Reference Groups);
2) To begin mapping and developing roadmaps to facilitate advanced advocacy strategies in each country;
3) To strengthen the network as a space for exchange;
4) To develop a publication that reflects the experiences and capacities of the participants.

Written by: Laura Chacón, CREAS

ACT Alliance member the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) has launched a response to support 300 households of the Navotas community who had been affected by lockdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19.  NCCP distributed food and hygiene kits to the vulnerable families to help them weather this pandemic.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of the Philippines implemented a 30-day enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, the country’s largest and most populous island, starting on March 14^th. The enhanced community quarantine period has since been extended to April 30^th and continues to be enforced by police officers and military personnel.

The lockdown has required businesses, markets, and transportation to suspend their services, while food and other essential services continue to be regulated by the government. For the duration of the lockdown, each family is issued a ‘quarantine pass’, allowing just one person to leave their home at a time to purchase food, medicine or to engage in other essential activities.

The extended lockdown period has particularly impacted lower-income families who are reliant on their daily earnings for survival, for example, jeepney drivers and market vendors, to name a few. These most vulnerable people are the ones NCCP has reached out to with their response.

The Navotas community is located near the country’s oldest fishing port, so many residents rely on the industry for employment as fish hauliers, vendors and tricycle drivers, all of whom have had to stop working during the pandemic and are no longer receiving a daily wage.

It has been over three weeks since low-income communities were informed that they would receive assistance from their local government units; however, many families have not yet been assisted. While some families have received support from their local governments, many have noted that the food packs that they received would only support them for two to three days.

“Unless the poor are considered and provided with economic relief and unless medical services are enhanced and made accessible for them, the community quarantine in whatever form will defeat itself. This will just lead us to further humanitarian crisis,” said Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza, NCCP’s General Secretary.

NCCP’s food kits consisted of 10 kgs of rice, dried fish, mung beans, salt, sugar, canned foods, and cooking oil. The food kits are anticipated to support a family of five for 7-10 days. The hygiene kits consisted of soap, detergent, rubbing alcohol, disinfectant cleaning solution and face masks.

To avoid over-crowding during relief distribution, NCCP and its ecumenical partner organization, Task Force DAMBANA divided the families into clusters. Each cluster had one designated leader and an assistant who were the only ones authorized to pick up and deliver the relief kits to their community members.

For more information on the various responses of NCCP and local member churches sharing hope amidst the crisis, check out the hashtag #ShareYourMinistry campaign on Facebook.

In a joint letter to US president Donald Trump, ACT Alliance, the World Council of Churches, and National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA have urged the US to lift crippling sanctions against Iran that are greatly impeding response in that nation to COVID-19.

“The novel coronavirus is a common enemy of humanity everywhere,” reads the letter. “An effective response to the pandemic demands an unprecedented degree of global solidarity and cooperation, special care for the most vulnerable, and swift action to mitigate the conditions which create additional vulnerability.”

The religious leaders share a deep concern for the impact on the people of Iran of the sanctions imposed by the United States. “Iran, currently with over 67,000 confirmed cases and more than 4,000 documented deaths due to COVID-19, is by far the most affected country in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and one of the most affected countries in the world,” reads the letter. “But its public health response is severely impeded by the strict sanctions regime imposed on the country unilaterally by the United States since May 2019, resulting in an almost total economic blockade.”

The letter also calls for the lifting of sanctions facing other countries. “In this moment of global crisis, we make the same appeal in relation to sanctions impeding public health responses in other parts of the world – including Syria, Gaza, Venezuela and Cuba – whose people, already victimized by conflict and geo-political confrontation, are being deprived of badly-needed medicines, medical supplies and equipment…”

Now is not the moment for pursuing grievances belonging to the politics of the world before COVID-19, urges the letter. “In our new reality, any notion of national security is contingent on an effective response to the virus globally,” the letter reads. “Now is the moment for international solidarity and cooperation in controlling the spread of the virus, protecting the most vulnerable, and defeating this common enemy.”

Read the letter to US President Donald Trump here.

A Call for Humanity and Stronger Global Governance

It is with dismay that we see how much the COVID-19 has affected people and nations. This pandemic is one of the major humanitarian crises in modern history and has spread to conflict-affected and fragile countries. This pandemic increases the vulnerability of people already experiencing humanitarian crises, poverty, inequalities and economic distress. Humanitarian needs will become more acute and will be more challenging to staff and to fund, as countries around the world focus on meeting their own COVID-19-related needs.

