As world leaders acknowledge the links between climate change and poverty at the UNGA Post-2015 Summit, which opened in New York today, ACT Alliance called for increasing urgency to address the impacts of climate change.

Addressing a parallel event focusing on the role of faith-based actors in sustainable development, the international humanitarian and development network said that the SDGs must steer the world onto a sustainable pathway towards poverty eradication.

“Ending extreme poverty starts with addressing climate change, as a key pillar of our moral imperative,» said ACT Alliance General Secretary John Nduna, addressing faith leaders and political dignitaries. “Mother earth weeps for climate justice. As long as we human beings abuse mother earth, ending extreme poverty will be an illusion.”

“Climate change denies people and communities the ability to overcome poverty,” he continued. “Without  rain in sub-Saharan Africa, people cannot grow their food or feed their families. When streets and fields flood in Asia, communities lose their livelihoods and lives. As the sea level rises in the Pacific, people are stripped of their land and risk statelessness. Our leaders must urgently and adequately confront climate change.”

ACT Alliance has engaged in work related to climate justice and sustainable development since 2010, from community mobilisation to high level political engagement.

“While we celebrate the adoption of the  SDGs,” said Nduna, “we must now urgently stand together, ready, excited and motivated begin working in partnership with one another for the effective implementation of these goals.”

The negotiations towards the new global development framework continues to build momentum towards the UN climate change meeting (COP21) which will take place in Paris, France, in December.

“The ambition that we see with the adoption of the SDG framework today must translate to concrete action in Paris at COP21,” said Nduna. “Sustainable Development and poverty eradication is largely dependent on the ambition of the climate agreement to be adopted in Paris. Progress on SDGs should encourage parties to come up with a strong, fair and equitable climate agreement.”

On Friday 13th March a category 5 Tropical Cyclone Pam lashed the islands of Vanuatu bringing with it destructive winds surpassing 300kph, heavy rainfall, storm surges and flooding. The eye of the cyclone passed close to Efate Island, where the capital Port Vila is located causing extensive and widespread damage.

Six months, ACT Alliance members continue to help the communities in Vanuatu. Click on the image below to see the gallery that we have prepared to remember the emergency relief.

World leaders must remember that those who have contributed least to the climate crisis face the its severest consequences said ACT Alliance members from Asia Pacific yesterday as they highlighted the increasing vulnerability of coastal areas in Asia and the Pacific to the impacts of climate change.

Speaking at the launch event of the ACT Alliance Asia/Pacific Forum in New Delhi on Monday, 14 September, members of the global humanitarian and development network said that over 90 percent of the disasters impacting vulnerable communities in the region, most of which are environment and climate related, go unnoticed in the global arena.

The creation of the ACT Alliance Asia/Pacific Forum brings together ACT Alliance members to advance strategic joint action in these disaster prone regions.

“Over 200 million people are affected by disasters every year in Asia and the Pacific,” said Anoop Sukumaran, ACT Alliance representative for Asia and Pacific. “The poor and vulnerable communities should be given a fair and just chance to develop their lives and livelihoods and to get all support they need to adapt to the impacts of the climate change.”

Supporting Sukumaran’s comments, Executive Director of Uniting World in Australia Rob Floyd said: “It is a matter of survival. For many people in the Pacific islands the impact of climate change questions their very existence as people.”

ACT Alliance is running a global campaign (www.actclimate.org) to scale up action for climate justice as the world leaders prepare for a UN summit in Paris in December 2015 where a global climate agreement will be reached.

“Public action is needed to put pressure on world leaders to stop catastrophic climate change,” said Sushant Agrawal, Moderator of ACT Alliance. “While we globally mobilise support for climate justice we also stand with communities to support their resilience and livelihoods as they seek to adapt to the changes around them.”

