La alianza ACT renueva su llamado por la paz en Colombia, país que por décadas ha sufrido violencia y conflictos.

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, Secretario General de la Alianza ACT, instó al gobierno de Colombia en conjunto con el Ejercito de Liberación Nacional (ELN) a retornar a la mesa de negociación para trazar el camino hacia una paz duradera.

“Como Alianza, hemos seguido muy de cerca el proceso de paz en Colombia y hemos, a través de nuestros miembros y socios, apoyado a las comunidades afectadas por la violencia y el conflicto en el país. Continuaremos con nuestros esfuerzos de acompañamiento al pueblo de Colombia”, dijo de Faria.

Previamente, Dialogos Intereclesiales por la Paz (DiPaz), realizó una declaración (disponible en Español y en Inglés) en la que hacia un llamado al gobierno del Presidente Juan Manuel Santos y al ELN a retomar las negociaciones, las cuales fueron suspendidas por el escalamiento de la violencia.

“La alianza ACT apoya el mensaje dado por DiPaz y se une al llamado de otras organizaciones ecuménicas que han trabajado e incidido por la paz y la justicia en Colombia por muchos años. Además, pedimos a la comunidad internacional a que mantengan el proceso de paz de Colombia dentro de sus agendas”, dijo de Faria.

ACT Alliance renews its call for peace in Colombia, a country that has suffered from violence and conflict for decades.

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance’s General Secretary, urged the government of Colombia together with the National Liberation Army (ELN) to return to the negotiating table in order to chart a way forward for lasting peace.

“We as an alliance have closely followed the peace process in Colombia, and have through our members and partners supported communities affected by violence and conflict in the country. We shall continue our efforts to accompany the Colombian people,” said de Faria.

Earlier, the Interfaith Dialogue for Peace in Colombia (DiPaz) released a statement (available in Spanish and English) calling on both the government of President Juan Manual Santos and the ELN to go back to the negotiations, which were suspended due to escalated violence.

“ACT Alliance supports the message from DiPaz and joins the call from other ecumenical organisations that have for many years worked for and advocated for peace and justice in Colombia. We further call on the international community to keep the Colombian peace process on the agenda,” said de Faria.

ACT members ICCO Cooperation and Kerk in Actie (KiA) provided emergency food and seeds so that islanders could replant their food crops and restart their lives

In July 2017, monsoon rains across Bangladesh and upstream areas in India and Nepal, gradually led to severe flooding.  Over 650,000 hectares of standing crops were damaged. This effected the livelihood of affected population in these highly poverty-stricken areas as their dominant livelihood activity is subsistence farming, and also casual labor (around 65 percent households depend on agriculture, while roughly 27 percent households depend on agricultural labor i.e. low valued daily wage labor). According to reports, the poor and ultra-poor families had no food to eat.

To overcome the losses and suffering of the affected people, ACT members ICCO Cooperation and Kerk in Actie (KiA) carried out a relief program, with their local partner, Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK). A total of 2300 families received emergency support under Kamarjani, Haripur and Belka unions of Gaibandha district. The packages distributed by ICCO & KiA consisted of food and non-food items, including rice, lentil, soya bean oil, oral saline packets, body soap, etc

As flood-damaged crops, both at the homesteads and commercial agricultural lands, some common varieties of crop and vegetable seeds were also distributed among the affected people for recovering their losses. The seeds included maize, bottle gourd, country bean, sweet gourd, red amaranth, spinach, radish, and chili. After receiving the seeds, farmers cultivated their lands as per the guidance received from our field staff.

By now, they have already harvested red amaranth, spinach and radish for both consumption and commercial purpose. Bottle gourd, country bean, sweet gourd and chili are now growing in their fields. They are consuming these vegetables with their family members to meet their daily nutritional requirement, while the surplus amount is sold to bring income for the household. The beneficiaries also cultivated maize for the last two months and they are hoping for maximum production, which can again bring additional income.

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Written by Raisa Chowdhury  

On October 4, 2016 a category 4 hurricane ravaged the Southwestern province of Grand Anse and the Lower Northwestern part of Haiti. The impact of Hurricane Matthew, which was responsible for a death toll of over one thousand people was intensified by a loss of agriculture and livelihoods, public infrastructure and the destruction of many houses.

“Thanks to God the children were not hurt, but I couldn’t save anything. Rocks fell in the house, destroying my belongings. There was nothing left.” –  Marie Rose Thermie, a single mother to six children.

