“You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly; The streams of God are filled with water; To provide the people with grain. For so you have ordained it.” (Psalm 65:9)

ACT Alliance EU and its predecessor APRODEV has been working on advocacy for environmentally friendly agriculture, fair(er) trade and food security for almost two decades. In support of the global food justice movement, we strive to enhance the right to food, the right of farmers to access seeds, land and productive resources, and we support the fight against land grabs.

The global peasant movement strongly identifies with the content of the recently negotiated UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants which calls for the promotion and protection of indigenous peoples and peasants’ rights. The Declaration is expected to be up for adoption in the Fall at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. A delegation of ACT partners is joining with La Via Campesina (The International Peasant’s Movement) in Geneva between 10-28 September to manifest their support for the Declaration.

Indigenous and rural communities are rooted in their ancestral lands. They care for it, water it, enrich it, live from it. They belong to the land. They are knowledgeable about nature’s abundance and its enchantment, enhance genetic and species diversity, produce our food and protect the storage of carbon in our forests and lands. Over time, they have proven to be resilient and able to adapt when necessary. Indigenous and rural communities are a testimony to the world, affirming that biodiversity happens where nature, culture and humans co-exist and develop their diversity as an expression of God’s creation.

Peasants and indigenous people, however, are victims of numerous forms of discrimination and human-rights violations varying from forced evictions to the denial of their custodian right to access land and productive resources. They face degradation, exhaustion and the pollution of natural resources on which they depend. Unfair trade and dumping practices destroy their local markets, economies, and global warming is putting them at risk, exposing them to extreme weather-related events, desertification and deforestation. This is a crime. These are sins.

In the words of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Eastern Orthodox Church,

“To commit a crime against the natural world is a sin; for humans to cause species to become extinct and destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation; for humans to degrade the integrity of the Earth by causing changes in its climate; by stripping the Earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands; for humans to injure other humans with disease; for humans, to contaminate the Earth and its waters, its land, and its air, and its life with poisonous substances. These are sins.”

The Season of Creation inspired by Franz von Assisi invites us to see the beauty and the brightness of creation. It calls us to free ourselves from the toxic culture of disenchantment, disintegration and disconnection of the organic human body from nature. Season of Creation is an opportunity to wake up, to take action to stop the violence against peasants and indigenous people who are pushed to the edges of our modern civilisation.

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants is a means to restore and dignify the rights of peasants and their status in society. It is an opportunity to join the global effort to restore and sustain our ecological resources and all of creation and to work together for peaceful conflict resolution and ecological justice.

Call to Action: Faith-based communities and church constituencies are encouraged to contact their national governments to vote in favour of the Declaration.  You may use this letter template to contact your government officials.  

Supporting Resources: 

• European Parliament Resolution on the violation of the rights of indigenous people in the world, (2017/2206 (INI) 3 July 2018).
• EU Agricultural and Food Policy Campaign: Join the action days!
• How our societies relate to humans as a part of nature ( A journey with Sebastiao Salgado)
• Access Agriculture

Karin Ulmer is a Senior Policy Officer with ACT Alliance EU (previously APRODEV), specialising in EU trade and agricultural policies and global food security. The current focus is on human rights and trade, land and seed issues, agricultural policy and research. Based in Brussels, her educational background is in cognitive, social and human science.

One week of intense climate talks in Bangkok was expected to deliver significant progress in the UN climate change negotiations. Acknowledging that some progress has been made, there is a long list of outstanding questions that have been pushed to the next climate summit in Katowice, Poland.

The head of ACT Alliance’s delegation in Bangkok, Isaiah Kipyegon Toroitich, Global Policy and Advocacy Coordinator said, “All diplomats at this meeting are fully aware of the urgency and the need to find solutions to promote a green transformation and the strengthening of resilience for people around the world.” “It is disappointing that they could not make further progress with their negotiations,” he continued.

