International Civil Society Week (ICSW) took place in Belgrade from 8-12 April 2019. Sponsored by the World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS), the event brought together Civil Society, activists, campaigners and other stakeholders from around the world.

The session explored the significance of reversing the shrinking space for Civil Society engagement in various platforms, the urgent need to stop attacks on human rights defenders and ways to renew the prospects for an inclusive pathway to achieve Agenda 2030.

ACT Alliance joined 135 organisations from over 60 countries to endorse the Belgrade Call to Action: A Civil Society Call to Stand Together to Defend Peoples’ Voices for a Just and Sustainable World. The Call is addressed to Governments and United Nations Member States around the world, urging an immediate response to the shrinking space for civil society and the deteriorating conditions for human rights defenders.

The Call reads, “Enough is enough! Stop the relentless attacks on civil society, social leaders and human rights defenders!” It also emphasises that the full engagement of civil society is an essential foundation of democracy, and is critical for safeguarding human rights and to make progress on Agenda 2030.

It also acknowledges the challenges faced by many civic actors including threats and other severe conditions such as legal and political obstacles. “Civic actors across many sectors are being threatened, persecuted and killed – including those supporting and representing rural communities, Indigenous peoples, journalists, trade unions, women’s rights activists, LGBTQ activists, youth, people living with disabilities and environmentalists.”

“…Civic leaders are being physically harmed, with women’s human rights defenders facing sexual harassment and abuse. All because they seek to protect peoples’ human rights while promoting democratic participation on issues that affect their lives,” the Call continues.

Along with the Call, an Action Agenda: Positive Measures for Enabling Civic Space towards Maximizing Civil Society Contributions to the SDGs was developed. The Action Agenda identifies a range of initiatives that can be implemented by Member States and International Organizations to alter the conditions that are hindering and threatening the work of CSOs and the lives of Human Rights Defenders around the world.

The full Belgrade Call to Action is available in English, Spanish and French.

The Action Agenda is available here.

ACT Alliance, together with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have issued a joint statement on the current situation in Gaza, expressing their belief that “the present situation in the Gaza Strip is morally and ethically untenable.”

The statement calls out the conditions for those living in Gaza, “The almost two million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip live under a state of permanent siege, denying them their basic human, economic, social and political rights. The communities around the Gaza border experience the recurring hostilities with serious repercussions to the peaceful conduct of their daily lives.”

The three groups go on to affirm that all people are created in the image of God and that we must respect and protect human dignity and rights. “We call on all parties to work for an end to the recurring confrontations, and for a just peace that will ensure that all may live in peaceful coexistence.”

“WCC,  MECC and ACT Alliance call upon their member churches, organisations and partners to pray for an end to this destructive violence and unconscionable suffering, and to increase their support and efforts for a just peace and human dignity in Palestine and Israel,” the statement concludes.

The full statement can be found here.

The Second Global Summit on Religion Peace and Security: Building bridges, fostering inclusivity and countering hate speech to enhance the protection of religious minorities, refugees and migrants took place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from April 29 – May 1, 2019. 

The meeting was organised by the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, and the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty (AIDLR).

It brought governments, practitioners and civil society together for a constructive dialogue on the rise of intolerance including xenophobia and discrimination and to find a common way forward to address these concerns.

At times when political radicalisation and backlash to freedom is growing in the public debate, a strong and unified position must be taken to protect the rights of minorities and those most marginalised.

Evidence suggests that hate crimes against religious minorities, refugees and migrants, are on the rise. This is especially true for those minority groups who have been depicted by conservative voices and groups across the world as a problem more than a vulnerable group in need of protection.

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance General Secretary was invited to intervene in a panel focusing on the rights of migrants, refugees, religious minorities and the implementation of the SDGs.

“In many countries, the existing simplistic and polarised fundamentalist narratives monopolise the public sphere. This hinders the task of those who try to bridge the gap with balanced views that acknowledge the multi-causal nature of poverty, conflict, exclusion, discrimination and hate speech,” he said.

Marginalisation and discrimination are not isolated phenomena – they are the symptom of a broader mind-set which systematically denies rights to the different, the weak, the outsider, the foreigner and by doing so, endangers the rights of everyone,” continued De Faria.

Religious leaders have a key role to play in protecting the most vulnerable against the regression of their fundamental human rights. As faith is paramount in the lives of many, faith leaders should provide a way forward by engaging in this dialogue and ensuring that the protection of religious minorities, refugees and migrants takes a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach.

