Back home after one week of engagement in the 63^rd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63), I reflect   with satisfaction my contribution as a first timer joining midway in the second week of the negotiation. A passionate gender justice   advocate   and an ardent ‘Jesus feminist’ I am very happy finally I got this opportunity to be ‘in’.                                                                       

When I arrived, New York City, and the power packed women and CSW process was too overwhelming, overpowering and inundating. I quickly equipped myself with all relevant & essential readings and updates from the past week through orientations which gave me the confidence to engage actively and effectively. 

Though negotiations are the key and primary focus of CSW, ecumenical morning devotions add value and energy bars for the entire day’s deliberations and negotiations. The   morning NGO briefing gave a good overview and alerted us to the day’s focus. Meeting a variety of vibrant, accomplished, struggling faith based and diverse types of women from across globe helped understand there is no one narrative for gender equality. But it was clear the   stories   of courage and struggle all reflected patriarchy of different levels and shades.

The regional caucus reiterated that we are local actors on this large stage of the global process. Here I could strongly pitch for climate justice text with my intervention which I further took up in the morning NGO briefing time too. I worked with a team from New Zealand to draft the climate text and passed it on to the key negotiators from Asia Pacific region.  After all, if the world cannot exist due to climate change, where will gender justice be? Climate justice should be the backdrop for social security, public service and sustainable infrastructure– the focus theme of the CSW 63.

The numerous and diverse side events with diverging opinions, interesting facts & figures, research & story telling  definitely added  color to my enthusiasm and inspiration. A UN workshop to identify ways to encourage active participation of civil society in the UN Women gave me the opportunity to share ideas like organizing country-level CSW preparatory events.

Though the agreed concluding document is not very transformational, I am excited about the enthusiasm of the negotiators and the civil society members who tirelessly worked on it. Short documents are desired, but imagine trying to include 160 countries’ input on gender equality in one document. What is more important is each member state following the document in action, with civil society supporting this. That is the hope in action.

I was extremely pleased that the Church Center and ecumenical women were at the center of it all.  I continue the   work at my grass root communities with added and greater enthusiasm, counting the larger responsibility on the shoulders of faith feminists-   I am one of them.  

Dr Joycia Thorat , Co-chair of Advisory Group on Advocacy, ACT Alliance and Project Officer & policy desk in charge, Church’s  Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), India

“In ACT Alliance, we recognise that it is the responsibility of governments to provide effective, inclusive, and affordable social protection. Social protection systems must be financed by states through fair taxation or other public revenues,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary of the ACT Alliance, during his opening remarks at a side event at the 63^rd Commission on the Status of Women in New York City.

“Governments can learn from the long-standing experiences of faith actors, who are often at the forefront of social service provision, providing more than 30% of social protection globally and having the experience of reaching those most at risk of being left behind.”

Unlocking the Power of Faith-Based Partnerships: Enabling the Right to Social Protection was organized by members of the International Partnership for Religion and Sustainable Development, including ACT Alliance, the Side by Side Faith Movement for Gender Justice, the government of Denmark, the government of Canada, UK Aid, the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Episcopal Relief and Development, Tearfund, World Vision International, Sonke Gender Justice, the Joint Learning Initiative, and USPG.

Ambassador Martin Bille Hermann from the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN underscored the importance of working with faith-based organisations, “The Danish government has worked with faith-based organisations for decades. They are a central pillar to how we approach development cooperation in a number of countries,” he said.  “Religious and cultural norms are key to advancing gender equality.”

Axsa Charles Gabagambi, gender advisor to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania and member of Side by Side Tanzania, spoke about the work undertaken by the church in her context, including working with both girls and boys in schools on gender issues.  Teaching positive masculinity is key to achieving gender justice.  “We prepare young boys to be better fathers when they come of age, we teach them about good relationships between boys and girls.”

Axsa also underscored that it is the role of the government to provide social protection.  “We recognize the primary role of governments is to provide social protection to the citizens. But I recognize the holistic mission of faith-based actors.  There is space for partnership between the two.  The role of faith-based organizations should be recognized, and they must be strengthened especially in countries with shrinking civil society space.”

Speakers shared examples of the important role that religious leaders play in social protection, with examples from Rabbi Diana Gerson talking about the need for seminaries to include training on how to respond to disclosures of gender-based violence to Suzy Ismail of Cornerstone speaking about the importance of faith-based organisations working together in situations like the cases of Syrian refugees, where the options before girls are severely limited.