One of the thematic areas that parties have made some progress on is climate finance. However, there is an unwillingness from rich countries to meet the needs of developing countries when it comes to the predictability of climate finance. While there are already existing agreements around financial targets, states are negotiating the rules to determine how climate finance will be counted and reported.

“With no clear rules for climate finance, nice promises will become empty words,” said Håkon Grindheim, Climate Advisor, Norwegian Church Aid. “There is a need for grant-based support to deliver climate action. We do not need more loans, which many countries have been reporting as their financial commitments,” he continued.
To reduce ambition around climate finance some rich countries proposed full-flexibility and no concrete rules, sending the message that they are not willing to support the ambitious global efforts needed to tackle climate change.

Another clear distinction between poor and rich countries is around loss and damage due to the impacts of climate change, a pillar of the Paris Agreement. As the details of the agreement continue to be negotiated, loss and damage may lose its significance on the agenda.

Jessica Dator-Bercilla, Climate Change Advisor for Asia and the Middle East, Christian Aid said, “The most vulnerable victims of climate change are those who face loss and damage. Their situation must be acknowledged, and they must receive the necessary support.”

Several developed countries have pushed back on initiatives to discuss loss and damage. As a pillar of the Paris Agreement, loss and damage must be treated in the same way as other components of the climate debate.
A highly contested topic in the Bangkok session is accounting for the intended greenhouse gas reductions of parties. To reduce the demands that they would be expected to deliver on, some of the more recent, large emitting countries have blocked progress on this topic.

This has affected the climate talks, widening the gap between countries and rattling frustration. “ACT Alliance urges countries to stretch further to make progress. The world’s climate depends on it,” says Håkon Grindheim, Climate Advisor, Norwegian Church Aid.

ACT Alliance continues to call for increased solidarity and trust among countries in the climate change negotiations.

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For any media inquiries please contact Joanna Patouris, +1-647-971-5360 joanna.patouris@actalliance.org, Climate Change Communications Coordinator, ACT Alliance 

The ACT Alliance deeply regrets the United States administration’s decision published on Friday 31 August 2018 to withhold funding to UNRWA, and urges them the US administration to reconsider its decision.  

This decision is contrary to tangible and practical steps towards resolving the Palestine refugee question, which has spanned decades. ACT Alliance therefore calls for the protection and support of some five million Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, in full recognition of International Refugee Law, International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. 

“Withholding desperately needed financial aid to run UNRWA’s schools, health centers, and emergency assistance programs and nurturing a future generation is unacceptable,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance’s General Secretary.

Organisations providing assistance to Palestine refugees, including ACT Alliance members, are confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, their vulnerability and their deepening poverty.

A just and lasting solution to the plight of Palestineian refugees remains pending. The politics of it must not make the US turn a blind eye to the realities of the sufferings of Palestine refugees covered under the UNRWA mandate – who desperately need assistance to make it from a day to the next. It is their right to access such assistance to preserve their dignity and aspirations. 

“The US has traditionally been the most consistent and generous donor of UNRWA, enabling it to provide lifesaving humanitarian responses, including supporting girls access to education among others, and we urge them to remain on this path,” Bueno de Faria continued.

The ACT Alliance calls for the commitment of the United Nations members states to the Palestine refugee cause, as most of the organisations  working with Palestine refugees are operating with large shortfalls. 

ACT Alliance also makes a call to its members and the global church to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine who have endured decades of suffering and continue to do so in perpetuation. We ask them whereever possible to access those in power and to continue to influence, and provide financial and resources support when they are able.

Notes to the Editors

 https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/08/285648.htm:  US administration press release

Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, UNRWA was established by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) of 8 December 1949 to carry out direct relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance. 

In the absence of a solution to the Palestine refugee problem, the General Assembly has repeatedly renewed UNRWA’s mandate, most recently extending it until 30 June 2020. https://www.unrwa.org/who-we-are

In January 2018, the US had communicated a reduction of $300 million to UNRWA’s budget, providing $60 million compared to $364 million in 2017. 

