Deeply concerned by the current evidence of growing inequalities and their impacts on the lives of people everywhere, ACT members Bread for the World, Church of Sweden and Norwegian Church Aid gathered representatives of 25 churches and ecumenical organisations from 20 countries in Sigtuna, Sweden in January 2017. We met as people of faith to explore the role of the Church and the resources of diakonia in promoting just societies. We concluded that wealth must be shared fairly for the good of all and that social protection must be guaranteed as the right of all – so that no one shall be left behind.

The deliberations in Sigtuna resulted in a Statement on Theology, Tax and Social Protection, which provides a theological justification for taxation and social protection, and a call to action for the Church’s response in this time of inequality.

Human Beings Not for Sale

ACT members will be involved in leading a workshop called DIAKONIA IN THE TIME OF INEQUALITY at the Twelfth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation this month in Windhoek, Namibia. The Assembly gathers representatives from 145 member churches around the world to deliberate on the role of the Lutheran Church in the years to come.

We hope this workshop will be an important contribution to one of the main themes for deliberation at the Assembly: Human Beings Not for Sale. This theme reminds us that throughout human history, those with power have degraded the living conditions and dignity of those without. Societies that do not respect and uphold the dignity of all human beings are in danger of reducing human beings to objects, whose value is defined in financial and commercial terms.

Churches and faith-based organisations have historically been, and remain today, at the forefront of providing social services and support to those living on the socio-economic margins. We have a critical role to play in working for just societies and securing social protection for all.

The Sigtuna Statement affirms that publically funded social protection is a moral imperative and a human right for all, and particularly for those that have been rendered invisible by current economic and development realities.  The statement also affirms that social protection is an essential requirement for a just society, regardless of a country’s level of economic development.  Taxation is a fundamental instrument for redistributing wealth and for financing the common good so that all can have life in dignity.

A Call to Action for Churches

The workshop DIAKONIA IN THE TIME OF INEQUALITY, which will be held on 13 May, will be an important opportunity to discuss and gather support for this call to action:

We call on churches and faith based organizations everywhere to stand up and demand for fair redistribution of wealth and social protection, as a matter of justice and human rights for all in the following ways:

• Continue pioneering social services and support for those who are left behind, and challenge governments to learn from these innovations to improve public social protection.
• Raise awareness and build local community support to influence policies and actions in favor of social protection, just tax systems and equality at all levels.
• Use the voice of the Church to educate, inspire and transform peoples’ attitudes and behaviors about tax and social protection in all sectors of society.
• Commit to working with others in the public space and engage in relevant policy frameworks and debates to call upon:
  • National governments to guarantee social protection for all and to mobilize the necessary resources through fair taxation.
  • The private sector to recognize that major corporations and the super-rich minority are benefitting at the cost of the majority and that they need to honor tax and labor legislation and be transparent and accountable in their business practices.
  • The leaders in all sectors of society to support policy initiatives for a reformed financial architecture which promotes a more just and equitable redistribution of resources in line with the Common Good and to act upon the international responsibility to leave no one behind.

—–

Gwenneth Berge is ACT’s Senior Advisor on Religion and Development

PRESS RELEASE

Reports about dramatic effects of climate change keep coming, while governments meet for another round of UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany. ACT alliance will follow the meeting closely, and with great concern. Poor and vulnerable people around the world are already suffering from floods, droughts, heatwaves and dramatic storms. The head of the ACT delegation in Bonn, Martin Vogel, said “The coming two weeks are important. Climate change should never be limited to paragraphs in an agreement. It is about people, communities and livelihoods. There is need for climate action, and we hope all governments in Bonn will do what they can to achieve progress. “

The global climate agreement was adopted in Paris one and a half years ago. The agreement is full of commitments and pledges, but the details and rules of how the agreement will be implemented still need to be decided. “The Paris agreement is good, and I am confident that it will deliver results,” Vogel commented. “However, we will not see any results until rules and details are in place. All the loop holes must be closed. There should be no option for countries to back slide on their commitments, or to neglect to take action.”

