Desafío que Aceptamos: Campaña regional de la FUMEC sobre justicia socio ambiental, economía y construcción de Paz.

Desde hace algunos años la Federación universal de movimientos estudiantiles cristianos (WSCF) viene entrenando estudiantes y jóvenes en el servicio ecuménico y la incidencia en escala local en el trabajo por la justicia económica y ecológica.

Más recientemente, y dentro del marco de trabajo de la campaña en América Latina y el Caribe “Desafío que Aceptamos”, se realizó un encuentro de formación y entrenamiento en agosto de 2017 en Barranquilla, Colombia.  Ocho movimientos afiliados a la FUMEC de diversos países de la región participaron, entre los cuales se encuentran Cuba, México, Colombia, Venezuela, Brasil, Perú, Bolivia y Argentina.  Como región se le ha venido haciendo seguimiento a la planificación y objetivos del encuentro de entrenamiento “Juventud por Eco Justicia y Paz: Desafío que Aceptamos”

En dicho encuentro tres pilares fueron desarrollados: La relación entre ética, cambio climático y Economía; la relación entre la Justicia de género, Derechos humanos y  Ecología y por último la manera como estas relaciones de poder afectan a los más vulnerables y el mantenimiento de una Paz duradera y justa. A este trinomio de análisis lo denominamos Eco Justicia: Economía, Ecología y la búsqueda de Paz en su sentido más  integral.

Desde ese punto de partida, los jóvenes analizan el contexto latinoamericano y sus vulnerabilidades, y reflexionan desde una perspectiva ética sobre las relaciones de desigualdad en torno a la explotación de los recursos naturales, la economía y sus consecuencias frente al cambio climático. En base a estos análisis es que venimos realizando actividades de entrenamiento local e incidencia en las comunidades donde los y las jóvenes miembros de los Movimientos de la FUMEC desarrollan su trabajo.

Nuestra idea es, además, la creación de un grupo estable de trabajo sobre justicia climática y socio ambiental a nivel global -la FUMEC es una organización global con más de 107 movimientos afiliados- Entendemos que el trabajo que acompaña las grandes políticas climáticas tanto en lo local como en las conversaciones globales dentro de las COP tienen que tener un correlato en el trabajo local. Por ejemplo, concientizando a las personas para ser más activas y responsables en el cuidado del medio ambiente y en la participación activa y con principios ciudadanos en espacios entre gobierno, sociedad civil y organizaciones basahadas en la Fe.

No es una tarea fácil, ya que es realizada sin los recursos apropiados necesarios para la incidencia pero,  con la fuerza y movimiento de los miembros de una organización como la FUMEC que es liderada por jóvenes y estudiantes hemos logrado avanzar en diferentes aspectos.

Entre los desafíos que tenemos por delante será la unificación de narrativas para la incidencia. Nuestra participación en el grupo de trabajo de ACT alianza, así como en otros espacios regionales permitirá desarrollar más claramente estas narrativas y desarrollo de capacidades instaladas para que más jóvenes y estudiantes puedan unirse a este trabajo.

Desde diciembre del 2017 y hasta junio del 2018 se desarrollan actividades de seguimiento al proyecto, cada movimiento tiene autónomamente un pequeño proyecto para cumplir con los desafíos y objetivos que nos venimos planteando como federación. En el segundo semestre del 2018 y con los resultados de los proyectos y la campaña regional expondremos los resultados generales de la campaña y analizaremos como estos resultados impactan en nuestros países latinoamericanos y caribeños.

Este es el Desafio que Aceptamos.

Marcelo D. Leites
Secretario Ejecutivo FUMEC ALC

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The Challenge We Accept: World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) regional campaign on socio-environmental justice, economy and peace building.

For some years, WSCF has been training students and young people in ecumenical service and advocating on the local scale in the work for economic and ecological justice.