Some of the Previous ACT Alliance Statements and Press Releases on Palestine

1. Message from ACT General Secretary on the situation in Gaza

https://actalliance.org/act-news/message-from-act-general-secretary-on-the-situation-in-gaza/

2. ACT Alliance study on the ‘Protection of Space for Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders – The Case of Israel and Palestine’

https://actalliance.org/act-news/act-alliance-study-on-the-protection-of-space-for-civil-society-and-human-rights-defenders-the-case-of-israel-and-palestine/

3. ACT expresses concern over US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel

https://actalliance.org/act-news/act-expresses-concern-over-us-recognition-of-jerusalem-as-capital-of-israel/

As the last round of climate change negotiations start in Bangkok, Thailand, ACT Alliance joins other climate justice movements to call for significant progress in the development of the rulebook to guide the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

“Major decisions on the implementation of the Paris agreement will be made at COP24 in Poland later this year, and this will depend on how much progress is made in the Bangkok negotiations. We want to see significant steps forward in all the negotiations to enable governments to make the necessary decisions when they meet at COP24,” says Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance General Secretary.

The rulebook, which elaborates the modalities, procedures and guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, is extremely important because it determines how and whether the agreement can be implemented in a manner that is ambitious and equitable or not.

“The goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees, to build global resilience to the impacts of climate change and to provide financial resources to support the efforts of developing countries to respond to climate change can only be achieved if the rulebook reflects the necessary transparency, accountability, and ambition  and deliver climate justice that respects human rights and contributes to sustainable development” says Martin Vogel, Chair of the ACT Alliance climate change group.

As an official observer to the UNFCCC, ACT Alliance has sent a delegation of policy experts to engage with the Bangkok negotiations and to support the efforts of most vulnerable developing countries while holding government accountable to the decisions they made in Paris in 2015.

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For media inquiries please contact ACT’s Climate Change Communications Coordinator, Joanna Patouris joanna.patouris@actalliance.org

ACT Alliance accompanied an ecumenical delegation from the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in Nicaragua on 28-29 August. The purpose of the visit was to promote dialogue and to provide solidarity and accompaniment to the Nicaraguan church in their trauma, and to work towards resolving the ongoing conflicts in the country.

ACT Alliance and WCC released a message emphasising their commitment to support the role of national churches in Nicaragua in the midst of the ongoing conflict and social tensions.

“As Christians, we are called to be promoters of peace with justice, so as to transform pain into hope. Peace is only achieved when all have been able to express their pain, admit their responsibility (by action or omission), and commit themselves to fraternal dialogue,” the message reads. 

The delegation met with WCC member churches, ACT’s Nicaragua Forum, representatives of several local evangelical churches, the Roman Catholic Bishops Conference, the Nicaraguan foreign ministry, the president of the national assembly and representatives of civil society.

In a statement issued on 6 June 2018, the ACT Alliance Nicaragua Forum called for “Support and solidarity from the international ecumenical family and the commitment of the international community for justice and peace in Nicaragua.

The full message is available here.

ACT Alliance joins the Vatican and ecumenical partners to encourage global progress on climate change

The First Ecumenical Prayer for Creation will take place on August 31 and September 1 in Assisi, the city of Francis. The two-day event is the latest sign of momentum for environmental protection growing among leaders of Christian denominations.  

Christians, who represent approximately one-third of all people on Earth, are increasingly uniting around specific initiatives to tackle the challenge of environmental degradation. The Season of Creation presents a unique moment to celebrate the faith and service of ACT Alliance members and ecumenical partners in prayer and action to care for creation.

During the prayer service, top representatives of the world’s Christian traditions will call the faithful to care for the Earth during the Season of Creation. They will also call for ambition at this December’s UN climate negotiations in Poland.