ACT Alliance member Church World Service (CWS) Haiti, and associated partners who are rooted in the affected communities assessed the extent of the damage of Hurricane Matthew. During this time ACT Alliance Forum members mobilized assistance with local partners which focused on providing food, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene. It was evident that much of the destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew was a result of poor construction methods. ACT Alliance members committed to repair houses where possible, and to completely reconstruct houses where necessary.

“I didn’t have a house to live in. Thanks to God and these organizations now I have a house. Now I feel like I live well, because when someone has a house that is the biggest grace of God. Every evening when you come from outside, you have to find a house to sleep in. Someone who doesn’t have a house wonders where he will sleep. And now I have this house.” – Selondieu Delva

The repair and reconstruction process is inclusive, requiring the full collaboration of the families, ACT Alliance members, the communities in which they serve and local partner organizations. In a conscious effort to invest in the local capacities of communities, ACT member CWS held training sessions to equip families, community members and volunteers with information on secure building codes and construction methods under with the guidance of qualified engineers. This process has been successful in encouraging ownership of the projects, as well as ensuring that the knowledge and skills for improved construction methods remain within communities.

In instances where family members have not been not directly involved in the construction of the houses, they have been engaged other ways, including the gathering of materials or in the preparation of food for the construction crew.

“I did not understand how to build a house – it is ICEDNO [a local CWS partner] that taught me. It is the first time in my life that I understand how to build a house. We didn’t have enough money to build such a house, nor was there an engineer. When we felt that our lives were in danger we looked for refuge at the school [built by CWS] to protect our lives. The wind was blowing and the rocks of the house fell down. The house was 18 years old. It had already collapsed two times before in strong wind (including hurricane Jeanne) and then I rebuilt it again. With these materials, the house will not fall down.” –  Lionel Pierre, a beneficiary of the ACT Alliance response and an active participant of the repair and reconstruction process for 18 houses.

The approach taken by ACT Alliance has helped to foster greater community solidarity as people came together to help each other. In addition, the sharing of information such as insight on the purchasing of materials and negotiation techniques for securing transportation to more remote areas has further facilitated solidarity.

In the 2017 hurricane Season, Haiti was again threatened by Hurricane Irma and Maria. While some houses that had already been affected from Hurricane Matthew were completely deteriorated, the houses that had been repaired by ACT Alliance members withstood the passage of the hurricanes.

The reconstruction and repair process has not come without challenges. First, there has been misconception that houses under construction with the presence of engineers is a house that belongs to a wealthy family. As a result, it has been sometimes difficult to secure community participation for the construction needs. In response, ACT members have encouraged a transparent process to inform the community of the repair and reconstruction project.

Second, there have been some instances where the budget of a house has been depleted before its completion, often due to poor financial administration. In response, ACT Alliance members have engaged with partners on training for improved financial administration.

Finally, much of the reconstruction happens in remote areas with limited accessibility. Construction projects have been delayed and sometimes completely stopped in instances of bad weather conditions which makes it difficult to transport the construction materials.

ACT Alliance member CWS has continued with the house repair and reconstruction project and intends to complete the remaining 50 of a total of 110 houses of the Hurricane Matthew response by April 30, 2018.

(Progress report January 1 – November 30, 2017)

“Migration has been a feature of human history from the beginning. It is not in and of itself a “problem” that needs to be fixed. What needs fixing is the continued violation of the human rights of migrants.” – Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary of ACT Alliance.

The Fourth Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) in International Affairs with a focus on Perspectives on Migration: Displacement and Marginalization, Inclusion and Justice took place on January 22, 2018 at the United Nations Secretariat in New York.

The Symposium was organized by ACT Alliance, the World Council of Churches, General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church and General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, in partnership with Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Parliament of the World’s Religions and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, on behalf of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Engagement with Faith-based Organizations.

ACT Alliance recognizes that while the topics of mobility, migration and displacement have remained a global priority, there is a widespread failure to discuss migration and displacement through a human rights-based lens, thus, posing a threat to the dignity of migrants.

“The dignity of people on the move is under threat. This has become increasingly common through; a lack of access to status determination procedures for refugees; a risk of refoulement to places where the lives of people are in danger and; detentions and chain deportations that continue to tear families apart,” said Bueno de Faria.