More recently, and within the framework of the campaign in Latin America and the Caribbean the “Challenge we accept“, a training meeting was held in August 2017 in Barranquilla, Colombia. Eight movements that are affiliated to the WSCF from different countries of the region participated, among which are Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. As a region we have been monitoring the planning and implementation of the training meeting that focused on, “Youth for Eco Justice and Peace: Challenge We Accept”.

In this meeting three pillars were developed: The relationship between ethics, climate change and Economy; the relationship between Gender Justice, Human Rights and Ecology, and finally; the way in which these power relations affect the most vulnerable and the maintenance of a lasting and just Peace. We call this trinomial of analysis Eco Justice: Economy, Ecology and the search for Peace in its most integral sense.

From this point of view, youth analyzed the Latin American context and its vulnerabilities, and reflected from an ethical perspective, on the relations of inequality around the exploitation of natural resources, the economy and its consequences in the face of climate change. Based on these analyses, we have been carrying out local trainings and advocacy activities in the communities where the young members of WSCF Movements are carrying out their work.

Our idea is to develop a steady, global working group on climate and socio-environmental justice. WSCF is a global organization with more than 107 affiliated movements. We understand that the work that accompanies the great climate policies, both in the local and in the global conversations within the COPs, have to have a connection to local work. For example, raising awareness among people to be more active and responsible in caring for the environment and in active participation in citizen engagements in spaces between government, civil society and Faith based organizations.

This is not an easy task, as it is carried out without the appropriate resources necessary for advocacy, instead, it is driven by the strength and dedication of the members of an organization such as WSCF, which is led by young people and students. Together, we have made progress in different areas. Among the challenges that lie ahead will be the unification of our narratives for advocacy. Our participation in the working group of ACT alliance, as well as in other regional spaces will allow us to develop these narratives and the capacities of youth more clearly so that more young people and students can join this work. Since December 2017 until June 2018, follow-up activities have been developed for the project, each movement has a small project to accomplish the challenges and objectives that we have been proposing as a federation. In the second half of 2018 and with the results of the projects and the regional campaign, we will present the general results of the campaign and analyze how these results impact our Latin American and Caribbean countries. This is the Challenge that we accept.

Marcelo D. Leites
Regional Secretary WSCF LAC and Eco Justice Global Program Director

ACT Alliance condemns the killing of Palestinian people on their own land.  Such disgraceful acts of violence must stop.  The ACT Alliance stands in solidarity with its members, the ACT Palestine Forum, ecumenical partners and churches in the Holy Land and the global church in their ongoing humanitarian work, and in calling for an end to violence and the protection of human rights.

Since the evening of Monday 14 May 2018 Palestinians who were peacefully protesting on  the Gaza side on the Israel Gaza eastern border have been met with Israeli live ammunition, resulting in over 60  lives lost and over 2800 people injured; this being the deadliest days of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza War.  The Palestinians were killed or maimed on their land, protesting for their right to return to their homes and lands; against the moving of the United States Embassy to Jerusalem; and protesting against the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The ACT Alliance condemns these completely  disproportional acts of violence and violations of International Humanitarian Law, and International Human Rights Law, especially the right to Freedom of Assembly.

Ahead of the special session of the UN Human Rights Council on 18 May, 2018 to discuss the deteriorating situation in Gaza, the ACT Alliance supports the call for investigations  of violations of international law in the events that have unfolded since 14 May in Gaza.  The ACT Alliance condemns use of lethal force except as a last resort.

The ACT Alliance urges the Security Council and State Parties to the United Nations to step up efforts to find a peaceful resolution; and is discouraged by the outcomes of its Tuesday 15 May emergency meeting.