The Assisi event will open an annual global celebration of prayer and action to protect the Earth, the Season of Creation.  The Season of Creation is supported by leaders of the world’s major Christian denominations.  It will be observed with hundreds of hands-on events on six continents.

August 31, 17.30-19.30

• Events will take place in the Room of St. Francis’ Renunciation, to encourage reflection on the need for an ecological conversion.  
• Remarks will be contributed by Fr. Bruno-Marie Duffé, Secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Abp. Bernard Ntahoturi, representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archim. Athenagoras Fasiolo, representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and others.

September 1, 10.00

• Events will take place outside the Basilica of St. Francis.
• Greetings will be shared by H.E. Card. Angelo Bagnasco, President of the Council of Bishops’ Conference in Europe (CCEE), Rev. Christian Krieger, President of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), Fr. Mauro Gambetti, Guardian of the Sacred Convent, and others. 
• Leaders will issue a joint statement. The reading of the joint statement will be followed by a performance and symbolic action by people who are most vulnerable, including people with disabilities, children, and migrants.

ACT Alliance will accompany Mons. Paolucci Bedini, Bishop of Gubbio, pilgrims, and vulnerable people to take the first steps on a pilgrimage to Gubbio, now in its 10th year, and symbolically send the spirit of St. Francis to join a pilgrimage to the COP24 climate negotiations.

A full program is available here, and the full list of participants is available here. The two-day event is being coordinated by the Bishop of Assisi, the Bishop of Gubbio, the Sacro Convento, and the Serafico Institute.  

Events for the Season of Creation are coordinated by an ecumenical steering committee including ACT Alliance, the Global Catholic Climate Movement, World Council of Churches, Anglican Communion Environmental Network, Lutheran World Federation, A Rocha, Christian Aid,  Lausanne/World Evangelical Alliance Creation Care Network, World Communion for Reformed Churches.

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For media inquiries please contact Joanna Patouris, Climate Change Communications Coordinator, ACT Alliance, tel: +1647-971-5360,  joanna.patouris@actalliance.org.

The ACT Program Manager for Migration & Displacement, Christian Wolff, read the joint NGO statement below at the final round of formal consultations for the Global Compact on Refugees in Geneva.

Dear Chairperson, 

Eighteen months ago, we embarked on a multi-stakeholder process to transform the way we address large-scale movements and protracted situations. Much effort went into defining a collective vision for a world, where those forced to flee can enjoy protection and fundamental rights, and where host States can count on international solidarity. 

We commend UNHCR’s efforts to keep our collective ambition high, while accommodating diverging views. Progress was made in several key areas, particularly on operationalising responsibility-sharing; mainstreaming age, gender, diversity and disability considerations and fostering participation of affected populations. 

While not legally binding, the compact now carries the moral compulsion to transform the lives of refugees and host communities. It should therefore set new standards for action. 

Nevertheless, much work remains to define and coordinate the various pieces into a coherent whole. We need to ensure the emergence of robust responsibility-sharing arrangements that complement each other, bring additionality, remain sustainable and avoid politicization. 

Although the compact gradually took a development orientation, we emphasize the continued centrality of protection, solutions and of humanitarian principles. As we speak, durable solutions are still a pipedream for millions of refugees, while thousands more are denied their fundamental right to seek asylum. Conflict rages in the Middle-East, monsoons loom menacingly on refugee camps in South Asia, hundreds of people perish in the Mediterranean, while others flee violence in Central America only to encounter prisons and wrenching separations. States should guarantee people’s right to seek asylum and respect non-refoulement. Moreover, all persons in need of protection should be able to access it, including those fleeing adverse impacts of climate change and disasters. Countries facing such challenges must also benefit from responsibility-sharing arrangements. 