In times when all governments and institutions should be ensuring full, safe, immediate and unrestricted access for humanitarian and medical personnel, including their equipment and supplies to the most affected areas, it is distressful to see some governments using economic war tactics to control supply chains for goods that suddenly appear strategic, undermining a fair humanitarian response, especially in countries with less economic resources.

The implications for countries with weak health systems may be especially harsh and may disproportionally affect populations that are highly exposed or confined, including migrants, displaced persons, asylum-seekers, refugees, and those living in informal settlements. Communities that rely heavily on humanitarian assistance, or are subject to economic sanctions and import restrictions, may face acute threats.

In a moment when even countries with strong and solid health systems and economies find it difficult to respond to the challenges of COVID-19, and when international collaboration and solidarity is paramount, we still see some few governments being inflexible in relaxing or banning economic embargos and sanctions on countries and populations that have been struggling to survive even in more normal times.

This pandemic affects men and women differently, and people may also face added dangers due to racial discrimination, age and gender. We must acknowledge that women are on the frontlines and female nurses make up most of the medical personnel in most countries, but they are also more susceptible to sexual and gender-based violence in time of quarantine and lockdown.

Amid such scenarios, it is impressive to experience the solidarity that has been demonstrated by people, communities, governments and institutions around the world. This solidary wave creates an opportunity to build a new spirit for humanity, but it will depend mainly on the attitudes of the people, including political leaders and institutions.

We welcome the United Nations Secretary-General’s call to the international community to move to a health strategy “that ensures, in full transparency, a coordinated global response, including helping countries that are less prepared to tackle the crisis”. Likewise, his call for an immediate global ceasefire, to “silence the guns” and “focus together on the true fight of our lives”.

We also welcome the call from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet and others who have called for both international and unilateral sanctions to be relaxed to permit countries access to necessary goods and equipment in the context of the pandemic: “Humanitarian exemptions to sanctions measures should be given broad and practical effect, with prompt, flexible authorization for essential medical equipment and supplies”.

As many researchers, peoples and institutions are saying, the world will not be the same after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we firmly believe that it is time to use this opportunity to rethink our understanding of humanity and how global governance works.

We must learn from our history. The United Nations was created 75 years ago as a response to the atrocities of a major global crisis, where many principles and instruments were created to ensure peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. Now, it is time to assess how the international community is holding these principles and instruments and amend them to the new reality in front of us.

Therefore, the ACT Alliance calls peoples, governments, multilateral institutions and civil society organizations, including faith communities, to take decisive and forward-looking actions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly, we call on:

1. Governments to make all necessary efforts and use all necessary resources to combat COVID-19 as a global pandemic and to ensure that cross-border medical and other essential goods supply chains can function effectively and efficiently for the common good.

2. UN, humanitarian organizations and governments to continue ensuring adequate humanitarian and development assistance, funding and social protection to people affected by conflicts, wars, displacement and poverty.

3. International community and governments to suspend or exonerate the external debt payments of affected poor countries in order to allow them to allocate resources to respond to the pandemic.

4. Governments to immediately stop embargos and economic sanctions on countries affected by the pandemic, especially Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela, as a humanitarian gesture superseding a political stance.

5. All people, governments and organizations to acknowledge the impact of the pandemic on women and stress the importance of women’s participation in the development of the responses to the pandemic.

6. Governments to divert attention, funding and resources from war machinery to focus on the epidemic and thus support peace processes.

7. Political leaders to make all efforts to make the role of the UN stronger in order to ensure principled global governance, including the revision of the UN Charter to ensure fairness and equality for the entirety of humanity, for one humanity.

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria
ACT Alliance General Secretary

We are now in a time of a global crisis. The COVID-19 virus is spreading all over the globe and making it clear how interconnected we are. It is reminding us that we cannot stand alone in this but must help one another. For today and for our common future.

Even though so far most of the people who have had severe symptoms from the virus have been elderly, youth are also much affected. The effects of the virus are visible in the loss of loved ones, in an increasing pressure on healthcare, in the restrictions in everyday life as well as in the lack of food and hygiene products. But for young people the virus also presents a threat to our future. The COVID-19 crisis is not devastating just for the time being, but also for the years to come. How we act now will determine the structure of society tomorrow. If we do not remember this in our responses to the virus, the consequences for youth will be devastating. 

