Stronger commitment needed to protect civil society space
PRESS RELEASE
ACT Alliance is this week raising an alarm over the increasing violation of the space for civil society to operate in Central America.
“The deteriorating situation for civil society organisations and human rights defenders in Central America in general, and in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in particular, is of major concern,” said John Nduna, ACT Alliance General Secretary.
Nduna was addressing the alliance’s forums in Honduras and in Central America upon the recent killing of indigenous rights defender, Bertha Cáceres in her hometown of La Esperanza, Honduras.
While the circumstances of Cáceres’ death are not yet clear, ACT Alliance is urging the Government of Honduras to take decisive action to ensure human rights defenders and civil society organisations in the country are protected.
“Every violation of civil society space, and the rights and freedoms of civil society should be addressed without impunity or exception,” said Nduna. “Governments must exercise their duty to protect human rights defenders, and the international community must show solidarity to the victims of this worrying trend, and hold all perpetrators accountable.”
ACT Alliance, a network of 139 faith based organisations working with communities and governments in over 100 countries globally, has long been assessing political and social developments that impact on the space for civil society and been standing with communities as they assert their human rights.
Research conducted by the alliance found that increasingly, human rights defenders and civil society organisations across the world face considerable risks and restrictions, particularly when they promote democracy, human rights and social justice, despite international recognition of civil society as playing a vital role in advocating respect for human rights, shaping development policies and overseeing their implementation.
This role was acknowledged by the Accra Agenda for Action in 2008 as integral to driving aid and development effectiveness, and was reaffirmed by the subsequent 2011 Busan Partnership for Effective Development.
Yet increasingly, the alliance said, the work of these groups is carried out in a climate of fear where people are subjected to harassment, censorship and inequitable legislation.
“Our experience shows that it is not sufficient for civil society to be left alone in securing and strengthening an enabling environment for development,” said Carlos Rauda, ACT Alliance Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Guaranteeing and protecting the role of civil society actors in their own right requires the support of a wide range of stakeholders, including the international community.”
“We are committed to ensuring that communities, particularly indigenous groups, women’s organisations and other marginalised and disadvantaged groups are able to participate meaningfully in the decision-making processes,” he continued. “It is imperative, because sustainable development and democracy cannot be achieved in the absence of a robust and independent civil society.”
Training people to prepare for more violent storms
ACT Alliance builds the capacity of local communities through an EU initiative.
Lives can be saved if people in local communities know what to do before, during and after a disaster. This is why today (18 February 2018) ACT Alliance, in cooperation with European Universities and with the support of the EU Aid Volunteers initiative, starts a capacity training programme.
“Power through local action is what we aim for. With the climate change, our world is facing more violent storms and more erratic climate patterns than before. But a lot can be done to mitigate the impacts of disasters. If a community is prepared, it can cope”, says Eija Alajarva, Head of Humanitarian Assistance for ACT Alliance member Finn Church Aid.
ACT Alliance starts to train local organisations working with vulnerable communities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nepal, Uganda and South Sudan with funding through the Capacity Building Programme of the EU Aid Volunteers initiative.
The work is part of the 2014–2020 European Commission’s Humanitarian aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) initiative called EU Aid Volunteers, bringing together organisations from different countries and strengthening the local capacity of disaster-affected communities.
During 2016–2017, ten member organisations of ACT Alliance, a global coalition of faith-based humanitarian and development organisations, will train 64 local organisations working in eight disaster-prone countries.
The focus is to train local and regional trainers, as they will be able to spread their expertise well beyond the lifespan of the project. The training consists of approaches for reducing disaster risks, working on Emergency Preparedness and strengthening knowledge and understanding of Humanitarian Principles and Standards.
The training builds on the extensive experience of ACT Alliance work, as well as on the academic knowledge of the three university partners, the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Wageningen University in the Netherlands and the CARITAS – College of Social Work Olomouc in the Czech Republic.
Training is done through blended learning, which integrates traditional in-person training to online training through an e-learning platform.