The ACT Alliance fully supports the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) in its statement of May 14 2018, for a two state solution “We want to see two viable and sovereign independent states, living side by side with agreed upon borders, and with Jerusalem as a shared city for Christians, Jews and Muslims”[1]

ACT Alliance reiterates its words of 12 March this year, when it launched a study on – The Protection of Space for Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders – the Case of Israel and Palestine-

“The freedom of assembly and association is a fundamental right enshrined in international law.  It is our moral responsibility to stand with those working in difficult contexts. Standing with human rights defenders who are working in restricting situations is standing with humanity”.[2]

During this trying and difficult time for ACT members, the ACT Palestine Forum, ecumenical partners and churches in the Holy Land and the global church,  the ACT Alliance extends its solidarity, and continues to accompany them in their humanitarian response, justice and peace efforts.  An ACT alert on the situation heeding for support has been issued today as members are working frantically to do all they can to help.[3]

ACT Alliance reiterates its concern from December 7, 2018, “We call upon the international community to continue to recognize the international status of Jerusalem and to push for a peaceful and just settlement based on the UN Resolutions and respect for the human dignity and life of the Palestinians.”

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria
General Secretary, ACT Alliance

Current ACT Alliance statements on Palestine by ACT Alliance

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/

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/

[1] Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar: In a Statement on the Opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem) http://www.elcjhl.org/statement-concerning-the-opening-of-the-u-s-embassy-in-jerusalem/

[2] – Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary of ACT Alliance

[3]  https://actalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Alerts_Conflict_OPTs_Gaza.pdf

“We have heard about what happens when floods hit developed countries, they quickly rebuild and life continues. But when floods hit in countries like Uganda as is happening right now, you can’t imagine how long it takes for us to get things back to normal,” said Edith Kateme-Kasajja, climate finance negotiator from Uganda and negotiator of the Least Developed Country Group during the ACT Alliance side event at the Climate Conference in Bonn.

“We are calling on our colleagues and development partners to ensure that countries that are resource constraint and vulnerable to climate change are given the priority to access climate finance,” she continued. Kateme-Kasajja’s call shed light on the challenges and concerns of many developing countries to access climate finance in order to respond to the negative impacts of climate change.

The side event was co-hosted by ACT Alliance, along with the Danish 92-Group, a coalition of Danish NGO’s working on environmental and development issues. The purpose of the side event Counting Climate Finance that is Fair and Transparent, was to explore and to discuss the accounting, transparency and accessibility of climate finance which has become a central theme in the climate negotiations in the lead up to the 24^th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to be held in Katowice, Poland later this year.

The side event also aimed to encourage discussion on the various opinions on what should comprise climate finance from the perspectives of CSOs and governments. A range of organizations and representatives participated, including Vicky Noens of the Government of Flanders- Belgium, Edith Kateme-Kasajja of the Government of Uganda, Tracy Carty of Oxfam International, and Mattias Söderberg of ACT Alliance member DanChurchAid.

Climate finance is an essential form of support for particularly vulnerable countries to be able to make progress on sustainable development. In Paris, at COP21, countries agreed to mobilise at least 100 billion (bn) USD per year in the form of climate finance from the year 2020 onward. This finance is intended to provide support to countries that do not have the capacity to adequately respond to climate change.

Mobilizing the 100bn USD as committed to by parties, and developing clear rules, guidelines and modalities to do so will be important in order to safeguard trust and political goodwill between parties, which is key to any multilateral process.

“This year parties are expected to finally agree on accounting standards for climate finance that will govern what gets reported against the 100bn USD commitment. It is critical that the rules are developed and that we build confidence that the 100bn is being met in a fair and transparent way,” said Tracy Carty of Oxfam International.

Mattias Söderberg of ACT member DanChurchAid presented research from ACT Alliance EU’s Analysis of Climate Finance Reporting of the European Union. According to the report, climate finance from EU institutions and EU Member States has increased significantly from EUR 9.5 bn in 2013 to EUR 20.2 bn in 2016.

“While we appreciate that there has been an increased attention to adaptation, we need to consider the balance between adaptation and mitigation,” said Söderberg. “A little over 30% of climate finance has gone to adaptation, and this is not what we call a balance,” he continued.