The Symposium brought together approximately 250 participants over the course of the day from UN Member States, United Nations agencies, FBOs and wider civil society to share and engage in a stock-take on the way forward before the first draft of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is to be released in two weeks. Discussions during the day reflected on the significance of the Global Compact and urged member states and civil society to work together for an enhanced multilateral cooperation on migration.

“We have witnessed a declining willingness by states to be bound by international legal obligations – not just with regard to migrants and refugees, but also in areas such as, climate, development and gender equality,” said Bueno de Faria.

“The Global Compact should depict a clear roadmap for implementation with a strong, transparent and participatory monitoring mechanism. There should be no hiding behind the mantra of sovereignty when human dignity is under threat,” he continued.

In a separate panel focusing on Development, Humanitarian and Human Rights Perspectives, Christian Wolff, Programme Manager on Migration & Displacement for ACT Alliance, highlighted the work of ACT members in South Asia, the Middle East, and Central America in defending migrants’ and displaced people’s access to rights. These examples were used to frame several key advocacy goals with regard to the Global Compact, including the need for improved access to justice and recruitment reform, an increase in regular pathways for labour migration, and the strengthening of measures to enable family reunification.

Reflecting in particular on the situation of irregular migrants in the U.S. and Europe, Wolff criticized some governments’ focus on streamlined procedures for returns and readmission in the Global Compact, and called upon churches and FBOs to take a strong position on this issue vis-à-vis their governments.

“When people are being offered inducements for premature returns to countries where their safety would be at risk, often under threat of deportation, the so-called ‘voluntariness’ of such returns is called into question, and FBOs need to be clear in calling this out as unethical,” Wolff said.

“We also need to do more to interrogate the concept of ‘reintegration’ in programmes which often do not take into account the perspective of migrants themselves,” he continued.

Calling upon FBOs to not allow returning states to abdicate their responsibility for the human rights of people being returned, Wolff also demanded more transparent and independent post-return monitoring mechanisms. He warned that these are issues which are difficult for many operational agencies, in an era when more and more funding was being diverted towards programmes focusing on so-called “assisted voluntary return and repatriation”. “FBOs must follow clear guidelines to avoid becoming embroiled in unethical practices in this area,” Wolff said.

Through its membership of churches and FBOs, ACT Alliance continues to strengthen its operations on the ground through advocacy, development and humanitarian work. ACT Alliance recognizes its ethical and moral role in responding to and countering the racist, discriminatory and xenophobic narrative around migration and migrants and is committed to continuing to fight alongside migrants and relevant actors in the struggle to maintain and defend the human dignity of migrants.

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Updated January 24th, 2017 to include quotes from Christian Wolff

After general elections were held in Honduras on November 26, 2017, election observers from the Organisation of American States noted that there were significant systemic inconsistencies and questioned the validity of the election.  This election was the first since the electoral college had changed the law to allow a president to seek re-election.  Early results showed a significant lead for challenger Salvador Nasralla, but several days later the Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced that President Hernandez, the incumbent, was in the lead.

Many people began to participate in daily demonstrations against the election process, taking to the streets to voice their opposition.  21 days after the election, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced Hernandez as the winner, despite the OAS’s call for new elections.  Many protestors were arrested as terrorists under the new penal code in Honduras, leading human rights groups to fear that abuses to rival those in the 1980s may soon occur again.  More than 30 killings have been called political assassinations since the protests began.

ACT Alliance shares the concerns of the OAS about democratic rights in Honduras, and calls for the protection of human rights.

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance’s General Secretary, said, “We cannot ignore the systematic problems of democratic institutional order and social inequality in Honduras, which are leading to violations of human rights and increasing violence in the country. The Honduran people should not be treated as terrorists when claiming their rights.”

The video below was compiled from footage shot during an ACT visit to Honduras as the protests continued, and shows the reality on the streets facing the people of Honduras.

“We call on the Honduran institutions to guarantee human rights and democracy, and promote sustainable solutions by legitimate and credible actions to respect the rule of law,” concluded de Faria.

ACT Alliance member DanChurchAid (DCA) has launched an internal initiative to increase the awareness and engagement of its staff on issues related to climate change. The initiative, which spurred some friendly competition was created to promote awareness among staff on the carbon footprint generated by the work of DCA. Staff were encouraged to make personal commitments to combating climate change on the basis of innovation, greenhouse gas reduction, and the overall well-being of staff. The prize for the contest was a solar mobile charger.