The local organisations can also obtain the EU Aid Volunteers Certification, which qualifies them to receive professional support from volunteers through the EU Aid Volunteers initiative.
To further strengthen local capacities, the consortium also plans to send volunteers, at the next phase of the initiative, to work along the local partners and support them to cope with and be prepared for disasters. Join us to empower local actors!
Through the EU Aid Volunteers initiative, from 2016 to 2020, altogether 4,000 EU citizens will get the opportunity to do humanitarian work. The initiative will also provide capacity building for 4,400 people from non-EU, disaster-affected countries, and 10,000 online volunteering opportunities.
ACT Alliance consortium partners
Europe: Christian Aid (UK), Dan Church Aid (Denmark), Diaconia ECCB (the Czech Republic), Finn Church Aid (Finland) and ICCO (the Netherlands) South: RDRS (Bangladesh), Life With Dignity (Cambodia), Bureau Oecuménique d’Appui au Développement (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Church of Uganda, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus
More information: Ulla Kärki, Communications Officer Finn Church Aid, ulla.karki(at)kua.fi
+358 50 576 7948
ACT Guatemala Forum supports investigation into crimes against women
Statement in solidarity with the women witnesses in the Sepur Zarco case in Guatemala
As faith-based organisations, the ACT Alliance Guatemala Forum has expressed their solidarity with the women witnesses in the Sepur Zarco case in Guatemala.
In a trial initiated in Guatemala in February 2016, eleven indigenous Maya Q’eqchi’ women have stood up and are asking for justice for a serious of grave crimes committed against them during the civil war in the 1980s, including sexual and domestic slavery. This trial is historic since it marks the first time that a national tribunal is investigating crimes of sexual violence perpetrated in the context of an armed conflict in the same country.
During the civil war in Guatemala, these women were denied their rights as civilians and non-combatants to be protected by International Humanitarian Law. During a period of several years they were subjected to repeated violations of their human rights and were forced to survive under degrading circumstances that caused severe pain and suffering.
As ACT Alliance, we greet and celebrate the efforts made by the Public Prosecutors Office in Guatemala as well as the efforts made by Guatemalan civil society organisations who have worked tirelessly to investigate and prepare the Sepur Zarco trial.
We express our support and admiration for the witnesses who have shown great dignity and bravery in coming forward to tell of the horrors that they lived through during the civil war; and we ask the international community, the United Nations, international civil society organisations and other actors to closely follow, monitor and accompany this process to reveal the truth and obtain justice for the grave crimes committed against these women.
The human rights violations carried out against the women of Sepur Zarco cannot be undone, but we can all join forces to work for justice and do our best to ensure that these crimes against humanity are never repeated.
Myanmar Flood
CYCLONE SURVIVOR TOOK PART IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Maung Phyu Hla is currently working as an Assistant Education Officer for ACT Alliance member LWF in Rakhine State, Myanmar. When Cyclone Komen hit the region last year, he actively took part in the emergency response team of LWF even though his family was severely affected by the flood.
“I was together with my family when the cyclone came. My family had to evacuate and stay together with other people for two days in a monastery which was not flooded. We had to evacuate to the monastery in a small boat and ate only what was available in the monastery “
Click on the picture to read the story
ACT responds as refugees arrive at Nduta camp in Tanzania
Myanmar floods: the story of U Kyaw Thein
MYANMAR FLOODS: CROPS DESTROYED, LIVESTOCK LOST
U Kyaw Thein, 61, lives a simple life in the quiet Bauk Ywar village, located in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State. He has engaged in subsistence farming to support his family, planting rice in the wet season, and alternating it with maize during the dry season.