In the context of climate change, adaptation refers to the wide range of actions taken to reduce or prevent the damage or potential damage that could be caused by the impacts of climate change. For this reason, adaptation is of utmost importance for many developing countries. Mitigation refers to the actions taken to reduce the potential of global warming, by reducing the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Kateme-Kasajja responded on this matter, “when accessing and providing money, adaptation should be given a priority. As least developed countries, we give adaptation the highest priority because we are poor and we take time to adapt to climate change.”

Vicky Noens, of the Government of Flanders- Belgium, acknowledged that the need to balance the support for mitigation and adaptation is an issue that must be addressed on the international level. Noens further acknowledged a common challenge of accessing climate finance, “some countries receive more funding because of enabling environments and this needs to be addressed.”

Enabling environments refer to conditions including legal, organisational, informational, political, cultural, and others, that might affect the ability of an institution to efficiently use or allocate the support it receives.

Despite a clear call from many developing countries on the need to balance support available for adaptation with that available for mitigation, Noens stated that approximately 95% of the voluntary contributions to the Adaptation Fund have been provided by the EU and member states.

While the balance between the support for adaptation and mitigation has been a contentious point between parties in the negotiations for many years, another concern shared by developing countries is their access to climate finance. The ACT Alliance EU Report identifies that most of the climate finance from the EU goes primarily to middle income countries, with Turkey having received a large amount of EU funds, “Turkey alone receives more funds than all of the least developed countries together,” said Söderberg.

“We are aware that emerging economies are taking the majority of the money available as climate finance, and this is very disheartening. I thought that this Convention is about supporting countries that are vulnerable, capacity constrained and cannot cope with climate change, “said Kateme-Kasajja. “Let us go back to the spirit of the Convention and let us remember that it is the most vulnerable who require support.”

The discussions at the side event explored the current status of the climate finance discussions and identified some of the current challenges that Parties will need to continue to work on to overcome. ACT Alliance firmly believes that climate finance must be fair, accessible and transparent to ensure that trust can be maintained between countries, so that those who face the greatest of climate change burdens are appropriately supported.

Last Monday the ACT General Secretary, Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, met in Buenos Aires with the President of the White Helmets Commission of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Alejandro Daneri (first on the right). Discussions revolved around the possibilities of synergy between both institutions, both in relation to the humanitarian missions carried out by White Helmets in Africa and Latin America, and in strengthening in Argentina the resilience capacity of communities and the promotion of innovative actions.

ACT General Secretary was accompanied by Nicolás Rosenthal, Executive Director of Protestant Foundation Hora de Obrar and Coordinator of the ACT Alliance Argentina Forum, and by Humberto Shikiya, General Secretary of CREAS and member of the ACT Membership and Nominations Committee.

Ambassador Daneri was accompanied by Ambassador Alejandro Nieto and Mrs María Mercedes Dalla Via, representing the White Helmets, and Ambassador Claudia Russo Bernagozzi, for the Worship Secretariat.

ACT Alliance is the largest global Christian alliance of Protestant and Orthodox churches and organizations dedicated to humanitarian aid, transformative development and public-political advocacy. It is present in more than 100 countries, through 146 organizations, with a global budget of 3.5 billion dollars.

Source: Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar 

The climate change negotiations in Bonn are wrapping up today with little progress made on developing the guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The window for the negotiation of an ambitious outcome at COP24 is quickly narrowing, with little time left between now and December to finalize the process.

“We can no longer afford to lose more time on climate inaction. It is unfortunate that the international community is missing the opportunity to step-up and to take real and bold action to address climate change and its impacts on the most vulnerable,” says Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance’s General Secretary.