“As an organisation we call for climate justice, and we have many proposals to governments and other stakeholders to take action on climate change. However, we should be aware that our own activities generate emissions, and that we as DCA staff can make a difference”, says Mattias Söderberg, Senior Advocacy Adviser at DCA.

The winner of the DCA climate award is Chhit Piseth, Finance officer based out of the Phnom Penh, Cambodia office of DCA. Chhit’s five commitments are;

1. I commit to not consume beverages through plastic or paper cups but only through glass;
2. I commit to not buy food for lunch which is packaged in paper or plastic;
3. I will seek approval from my country director to place the slogan “Climate Action for a Sustainable and Green NGO” in the office;
4. I will encourage my colleagues to bike from their homes to the office;
5. I will have a good mood in the office and my desk will be decorated with flowers and plants that smell good and have environmental benefits.

“It was important to me to make the commitments that I did because many people seem to not consider the environment enough in their daily routines, and a healthy environment is important for our health,” said Chhit.

“The commitments that I have made are beneficial for the environment but can also have a direct benefit on our health and well-being, for example, one can bike to work for its health benefits while simultaneously reducing our contribution to air pollution,” she continued.

“The impact of DCA’s emissions may be small in comparison to global emissions. However, climate change is influenced by our way of living, and so we must all consider our way of life. One person may not be able to change the world, but together we can create miracles. Someone has to start!” said Mattias.

Chhit’s contributions have been recognized for her commitment to change her own behaviour, but also for her energy to want to inspire her colleagues to follow her example.

ACT Alliance is proud of the initiative created by DCA to contribute to the fight against climate change and welcomes all members to engage in similar initiatives on issues of specific concern to the organization.

For more information on the DCA Climate award, please contact Mattias Söderberg msd@dca.dk

This month, ACT Alliance has entered into regional agreements between ACT’s Asia Pacific regional office and UNICEF’s East Asia and the Pacific regional office, and between the ACT Argentina Forum and the UN Development Program’s Argentina office.

Anoop Sukumaran, ACT’s Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, wrote to ACT members in the region about the new agreement with UNICEF:

“United by our common desire and belief that all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, UNICEF and ACT Alliance are delighted to announce the formation of an institutional partnership to work more closely together with faith leaders, actors and faith communities in our joint goal of ensuring that children’s rights are achieved globally.

“The common purpose of this partnership is to collaborate in agreed joint projects at global, regional and national levels, to mobilise stronger, more effective, evidence-based and rights-based engagement, advocacy and action between both organisations and the communities they seek to assist.

“For ACT Alliance, the rights of children need to be upheld in all aspects of our work —humanitarian, development and advocacy.  A partnership with UNICEF will make it possible for ACT members to be an even stronger voice at the national, regional and global levels, championing the rights of children in all we do.

“UNICEF firmly upholds that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is about the future of both people and planet. Both are under severe threat. In some cases that is because of actions committed and in others because of what has been omitted. Faith-based organizations and actors are at the centre of humanity’s actions and reactions and together with country leadership, the ACT partnership can bring change on the ground for children and their families.

“We hope this would pave the way for increase collaboration between the organisations.”

Read the letter signed by UNICEF and ACT here.

CREAS, an ACT member based in Argentina, signed the MoU with the UNDP’s Argentina office.   The purpose of this memorandum is to highlight the contribution of FBOs in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNDP Argentina, the National Council of Coordination of Social Policies (CNCPS), the Secretariat of Worship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship and ACT Alliance forum members as well as other FBOs involved in these areas of work will share information, technical cooperation in preparing a report on the contribution of FBOs to the SDGs, and will promote this model in the framework of South-South cooperation with other countries.

For over a year now, members of the Latin American and Caribbean Interreligious Alliance for the 2030 Agenda have met with the World Bank and UNDP on “Ending extreme poverty: a moral and ethical imperative” and two high-level dialogues on “International Financial Architeture: Ethics and Economics” organised by regional and international FBOs, universities, the Development Bank for Latin America, UNDP and the Argentinian government.

ACT forums in Latin America will be encouraged by this collaboration model.  The close contact with UN agencies and active participation of ACT forums in the national mechanisms for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda will be of benefit to all involved.

The third United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) was hosted in Nairobi, Kenya November 29 – December 6, 2017. Over 4,000 stakeholders and guardians of the environment gathered at the home of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) to explore the overarching theme of Pollution and to discuss commitments Towards a pollution-free planet.