“Bearing in mind the unprecedented backlash on human rights across the world, ACT Alliance has decided to focus on leveraging, and providing a space for all progressive voices who want to protect and work for human rights, gender equality, climate justice, peace and human security, migration and humanitarian action. Religious leaders must act as a moral compass and welcome those who want to protect the most vulnerable against the regression of their fundamental human rights,” concluded De Faria.

On April 26^th, 2019, 215 young people from seven countries and various Christian churches and movements in Latin America, embarked on a path of online learning and sharing for peace through the Emprendemos Paz program.

Emprendemos Paz is an initiative of various regional Christian University movements and youth networks and is promoted by ACT members Centro Regional Ecuménico de Asesoría y Servicio (CREAS) and Christian Aid. The program aims to strengthen the capacity of youth to develop and implement local initiatives that have the potential to transform communities. The training consists of capacity building sessions and the opportunity to engage with a Community of Practice.

“The training process for the Diploma and the Community of Practice will be carried out simultaneously so that feedback is given to the training process through virtual integration and communications,” said Jhon Martínez, coordinator of Emprendemos Paz. Upon completion of the program, participants are awarded a Diploma in Culture of Peace.

Twenty experienced tutors accompany the training process of the youth. The tutors are connected to organisations and networks with links to ecumenical, social and public sectors.

The Diploma in Culture of Peace has been offered five times since 2015. To date, over four hundred youth from nine countries in Latin America have been trained, and there have been approximately 150 social, economic and advocacy projects developed by the graduates.

Testimonials from participants of Emprendemos Paz

“Taking part in the program opened many doors for us. In addition to the financial support received with the formation of the project, we gained many relationships and made contacts with other churches and organisations which we can coordinate with,” said Camila Castaño of Assemblies of God in Colombia.

“I had never formulated a project from a faith perspective, and this experience has enriched me a lot. I feel that I am in communion with God; I will do everything possible to carry out this initiative,” said Hugo García of Nicaragua’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 “The tools acquired in Emprendemos Paz enriched our work with youth in the identification of socio-environmental problems,” said Steve Private of the Methodist Church of Peru.

Testimonials from tutors of Emprendemos Paz

“Emprendemos Paz has generated the confidence that is needed to make impactful change in the lives of youth and in their communities. In the process of formulating their proposals for change, young people have been able to understand social, economic, political and environmental realities and have been empowered to rethink about their lives and projects,” said Marta Soler, a tutor based in Honduras.

“Few are the spaces where youth can forge their critical and reflective thinking skills, shape their leadership, and exercise the Christian values ​​that impact and transform their communities. In this context, Emprendemos Paz provides that valuable, pertinent and necessary space in a time of convulsive social, economic, political and environmental crises that our country is experiencing,” said Sandra Gastañudi, a tutor based in Peru.

“The diploma seeks to take concrete action to understand and analyse the agenda of young people on the realities of their communities. It also aims to encourage cooperation for the formation of sustainable development projects that allow for spaces of peace and reconciliation amidst the violence in the country,” said Julieth Páez, a tutor based in Colombia.

“Not in our name will people die while giving birth,” said Hendrica Okondo during a side event co-sponsored by ACT Alliance at the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) in New York City on April 2, 2019.

“Not in our name will people be discriminated against and denied service.”  Okondo was referencing a multi-faith statement made in 2014 at a UN event. “My call again, as a woman who is working at the local level, and is seeing the faces of young girls and boys who are vulnerable, is for religious leaders to again commit to that statement that was made in 2014.”

The side event Faith-based approaches to sexual and reproductive health from a human rights’ perspective, was sponsored by ACT, UNFPA, UN Women, UN AIDS, Norway, the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) of the Philippines, the Faith to Action Network, Islamic Relief USA, World Council of Churches, and the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue.
Mari Skåre, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway to the UN, said, “There is power in religion and faith, and religious leaders have tremendous influence in the fight for women’s rights.” 

“Everyone should be able to decide freely on matters regarding their own body.  However, too many adolescent girls and young women around the world are denied these rights. Norway will remain a staunch supporter of everyone’s right to make decisions about their own body,” she continued.
Okondo was part of the 17-member ACT delegation which came together from five continents bringing their expertise as theologians, doctors, professors, clergy, and gender experts to the discussions at the Commission. 