The lack of leadership amongst countries to commit to supporting ambitious climate action in the negotiations has proven to be a stumbling-block in making meaningful progress. The issue of financial support is closely tied to the issue of trust between parties and trust in the process. This is extremely important because trust will ultimately affect the outcomes of the negotiations on the Paris Rulebook, and on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

“In order for people and communities who are living in vulnerable conditions to transition to clean and reliable energy, while also adapting to the effects of climate change, financial support is imperative. Yet developed countries continue to not take the issue of financial support for climate action seriously,” says Martin Vogel, head of the ACT Alliance delegation at the UN climate conference.

The Suva Expert Dialogue which was held last week to advance work on Loss and Damage is a clear example of how the process is lacking adequate ambition to develop solutions with the most vulnerable.

“Those that are hit the hardest by climate change impacts continue to be ignored in the climate talks. It is not a question of whether the issue of Loss and Damage fits within the agenda of the negotiations, the real issue is the willingness of the international community to support those who are and will continue to face the enormous financial burdens imposed by climate impacts,” Vogel continues.

Looking ahead, the next round of climate talks will be taking place in Bangkok in September, where Parties will convene for one week and will hopefully move from an exercise of note-taking to actual negotiations and commitments to improving the future of our planet.

“Advancement on the Talanoa Dialogue will now be essential to turn the negotiation process into political goodwill to strengthen the climate commitments of Parties at the next COP and to shift away from the focus on national interests, mistrust and shrewd tactics, as witnessed here in Bonn,” says Vogel.

“ACT Alliance is committed to continue to work to ensure that the outcomes moving forward will be embedded in principles of justice, human rights and solidarity,” says Bueno de Faria.

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For additional information, please contact Joanna Patouris, Climate Change Communications Coordinator, ACT Alliance. joanna.patouris@actalliance.org +1 6479715360

The debates on climate change can be endless. There is so much to say, to consider, to reflect upon, and to discuss. However, what we need is action, and we need it now.

At this moment, diplomats from all over the world are engaged in difficult negotiations on how to move forward in our joint struggle to deal with climate change. The negotiations are moving slowly, and one of the most difficult elements up for discussion is climate finance. Coincidently, the talks and outcomes on climate finance might also have the most significant impact on the actual implementation of the Paris Agreement. With little money, or support, only a limited number of the many important decisions made to accelerate climate action might be realised.

While there is an agreement between Parties on the need for climate action, Parties tend to try to avoid making commitments to actually pay for the costs. As a result, previous agreements on climate finance have had loop holes.

You might be thinking, isn’t there already a commitment on climate finance?

Yes, there is agreement between parties to aim to mobilise at least 100 bn USD per year from 2020 and beyond, and yes, there is agreement that climate finance should be “new and additional”. However, there is no agreed definition of what “new and additional” funds means, and there are no rules agreed on how to count to 100 bn USD by 2020, a target which has been committed to by developed country Parties. As a result, the ambitious discussions on financial support to developing countries has become a game of numbers, where the desired effect of making climate finance available and accessible is not realised.

This is why the talks on climate finance at this point of the negotiations might actually have a direct effect on the ambition of climate action that is possible on the ground. Negotiations on climate finance have predominately focused on developing the rules and closing the climate finance loop holes.

Currently, there are no specific rules on how loans could be counted as climate finance. This is problematic as 15% of the climate support offered by the European Investment Bank is in the form of “non-concessional” loans. Non-concessional loans are similar to ordinary loans but are based on market conditions. This type of a loan is not accepted as ordinary development aid because development aid is expected to have an added value. If the same rules applied for climate finance, as they do for development aid, the EU would have to increase their support by almost 300 million Euros a year.

Depending on the outcomes of the current negotiations, the flow of climate finance may increase considerably in the coming years. There should be clearer rules, agreed to by all parties, in order to ensure that support for climate action in developing countries can flow through the appropriate channels.

We need action now!