Dr. Isabel Phiri, Deputy General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, closed the session by introducing the Thursdays in Black campaign, which encourages people to wear black on Thursdays and wear a pin to show that you stand in solidarity with all those who want a world without rape and violence.  “The campaign is simple but profound,” she said. “Wear black on Thursdays. Wear a pin to declare you are part of the global movement resisting attitudes and practices that permit rape and violence. Show your respect for women who are resilient in the face of injustice and violence. Encourage others to join you.”

More people than ever before have access to health care and education. Yet lack of access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), including comprehensive sexuality education and access to HIV testing and treatment, result in grave health disparities, where those that live in poverty are most impacted. These basic social protection needs face normative, financial and implementation challenges at global, national and local level.

In addition, the space for individuals, human rights defenders and civil society organizations working on SRHR issues is very limited and decreasing in many contexts. Increasing social and economic inequalities within and between countries further erode the possibility of people’s equal access to health services, education and other forms of social protection, particularly to the disadvantage of women, girls and LGBTQI persons. Ensuring no one is left behind, as is stated in the 2030 Agenda, means addressing global inequalities and working towards universal access to health care.

The social determinants of health – the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age – include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social policies, political systems and social, cultural and religious norms. These social determinants produce and sustain inequitable unequal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Lack of access to SRHR is a driver of poverty. Ensuring universal access to SRHR not only saves lives, empowers people and protects human rights, but it also leads to significant economic gains for individuals, families and countries.

The SDGs provide a comprehensive framework for human development and for systematically addressing the social dimensions. Ensuring social protection for all, in all phases of life reduces health disparities and inequalities. 

Although social protection programs such as child allowances, pensions and universal health insurance including SRH services, family planning- and maternal health services are expanding in many countries, a majority of the world’s population do not have their right to social protection realized, particularly when it comes to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services.

Churches and faith communities all over the world have many times raised their voices for human rights, human dignity and social justice. Churches and faith based organizations (FBOs) also have a long history in providing health services and in assisting people living in vulnerable situations. Recognizing the primary responsibility of states to fulfill the rights of sexual and reproductive health and other social protection for all people, churches and FBOs, as part of a wider civil society, increasingly relate to public social protection and health services by advocating, informing, monitoring and holding duty bearers accountable to ensure just access to social protection.

However, there is still an untapped potential for churches and FBOs to be active in the national, regional and global debates on the expansion of SRHR and other forms of social protection. Norms and attitudes are interlinked with political and social transformation. In the case of SRHR and social protection, faith communities and in particular religious leaders have a deep and pervasive impact on influencing norms and attitudes that can then enable political and social transformation on these issues.

Many times, churches and faith communities are as much part of the problem as the solution. Churches and faith communities working through a human rights based approach therefore need to take responsibility for their internal and external teachings and practices. They also need to engage ecumenically to promote theological interpretations that support social justice and transforms norms and attitudes around SRHR and social protection. 

Clara Helgesson is the Policy Advisor Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), Church of Sweden. Church of Sweden are engaged in work on Social Protection as well as Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and strive to integrate the two areas where possible. Church of Sweden are represented at CSW as well as CPD.

ACT Alliance will host a Global Conference on Latin America and the Caribbean from March 27th to 29th, 2019 in Guatemala City.  The conference will define strategies to contribute to achieving political solutions, social reconciliation and solidarity to counteract the backlash against human rights and the increase in inequalities, violence and emerging conflicts in Latin America.

“The Conference will help us to discern and discuss proposals to face the complex and volatile situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as its intersection with global political processes and their implication for human rights, security, democracy, humanitarian needs and sustainable development”, said Carlos Rauda,ACT’s Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The region is facing a growing crisis affecting different countries and subregions, with a variety of major implications, from humanitarian crises to violence against human rights defenders to a shrinking space for civil society. In many countries, the polarised, simplistic fundamentalist narrative monopolizes the public sphere.  It is harder and harder for those who attempt to close the divide with moderate viewpoints, that try to recognize the nuanced nature of the conflict to be Heard. All of these dynamics are affecting the people, especially the most vulnerable.

The members of ACT Alliance, ecumenical organisations and faith-based organisations (FBOs) in Latin America are worried and affected by these trends.