While world leaders have continued to pledge support for the Paris agreement, the political signals from the new American president, Donald Trump, differ. The new administration has already reduced the climate ambition within the US, and rumors circle about possible changes in the US positions related to the international climate debate.

Vogel commented on the US situation: “Developments in the US are of course important to follow, and I hope president Trump acknowledges that climate change is real, and has an impact. However, the world is bigger than the US, and positive news about countries taking action keeps ticking in from around the world. No matter what happens in the US, we have faith. We can halt global warming, and we can learn how to live with the existing effects of climate change. It is time to act!”

ENDS

1. ACT Alliance is a coalition of 140 churches and faith-based organisations working together in over 100 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.
2. For more information or and interview about this press release contact Martin Vogel. Tel: +46 76 803 41 14; Email: martin.vogel@svenskakyrkan.se 

In a beautiful dawn of April 25, 2017, Durgalal BK and his wife excitedly visited their newly constructed house in the Dalit settlement in Baramchi Village in Sindhupalchok, Nepal. The BK family had a plan to paint their new dream house on the day when Nepal was commemorating the second anniversary of Gorkha quake.  The BKs were one of 142 families in Sindhupalchok who were beneficiaries of the housing project of LWF (the Lutheran World Federation) Nepal, a member of ACT Alliance. A total of 29 houses were constructed in the BK’s Village Development Committee (VDC) with the support of LWF Nepal and Gramin Mahila Srijanashil Pariwas.

After INGOs were given the approval to begin permanent shelter construction in April of 2016, LWF Nepal along with other members of ACT Alliance supported earthquake affected populations to rebuild their houses.  Presently, LWF has completed a total of 356 houses.  LWF plans to construct a total of 1041 houses in Dolakha, Sindhupalchok, Kavre, Lalitpur, Kathmandu and Rasuwa.

The Nightmare

Durgalal, his wife, and their two sons were out of their house when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on April 25, 2015. The quake collapsed his newly built house, killing five goats and some pigs.  Fortunately, his family was unharmed, but the quake left him bankrupt.

The earthquake shattered the lives of most of the people in 14 hard hit districts in Nepal. It killed 8,891 people and injured more than 22,000, flattening over 600,000 residential buildings and partially damaging nearly 300,000 houses.

Immediate Response

Durgalal had heard the name of ACT Alliance and LWF Nepal for the first time when he was roaming here and there in open space right after the earthquake. “A truck with relief materials was stopped near our village. I was given rice, biscuits, beaten rice and a sheet of tarpaulin,” Durgalal said.  The materials brought great respite to Durgalal and his neighbors.  The tarpaulin was particularly important as it provided them shelter and saved them from the rain.

After two months, LWF returned to Baramchi with food packets, livelihood support of NRS 5,000 (about $50 US) and zinc- roofing sheet for each household.  “The support enabled them to establish a temporary shelter in their own place and keep goats and pigs to restart their normal life”, Gopal Dahal, Emergency Reponses and Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator at LWF Nepal says.  Despite an unfavorable environment during the relief phase, ACT Nepal Forum members including LWF Nepal reached 500,000 hard-to-reach earthquake-affected people with lifesaving relief materials. Under the ACT Appeal, ACT members covered 122 VDCs and 6 municipalities in 10 districts with recovery, resilience and reconstruction programs.

Reconstruction Era

Durgalal felt the real spirit of the reconstruction after a group of masons in his village received training on earthquake resistant masonry and he was provided the Rs 50,000 ($500 US) as a first installment of a shelter grant by LWF Nepal. Although the National Reconstruction Authority (the authority who has the mandate of rebuilding following the quake) began in Nepal nine months after the quake, INGOs were only given permission to begin building a year after the earthquake.  It was obvious that earthquake affected people like Durgalal couldn’t feel the reconstruction spirit unless organizations/government reached out to the target population with its permanent shelter construction cash support.

As the Nepal government’s policy provisions to provide shelter grant of Rs 300,000 to each earthquake affected households, ACT members in Nepal has been providing the grant in coordination with National Reconstruction Authority.