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Written by Mattias Söderberg, Senior Advocacy Advisor, DanChurchAid

When countries gathered in Paris in 2015 to strike a new climate deal to come in place from 2020, they agreed that in the lead-up to 2020, they would take stock and assess the total level of greenhouse gas emissions released so far. Parties agreed to engage in a collective process to identify what will need to be done to prevent global warming from increasing above the dangerous 1.5°C temperature threshold.

With the government of Fiji presiding over the negotiations, this collective process was named the ‘Talanoa Dialogue’. ‘Talanoa’ is a word used across the Pacific to refer to an inclusive, participatory, and transparent dialogue.

The Talanoa Dialogue is scheduled to run through the year until COP24, and so a preparatory phase was scheduled to take place here in Bonn, during the interim round of climate negotiations. The first session of this dialogue took stock of where we are in terms of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a story-telling sharing process.

Understanding the difficulty of the international community to act together on climate change, an inclusive dialogue through the Talanoa seems so far to have offered a promising opportunity to build enough empathy and pressure for countries to increase their climate actions and ambitions.

However, while the process is well intended, there is no certainty that the dialogue will be carried out in all countries, neither does it ensure that the Dialogue will lead to more ambitious mitigation commitments. So far, the EU and the most vulnerable countries have called on all countries to ramp up their climate targets before 2020. The African Group along with some of the poorest countries have also called on countries with large historical emissions to increase their climate efforts well before the Paris Accord is implemented in 2020.

In October 2018, the international scientific community (IPCC) will release a Special Report on the 1.5°C global warming threshold. The Report will identify where the global cumulative emissions bring the international community in relation to the 1.5°C temperature target. It will also explore how to prevent reaching a 1.5°C temperature increase and how to remain below this temperature threshold. The leaked draft versions of the Report show that there is only a handful of years before overshooting the 1.5°C temperature threshold. In other words, there is absolutely no time to loose and inaction on climate change cannot be excused.

Given the significance of the 1.5°C temperature target, it is essential that the Talanoa dialogue is not only a talking exercise for countries to take stock of their emissions contributions towards the temperature goal, but that it is a dialogue with constructive outcomes. An example of a constructive outcome would be one where every country agrees to ramp-up their mitigation efforts, with some countries doing more to equitably reflect their contributions to global emissions i.e. industrialised countries and historical emitters.

Sticking to a differentiated world of classifying countries into two categories such as Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 as was done in the early 90´s would be unfair today. Countries that are profiting from fossil fuel extraction or from industrial production including, Saudi Arabia and China, must significantly increase their climate actions.

Due to their historical responsibility and their current levels of consumption and pollution, European and other Western countries must significantly increase their emission reduction plans as well as the support to developing countries so that they do not need to rely on fossil fuels as a means for development.

The next few months will present Civil Society and Churches a number of opportunities to engage with local authorities and national governments as part of the Talanoa Dialogue. This participation is key to build the momentum necessary for country leaders to agree to increase their mitigation commitments that were presented in Paris two years ago.

We need to work together in this Talanoa spirit for a safer future for all.

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Written by Bruno Nicostrate, Policy Officer Climate Change and Development, ACT Alliance EU

Yesterday, the UNFCCC climate change conference – also known as the SB48 Intersessional– set off in the German city of Bonn. It is the first of two intersessional meetings to be hosted this year in preparation for the increasingly important 24^th Conference of the Parties (COP24) that will be taking place in Katowice this December. COP24 has been dubbed as, “Paris 2.0” by the UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa in a speech underlining the critical importance for ambitious action at the next COP.

COP24 will hopefully and perhaps most importantly be the space at which parties conclude their work on the Paris Rulebook. The Paris Rulebook will outline the framework and working program that will guide Parties and civil society alike to achieve the targets that were set out in the Paris Agreement.

The negotiations to this point have been painstakingly slow, with large draft-texts and worrying divisions between parties on several issues that are yet to be overcome. As ACT Alliance has a delegation that is present at the SB48 Intersessional, we will work together to play our part in supporting parties as they work to make the full implementation of the Paris agreement happen by 2020.

