ACT Alliance has revised its Humanitarian Policy. This revised 2021 ACT Alliance Humanitarian Policy replaces previous versions. Accompanying guidelines and tools are provided for members in support of this policy which will be continually updated and improved based on learnings from their practical application.
ACT Humanitarian Policy 2021 EN
ACT Humanitarian Policy 2021 SP
ACT Humanitarian Policy 2021 FR
ACT Alliance has a strategic membership composition committed to sharing and working together at all levels and capable of adding value with an effective humanitarian response, high quality long-term development and advocacy. The identity, operations and communications of ACT Alliance inspire member collaboration and strategic relationships as part of the ecumenical movement and civil society and with other faith-based organisations.
As a global humanitarian, development and advocacy network, ACT Alliance recognises the important role of relationships with key stakeholders in the humanitarian and development sectors. In its Founding Document, the alliance made the commitment that “we will build relationships, strengthen effectiveness and avoid duplication through our cooperation.”
The scope of this policy is limited to formal relationships; both short- and long-term, which ACT Alliance aims to develop with institutions which are not members of the alliance. ACT will make an effort to support and benefit from relationships at all levels, taking into consideration the respective contexts. This policy will guide all ACT external relationships in order to enable the alliance to “work closely with other national, regional and international ecumenical, inter-faith and civil society organisations that share similar objectives1.” This policy supports and encourages a range of informal relationships and connection with Faith Based Organisations (FBOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), international organisations including the UN and others, and will support existing relationships of members. It will neither prescribe nor limit the ability and possibility of members and forums to engage with a wide spectrum of stakeholders. External relations will be guided by the alliance’s vision and mission.
ACT External Relations Policy 2016 E
In run-up to High Level Ministerial Meeting on of the Implementation Sendai Framework 2015-2030: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction – Regional Office for the Americas, 8-9 June 2016
Country: Bolivia
Project name: Building thriving and resilient livelihoods for forest women in Bolivia
Main activity to highlight:
This project used an integrated approach to strengthen the capacity of communities in Palos Blancos to diversify their livelihoods, make adaptations to agricultural practices to account for climate change, and explicitly include women.
What resulted was increased awareness of risk, and the formation of community driven action plans; the integration and complementarity of community action into local authority activities; increased sustainable livelihoods, and household level income; and the empowerment and inclusion of local women’s group at local and district level.
Activities involved:
Action plans emerged from the community level PVCA process, as well as the establishment of risk management units (as requested by women’s’ groups) in 2 communities to put those responsible within the action plans to task. As a result of the coordination efforts of the Women’s Enterprise Association in Tucupi district, the community participatory processes and risk management activities of this project have been recognised by the Bolivian Government and ECHO, and will be implemented in neighbouring communities and municipalities of Bolivia to increase the resilience of communities living in flood prone areas across the Amazon.
Quote from beneficiaries:
“Previously we did not have bananas for cooking; we had to go to the market to buy them for 2 or 3 bolivianos. But now we can support our families and our husbands to from the sale of [our] bananas … We have also had workshops where we learned many things, for example we have developed our organisational profile to present and knock on doors [referring to the PVCA workshops and community action plans that has allowed women to advocate and lobby the municipality for the construction of latrines with septic tanks] and we also have learned to graft plants. This is the first time we have a communal plan like this, because before we had never heard of PVCA methodology. With this training our organisation of women are better organised to lobby.” – Sra. Carmen Quispe President of the Women’s Producers Organisation “Siempre Unidas” which translates as Always United from San Miguel de Huachi.
For more information, please contact: Mandeep Mudhar MMudhar@christian-aid.org)
The Membership and Observer Agreements outlines roles and responsibilities of ACT Alliance members and observers, of governance and secretariat, the settlement of disputes as well as complaints and makes a reference to the grounds of suspension or exclusion of members and observers. There is a specific agreement covering Voting Members and another covering Observer Members. The agreement is mandatory and must be signed by the management of each ACT member and observer organisation. The policy sets a deadline for the signature of the agreement it also establishes that the membership will not be activated until the membership or observer agreement is duly signed.
Membership-Observers Agreements Policy – ENGLISH
Membership-Observers Agreements Policy – SPANISH
Analysis towards a climate-friendly future
ACT members and forums throughout the world are involved in advocacy on different issues and at different levels on a daily basis. Situations that require immediate action, or global support from the wider membership of the ACT Alliance may arise. In such cases, ACT Alliance will use its influence and contacts to immediately lobby or advocate.
Therefore, the ACT Alliance Urgent Advocacy Call is a mechanism for ACT members and forums to ask for global support in emerging difficult situations. It serves to mobilise the entirety of ACT Alliance towards major issues and cases where quick advocacy action is required
The objective of the ACT Alliance Urgent Advocacy Call is to enable ACT members and forums at national and regional level to call upon the global ACT Alliance for solidarity and action on advocacy when this is needed urgently. Where necessary, resources can be mobilised from the alliance membership to support the urgent advocacy action.
The ACT Alliance Urgent Advocacy Call responds to issues faced by all ACT members, forums and their partners in the following situations:
This is in cases where either individuals or organisations are being, or run the risk of being, persecuted, jailed or in other ways face substantial threats in the course of their work.
This is a situation where the political or human rights situation is rapidly deteriorating, ACT members are affected, and regional or global response or solidarity is needed.
This is a situation where an ACT member, national or regional forum, involved in a particular advocacy process, requests that ACT members globally reinforce this with targeted advocacy in their respective countries or at international arenas, such as the UN Security Council, UN Human Rights Council, AU, EU, etc.
Coordinated by the ACT secretariat, the urgent advocacy call will be issued to the membership of ACT Alliance, elaborating specific actions to be taken. A call for action can be limited to certain members, based on the relevance of the issue and their capacity to act. The number of recipients will depend on the target group for the request as outlined by the relevant ACT forum.
Upon receiving an urgent advocacy call ACT Alliance members are requested to take local, national, regional and international advocacy actions to address and influence the situation. The level of action will be determined by the context, and will range from the minimum support of posting statements on their own website and referencing it publicly; proactive press release citing partner or setting up online action; to active lobby or campaigning action. This could include maximising the use of their networks, communication channels, campaign capacity, political and diplomatic contacts and so forth.
For more information and the from/template click here
(ACT Alliance Urgent Advocacy Call templates/forms)