Since December, Durgalal has been busy all day rebuilding his community. “I, together with my team of masons, have been involved in community- rebuilding. My team has already completed 5 houses and 4 more are under construction”, Durgalal said.  Skilled and semi-skilled masons have adopted a labor exchange system locally known as Prama Pratha. This practice has saved money for reconstruction and encouraged ‘collective reconstruction’.

Way Forward

ACT members began providing humanitarian support on the first day of the calamity and these organizations continue providing support to earthquake survivors through shelter, livelihood, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), psychosocial and education support.  The Forum is making the link from relief to long-term development in Nepal.   “ACT Alliance Nepal Forum is working on the ‘Build Back Better’ approach. We will collaborate with the government in speeding up the reconstruction and link the recovery and reconstruction initiatives to the long term development,” Dr Prabin Manandhar, Convener of ACT Alliance Nepal forum said.

Umesh Pokharel is Documentation Manager in Lutheran World Federation Nepal.  LWF is a member of ACT Alliance

Washington, D.C. – Despite catastrophic storms, rising temperatures, severe droughts and other devastating environmental events, the United States has ignored its duty to act on the destructive effects of climate change domestically and around the world. In reaction to recent cuts to domestic environmental protection efforts and the denial of the effects that climate change has on the world’s most vulnerable and poorest communities, ACT members joined with a coalition of community and faith leaders from across the religious spectrum joined together on April 29, 2017 at an interfaith vigil to call on the United States to take immediate action on climate change.

Ahead of the People’s Climate March, the group called on lawmakers and leaders to take immediate action to protect our planet and address the impact climate change has on global issues such as natural disasters, hunger, poverty and immigration.

“Climate change impacts each and every one of us. Around the world, its effects are felt through rising temperatures, devastating storms, severe droughts and other environmental events. As people of faith and good conscience, we are called to protect our common home and stand with those who are most impacted by the effects of climate change,” said the Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO of Church World Service. “Serving as an international development and refugee resettlement organization, Church World Service remains committed to standing with the most vulnerable and holding our leaders accountable to addressing climate change. There is no denying the impact climate change has on communities around the world – the time to act is now.”

“The ACT Alliance brings together some 144 faith-based organisations working in 100 countries, and we all stand together to express deep concern for the consequences of climate change on the earth and its people. It is our moral responsibility to act first to support the most vulnerable people struggling to survive and adapt in climate affected regions, but we know that that alone is not enough,” said Alison Kelly, Sustainable Development and UN Representative with the ACT Alliance. “ACT is translating our ecological stewardship into concrete climate action through advocacy, speaking out for climate justice and holding our leaders to account for it. And from all across the world, we stand in solidarity with people of faith in the U.S. as they take action on climate change today.”

“Just as the climate is changing so too must the church change. We cannot – like those in the Capitol and down at the White House – stay walled up in our places of comfort and privilege. We must understand our complicity,” said the Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary of the United Methodist Church. “We must listen to the groaning of creation and to the stories and leadership of frontline communities. And we must step out boldly in solidarity with those who are interrupting systems of oppression and living out God’s radical expression of love for all of creation.”

“The Episcopal Church is committed to working in partnership with the many communities experiencing eco-injustice. Climate change menaces the lifeblood of our economy, our national security, and the very future of humanity and that of many other species. We’re in, as the thousands chanted in Marrakech last November, on fulfilling the U.S. commitment to the Paris Agreement. As people of faith, we must rise to the occasion to honor not only the Paris Agreement, but confront this enormous threat and live out our call to be stewards of God’s creation,” said the Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California.

“Greed is dominating need. The earth, our first Mother, is a gift that not only have we come out of and remains a part of us, but also what we have inherited. We have a shared responsibility for not only what we leave but also how we treat what we inherit,” said Imam Talib Shareef of the Nation’s Mosque, Masjid Muhammad.  “Because the earth is a part of us, when we harm it we harm ourselves. Nearsightedness in our leaders’ attitudes towards climate changes have resulted in abuse of these gifts and has led to excessive pollution from fossil fuels, which are now threatening to destroy the very life, home, gifted to us by the Almighty.”