The reality that we are facing today shows that climate change does not wait for political ‘aha- moments’ or breakthroughs. 2017 was the hottest year on record, breaking the previous temperature record of 2014 by +0.17 °C. The effects of global warming have not spared anyone. People from across the world have experienced severe climate change impacts, ranging from drought in Southern Africa – to flooding and devastating monsoons in Asia and wildfires in North America, to name a few. People that are living in poverty and in vulnerable conditions are hit the hardest, while having contributed the least to the global emissions that has increased global warming.

For this reason, the intersessional meetings that are happening over the next two weeks will be of great importance for parties and civil society to make progress on some critical issues. Amongst the ‘hot topics’ up for discussion are; long-term financial support to developing countries to be able to implement their climate commitments, and a clear principle of effort-sharing for greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

During this SB48 Intersessional, work also needs to progress on the Talanoa dialogue which is meant to create meaningful dialogue and encourage a story-telling between parties and stake-holders on how they are doing in meeting their climate commitments. This process will feed into COP24 with the intention of contributing to raising the ambition of climate actions and commitments.

For ACT Alliance, it is of utmost importance that the Talanoa dialogue includes the stories and experiences of those most affected by climate change. We will work to ensure that the voices of those made most vulnerable by climate change are raised so that their experiences and solutions are given a prominent place in the COP24 deliberations.

The momentum of Paris must be kept alive!

This will entail taking the financial needs of vulnerable communities as well as the need for a speedy transformation away from fossil-fuel dependency seriously. ACT Alliance’s delegation at the Intersessional will of course be present to remind parties that the climate negotiations are not solely a matter of technical negotiations (despite this being central to the session). The negotiations are fundamentally a process that is closely linked to the livelihood and survival of people. The success of the negotiations will determine the possibility of the world to combat climate change and how lives and generations may be protected from future climate change disaster.

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Blog Written by Martin Vogel, Co-Chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Change Working Group.

(Bonn, Germany) As another round of interim climate change negotiations start today in Bonn, Germany, ACT Alliance reiterates its call for urgent action to address climate change and its impacts.

“The international community must now take bold action to address climate change and to adequately respond to its impacts. We cannot afford any delays or to waste any time,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance’s General Secretary.

At the top of the agenda for the Bonn Session is the Talanoa Dialogue that will encourage sharing between parties and stakeholders on progress made towards their climate commitments, the Paris Rulebook that will outline the modalities, procedures and guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and the Suva Expert Dialogue on support for climate induced loss and damage.

“There is now every indication that we have just a few years before surpassing the 1.5 degree global warming target, which means that our policies and actions towards a more volatile climate must be ambitious and unequivocal. The Talanoa Dialogue must quickly translate into building resilience, supporting the most vulnerable and ensuring a higher mitigation ambition,” said Bueno de Faria.

The Suva Expert Dialogue on loss and damage support is expected to advance the discussions on climate finance and other means necessary to respond to the adverse impacts of climate change that go beyond the ability of communities to adapt. Recently, ACT Alliance made a Submission to the UNFCCC in which it called for clarity and a greater allocation of financial, capacity, and technological support towards the protection of vulnerable people, communities, and countries from loss and damage.

“Because there are already serious and exponential climate induced losses and damages, particularly affecting vulnerable people in developing countries, we would like to see a constructive Suva Expert Dialogue. It must lead to concrete outcomes including the reaffirmation of solidarity. Loss and damage must not be sidelined,” said Bueno de Faria.

On the modalities of the implementation of the Paris Agreement, ACT Alliance expressed concern about the slow progress of the Paris Rulebook. “By the end of this year, we need a robust Paris Rulebook with a strong inclusion of transparency and accountability at all levels,” said Martin Vogel, Chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Change Group, and head of ACT’s delegation to the Bonn Session.