Mental and spiritual health 

Even though the internet provides us with a possibility to connect to each other, the isolation and lack of actual human contact can lead to loneliness and hopelessness. What is also alarming is the inaccessibility of mental health services during this isolation. Young people going through therapy or using other mental health services cannot access the help they need remotely, which will can lead to severe problems now as well as in the future. 

Religious actors, including churches, are more important now than ever. With the isolation and increasing fear we must be able to turn to our faith for consolation and hope. When people cannot gather for mass, we encourage religious communities to be creative in ways to reach people in need. Let us not forget that by using technology we can still pray and worship together. 

Discrimination

Fearing the other has become a new normal and though social distancing is of course needed in this situation, its side effects include increased racism and social stigma especially towards certain ethnic groups. We urge ACT Alliance to work on this matter in a way that endorses social distancing while calling for mutual solidarity, anti-sexism and anti-racism. 

Lack of resources

At the same time as the COVID-19 crisis is showing that we all are affected, it further makes it clear and reinforces the inequalities we are already facing. Fragile countries are already witnessing scarcity of food and other essential materials. In Nigeria, citizens were called to stay at home without any provisions or basic commodities for survival. Most Nigerians depend on daily income for survival. But with the lockdown in some parts of the nation, that is no longer possible. It is difficult to access materials to promote hygiene such as hand sanitizers, but also food products. This lack of essential resources is the reality in many countries.

Many of these countries have populations with a high percentage of youth, with youth also having a leading role in securing their families’ basic needs. For example, youth in Palestine are exposing themselves and risk being infected in order to provide for their families. The conditions for youth were insecure in the country before the spreading of the virus, but now the situation is rapidly worsening. 

Economy

Many young people are affected by disruption of studies and unemployment. Youth are represented in informal sectors and in jobs without a steady income, making them particularly vulnerable today. But let us not forget about tomorrow. Youth all over the world are concerned about their future, and the world after the COVID-19. The economic crisis will continue affecting youth and their possibilities to secure a future for themselves and their families. Climate change is another concern amongst youth that can easily be foreseen. We can see that environmental laws are being weakened in order to boost the economy, which is alarming for the future of the planet. Youth are now encouraging the global society to do the opposite; To use this crisis in order to reflect about how we live, and how societies can improve the environmental conditions. In order to prevent one problem, we must not exacerbate another. 

Domestic violence and sexual abuse

For many children and youth school is a welcomed escape from a destructive home. Due to the closing of schools both the mental and physical health of children are endangered.  Isolation and quarantine are further likely to lead to an increase in domestic violence, of which many young women are severely affected. Measures to implement the Istanbul Convention on action against violence against women and domestic violence (CETS No.210) are of the highest priority all around the globe in a situation like this. We cannot be blind to what is happening behind the many closed doors today. 

Migration and refugee crisis 

We as youth want to address the terrible situation in refugee camps on the Greek Islands and all around the globe that lack adequate medical and sanitary care/accommodations to face this crisis. The Greek camps are very overcrowded, as they are only set up to accommodate 6.000 refugees and not the 40.000+ refugees, who are being detained there right now. About 1300 people have to share one water faucet and the lack of adequate medical care has already led to the spread of disease like measles and bronchitis. The spread of the COVID-19 virus could lead to a humanitarian disaster. That is why the camps have to be evacuated right now. We call on the EU and other intergovernmental bodies for immediate help for the people in refugee camps, who are mostly kids and youth. This vulnerable group of people can’t be left to take care of themselves in a situation like this that calls for global solidarity.

Final words

We are committed to ending the spread of the virus in a way that shows solidarity and contends divisions. To end the suffering today but also to prevent suffering tomorrow. We call upon young people to respond by helping with what they can in order to protect our vulnerable, but also because we must find a hope for the future. The effects of the COVID-19 virus are endangering our future, and the way out of the crisis might endanger the environment. We as youth are worried, but we must find faith and hope. In times of crisis we need the faith-based organisations more than ever.

Although we are separated by closed borders, we are united in our faith and compassion. This we must remember when our solidarity is being tested by fear and sorrow.