“We know beyond any doubt that both of these things are true: that people are hurting as a result of increasingly destructive weather patterns, and that we can do something about it,” said the Rev. Rob Keithan of All Souls Church Unitarian, representing the Unitarian Universalist Association. “To ignore or distract from this reality is to evade our most basic obligation as people of faith, which is to have compassion for those who are suffering.”

“Climate change is real and it is being felt by the most vulnerable around the world,” said Armele Vilceus, executive director of the Community Empowerment Network. “I strongly believe that standing together, we can break the vicious cycle of poverty caused by climate change!”

###

On April 18, 2017, John Nduna, General Secretary of the ACT Alliance, took part in a round table convened by the World Bank in Washington, DC, along with senior staff from sixteen other faith based organizations to discuss with the president of the bank the progress that is being made on poverty eradication, and the link between that work and the Sustainable Development Goals.  ACT, along with organizations including the World Council of Churches, the Holy See, Bread for the World, American Jewish World Service, the Aga Khan Foundation USA, Islamic Relief USA, World Vision, spoke about the refugee and migrant crisis and about work to support children in international development and humanitarian work.

Nduna highlighted a new programme ACT has begun in this year, accompanying and raising up the voices of migrant and displaced people, and focusing on a rights-based approach in programme and advocacy work to ensure displaced people have enhanced access to rights and protection.

Dr Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, spoke of importance of faith based organizations as key players in in ending extreme poverty in the world, working in partnerships with other multilateral and bilateral institutions like the World Bank, and also with the private sector, which has trillions of dollars that could be mobilized to meet the aspirations of people around the world.

Speaking as part of a panel on the role of faith inspired actors in ending extreme poverty and advancing the SDGs the next day, Nduna drew links between climate change and humanitarian situations and displacements.  “ACT Alliance believes that true resilience requires a comprehensive, integrated approach that combines Disaster Risk Reduction, climate change adaptation and sustainable development within a framework that addresses social, economic and other forms of inequalities between individuals, communities and states,” Nduna said.

He drew examples from ACT members’ ongoing work in the Horn of Africa, responding to the continuing drought there.  “In the face of drought in Somalia, ACT is working practically to save lives with water and food, school nutrition programmes and hygiene facilities.  But this work is set within a much longer term development programme, and is also engaging in rehabilitation of boreholes, livestock and livelihood interventions and cash transfers where people have depleted all their assets – activities aimed at promoting early recovery and equipping people better to withstand new shocks and setbacks.”

Faith-based organizations like ACT have a particular role to play in addressing climate change, the eradication of poverty and the other SDGs.  “Our religious convictions, social codes and customs tell us about concern for the vulnerable: climate change is leading to unprecedented ecological degradation, affecting in particular the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations. It is an irrefutable moral duty for all governments to agree on concrete and measurable steps towards

global climate justice and partnerships for climate resilience, as a critical component to achieving the the SDGs and bringing in a transformed world – the world we want,” Nduna concluded.

Protecting Bodies – Protecting Rights – Faith Communities and Leaders Enabling Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

ACT Alliance together with World Council of Churches, UNFPA and the government of Norway co-hosted this official Side Event of the United Nations 50^th Commission on Population and Development (CPD 50) in New York on 4 April 2017.

After months of planning the day arrived. To our great joy – the room filled to capacity and people continued to come.  Well over 120 in total. Fortunately there was a good representation of youth in the crowd – so those who didn’t find seats, sat on the floor.

Here are some of my reflections on the event and its implications for ACT:

On matters of gender and sexuality, faith leaders and faith communities are deeply influential in shaping values, attitudes and practices. It is important that we use our faith resources wisely and in ways that affirm life, human dignity and human rights. We recognize that Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights encompasses issues that are highly sensitive for faith communities and that teachings and practices vary within and between religions.

A great success of this Side Event therefore was that we managed to gather different faith perspectives: Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish; theologians, health workers and development practitioners. They helped us to understand some of our blind spots – and also offered very concrete examples of how faith leaders and communities can and do enable sexual and reproductive rights in many different contexts.