“Theological analysis is essential to us, given our identity as a faith-based organization. We have to base our response and actions on our identity and on our global strategy,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary of the Alliance.

It is expected that sixty people from ACT Alliance, universities, the UN, government representatives,  FBOs, civil society organizations, social movements and media representatives will participate in the event.

ACT Alliance is a coalition of 152 churches and church-related organisations working together in over 140 countries to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalised people regardless of their religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality in keeping with the highest international codes and standards.

When the 63^rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women began two weeks ago, Antonio Guterres, gave an impassioned speech where he called out the resistance to gender justice. “Around the world, there is a pushback on women’s rights.  That pushback is deep, pervasive and relentless.,” he said.  But he continued, calling on participants at CSW to continue to fight for gender justice.  “We will not give ground. We will not turn back. We will push back against the pushback. And we will keep pushing.”

Today, the member states of the United Nations failed to push back very much.  Consistently, there were attempts to roll back language in the text of the final document of CSW63.  In some cases, the chair had to replace whole paragraphs with language from last year, literally rolling things back in time.  In other cases, new paragraphs with new text were simply not accepted.

Elsebeth Gravgaard, from ACT member DanChurchAid, has followed the negotiations at CSW for the last six years.  “I am concerned about the increasingly hard tone at the negotiations, and the difficulty of reaching consensus on advancing gender justice,” she said.  “Still, it is a positive outcome this year- we managed to push back against regression.”

The positive outcome included specific mention of the role of faith-based actors for the second year in the final document.  There was also, for the first time, a specific mention of the importance of menstrual hygiene. 

Despite these positives, overall it is a very weak document which does not comprehensively advance the cause of gender justice.  In particular, the theme of this year’s CSW of social protection is not sufficiently addressed.  This is a missed opportunity, as this year was the first time CSW has addressed this vital theme.

“It is the responsibility of states to provide social protections for their citizens,” said ACT’s General Secretary, Rudelmar Bueno de Faria. “We believe that all people are created equal, and enjoy fundamental rights that gender responsive social protection policies need to help ensure.  This CSW failed to substantially advance those rights, leaving women, girls, LGBTI and others at increased risk due to insufficient social protections.  We must do more.  Now is the time to act.”

Of particular concern to ACT Alliance is the paragraph on climate.  Joycia Thorat of CASA India, a member of ACT’s Advisory Group on Advocacy, said “Climate justice should be the backdrop to ensure effective social protection, services and sustainable infrastructure for women and girls. Ensuring women’s leadership and participation in climate matters is critical for gender equality.”

ACT is also concerned about the effect that this weak outcome will have on communities around the world. Gladys Nairuba of the ACT Uganda Forum said, “The increasing push back globally delivers weak commitments and laxity in accountability from states, which further limits the progress on women’s rights. Lack of accountability from states is a matter of life in the communities where we work. We still have a long way to go to get from rhetoric to tangible gender equality.”

“ACT knows that the pushback against gender justice is coming from a minority of conservative governments—often governments that do not represent the feelings of their own citizens,” concluded de Faria. “ACT will continue to actively push back against the pushback, and will leverage its work to ensure justice for all.”

ACT Alliance members are responding to the severe destruction wrought by Cyclone Idai which made landfall in the low-lying coastal city of Beira, Mozambique on Thursday, March 14, 2019.

The cyclone moved inland on the weekend, destroying much that was in its path as it barrelled through the province of Manicaland, Zimbabwe and parts of Malawi. UN officials are calling it one of the worst weather-related disasters to hit the southern hemisphere.

The cyclone triggered widespread floods and winds of up to 177km/hr affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Houses have been destroyed, agricultural fields swept away, rivers are at their capacity and bridges, and other communications infrastructure have been demolished, making it difficult for rescue crews and humanitarian organisations to reach those who have been most affected.

While the extent of the damage continues to be discovered five days after the cyclone, the death toll has increased to at least 202. These numbers are anticipated to increase as heavy rainfall continues to batter Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The ACT Zimbabwe Forum and ACT Mozambique Forum are responding to the devastating impacts of Cyclone Idai.

In Zimbabwe, at least 98 people have been killed, and over 200 are missing. At least 20,000 houses have been partially damaged in the south-eastern town of Chipinge, and 600 have been destroyed. People are being sheltered in churches and temporary structures set up by UN agencies.