As the world’s largest Orthodox and Protestant network engaged in humanitarian, development and advocacy work, ACT Alliance was present and represented by the United Church of Canada, the Anglican Development Services of Kenya and ACT Secretariat staff. Along with other civil society organisations, ACT Alliance explored the potential for strengthening the role of faith-based organisations (FBOs) in the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The recognition that environmental stewardship requires commitments from a variety of stakeholders was evident in the diverse representation of actors to the UNEA consultations. A special invitation this year from the UNEA to FBOs to contribute to the consultative process is further reflective of the growing interest of multilateral organizations including UNEP to engage with and benefit from the diversity of experiences and perspectives of FBOs.

ACT Alliance supports the notion that an appropriate remedy to environmental concerns will require the engagement of all. However, there will need to be a differentiated level of responsibility in the efforts of certain actors. “The reality that we are facing today is one where those who are the least responsible for environmental degradation are most affected by it. It is the moral and ethical responsibility of those most responsible to take extra efforts to address the problem,” said Gezahegn Gebrehana, ACT Alliance Regional Representative for the Africa region.

ACT Alliance provided inputs to the draft strategy document of the UNEA Secretariat. ACT emphasized the importance of the role of faith leaders in combatting pollution and urged the UNEA to consider further the experiences, beliefs and perspectives of people of different faiths, as well as those of indigenous peoples. In order to work towards a more inclusive structure, ACT Alliance has suggested the creation of a network of FBOs with a focus on environmental issues.

Within the ACT Alliance this has the potential to come to life in the form of a Community of Practice. A dedicated network would allow for a more thorough engagement of FBOs with institutions like UNEP, creating a potential to transition away from individual consultative events towards an ongoing and constructive dialogue that is reflective of environmental situations and realities.

“We are currently at a point where there is great danger posed to the planet. At the same time, there is an opportunity in front of us. Opportunities can only be effectively realized if stakeholders understand the gravity of the problem and work together on an ongoing basis,” said Isaiah Toroitich, Global Advocacy and Policy Coordinator of ACT Alliance.

The involvement of ACT Alliance in such platforms presents an opportunity to further develop dialogue and partnerships between the UN and other organizations. “There is a lot of work to be done. We need to start from where we are, use what we have and do what we can,” said Peter Denton of ACT Alliance member the United Church of Canada.

More information on the outcome of UNEA 3 can be found here.

PRESS RELEASE

On Tuesday, 12 December 2017, the French President, Emmanuel Macron will welcome governments and representatives from all over the world to celebrate the 2-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement at the One Planet Summit. The Summit presents an opportunity to reaffirm global climate commitments to combat climate change and to emphasize the transition from negotiation to implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The General Secretary of the ACT Alliance, Rudelmar Bueno de Faria commented, “We welcome the opportunity to celebrate the Paris Agreement. However, we must not forget that the Agreement is only a framework for cooperation. The Paris Agreement can only deliver results if countries fully commit to climate action and to increasing their ambition.”

“It is people and communities living in poverty and in vulnerable conditions that are already struggling with the impacts of climate change who face the greatest burdens. Solutions to alleviate these burdens exist and we know what must be done. It is time to turn the paragraphs of the Paris Agreement into concrete action,” said Bueno de Faria.

To enable concrete climate action, the availability of and accessibility to climate finance will be essential. “Financial institutions and industries must transform to become Paris-compatible in order to provide financial support for the energy transition needed to keep global warming below 1.5C and to strive for resilient societies,” said Martin Vogel, co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Change Group.

“Adequate support for climate action is long overdue and remains a sensitive topic as nobody wants to pay the bill. However, funds are needed for investments to provide renewable energy access for all and to help people to adapt and manage situations of loss and damage due to climate change,” said Vogel.

ACT Alliance is concerned of the current approach of multilateral development banks such as the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and other institutions on climate finance. “There is a much needed reform of multilateral development banks to increase the transparency around the impact of their investments in energy and to enhance financial innovation to better support the adaptation needs of developing countries,” said Vogel.

ACT Alliance will be present during the summit. For updates, and interviews, please contact Bruno Nicostrate, Climate Change policy advisor at ACT Alliance EU.

Mail: bruno.nicostrate@actalliance.eu
Phone: +32 484 024 684
Twitter: @BNicostrate