Here are some of the learnings and action points that emerged for moving forward:

• • Creating and nurturing spaces for dialogue and knowledge sharing are essential. Majority votes generally don’t work in faith settings and there is much to be gained from consensus –building.  As faith actors, we need to stop asking each other “what” we believe and start asking “why” we believe. Engaging in Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights means grappling with difficult ethical dilemmas and sometimes choosing the greater good over lesser evils.  Moral discernment, critical thinking and willingness to listen to each other are key.
• • It is important to invest in theological reflection. Sometimes we need to go back to the scriptures and not just accept existing interpretations and practices. These practices are often intertwined with cultural practices that may be harmful and out-dated and have nothing to do with what is actually written in scripture.
• • Faith leaders and communities need to embrace human rights agendas as their own. Human dignity is the basis for human rights. Human dignity is central to our faiths.
• • A Christian perspective: Faith based organizations with an agenda for SRHR need to be proactively engaging in moral discernment and not remain comfortable. We need to call out faith leaders when they act in ways that put youth – and in particular girls at risk.
• • A Muslim perspective – Our faith leaders need to be in dialogue with their members and constituencies to better understand their issues and needs.
• • A Jewish perspective – We need to be careful of building fences around laws – and look deeper into the scriptures and how these apply to people’s lives.
• • Language matters.  The words used to name programs, education resources, and other aspects of the work can have a variety of meanings in different cultural contexts.
• • Family planning can be a good entry point for cooperation between FBOs and donors. It is an area of work where it is possible to get some consensus among faith actors on programmatic interventions. A specific recommendation for the future is for donors to earmark funds for FBO family planning initiatives.

ACT Alliance has continued the pilgrimage for gender justice from the Commission on the Status of Women in March to Commission on Population and Development in April. We need to keep the good momentum – and look to continuing the pilgrimage at the UN General Assembly and beyond. Faith leaders and communities are essential to enabling SRHR. And SRHR is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality) are the first of the 17 SDGs that are up for review – and ACT should be ready to show we are making a difference.

—–

Gwenneth Berge is ACT’s Senior Advisor on Religion and Development

The Horn of Africa is once again hit by drought. It is not the first time but this time it is critical. The current drought is projected to become the worst in decades, even worse than the one that led to the 2011 East Africa famine.[1] The good news, providing hope, is that the situation could be mitigated. However, the tragic reality is that little has been done. There is a need for a long-term solution for the region, which is continuously hit by climate change related events.

ACT Alliance is already present in the Horn of Africa. We are helping locals affected by the drought with essentials such as provision of clean drinking water, hygiene and sanitation, food- and cash assistance, emergency health and livelihood support[2].

The worst affected countries are Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya and Northern Uganda where somewhere between 16 and 20 million people are facing hunger[3].  Some of the countries are taking action themselves to try to mitigate the adverse effects of the drought. Kenya has announced that it intends to double its expenditure on food relief and Uganda has shifted some of its development resources to emergency response.[4]

But much more could be done! Droughts do not have to mean that people have to die. In some parts of the Western world, drought and desertification are also common phenomena exacerbated by climate change. In these places droughts do not lead to millions of people going hungry. In places like Israel and Australia, people have adapted to the dry climate using technologies such as drip-irrigation and solar-powered desalination, which could be applied to the drought-stricken countries in the Horn of Africa. However, more low-tech options such as tree planting and switching away from drought-sensitive crops like maize to more resilient ones such as cassava could also make a difference.[5]

Forecasts indicate that the drought will continue for months to come. Spring rains in the Horn of Africa usually fall from March to May and are followed by a dry season during the summer months. However, this year the spring is expected to bring below average rainfalls, which will prolong the drought and thus the risk of hunger. This means that we can expect the crisis to continue at least until the fall rains in October.[6]

Even then, the trials are far from over. Due to climate change, droughts are going to become more frequent and extreme in the future.[7] In Kenya before 1970 there was a serious drought every ten years or so. This had doubled to once every five years by 1980. Today it happens almost every other year.[8] And even though the current drought is largely a result of the recurring La Niña weather phenomenon, a recent study shows that it was exacerbated by climate change[9].