Bishop Stephen Kaziimba from the Anglican Church of Uganda, another member of the ACT delegation, spoke of the need to include boys and men in achieving gender justice.  “I know that in most of the programmes we are talking about women and girls. If the men and boys are left out, then all our efforts are good for nothing,” he said. 
“Last year, when I went home after CPD51, I developed a deliberate programme to reach out to boys in schools, and to men,” he continued.  Working with faith leaders from Christian and other denominations through the Faith to Action network, Bishop Kaziimba arranged seminars and advocacy around family planning aimed at men and boys.

The programme was so successful that leaders from other provinces, and even MPs from the Ugandan government have visited to discover how the programme worked.

The Rev. Dr. Lydia Mwaniki of the All African Council of Churches (AACC) described the situation in Africa.  “Many women in Africa face gender-based violence, have no access to maternal health, and too many are dying in childbirth,” she said.  “Faith communities have done so much to provide maternal health and services, sometimes in remote regions where religious services seem to be the only services there.”

“And so, at the AACC, we are doing a lot.  And because of the issues that were raised on maternal health and population and development, we have a pillar in our new strategy on sustainable population growth, where we highlight issues of sustainable population growth and its impact on development.”

Rabbi Burton Vizotsky of the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Jewish Theological Seminary in the USA talked about extreme poverty, lack of education, the lack of jobs, and the lack of direct health care as impediments to sexual and reproductive health. 

“How do we begin to push against the trend of governments seeming to push women backwards?” he asks.  “We in the religious communities… need to work together, and to partner with the UNFPA as much as possible.  Whether it is the UN, religious organisations on the ground, or development programmes, there remain ample opportunities to improve women’s reproductive health and educate them.”

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary of the ACT Alliance, was the final speaker and underscored the need for strong action to ensure gender justice.  “If we will not engage with feminist and civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, governments, and the UN, to support this agenda of fighting against exclusion and gender inequality, we will not be able to advance as humanity.”

Typhoon Ompong, internationally named Mangkhut, made landfall on September 15, 2018. The 900-km wide typhoon carried winds of up to 205 kph across four regions in Northern Luzon. According to the UN Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Action (UN OCHA), more than 1.6 million people were affected by the typhoon, most of whom were from the farming population.

ACT member the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP’s) emergency response has reached 6,975 families in 18 municipalities within 8 provinces and across five regions. The humanitarian response has been supported by various ACT Alliance members and based off of nationally-led assessments.

“Based on the results of our assessment, we opted to concentrate on food relief. We focused on areas that were not immediately reached by the government and those that did not have assistance from other organisations,” said Almond del Rosario, NCCP’s Emergency Response Lead Officer.

Food packs were distributed to provide survivor families with food security for at least two weeks. The faith-based group, International Care Ministries, supported NCCP’s emergency response with a generous donation of 45,000 nutrient-enriched rice packs, known as ‘Manna packs’ which were distributed in addition to the standard food packs.

“We ensure this quality of food relief to help alleviate hunger and to support the capacities of survivors to recover from the disaster,” said del Rosario.

The Council assisted isolated families affected by Typhoon Rosita in Natonin, Mt. Province. It also responded to the needs of the Dumagat, indigenous people in Rodriguez, Rizal that were affected by the monsoon rains that followed Typhoon Ompong.

Continued support towards early recovery

Issues of landlessness and inadequate government support to the agricultural sector have placed Filipino farmers among the poorest in the country.

The poorest farmers of Northern Luzon faced the brunt of the disaster inflicted by Typhoon Ompong, “at the time when the typhoon struck the Northern Luzon region, farmers in the Cagayan area were just a few weeks from harvest,” said del Rosario.

“The vulnerabilities that Filipino farmers experience are escalated in disaster situations. Some families scavenged for crops that were meant as feed for livestock for their consumption after Typhoon Ompong swept through their farms,” said del Rosario.

In the coming months, the NCCP will continue providing support to the recovery of the disaster-struck communities through agricultural assistance initiatives, including the provision of seeds and farm tools. The Council also plans to help rehabilitate community water systems and to repair shelters that were damaged by the typhoon.

Support for community disaster resilience

High exposure to hazards including typhoons, extreme weather events and severe physical, environmental and socio-economic vulnerabilities makes the Philippines extremely prone to disasters. As NCCP provides immediate relief and support for the recovery of disaster-affected communities, it also engages in advocacy for community-based disaster preparedness.