The ACT Zimbabwe Forum and ACT Mozambique Forum are responding to the devastating impacts of the cyclone. “The destruction caused by Cyclone Idai will take years for communities to recover, but Zimbabweans have demonstrated that communities will not stand alone,” said Sostina Takure, ACT’s Zimbabwe Forum Coordinator who is currently in the field.

In Mozambique, the majority of those affected are in the provinces of Zambezia, Niassa and Sofala. With the increased rainfall, flood waters are anticipated to rise approximately eight metres, putting at least 350,000 additional people at risk.

Cyclone Idai has left thousands of people in a dire situation with many unmet essential humanitarian needs such as access to food, clothing, blankets and hygiene kits. An initial assessment conducted by ACT members found that orphans and other vulnerable children have been particularly affected.

ACT’s Zimbabwe Forum and Mozambique Forum continue to assess the impact of the disaster to understand the needs and vulnerabilities better so that they can provide immediate assistance to minimise loss of life and to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable are met.

The ACT Alert for Zimbabwe is here.
The ACT Alert for Mozambique is here.

Representatives of member states are gathered this week and next at the UN in New York City for the 63^rdCommission on the Status of Women.  ACT Alliance members from around the world are among the thousands of representatives from civil society who are also at CSW advocating, sharing, learning, and discussing issues of gender justice.

The theme of CSW this year is “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.” 

ACT members are very much aware of the need for social protection and the critical role it plays in ensuring gender equality, addressing the particular challenges faced by women and girls.  “Governments can learn from the long-standing experiences of faith actors, who are often at the forefront of providing services that ‘leave no one behind’,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary of the ACT Alliance. “Faith communities’ skills, access to communities, and sustainable structures make them ideal partners to work with governments.”

While churches and other faith-based organisations have a long history of providing social services, ACT is clear that it is the responsibility of the government to provide social protection.  “Governments should ensure that systems of social protection are anchored in law and comply with international human rights standards, and should 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,” de Faria added.

Members of the ACT delegation come from around the world, bringing their own experiences and stories to illustrate and underscore the importance of social protection to ensuring the empowerment of women and girls.

“Women and girls in South Sudan face multiple intersecting impacts of conflict including extreme poverty, insecurity, gender-based violence, sexual violence and exclusion from participating in peace processes and decision-making,” said Agnes Petia, Coordinator of The South Sudan Council Of Churches’ National Women’s Programme (SSCC-NWP).

“Our work at SSCC-NWP is empowering women with skills to bridge the gender gap and participate effectively in peace processes,” continued Petia.  “The NWP is pushing for access to adequate and functional social protection systems– including healthcare and legal assistance– to allow women to access psychosocial support for trauma healing and for their equal enjoyment of human rights so as to improve their lives and well-being. This however can all only be achieved if there is sustainable peace.”

ACT will continue to push governments to take responsibility for social protection and for extending those protections in ways that will enable gender equality both for the remainder of CSW63 and afterwards in the nations of the world.

To learn more about ACT’s position on social protection, please read the Sigtuna Statement on Theology, Tax and Social Protection Diakonia in the Time of Inequality, which can be found here.

In line with ACT’s commitment to Putting People First, ACT celebrates its accreditation as an observer organisation to the Governing Body of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

ACT Alliance joins world leaders, policy experts, environmental justice allies, and other stakeholders at its fourth meeting (UNEA-4). The conference, hosted in Nairobi, Kenya from 11-15 March 2019 is exploring Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production.

Isaiah Toroitich, ACT’s Head of Advocacy and Development Policy highlights the significance of the accreditation for the alliance. “As the world’s largest Orthodox and Protestant network engaged in humanitarian, development and advocacy work, this accreditation is another opportunity for us to engage with state and non-state actors as we progress our work for climate and environmental justice, sustainable development and enhancing the role of faith actors in multilateral policy making and implementation.”

UNEA-4 is covering various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030, including SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 13 (climate action) and other goals that the Alliance works on.

ACT’s commitment to lifting faith voices and evidence-based lessons in the discussions on the SDG’s and other global processes including the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction will continue to ensure that faith voices are recognised as constructive and reliable voices that hold decision-makers to account.