The need for assistance is huge and much more has to done. First, the international community must act to prevent a full-blown disaster. Second, but equally important, the Horn of Africa needs long-term solutions to be able to adapt to the changing climate. Developed countries, having an historic responsibility for climate change, should increase their support to adaptation in this region. If they do not, climate-related disasters may become the tragic norm in the future.

_____________________

Mattias Söderberg, Senior advocacy advisor in DanChurchAid. Was elected co-chair for the ACT Alliance advisory group on climate change advocacy and was the acting head of the ACT delegations to UN climate talks from 2010 to 2015. Was co-chair of the ACT EU climate change working group from 2007 to 2009, and head of the ecumenical COP15 secretariat in 2009. Mattias is originally from Sweden, but live in Denmark.

[1] http://www.undispatch.com/6-million-people-risk-starving-east-africa-climate-change-deserves-part-blame/

[2] ACT Alliance Africa Region – Statement on Horn of Africa Drought

[3] ACT Alliance Africa Region – Statement on Horn of Africa Drought

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/saleh-saeed/dec-appeal-famine-africa_b_15565740.html;

https://www.actionaid.org.uk/blog/news/2017/03/08/east-africa-faces-catastrophic-famine-we-must-act-now

[4] ACT Alliance Africa Region – Statement on Horn of Africa Drought

[5] https://www.israel21c.org/top-10-ways-israel-fights-desertification/; http://inhabitat.com/australian-desert-farm-grows-17000-metric-tons-of-vegetables-with-just-seawater-and-sun/; http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/16/africa/east-africa-drough-el-nino/index.html

[6] http://www.fews.net/east-africa/somalia/special-report/february-21-2017;

http://www.icpac.net/wp-content/uploads/GHACOF45_Statement.pdf

[7] http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/16/africa/east-africa-drough-el-nino/index.html

[8] http://web.unep.org/stories/story/stark-pictures-show-ravaged-land-and-desperate-people-somalia-and-east-africa-face-new-famine

[9] http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/03/23/kenyan-met-office-predicts-rains-fail-sparking-crisis-worse-2011/;

https://wwa.climatecentral.org/analyses/kenya-drought-2016/

March 10^th was a day that brought with it much excitement and some nervousness, as I headed off to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the second time in my life. My enthusiasm was natural, as this is the largest annual gathering of women’s rights activists worldwide – in 2017, 162 Member States and about 4000 civil society representatives from 138 countries gathered in New York. My anxiety was a result of the US travel ban, even though Pakistan was not on the list; luckily I got into the country without any drama. The next day was the Ecumenical Women’s orientation which began by remembering those who could not be at the CSW due to the travel ban. The worship session held at the Chapel of the Church Center of the UN (CCUN) ended with chants of Assalam o Alaikum! It was an amazing experience in an inclusive space where everyone was welcome.

Later that day I got a chance to meet and work with amazing colleagues from the ACT sister agencies. The close collaboration within ACT, prior to and during the CSW, was one of the main strengths of our gender and advocacy work. The ACT office at the CCUN became our home over the next week, where Jillian Abballe and Rudelmar Bueno de Faria from the World Council of Churches assisted with a variety of tasks, from printing documents to finding space for an important discussion. From the ACT side, I was grateful for the guidance of Gunilla Hallonsten and Anoop Sukumaran, as well as Elsebeth Gravgaard (DanChurchAid). Despite the blizzard, ACT was able to host its side event at the UNFPA on the 14^th, with very strong attendance!

During the CSW, it became evident that the appetite for engaging with faith and faith communities is increasing in the donor community and the UN. A lot of diverse groups seem to be interested in this trend and some are jumping on the bandwagon – which brings with it the challenge of the potential for ultra-conservative forces to hijack this positive development. This reminded me of Norwegian Church Aid’s Gender based Violence program in Pakistan and how we used to remind partners to encourage religious leaders to use their platforms for our messages (on gender equality) rather than the other way around!