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Notes to editors:

1. ACT Alliance is a global coalition of more than 140 churches and faith-based organizations working together in over 140 countries to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalized people regardless of their religion, political beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality while keeping with the highest international codes and standards.
2. For more information contact ACT Alliance Director, COO Pauliina Parhiala on + 41 79 963 53 33 or Estelle Marais, Head of Communications on + 41 79 358 3171

See below some photos of thee launch event of the ACT Alliance Asia/Pacific Forum in New Delhi on Monday.

During the last 20 years, the Czech Republic has been struck by extreme floods of great extent, numerous flash floods of local importance and uncommon natural disasters such as tornado in 2013.

Global climate change may contribute to more extreme weather events like these and communities need to be ready.

Dolni Berkovice, a village with 1.500 inhabitants in the Central Bohemia Region, has always been endangered by the river Elbe.

However, no one remembers the floods to be as destructive as in the last decade.

The village has been flooded three times in 11 years.

The first floods came in 2002, followed by flood in 2006 and lastly in 2013. Even though plenty of work on mitigation measures has been done and a functional and effective rescue system has been established, the protection of vulnerable inhabitants has still many gaps.

ACT member Diaconia ECCB – The Centre for Relief and Development has launched a project named “Resilient Municipality” with goal of promoting resilience of communities such as Dolni Berkovice to fill in these gaps. Since it is a community managed disaster risk reduction project, the inhabitants themselves identify the unresolved issues and they will achieve the positive change with our guidance and support.

It is not all about flood barriers, but more about accepting the responsibility of their own protection and also the safety of their neighbors.

So far, the project is being run in three communities – Dolni Berkovice, Terezin in Northern Bohemia and Sobeslav in Southern Bohemia. It is a pilot project and such activities had never been implemented in the context of the Czech Republic before.

Young people from different Christian churches from remote areas and from major urban centers in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia will be connected via internet tomorrow, August 28, to participate in the first on-line session of the International Diploma in Culture of peace, equity and sustainability.

The Diploma, part of the project «Emprendemos Paz» carried out by CREAS (1), with the support and in partnership with Christian Aid (2), is an initiative to build capacity for the promotion of cultural peace in young adult leaders from different churches in Central America and Colombia. «With this project, we aim to make the young people have a positive social role and can make a difference in building peace projects with equity from the perspective of faith,» said Humberto Shikiya, General Director of CREAS.

Meanwhile, Mara Manzoni Luz, Deputy Head of the Division of Latin America and the Caribbean Christian Aid, welcomed the launch of the diploma, noting: «We are confident that this Diploma will  boost the renewal of the leadership of the churches. In times as complex as these, we live in a region that the faith-based organizations are called to give a deep testimony. This way, the young adults can express new energy and creativity in this process.”

The four-months diploma will take place through virtual and classroom sessions, and support the development of proposals that can be developed in the context of young adult participants. «Through the design and implementation of sustainable and replicable initiatives and projects, we look to strengthen the vocations of young adults in contributing to processes of social change,» said Humberto Shikiya.

«With this project, we aim to make the young people have a positive social role and can make a difference in building peace projects with equity from the perspective of faith,» said Humberto Shikiya, General Director of CREAS.

The pedagogical coordination of the Diploma will enable the use of ICT and social networks like Facebook and Twitter, to create a community of learning and practice, where the participants can exchange challenges and proposals online from a regional and inclusive perspective. It is noteworthy that 50% of young participants will be women.

With this training process, CREAS and its partners are committed to revitalize the action of church, broaden the approach of Christian youth, strengthen its leadership in the transformation of local communities and create opportunities to generate sustainable answers to face the challenging economic, political and social context of the region. (3)

This project is developed by CREAS in cooperation with universities and organizations in countries where the diploma will be implemented, including: University Corporation Reformed (Colombia),Mencoldes (Colombia), Justapaz (Colombia), Foundation University Baptist, University Maya Kaqchikel (Nicaragua), FUNVIPAZ of El Salvador, University Lutheran Salvadoran, Evangelic University Martin Luther King of Nicaragua and Honduras CASM.