Written by ACT Alliance Youth CoP

ACT Member Christian Aid has launched a new report, “Equality at All Levels” which explores the role of faith actors in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. ACT has interviewed Christian Aid’s Marianna Leite, Global Lead –  Gender and Inequality and Chair of the ACT Alliance Gender Justice Reference Group, to learn more about the research.

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ACT Alliance: In the new report Christian Aid says that there is no Agenda 2030 without the Beijing Platform for Action, could you elaborate on that and what needs to be done to ensure equality and justice for all?

Marianna Leite: Agenda 2030 is quite ambitious and much more comprehensive than its predecessor the Millennium Development Goals. As stated on the preamble of the UN resolution that created it, the SDGs ‘seek to realize the human rights of all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls . In this sense, in order to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets, we must put gender equality and women’s rights front and centre and, to date, there is no international legally binding instrument that addresses gender equality and women’s rights better than the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. It is our north and our cornerstone, be it within the SDGs agenda or beyond. Moreover, the SDGs are strongly grounded in human rights; they ‘are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental. This means that the must use international human rights instruments such as the Beijing Platform for Action in the roadmap towards 2030.

AA: What do you see as the main challenge to the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action? And what are the opportunities?

ML: The issue of inequality is deeply rooted and ingrained in all societies, and, depending on the contexts, it is more serious than just poverty, particularly when we see obscene wealth in direct juxtaposition with extreme poverty. The same applies to gender inequality; it prevents us from truly prospering as a society, developing and creating a more peaceful world. So, the main challenge is making sure that all stakeholders implement the Beijing Platform for Action in an way that efficiently challenges the power structures and socially constructed stereotypes responsible for keeping women, girls and other marginalised individuals behind.

There are many opportunities created by the Beijing Platform for Action which ranges from the promotion of an economy of life that incorporate feminist values to the debunking of myths fostered by patriarchy that not only marginalise women, girls and other individuals but also puts men and boys in constraining positions and aggressive roles that lead to violence, conflict and oppression.

AA: Why do churches and religious organisations need to put their house in order when it comes to gender equality and justice?

ML: Religious institutions have, at times, been shaped by patriarchal structures, and this has been a disservice to women and girls throughout history. Our recognition of this compels us to work persistently towards basing all our work on gender justice and equality. Progressive faith actors such as ACT members must not stand still in the face of these injustices. A myriad of religious practices within and beyond Christianity become silenced and invisible in the face of rising fundamentalisms. We must bring those practices, teachings and theologies to the forefront in order to make sure faith is always used as a transformative force for gender justice. As ACT, we believe that we must always promote progressive gender norms, challenge harmful practices, and amplify the voices of women from minority groups to address their multiple inequalities. This is exactly why ACT is launching a Gender Campaign. We aim to connect with dissident voices such as feminist theologians as a way to visible theologies of gender justice which liberate and empower while also pushing for equality of outcomes for all.

AA: Why do you think that today more than ever religious fundamentalism is threatening what the international community has achieved in terms of gender equality and human rights more broadly.

ML: Religious fundamentalisms are now operating as of a triad made up by 3 types of fundamentalisms that reinforce each other: social (epitomised by patriarchy and toxic masculinity), economic (pushed forward by aggressive neoliberal policies and the unquenchable thirst for unlimited growth) and religious (characterised by the backlashes against gender equality and the delegitimization of women’s rights instruments). The effects of this unholy alliance is clearly seen in gender parity indicators. In fact, gender parity may actually be shifting into reverse. The 2016 Global Gender Gap Report produced by the World Economic Forum found that progress peaked in 2013 and key gender equality indicators have declined since then, particularly those related to economic participation and opportunities. Projections based on the 2015 report suggested that the economic gap could be closed within 118 years, i.e., in 2133, which was outrageous in itself. However, this target seems even more elusive by the year. The 2020 report estimates it will take 257 years to close the economic participation and opportunity gap. This is unacceptable!

AA: How do you envisage faith organisations and churches use this report?

ML: The purpose of this report is two-fold. First of all, I foresee the report being used as an informative tool which enables faith-based organisations and churches to educate themselves and to educate others on the relevance of Beijing Platform for Action. For instance, can we have an open and transparent discussion about the Beijing commitments with our congregations? If  yes, can we map out what we can do to make sure we promote transformative change?