ACT’s engagement in UNEA puts the alliance further in the forefront of environmental policy design and development.

“ACT Alliance is engaging with the Faith for Earth initiative of the UN Environment Programme and has joined other faith actors in an urgent call to address environmental issues. Our accreditation has enabled advocacy, dialogue and contributions with ACT members, churches, UN partners, and other environmentally conscious organisations,” said Toroitich.

UNEA-4 is focusing on some of the most critical issues of our time from tackling environmental challenges related to poverty and natural resource management to sustainable business development and technological change. The session is also expected to adopt a ministerial declaration and to streamline UNEA’s contribution to the 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development which takes place in July.

The United Nations Environment Assembly was established during the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, (commonly known as RIO+20). More information on UNEA 4 is available here.

The ACT gender campaign “Created Equal” had a soft launch during the ACT Assembly in Uppsala in October, 2018. The Assembly was a crucial starting point for the gender campaign, also as central documents were approved and affirmed, including the ACT Global strategy, as well as two public statements on gender.

Since then, more work has been done on the campaign, and today we are proud to present the direction for Created Equal, a website which will host the campaign, and its logo.

The campaign aims at strengthening and/or scaling-up the gender work of ACT members and churches, while externally advocating to change norms, practices, laws and policies.

The first steps of the campaign will focus on working with ACT members to ensure that they have gender policies in place, on mapping the work of members and forums in gender justice, and on building capacity and fostering dialogue around gender issues.

For more information, visit:
www.actalliance.org/createdequal

by Ingrid Næss-Holm, ACT Alliance gender campaign manager

As a child, I had a book called “The Girl No One Wanted” and it told of the disappointment of a girl’s parents when they got a daughter – and not a son. Luckily, the parents ended up loving her as much as her brothers. But she did not have the same opportunities as them in the society she grew up in. Unfortunately this lack of opportunity is the reality for women and girls in most places.

I was born and raised in Bangladesh, I have lived in the Philippines, in the UK, in Zimbabwe and in Norway. All different locations, but one thing is true for all of them: gender justice is not yet fully realised in any of these places.

Gender injustices affect many groups and individuals. But the biggest one is half of the population – namely women and girls. And those are who we are celebrating today on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day.

The world we see

• Globally, 200 million girls and women have been subject to female genital mutilation or cutting.
• Innumerable perpetrators of sexual violence as a weapon in war are never sentenced or punished.
• Almost one third of women who have been in a relationship have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their partner.
• 59 countries do not have laws against harassment in the workplace.
• Only 24 per cent of all national parliamentarians are women.
• 104 countries have laws that prohibit women from having certain jobs.
• Unless we change the direction or pace of things, it will take 202 years (!) until men and women have equal pay.

The world is not fair.  And that is why ACT is scaling up its gender work today.  That is why ACT members have been working for years with communities, individuals, local organisations and religious leaders to fight gender injustice. We are challenging governments and other authorities to change laws and regulations to make sure that all people, especially women and girls, can realise their rights and live good lives.

Existing work

Created Equal, ACT’s gender campaign, is not starting from scratch. It is a continuation of all the work that is already going on.

In Eastern Africa, FECCLAHA, is spearheading the Tamar Campaign which seeks to equip and challenge churches to break the silence on Gender Based Violence using contextual Bible Study methodology.

In Armenia, the World Council of Churches Armenia Round Table Foundation, is supporting computer literacy and internet classes for youth and women, aimed at improving their ability to find jobs and to improved access to information and communication means.

In Indonesia, the Christian Foundation for Public Health (YAKKUM), provides capacity building for health providers to develop young people friendly clinics and builds awareness on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

In Brazil, Diaconia is training church leaders on Transformational Masculinities based on the principles and sacred texts of world religions that value the well-being and equality of all human beings.

Globally, the Salvation Army run maternity hospitals and clinics that contributes specifically to reducing maternal mortality.

And the list goes on!

Our vision

In ACT we want to see a world where girls are always wanted, and where they through their adolescence, adulthood and old age enjoy the same rights and possibilities as their male counterparts. If we achieve progress in any area, be it economic, social or any other, we have only come so far if the progress only benefits half of the population.

Today we are celebrating all women. Tomorrow we will roll up our sleeves and continue our journey together on the path towards gender justice.

Because we believe that all people deserve justice.  We believe that all people are Created Equal.