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CREAS is a regional, ecumenical and multidisciplinary organization. Since 2000, carries out activities of cooperation, capacity building and knowledge production to generate and sustain processes of change in Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information about CREAS: http://www.creas.org / Follow us: www.facebook.com/CreasCentroEcumenico / https://twitter.com/CreasTwitt

Christian Aid is a global development organization based in the UK, as part of the movement for social justice, work for profound changes to eradicate the causes of poverty and achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all and all, regardless of their faith or nationality. For more information about Christian Aid visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk

CREAS and Christian Aid are members of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of over 140 churches and church organizations, working together for humanitarian assistance, promotion and development. More details on https://stage.act.acw2.website

Araga Danrani, 75, (pictured above: LWR/Emily Sollie) is a farmer living in Niger, in the West African Sahel. Over the past few years Niger and surrounding countries have experienced a combination of drought and rising food prices that has left more than 18.7 million people at risk for hunger.

Not long ago Mr. Danrani had to leave whole fields on his farm vacant because he couldn’t afford enough seeds to plant them. Now he’s participating in ACT member Lutheran World Relief’s Resilience Plus project, aimed at helping farmers in West Africa support their families, continue to produce crops and become resilient against changing weather patterns.

Across West Africa, the Resilience Plus project has reached more than 79,000 people with agricultural training that will help farmers grow food despite the challenging conditions. In partnership with a local cooperative of more than 7,800 farmers, Lutheran World Relief has distributed fast-growing, disease-resistant millet seeds so that farmers can continue to plant this traditional dietary staple.

Lutheran World Relief has also provided cash-for-work projects that give families the opportunity to earn income for doing work that will help preserve natural resources.

After receiving an allotment of improved millet seeds, Araga planted his vacant fields. From an original distribution of nearly 18 pounds of seeds, he harvested 1,239 pounds of millet. He saved seeds from his harvest for replanting, and expects to harvest even more this year.

«If not for this project,» he says «my family and I would have had to leave because of hunger.»

Thankfully Araga does not have to leave his farm in search of work and is able to stay on his farm, work hard and make a living to support his family.

Learn more about Lutheran World Relief’s work in resilience.

A partner of the ACT Allliance Joint Programme in Zambia, the Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA) has made a difference in the lives of a Solwezi based family after helping them reclaim land that had been grabbed from them by a named local Church.

“I am very happy that our family land has been given back to us after so many years,” said the family representative, Mr. Alex Mukube Mwanza. “I am highly indebted to Zambia Land Alliance and appreciate the work they are doing in the lives of many other people facing similar challenges in the district.”

ZLA Enhancing Sustainable Livelihoods Through Land Tenure Security (SULTS) project Solwezi Coordinator, Marvelous Chansa, narrated how the problem began: “It all started in 2000 when the named Church rented a piece of land from Mr. Mwanza (now deceased) to temporarily use for their meetings,” he reported.

However after Mr. Mwanza’s death, the Church started to put up a permanent structure without the permission of other family members. Mr. Mwanza’s son, Mr. Alex Mukube Mwanza decided to follow up the issue with the Church and was surprised to learn that the church had even began the process of titling the land.

“We held several meetings with church representatives to try and resolve the matter but no progress was made and we failed to reach a conclusion,” said Mr. Mwanza. “This prompted us to seek solutions on the matter elsewhere and we approached various places and people but failed to get the kind of help we needed.”

In June 2014, a neighbour that had heard of the ZLA advised the family to seek the support of the organisation for advice on their land issues. He was advised to follow the matter using appropriate and well established channels.

“I was advised by the Paralegal Officer at ZLA to seek the attention of the Area Development Committee (ADC) as the starting point,” he said. “As soon as I delivered the referral letter given, the Rural Development Committee (RDC), took action and a letter was written to the church to convene a meeting to facilitate the hearing from both parties and seek the way forward.”

The church refused to attend the meeting and the ZLA advised the family to institute civil court proceedings against the church. On November 6, 2014, the court ruled in favour of the family and the church was ordered to vacate the premises before a set date.