Alongside churches, the Council partners with local government units are highlighting the importance of community-based disaster risk reduction (DRR) in strengthening the resilience of communities. NCCP provides educational activities in locally-recognised high-risk areas to increase awareness on DRR and reminds community members of their role in disaster preparedness.

“It is important to recognise that each community has the capacity to be resilient and to be proactively prepared for hazards. Educational activities remind disaster-affected communities that each member has a role in creating a culture of disaster preparedness and resilience,” said Patricia Mungcal, NCCP Education and Training Officer.

Churches in solidarity

“Typhoon Ompong came when we were just wrapping up our emergency response to the flooding caused by the monsoon winds in the various areas of Luzon. We were in Mindoro, an island in the southern part of Luzon when Typhoon Ompong made landfall,” said Edward Santos, NCCP’s Humanitarian Response Manager.

“It is good that the church people organised in regional Ecumenical Disaster Response and Management Committees, and they were active and alert at that time,” he added.

“A strong partnership between the church and the community makes big tasks lighter. The presence of the churches in the community also serves as an inspiration to the community to unite and organise themselves, and to move towards resilience,” concluded Santos.

The Council’s interventions in the impacted communities are in partnership with its member churches in the affected regions including, the Cagayan Valley Regional Ecumenical Assembly, Ilocos Regional Ecumenical Council, Regional Council in the Cordillera, Pangasinan and Central Luzon Ecumenical Assembly, other faith-based groups, volunteers and people’s organisations.

DanChurchAid (DCA) and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) have worked in Palestine since the early 1950s. Consequently, DCA and NCA have an intimate knowledge of political, cultural and religious components of the protracted humanitarian crisis arising from the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict.

In close partnership with local stakeholders, DCA-NCA’s Joint Country Programme (JCP) intervenes to save lives, build resilient communities and fight inequalities resulting from the situation of occupation as well as Palestinian specific socio-cultural issues. The JCP interventions are strongly grounded in International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights law (IHRL) to promote a viable and just peace in the region.

DCA and NCA combined their respective programme interventions through Economic Empowerment and Right to Food to support livelihood strategies that address the equity deficits of vulnerable Palestinian groups, communities and individuals, especially women and youth.

The aim is to create job opportunities and diversifying income generating opportunities. The JCP utilises methodologies that empower and organise people for collective action through vocational training, farmers associations, entrepreneurships, and cooperative models. 

Learn more: https://www.kirkensnodhjelp.no/en/ and http://www.danchurchaid.org

written by Erik Nyström, Finn Church Aid

Beira, Mozambique – Jacinta Francisco, 40, is from Beira and has five children. We meet Jacinta and her children at a temporary shelter set up in Muavi 1 Primary School. The school was damaged by cyclone Idai almost two weeks ago, and it now serves as a shelter for the most vulnerable families.

Before the storm, 2500 pupils attend the school, it is now closed because of the damages.

The day before the cyclone hit Beira, Jacinta was aware that a storm was coming, but she did not know how bad it would be. Jacinta decided to prepare dinner earlier than usual so that her family would have eaten before the storm reached Beira.

On the night of the cyclone, the wind blew so hard that coconut and mango trees were uplifted from their roots. The roof of Jacinta’s house was blown away, bricks fell off the walls and her fridge and television broke. When Jacinta realised that they could die, she took her family and ran towards their mother’s house, only to find her in the same situation. They huddled together in a room which they considered the safest and waited for the morning to come. When the day broke, they went to look for a shelter.

“At least no one from my family died,” Jacinta said. “But the future seems very difficult, now.”

Only the foundation of the house remained intact. Jacinta says that she has no money to rebuild her home. At the moment, she cannot think of anything else other than making sure that her children have something to eat. “That’s the only thing I can do now.”

Jacinta’s family has no house, no clothes and no means to send her children to school. Only two of their textbooks were found in the ruins of the house. Jacinta used to sell tomatoes and other vegetables, but her stall and supplies were blown away. Jacinta’s husband used to work at the school, but now he stays at the ruins, hoping to be able to fix something.

Life at the temporary shelter is difficult because the shelter is very crowded. The majority of those at the shelter are women and children. One of the classrooms has been allocated to men and older boys, and six to women and children. As the rooms are full, people are sleeping very close to each other on the hard floors. Jacinta says that the rooms are so full that it is impossible to even turn around. Many have chosen to sleep outside as there is more space.