The CSW side events underscored the need for alliances between progressive elements from various faith backgrounds – the MUSAWAHs and the ACT Alliances of the various faith backgrounds and religions. This was also one of the key messages of the ACT delegation, that progressive faith based organizations can counter the misuse of religion by certain groups that undermine the rights of women and girls and play a positive role to achieve gender justice. While lobbying and learning about how the negotiations were progressing (a colleague was also on the official delegation), the need for clear communication between partners and for devising strategies to overcome politics was reiterated. CSW 61 was also very special as Anoop Sukumaran was able to deliver an oral statement on behalf of ACT at the General Assembly, raising our concerns about sexual and reproductive health rights, gender based violence and the shrinking space for civil society.

After returning, I did hear some worrying news about restricted NGO access (as mentioned here). To stay positive, I recalled a memory from last week, one of hope and the importance of working from within. At the Launch of a Platform on “Gender Equality and Religion for the Gender Responsive Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (where ACT was represented by Clare Paine from Christian Aid) I met Dr. Fadilah Grine. She is the Director of Social and Family Affairs in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an association known for its patriarchal views, but with such a strong Muslim woman constantly pushing boundaries internally and externally, I felt there was hope for us. Staying positive is important for any advocacy initiative.

Later that day I was surprised to learn that the UN CSW 61 Agreed Conclusions were adopted by consensus, as there had been talk that this would not happen at all. Unfortunately, the conclusions did not strongly embrace sexual and reproductive health and rights, or address the shrinking space for civil society.  To me this was a reaffirmation we, as faith communities, have vital work to do in this debate, and that we must work more closely behind the scenes with those who disagree with us.

It has been an honour to be a part of this journey and I am sure the lessons learned this year will help ACT accomplish even more in the year to come!

______________________

Rabia Waqar is a feminist at heart and development practitioner by profession. She has worked for American and European organizations in Pakistan, managing their GBV and Girls’ education programs. She has a Masters degree from Columbia University on a Fulbright scholarship, when she was also selected for Merrill Lynch’s Women’s International Leadership Program (2007-08). Rabia Waqar has been with NCA in Pakistan for 5 years, managing the GBV program there and is currently based in Oslo. 

It’s a very cold March in New York, ice and snow piled up on the street. The atmosphere at the Church Centre for the United Nations which is opposite to the iconic UN General Assembly is celebratory. Women throng the lobby, in colourful attire and determined in their purpose, attending the myriad meetings the building is playing host to during the UN’s 61^st Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The ACT Office is located on the 9^th floor of the same building. It is a privilege to overhear the heated discussions that continue to the elevators ranging from patriarchy, to religion to female genital mutilation.

The ACT Alliance Community of Practice on Gender Justice sits together discussing the details that should go into the ACT Alliance oral statement which is to be presented to the CSW.  Brilliant, passionate and committed feminists from the membership of the ACT Alliance, like Gunilla Hallonsten, Elsebeth Gravgaard, Rabia Waqar, Clare Paine and Rita Muyambo, among others, craft the document.

It is a moment where I personally feel privileged to be in the presence of such committed and inspiring people. Women who have devoted their lives to the cause of women’s empowerment. Women who have challenged patriarchy, and continue to do so every day. Representing the women in a faith movement that has not only questioned patriarchal attitudes in religious and faith discourses, but engendered a feminization of faith based world views. A view where women’s rights and human rights take center stage, where bold interpretations of faith take place, unfettered.

The statement takes shape, we try to put into 2 pages the myriad issues that are important, an exercise that is taxing, as all issues are important, each interrelated with the other. We have our limitations. The oral statement is only 3 minutes long, and we need to prioritize.

The group underlines that one of the key areas we as faith based actors need to address head-on is the issue of parallel legal systems based on custom or religion which are excessively influential in many countries. These systems negatively impact women’s legal rights and economic empowerment. Child marriage and other harmful practices, which  are often upheld by  customary law practices, hinder education and sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls.