Click on the picture to read the story
An appeal to end the suffering in Syria
Thousands of Syrian refugee families now living in Jordan escaped the violence of civil war to save their lives – and left with nothing. Working with community based partners, IOCC, an ACT Alliance member, is distributing warm clothing, winter blankets, food, hygiene kits, mattresses, insulating rugs, and school kits to Syrian refugee families living in the capital city of Amman and the Jordanian governorates of Irbid, Mafraq, Ajloun, Jerash, and Madaba. ACT member IOCC is also providing winter relief items as well as household items such as cookware and food parcels to vulnerable Jordanian families to help ease the burden of those hosting Syrian refugees or indirectly affected by this humanitarian crisis. Photo: Paul Jeffrey
More than 120 humanitarian organizations and United Nations agencies issued a joint appeal today urging the world to raise their voices and call for an end to the Syria crisis and to the suffering endured by millions of civilians. The appeal also outlines a series of immediate, practical steps that can improve humanitarian access and the delivery of aid to those in need inside Syria. You are invited to “sign” the appeal simply by liking, sharing, and retweeting it.
Three years ago, the leaders of UN humanitarian agencies issued an urgent appeal to those who could end the conflict in Syria. They called for every effort to save the Syrian people. “Enough”, they said, of the suffering and bloodshed.
That was three years ago.
Now, the war is approaching its sixth brutal year. The bloodshed continues. The suffering deepens.
So today, we — leaders of humanitarian organisations and UN agencies — appeal not only to governments but to each of you — citizens around the world — to add your voices in urging an end to the carnage. To urge that all parties reach agreement on a ceasefire and a path to peace.
More than ever before, the world needs to hear a collective public voice calling for an end to this outrage. Because this conflict and its consequences touch us all.
It touches those in Syria who have lost loved ones and livelihoods, who have been uprooted from their homes, or who live in desperation under siege. Today, some 13.5 million people inside Syria need humanitarian assistance. That is not simply a statistic. These are 13.5 million individual human beings whose lives and futures are in jeopardy.
It touches the families who, with few options for a better future, set out on perilous journeys to foreign lands in search of refuge. The war has seen 4.6 million people flee to neighbouring countries and beyond.
It touches a generation of children and young people who — deprived of education and traumatized by the horrors they have experienced — increasingly see their future shaped only by violence.
It touches those far beyond Syria who have seen the violent repercussions of the crisis reach the streets, offices and restaurants closer to their homes.
And it touches all those around the world whose economic wellbeing is affected, in ways visible and invisible, by the conflict.
Those with the ability to stop the suffering can — and therefore should — take action now. Until there is a diplomatic solution to the fighting, such action should include:
– Unimpeded and sustained access for humanitarian organizations to bring immediate relief to all those in need inside Syria
– Humanitarian pauses and unconditional, monitored ceasefires to allow food and other urgent assistance to be delivered to civilians, vaccinations and other health campaigns, and for children to return to school
– A cessation of attacks on civilian infrastructure — so that schools and hospitals and water supplies are kept safe
– Freedom of movement for all civilians and the immediate lifting of all sieges by all parties
These are practical actions. There is no practical reason they could not be implemented if there is the will to do so.
In the name of our shared humanity… for the sake of the millions of innocents who have already suffered so much… and for the millions more whose lives and futures hang in the balance, we call for action now.
Now.