We therefore envision the compact to result in robust protection and durable solutions; lead to timely, effective and inclusive responses; and encourage meaningful participation and sustainable partnerships. The non-exhaustive spirit of the compact also applies to protection guarantees, meaning that States must adhere to protection principles, even if some are not fully detailed in the compact. NGOs will continue to advocate strongly from this perspective, holding ourselves and others accountable. 

The compact’s strength will hinge on its capacity to generate additional resources, primarily through the Global Refugee Forum. There should be a solidified and enhanced civil society role in the Forum, bi-annual meetings and other arrangements. NGOs will consider creating platforms for this purpose. Modalities for participation of affected populations are also needed, such as a space to feed into the Forum, helping to identify gaps, making commitments and participating in follow-up. 

On implementation, NGOs recognize that responses must also go beyond traditional approaches. Legal and policy measures aimed at enhancing refugee rights must complement operational responses and improve socio-economic conditions. We also welcome progress in mainstreaming disability and youth considerations but continue to regret that the best interest of the child does not feature under durable solutions. Moreover, noting the focus on ‘women and girls’ instead of ‘gender’, we highlight the imperative of unpacking gender-based norms and power dynamics affecting all persons. Several NGOs also regret that the GCR does not refer to often lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services. 

Going forward, it will be vital to ensure complementarity between the two compacts and increase operational coordination between all stakeholders. We also urge strengthening the GCR application in mixed migration situations, which represent an essential operational reality in ensuring refugee protection and assistance.  

Finally, measuring progress through a credible monitoring and evaluation framework will be crucial. We appreciate that room was made for mid-term reviews and welcome the reference to the development of indicators. We underline that the four objectives must translate into people-centred and collectively defined outcomes and targets, fully aligned with the responsibility-sharing arrangements. Those must encapsulate concrete improvements in the lives of refugees. NGOs remain eager to provide expertise in the development of accountability tools and mechanisms. 

In closing, over the past months, new ideas emerged – some more crystallised than others – and we must maintain efforts to shape these approaches. NGOs will continue engaging in fine-tuning the compact’s building blocks. We are eager to start a conversation on modalities for participation. 

A detailed version of this intervention is available on icvanetwork.org 

Thank you. 

ACT Alliance, Arigatou International, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Soka Gakkai International (SGI)and World Vision International have come together as the Asia Pacific Faith-Based Coalition for Sustainable Development to participate in the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) from 3 – 6 July, 2018.
 
The Asia Pacific Faith-Based Coalition for Sustainable Development has developed a joint Statement emphasizing the role of FBOs in the localization of risk reduction, resilience building and humanitarian action in relation to disaster risk reduction.
 
The Statement reads, “They [FBOs] are always among the first responders in emergencies, providing shelter during evacuation and meeting other basic needs (i.e. food, water, clothing) of those affected. They have been sources of community-based and managed social capital for healing and recovery. Furthermore, FBOs are contributing substantial material, financial and social resources for risk prevention, reduction and humanitarian action worldwide, particularly in Asia.”
 
ACT has joined the coalition at the AMCDRR to further share and discuss the Statement. The coalition will host a side event and will exhibit its work at the ‘AMCDRR Marketplace’.“The Statement showcases the solidarity and commitment of the multi-faith community to work together on disaster risk reduction. The Coalition has collaborated closely on the Statement and we are happy to share it at the AMCDRR,” said James Munpa ACT’s Programme Officer for the Asia/Pacific region.
 
“In the Asian context, FBOs provide a source of community-based social capital for the most vulnerable in terms of risk prevention, risk reduction and humanitarian response,” continued James.
 
The Statement further emphasizes that FBOs are an asset for the effective implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) which places a strong focus on reducing the risk and protection gaps among the most vulnerable.
 
The full Statement is available here

Through its Global Climate Action Project which kicked off in 2017, ACT Alliance has embarked on an ambitious plan to implement its long-standing climate justice programme in the context of the Paris Agreement, Agenda 2030 and the Sendai Framework for DRR through a series of capacity building workshops.