“Transparency and accountability in climate action and support are keys for building trust and confidence among countries and must be seen as the hallmark of the guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement,” said Vogel.

It is imperative that climate action is transparent in all aspects related to the provision and use of financial support and in emissions reductions. Every country must make an effort. The Paris Rulebook must be a win-win for all, and the Bonn Session will play a significant role in setting the foundation for this.

ENDS
For further information, contact: Joanna Patouris: Joanna.patouris@actalliance.org , +1 647-971-5360

The Stockholm Forum on Gender Equality (15-17 April, 2018) brought together over 700 activists, academics, politicians and civil society representatives from over 100 countries.

The Forum, which aimed to make progress towards a more gender-equal world was hosted by the Swedish government, the Swedish International Development Agency, the Swedish Institute, and the Folke Bernadotte Academy.

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance’s General Secretary participated in the Forum, and served as the moderator of a discussion on religious legislation and norms, co-organized by ACT member Church of Sweden and the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU). He also engaged as a panellist at a side event on gender inequality and development cooperation. The side event was hosted by the Confederation for Relief and Development (CONCORD) on, “Tackling global gender inequality through development cooperation and feminist policies.”

Panellists explored the role of civil society, government, and donors to contribute to a more gender-equal world. They identified that tackling the critical global problem of gender inequality will require more feminist policies across the world. In addition, in order to promote a more prosperous development agenda, there will need to be a more balanced engagement and inclusion of all women, at all levels of decision making and implementation strategies.

A major concern raised by ACT Alliance is the threat that is posed to the rights and dignity of women on the move. “Women make up about half of the world’s 244 million migrants, and half of the world’s 65 million displaced people. A vast majority of them are insufficiently protected,” said de Faria. “In addition, the policies that have been created and implemented to protect women migrants and women who have been displaced, too often fall-short, and do not offer adequate protection.”

ACT members that engage with people on the move at various points of their journey recognize that those seeking to reach international protection face tremendous difficulties that are exacerbated by increasingly stringent border control measures. “Using border control measures as the primary tool for addressing irregular migration increases situations of vulnerability for people on the move,” said de Faria.

This is particularly true for unprotected women and children who are forced into unsafe and exploitative channels of migration. The risk of exploitation and trafficking is not only pertinent to women who are seeking protection, but also for those who are migrating for better work opportunities.

Women migrants are important global economic actors as 72.7% are part of the labour force. It was estimated that in 2015 international migrants had sent $432.6 billion in remittances back to their home countries. This amount is almost three times the amount of Official Development Assistance, which totalled $131.6 billion for that same year. Many families rely on remittances for improved access to health services and greater livelihood opportunities. Remittances also play an important role in strengthening economies.

“While there is a clear demand for labour migration and there are significant economic benefits, there is a lack of political will to facilitate and regulate labour migration in a rights-based manner, and this is concerning,” said de Faria.

The lack of regulation of labour migration, which may foster poor social protection systems, is a particular concern for many women who are employed in the informal sector and in domestic work.  “Domestic work is not even covered in the national labour laws of many countries. This poses significant threats to gender justice and gender equality, as women make up 73.4% of international migrant domestic workers,” continued de Faria.

ACT Forums and members are directly involved in implementing programmes which challenge gender based inequalities, empower women, and safeguard the rights of women and girls on the move. Some ACT members are engaging at the community level to provide immediate humanitarian assistance for displaced peoples for example, in South Sudan, Uganda, and Bangladesh.

Other ACT members are supporting the reception and integration of migrants and refugees into their local communities and are providing skills-based trainings and other supports to help displaced women to rebuild their lives.

ACT is further engaging in advocacy at the international level to fight for gender equality and for justice and solidarity with people on the move in various intersectional platforms, including the recent Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and the Commission on Population and Development (CPD).

ACT is committed to continue to advocate for the protection of human rights and dignity for all, regardless of their status.