Jacinta waits for the day when she can have a small, private space for her and her children, and a mattress to sleep on.

Threatened by cholera

Jacinta and her family have a shelter, but they are not safe from other dangers. Cholera is now a big threat to all, and the number of people affected is rising rapidly. Earlier this week, the UN declared that cholera has affected at least one thousand people in Beira.

The precarious health situation frightens Jacinta. She feels uncomfortable living with so many people and hygiene is lacking. According to her, not everyone uses toilets for their needs. She also worries about the quality of the water – there is no way that she can make sure that it is clean.

ACT Alliance members have joined local partners to fight cholera and other diseases in Mozambique. Partners have started to hand out water canisters and water purifying equipment in Beira and in the surrounding areas.

At the same shelter where Jacinta lives, we met Adelia Manhazo, who does not know her age, but guesses she must be around 60. She has four children and no husband.

In Beira, people lost their home but also their livelihoods. Most of the people at the shelter were street vendors selling bananas and tomatoes. Some used to cultivate their own plots of land.

Adelia says that she appreciates that she gets food at the shelter, but she is suffering a lot. Her house and her source of income were swept away in one single night. She used to farm her own plot and earned money by working on other people’s land as well.

She has no idea what she will do on the day that she will be sent away from the shelter. Adelia is not alone as many of those who are currently at the shelter have the same worries.

Adelia was at home with her four children and her cousin’s baby when the storm hit. When the winds were at their worst, her neighbours came to rescue her and her children. She let them take the children but refused to leave her home until they forced her. Just after they escaped, she saw the house collapsing.

They all sought refuge in a school. Adelia explains how almost every morning after breakfast, people from the shelter wander back to their damaged homes to see if there is anything that they could do to restore their property. Two weeks after the storm it is still hard for them to accept that they have lost so much.

My participation and experience at the UN Commission on the Status of Women 63 (CSW) has challenged me to reflect on social protection issue and the key issues associated with it in my context as a Ugandan participant. CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The priority theme at CSW this year was on social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

In Uganda, social protection is enshrined in the constitution and brought to life in policy and legal frameworks. The Ugandan constitution requires that the state ensures equal access to education, health services, clean and safe water, work, decent shelter, adequate clothing, food security, pension and retirement benefits.  The constitution further provides for the promotion and protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms.

Uganda has enacted laws and designed policies and programmes to ensure the provision of social protection to individuals. However, the reality is that the level of women’s and girls’ vulnerability is still high and their access to social services remains a challenge.

I do appreciate that the poverty level in Uganda has steadily declined from 56 per cent (1992) to 24.5 per cent (2012). However, the Human Development Report of 2013 ranks the country as 161st out of 182 countries in human development.

One of my key concerns on the social protection of women and girls in Uganda is access to quality health care. Inadequate funding for health services presents greater challenges to women, who are the main users of health services especially for antenatal care. The sector is challenged by inadequate financing, which contributes to low staffing levels, persistent shortages of essential medicines, health supplies, and drugs at health facilities, and poor working conditions for health workers including lack of accommodation for critical staff.

Similarly, despite a lot of success in promoting girls’ education, there are persistent challenges facing girls’ entry, participation and outcomes from their education. In secondary education, despite the implementation of Universal Secondary Education (USE), girls’ enrolment still stood at just 45.7% in 2012. The issues in education include congestion in schools, and a lack of school buildings.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) service delivery in schools is still short of the national recommended standards. For instance, currently, there is one latrine for every 67 students, and there should be one for every 40. The absence of adequate WASH facilities affects school attendance, more especially for girls during menstruation because of the lack of adequate and clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.

The lack of these facilities, plus that of emergency pads and changing rooms, prohibits girls from attending school for about 4 days per month, which has a negative effect on school attendance and performance as well accelerating school dropout. Experience has shown that latrine cleanliness affects toilet use and may be more important than the total number of latrines.

Another key issue on social protection is disability inclusion; it is estimated that as many as 16% of the population (5.2 million in Uganda) are living with a disability. Provision of inclusive education is affected by a weak policy framework, limited in-service training, socio-cultural factors and inadequate financing.

The Global Initiative report (2015) indicates that even if children with disabilities can gain access to school, they are particularly disadvantaged by non-inclusive teaching methods, inflexible curricula and examination systems. This resonates with the fact that we are not keen on social protection of these vulnerable persons.