The growing mobilisation of the faith community allows ACT to further amplify the urgency for climate justice, ambition, and solidarity at the national and international levels.

Climate change is one of the most significant threats to lives and livelihoods around the world. As temperatures continue to rise it is the poor and most vulnerable people that are living on the frontlines of its increasingly stronger and more frequent impacts.

To limit these impacts on the climate vulnerable, the 1.5°C temperature rise threshold that was agreed to in Paris (2015) must be maintained. In order to do so while alleviating poverty and ensuring justice, national capacities need to be strengthened so that the tremendous potential of low carbon development can be mobilized for community resilience.

The components of the Paris Agreement and the complementary global policy frameworks established in 2015, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030 and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, can only be achieved if implemented hand in hand.

To increase the ownership, ambition and transparency that is necessary for the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, broad stakeholder participation including that of faith based organizations (FBOs) will be required. Churches, FBOs and social movements have the potential to share knowledge, build commitment and to promote values for the care of creation.  

The international community is at a critical intersection of opportunity and urgency to further strengthen the capacity of ACT Forums, partners and churches to engage in national advocacy for the ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement.

ACT has conducted climate change advocacy and campaigns work on climate justice and the international climate policy framework since it was founded in 2010, focusing on processes that led to the Paris Agreement. ACT’s climate justice work focuses on three pillars: advocacy and mobilization, capacity building and research and knowledge generation.

The first round of capacity building workshops covered four of ACT’s regions: Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. A total of 82 individuals representing ACT members, forums, staff and partners from 33 countries were trained.

The workshops aim to build the in-country capacity of ACT Forums, partners and churches to conduct advocacy for the ambitious and scaled-up implementation of the Paris Agreement and to better align their national climate, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development work with the ongoing global processes. These workshops are undertaken in collaboration with the ACT Alliance Advocacy Academy.

A second round of capacity building workshops in the four regions will take place this year.

The following workshops have been scheduled:

• Africa Region, Nairobi: 10-12 July, 2018
• Asia Region, Bangkok: 31 August – 2 September, 2018
• Middle East Region, Cairo: 18- 20 September, 2018
• Latin America and the Caribbean, (location tbc): 3-6 September, 2018

We invite you to stay tuned for updates on the Global Climate Action Project and to follow our ACT Now For Climate Justice Campaign on Facebook, and @actclimate on Twitter for highlights!

For any questions on the project, please contact:
Arnold Ambundo Arnold.Ambundo@actalliance.org; or
Joanna Patouris joanna.patouris@actalliance.org

“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.” – Matthew 18:5

In the face of the “Zero-tolerance” Immigration Policy of the United States Government, the ACT Forums of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala:

• Find that the US immigration policy of separating children from their parents or guardians has been arbitrary, cruel and inhumane because it violates laws and international protection agreements, as well as, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which provides special protection for girls and boys.
• Believe that the executive order of President Donald Trump to stop the separation of immigrant children from their parents is a measure that will stop the separation of children from their parents, but that does not guarantee that their rights will be respected. They will be detained together with their parents, which constitute child abuse, violation of their rights and continue to violate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• As Faith-Based Organizations reject any discriminatory measure that brings
  more pain to families and abuse of children, causing traumas and damage, perhaps irreversible.
• Ask the Government of the United States to stop these practices immediately and to honor the CRC with a zero-tolerance approach towards child abuse. 
• Call on the governments of the region to ensure the well-being of these children so that their rights are respected; guarantee that the best interests of the children are always given priority and the laws for the protection of children are observed; follow up on the treatment they receive at the border and in the detention centers; and guarantee the necessary conditions so that the population does not need to migrate.
• Urge the churches in Central America, and national and international organizations, to send letters to the Government of the United States demanding that Government officials take swift and efficient action to stop this practice; and dedicate cults, masses and other actions to sensitize the religious people about the abuse suffered by our children at the United States border.

San Salvador, June 22, 2018.