Secondly, I believe the report can be used as a call to action triggering ourselves and others to do more in promoting gender justice and standing against those that create obstacles to that progress. For example, ACT Gender Policy urges all members to develop gender justice policies that are specific and relevant to their local cultural and programmatic contexts. Well, this need to be done within 3 years of the adoption of the ACT Gender Policy, i.e. by 2021. Members could use this and other relevant reports as points of discussion that help in the development and effective implementation of gender policies. This, I believe is crucial in making sure we stay true to our values of love, justice and dignity.

Download the report here

The UN Climate talks have been put on hold. 

The Corona virus pandemic is a growing global concern that is affecting people, communities, countries, as well as various international processes and opportunities for multilateral cooperation. As the global spread of COVID-19 continues, there is an increasing need for the international community to confront COVID-19 while simultaneously tackling other time-bound global issues, such as climate change.

While the global climate talks are being delayed, poor and vulnerable people continue to depend on ambitious climate action, which has the potential to reduce the climate-related impacts threatening their lives and livelihoods.

“Despite the decision to postpone the climate talks, I urge all parties to make sure that a pause in the talks does not affect their commitment to increase ambition and to take climate action at the national level. The COVID-19 pandemic is re-emphasizing that for the sake of humanity, we cannot continue with business as usual,” says Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT’s General Secretary.

“The Corona virus outbreak must be tackled immediately, and so must the climate emergency that we are facing. Dealing with two emergencies is difficult, but it must be done, global warming is already happening, and ACT members around the world are already feeling its severe impacts,” says Patiriciah Roy Akullo of the ACT Uganda Forum and Co-chair of ACT’s working group on Climate Justice.

The UN climate talks are currently at a critical phase. The Madrid summit of 2019 (COP25) was a disappointment, with much of the work left to be completed at the anticipated Bonn session in June this year which has now been postponed to October 2020. The next critical moment in global climate change governance is the climate summit which was scheduled to take place in Glasgow in November this year (COP26), however, it has also been postponed. While the date of COP26 is yet to be announced, it is anticipated to take place in 2021 where parties will take stock and asses the national climate plans (NDCs) of countries which should be developed by all parties by 2020. Both the Bonn session and COP26, are now postponed.

“We should not forget that while the climate talks have been put on hold, climate change and its devastating impacts will continue. There is an urgent need for immediate action on climate change from all around the world,” concludes Akullo.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mattias Söderberg, Co-chair of ACT’s working group on Climate Justice
+45 29 70 06 09, msd@dca.dk

Patiriciah Roy Akullo, Co-chair of ACT’s working group on Climate Justice
prak@dca.dk

The ACT Alliance is a global network of churches and church-based agencies that does humanitarian response, sustainable development, and advocacy work.  ACT is made up of over 135 members working in over 120 countries.

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ACT Alliance follows the ICRC Code of Conduct, which states that “the humanitarian imperative comes first, that the right to receive and offer humanitarian assistance is a fundamental humanitarian principle that all citizens of all countries must enjoy. Providing humanitarian aid, it is not a partisan or political act and should not be seen as such.” In this sense, ACT supports the public declaration made for our member Church World Service, CWS, a cooperative effort of 37 member communions in the U.S., representing millions of persons around the globe to call for the immediate and full lifting of those U.S. sanctions that increase the difficulty for nations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and other countries:

CWS, a global humanitarian agency with programs in development, humanitarian aid, and refugee assistance adds its voice to the increasing number of U.S. humanitarian and religious organizations calling an immediate lifting of those U.S. sanctions that increase the difficulty for countries to protect their populations from the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent further global transmissions.

Such sanctioned countries include Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and other nations impacted by the Coronavirus and currently responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in coordination and communication with the World Health Organization.

Our call is inspired by our Christian faith and CWS´ adherence to the humanitarian imperative to save lives and advance human dignity.

Timing is critical. The urgency to act intensifies each day, and every life that can be saved must be saved. All persons matter equally to God, whether American, Iranian or Venezuelan. While the United States government has serious differences with the governments of sanctioned countries, their people are not our enemies.

Both moral imperative and the U.S.´s enlightened self-interest urge immediate action to lift – at least temporarily – these sanctions.

Accordingly, we urge the immediate lifting of those U.S. sanctions that increase the difficulty for Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and other countries to protect their populations from the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent further global transmissions.

In addition, ACT member the Cuban Council of Churches joined with the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA to issue a joint statement calling for the lifting of sanctions against Cuba, which can be read here.

Download the CWS statement in English or Spanish.