The social protection schemes of the country are embedded in a number of policy frameworks which include the 1995 Constitution of Uganda and the National Development Plan (NDP 2010-15) that recognize the need for social protection and highlight social protection as one of the key strategies for the transformation of Uganda from a peasant society to a modern and prosperous country.

A National Social Protection Policy has now been developed and launched. The Policy seeks to promote coordination and harmonization of social protection interventions in the country. As an integral part of the Uganda Vision 2040, the Policy outlines a clear vision and strategic framework for a well-coordinated national social protection system.

I applaud the efforts of the government of Uganda and its commitment through policy and legislative frameworks to provide social protection with the aim of addressing vulnerability of women and girls, but a lot is still left to be desired. The status of women and girls is still alarming as well as other negative social cultural practices and social norms that perpetuate gender based injustices. Sexual violence leading to teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, and economic violence, physical harmful traditional practices, human trafficking and psychological violence is on the increase.  The legal system is very slow in providing access to justice for survivors of gender based violence.

While it is true that we all have a role to play in ending gender inequalities, it is the government that should strengthen its primary responsibility as a state to guarantee social protection for all. The national government should deliver rights-based and gender sensitive social protection services for all persons in Uganda through their life cycle and mobilize resources for publically funded social protection through fair taxation of companies and people.

Governments should ensure that systems of social protection are anchored in law and comply with international human rights standards, and engage with different actors in society including faith based organizations and other civil society actors in developing policies on social protection with the aim of promoting accountability, efficiency, and inclusivity in the delivery of social protection systems.

Finally, the government should guarantee gender-specific analysis and design of social protection systems by prioritizing the voices of women and girls in designing social protection systems.  Faith actors and faith institutions should also be included in the government’s efforts, challenging negative social norms through their prophetic roles and spaces.  Over 85% of Ugandans ascribe to a particular religious belief, giving faith actors a significant level of influence. Through their engagement, many people will be involved in achieving SDG 5, ensuring gender justice for all.

The world has adopted 17 global goals (known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)) to guide development around the world with the understanding that if these goals would be reached, poverty could be eradicated, we would all have access to clean water, more sustainable cities and ultimately global warming would be halted. In short, we could face a brighter future.

The global goals are interlinked. Progress on only one or a few goals on their own could hinder progress on another. Many governments, NGOs and companies have chosen to dedicate their efforts and positive contributions to a few, specific goals. I acknowledge that collective efforts towards specific global goals are good and important, and I recognise that it is difficult for stakeholders to keep a broad approach that is inclusive of all initiatives. However, we should consider these inter-linkages and make sure that any projects that we take on related to a specific goal, do not hinder progress made on another.

From April 1-3 2019, the “Climate and SDGs Synergy Conference” will take place in Copenhagen. The meeting is addressing the connections of climate change and the SDGs and intends to promote synergies between the UN’s climate talks and those on the global goals. Climate change is addressed in goal 13 -but with a broad and complex agenda. As a result, the talks on climate change are often managed separately during annual climate summits which address a wide range of aspects related to global warming and resilience.

The goal on climate change can only be achieved if it is also addressed in the other goals. For example, while we work to ensure food security (goal 2), we must ensure that projects related to goal 2 do not lead to increased food waste or emissions and that the promotion of industries, innovation and infrastructure (goal 9) are achieved through sustainable materials and production.

At the same time, many of the global goals are also affected by climate change. A lack of climate action will jeopardise progress on the goals, for example, on food security and poverty. This has been highlighted in a report by ACT Alliance, and it is a serious concern for poor and vulnerable people.

The meeting in Copenhagen will not solve the challenges that we face, but will hopefully promote a more aligned approach between the two political processes. These processes and policy-related decisions should be coordinated so that they automatically apply to each other.

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has invited world leaders to a climate summit in September, later this year, with the aim of increasing global climate ambition. Guterres has called on leaders to bring with them “plans not speeches”, as expectations for this summit build up. As leaders at the climate summit will be discussing the global goals, I hope that there will be concrete plans and commitments on the table, which could help us to ensure sustainable development for us all.

You can follow the meeting happening in Copenhagen here.

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Mattias Söderberg, Senior advocacy advisor at DanChurchAid and co-chair for the ACT Alliance working group on climate change.