21 January 2016
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Chairperson, BRAC, Bangladesh
Zairulshahfuddin bin Zainal Abidin, Country Director, Islamic Relief Malaysia
Ryoko Akamatsu, Chairperson, Japan Committee for UNICEF
Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, CEO, Plan International
Richard Allen, CEO, Mentor Initiative
Dr. Haytham Alhamwi, Director, Rethink Rebuild
Steen M. Andersen, Executive Director, Danish Committee for UNICEF
Barry Andrews, CEO, GOAL Ireland
Nancy A. Aossey, President and CEO, International Medical Corp
Bernt G. Apeland, Executive Director, Norwegian Committee for UNICEF
Dr. Mohamed Ashmawey, CEO, Islamic Relief Worldwide
Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General, CEO, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Lina Sergie Attar, co-founder and CEO, Karam Foundation
Carmelo Angulo Barturen, President, Spanish Committee for UNICEF
Ileana Bello, Executive Director, Defence for Children International
Gudrun Berger, Executive Director, Austrian Committee for UNICEF
Tomaž Bergoč, Executive Director, Slovenian Foundation for UNICEF
David Bull, Executive Director, United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF
Vivien Maidaborn, Executive Director, The New Zealand National Committee for UNICEF
Blanca Palau Mallol, President, Andorran Committee for UNICEF
Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO, Church World Service
Carolyn Miles, President and CEO, Save the Children USA
David Miliband, President and CEO, International Rescue Committee
Mr. Juraj Mišura, President, Slovak Committee for UNICEF
James Mitchum, Chief Executive Officer, Heart to Heart International
David Morley, President and CEO, Canadian UNICEF Committee
John Nduna, General Secretary, ACT Alliance
Stephen O’Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund
Ignacio Packer, Secretary-General, Terre des Hommes International Federation
People in Need
Dato Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus, President, Mercy Malaysia
Plan, Norway
Peter Power, Executive Director, UNICEF Ireland
Sarina Prabasi, Chief Executive Officer, WaterAid America
Chris Proulx, President and CEO, LINGOS, United States
Dr. Jihad Qaddour, President, Syria Relief and Development
Red Cross, Netherlands
Curtis N. Rhodes Jr., International Director, Questscope
Michel Roy, Secretary General, Caritas International
Paolo Rozera, Executive Director, Italian Committee for UNICEF
Dr. Tessie San Martin, President and CEO, Plan International USA
Christian Schneider, Executive Director, German Committee for UNICEF
Rev. Thomas H. Smolich, S.J. International Director, Jesuit Refugee Service
Janti Soeripto, Interim CEO, Save the Children, International
SOS Kinderdorpen, Netherlands
Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO, United States Fund for UNICEF
Marie Soueid, Policy Counsel, Center for Victims of Torture
John Stewart, President, Australian Committee for UNICEF Limited
Odd Swarting, Chair, Swedish Committee for UNICEF
William L. Swing, Director General, International Organization for Migration
Florence Syevuo, Global Call to Action against Poverty, Kenya
Daigo Takagi, Association for Aid and Relief, Japan
Tearfund, UK
Terre des Hommes International Federation
Constantine M. Triantafilou, Executive Director and CEO, International Orthodox Christian Charities
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary, World Council of Churches
Monique van ‘t Hek, Director, Plan Nederland
Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace
Pierre Verbeeren, Director, Medecins du Monde, Belgium
Damien Vincent, Executive Director, Belgium Committee for UNICEF
Sandra Visscher, Executive Director, Luxembourg Committee for UNICEF
Vrouwen tegen Uitzetting, Netherlands
Tove Wang, CEO, Save the Children Norway
David A. Weiss, President and CEO, Global Communities
Kathrin Wieland, CEO, Save the Children Germany
Jan Bouke Wijbrandi, Executive Director, Dutch Committee for UNICEF
Nancy E. Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Relief International
Carolyn Woo, President and CEO, Catholic Relief Services
Daniel Wordsworth, President and CEO, American Refugee Committee
Samuel A. Worthington, CEO, InterAction
Leila Zerrougui, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Mohammad Zia-ur-Rehman, Chief Executive, AwazCDS and Pakistan Development Alliance
A better world is threatened by inequality
ACT Alliance today joined top international charities, human rights campaigners, women’s rights groups, green groups, civil society organisations and trade unions in a statement decrying the level in inequality in the world today. The organisations committed themselves to fight the growing crisis of inequality together. The statement was launched as some of the world’s richest and most powerful gather in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.
“Fighting inequality is one of the most urgent priority for ACT Alliance, and it should very well be the priority of all governments, civil society and all sectors of society, “ says John Nduna, ACT General Secretary.
The current food insecurity crisis in Ethiopia appears to be a result of a combination of factors, including the pre-El Niño failure of the spring rains and the El Niño induced late onset, erratic and early cessation of the main summer rains.
Click on the image to see the infographic
[INFOGRAPHIC] Drought emergency in Ethiopia
The current food insecurity crisis in Ethiopia appears to be a result of a combination of factors, including the pre-El Niño failure of the spring rains and the El Niño induced late onset, erratic and early cessation of the main summer rains.
ACT Alliance builds the capacity of local communities through an EU initiative.