The Zambia Land Alliance is a network of NGOs working for just land policies and laws that take into account the interests of the poor. The organization promotes secured access, ownership and control over land through lobbying and advocacy, research and community participation. The organization has district offices in Kitwe, Chingola, Petauke, Chipata,

Monze, Lusaka, Mansa and Gwembe. It is present in Solwezi through the European Union and DCA funded SULTS project.

The alliance began as a committee in 1997 to coordinate activities of member NGOs. The formation of the alliance was necessitated by the Zambian Government’s land reform process initiated in the early 1990s.

A woman carries her child from their half-submerged house in Nyaung Tone, Ayeyarwaddy Delta, about 60 miles southwest of Yangon, Myanmar. Friendly nations and international relief organizations are mobilizing to give disaster assistance to Myanmar, where 69 people have died and another 260,000 been affected by widespread flooding fed by more than a month of heavy monsoon rains and a cyclone. (Photo: AP/Khin Maung Win)

Myanmar is experiencing its worst floods in decades. Finn Church Aid local partners have already begun to assess the extent of damages and the needs for assistance. People affected by the floods are provided with shelter materials, food, clean water and supply packages.

The floods were caused by heavy rains brought to neighbouring Bangladesh by the typhoon Komen on 30 July.

According to international relief organisations, 260,000 people have been affected by the floods. Death toll is 69, but expected to rise, since not all affected areas have been reached due to challenging conditions.

Both coastal and mountain regions are flooding, and the rains have resulted in landslides in the mountains. The Myanmar government has declared four regions as disaster zones (Chin, Sagaing, Magway and Rakhine), but 12 areas in total have suffered damages. Floods have destroyed infrastructure, cut electricity and hindered communications.

Vast areas of farmland are submerged and cattle have died. Large scale damages to cultivated areas will have a long term negative effect on the food security of the impoverished population.

Donate to the FCA Myanmar flood relief:
Donations account: FI33 1572 3000 5005 04, message: Myanmar floods

As the third international conference on Financing for Development (FfD) that took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 13-16 July concludes, high level politicians deliberated to reach consensus on a range of finical measures that set the path for post-2015 development agenda.

Domestic resource mobilisation has been among the top agenda. Over the four days, countries looked at how they can mobilise resources of financing, including domestic and international, public and private, and ensure that they are channeled for sustainable development.

The conference came ahead of two crucial events this year that will have major impact for a sustainable future:

• the goals for Sustainable Development to be adopted in New York in September, and
• the Paris UN climate negotiations in December that will reduce global carbon emissions

Ethiopia is the first third world country to host the conference, which brought together delegates including Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Finance, non-governmental organisations among others.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda

The Conference led to negotiated and agreed outcomes that will support the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

One of the major outcomes from the conference is what is now called, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, where 193 UN Member States reached consensus “…to overhaul global finance practices and generate investments for tackling a range of economic, social and environmental challenges”.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said: “The results here in Addis Ababa give us the foundation of a revitalised global partnership for sustainable development that will leave no one behind.”

The agreement contains more than 100 measures addressing all sources of finance to improve tax collection, combat illicit financial flows. It also incorporates policy commitments and cooperation including such as foreign aid, infrastructure, health, taxation and climate change.

ACT Alliance and Stakeholders Calls for Accountability beyond Addis

In addition to plenary meetings and roundtable discussions, the conference featured international civil society and business forums, as well as more than 200 side events.

ACT Alliance, along with the Addis Ababa Civil Society Coordinating Group and the Women Working Group, co-organised two side events that explored the private sector’s role and impact on sustainable development, as well as accountability to commitments beyond the summit.

The panel composed of UN, civil society and government representatives deliberated on effectiveness of private financing, including public private partnerships and ways to ensure the human rights and needs of communities affected by private investments are respected.

In reference to the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights which were developed on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, Benjamin Schachter, UN Office for High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOCHR) said, “We would like to see stronger application of the principle and more firm standards on Human Rights obligations in the development agenda”.