The stand of ACT is unequivocal, “A re-engagement with the parallel legal systems and re-interpretations of religious narratives is crucial for ensuring women’s and girls’ economic empowerment, and can lead to effectively challenging and ultimately dismantling patriarchy.

“ACT Alliance emphasizes the positive role that faith, and communities of faith, can play in achieving gender justice. ACT is a progressive faith voice advocating globally on gender justice to counter the misuse of religion by certain groups that undermine the rights of women and girls.”

The statement recognizes the collaborative efforts to empower women as actors in the political sphere, including the need to engage men and boys to address harmful and discriminatory social norms and practices. ACT emphasizes the need for women to have an equal social and legal status so they can powerfully participate in the full realization of human rights and in the fulfillment of Agenda 2030. The full oral statement can be found on the ACT website.

The presentation of the oral statement was delayed. Rabia Waqar, who was to present the oral statement to the CSW was speaking at another event, when we were informed that the ACT Alliance statement would be called to be presented.  I was given the honour to present the statement, an honour not because of the event in which it was being presented, but because of the women from the ACT Alliance and its partners that the statement represented.

The statement is a testament to those women and men who strive hard to break down barriers of patriarchy, to make women’s equality and human rights a reality.

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Anoop Sukumaran, is the ACT Alliance Regional Representative in Asia and the Pacific

ACT Alliance member the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)’s long-term commitment to promote gender justice by focusing on the media was a catalyst for the consultation “Gender and Media – challenges and opportunities in the post 2015 era” conducted right before CSW61 – this year’s 61^st session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York. As a progressive and human rights-based organization, WACC’s consultation highlighed opportunities to advance women’s communication rights and gender justice in and through media.

WACC began engaging with gender and media in 1987, when women’s role in development slowly started to be recognized, and has led to their 2016 campaign to End News Media Sexism by 2020. This campaign marks and supports intensive efforts to underline gender equality in the media as a human rights issue.

THE MEDIA UPHOLDING STATUS QUO

WACC brought the message to the table during the Gender and Media consultation as 19 project partners from 17 countries participated in the important debate. One of them, Vincent Rajkumar from the Christian Institute of the Study of Religion and Society in India and Vice President for WACC Asia, shared an important angle to the discussion on gender and media:

“It is the responsibility of both men and women in the community as equal partners to engage themselves to strive to regain their freedom and space. The way to retrieve their position is through meaningful media engagements. If the media is dominated by the patriarchal system, constructing alternative media is the only option to educate and emancipate and to work to develop gender sensitivity aided by media”.

Vincent added that the media’s representation of gender in India ignores the societal and structural oppression women face every day. “Media are not focusing on those problems. This negative attitude towards women in real life is very much reflected in the way the media represent them as well. Media representations of Indian women reveal that they are less accepted and respected as persons and more looked upon as objects. Media are hardly challenging the gender attitudes promoted and perpetuated by society”.

“WE NEED TO ACT”

Vincent’s reflections on the objectification of women in Indian media illustrate how critical the topic is. WACC’s Global Media Monitoring Project 2015 demonstrated that women make up only 24% of the persons heard, read about or seen in newspaper, television and radio news, exactly as they did in 2010. This is the disturbing reality, which WACC’s General Secretary Karin Achtelstetter points out to stress the urgent need to engage with the issue of ending news media sexism.

“UN Women already understands the vital importance of gender justice in politics, economics, society and culture. WACC’s gender and media work reinforces the approach of UN Women by linking communication rights to sustainable development and to gender equality”, she explains. “One important engagement is to remind news media of their responsibility to uphold ethics on coverage, balance and non-discrimination in terms of gender representations”.

In that way WACC, puts communication rights and gender justice on the agenda to bring the voices of women and girls to the ears of decision-makers who have the ability to change their lives for the better.

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WACC is one of the ACT members who have been participating in CSW61, taking place in New York City March 13-24, 2017.  ACT members engaged on a variety of issues, including gender and media, the role of faith in gender justice, parallel legal structures, access to health care and more.