Annual Report 2022

“In 2022, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the existential threat of climate change, and the impact of ongoing conflicts were exacerbated by the war in Ukraine,” says Rudelmar Bueno da Faria, ACT General Secretary in his 2022 Annual Report message. “Despite these challenges, ACT and its members were able to consolidate our work as a relevant and cohesive faith-based alliance.” 

The 2022 issue of the ACT Alliance Annual Report has special features on the work of ACT’s MENA region and ACT’s global advocacy programme. You will find out more about the work of other ACT regions and members as well as about 2022’s activities on Climate Justice, Migration and Displacement, Gender Justice and ACT’s other programmes. 

You’ll also find news on ACT’s engagement at the World Council of Churches General Assembly, our new joint ACT/WCC publication on ecumenical diakonia, and our work to combat vaccine inequity. 

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ACT Ethiopia forum periodical E-booklet

ACT Ethiopia Forum – Communicators Community of Practice (AEF-CCoP), made up of member organizations’ communications personnel working together. 
The Community of Practice has produced the forum’s first periodic e-booklet. 

AEF-Periodical E-booklet

Policy Brief: A Review of the Sustainable Development Goals through a Climate Lens

ACT Alliance’s Policy Brief: A Review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a Climate Lens is now available for download in English and Spanish.

In 2015, the international community made an unprecedented set of commitments to pursuing a sustainable future through the adoption of the Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals as well as the Paris Agreement on limiting global warming to well below 2° Celsius. The world set course for a transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient societies and economies, with countries working toward common goals while focusing on their national circumstances, challenges, and opportunities. Adapting to climate change is a key objective of the two agendas. 

Climate change threatens many of humanity’s biggest achievements as well as its future goals as reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Progress on SDG 13 on climate action is falling short of what is needed to meet the targets of the global agenda by 2030.

The brief explores various SDGs and presents a set of recommendations to strengthen the synergies between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This policy brief is a product of ACT Alliance Global Climate Change Project implemented with the support of ACT member Brot für die Welt. 

 

Climate Risk Insurance and Risk Financing in the Context of Climate Justice

ACT Alliance’s latest publication: Climate Risk Insurance and Risk Financing in the Context of Climate Justice: A Manual for Development and Humanitarian Aid Practitioners is now available for download.

Climate risks provoke havoc, lead to humanitarian catastrophes, and stand in the way of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thus, it is critical to prevent and minimize risks as much as possible. However, even in doing so, there remain residual risks that cannot be avoided. This is where risk insurance and risk financing have an important role to play.

Climate risk transfer, that is, risk insurance, and risk financing are tools to financially address residual loss and damage by providing financial compensation.

This manual aims to help ACT Alliance and its members enhance their knowledge and understanding of climate risk insurance and risk financing approaches and instruments.

Specifically it:

  • Explores the full range of climate risk transfer approaches, with many case examples and visualizations.
  • Introduces a set of climate justice-based criteria, helping readers to assess the advantages and limitations of various risk transfer approaches. 
  • Provides an overview of the different types of climate risks and identifies risk transfer instruments that are best suited for each type of climate risk.

The Manual is available for download in English and Spanish.

This Manual is a product of ACT Alliance Global Climate Change Project implemented with the support of ACT member Brot für die Welt.

 

Lessons from Mabi six months after the flood – A report from CWS Japan

 

Report (PDF): Lessons-From-Mabi

In June and July 2018, heavy rainfalls hit the western part of Japan. One of the most affected areas was a small town called Mabi in the Okayama prefecture. The embankments of the Takashi and Oda rivers broke down in eight different places and flooded almost one-third of the town. In many areas the water rose as high as five meters. About 4600 houses were affected and 51 people killed, most of whom were elderly.

A report by CWS Japan summarizes the key findings of the research done through literature and field visits between November 2018 and January 2019, carried out by CWS and supported by various Japanese institutions and ACT Alliance members. It highlights the findings as well as the steps taken in the aftermath of the disaster in order to strengthen community resilience, covering issues like flood risk communication, infrastructure, early warning, shelter management and health concerns.

The report contains good practices which have proven of value as well suggestions to strengthen response. Takeshi Komino from CWS Japan: “The lessons from Japan we believe are applicable in many areas. For example the timing of risk communication in midst of urbanization, the effectiveness of emergency evacuation communication from authorities, mobilization and management of various types of volunteers, optimization of human-centered information management, and the need for different sets of plans for the vulnerable part of the population.”

For further questions, please contact public@cwsjapan.jp

Joint letter by ACT Alliance and UNICEF on new partnership agreement

Date: December 8, 2017

Calling your attention to a new partnership agreement between UNICEF and ACT Alliance

United by our common desire and belief that all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential, UNICEF and ACT Alliance are delighted to announce the formation of an institutional partnership to work more closely together with faith leaders, actors and faith communities in our joint goal of ensuring that children’s rights are achieved globally. ACT Alliance is the world’s largest Christian protestant and orthodox alliance engaged in humanitarian, sustainable development and advocacy work (www.actalliance.org). UNICEF works to improve the lives of children and their families, fighting for the rights of every child seeking safe shelter, nutrition, protection from disaster and conflicts, and equality (www.unicef.org).

The common purpose of this partnership is to collaborate in agreed joint projects at global, regional and national levels, to mobilise stronger, more effective, evidence-based and rights-based engagement, advocacy and action between both organisations and the communities they seek to assist.

As UNICEF Country Representatives and ACT Alliance National Forums you can help build this collaboration through practical initiatives at country and community levels. We ask that you seek to establish contact between the two organisations in countries, and to explore where and how you can work together on programmes and advocacy that defend children’s rights.

For ACT Alliance, the rights of children need to be upheld in all aspects of our work —humanitarian, development and advocacy. A partnership with UNICEF will make it possible for ACT members to be an even stronger voice at the national, regional and global levels, championing the rights of children in all we do.

UNICEF firmly upholds that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is about the future of both people and planet. Both are under severe threat. In some cases that is because of actions committed and in others because of what has been omitted. Faith-based organizations and actors are at the centre of humanity’s actions and reactions and together with country leadership, the ACT partnership can bring change on the ground for children and their families.

Yours sincerely, Ms. Karin Hulsof Regional Director, East Asia and Pacific Region

UNICEF

Email: khulshof@unicef.org

Mr. Anoop Sukumaran,

Regional Representative, Asia and the Pacific

ACT Alliance

Email: Anoop.sukumaran@actalliance.org

ACT Alliance Statement on Commitments for the Global Compact on Migration at the Global Level

Delivered at the Preparatory (stocktaking) meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference to adopt a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, 5 December 2017

Thank you, Mr Chair.

We have heard several very good suggestions and ideas from states and other stakeholders today, and we welcome the open spirit of the discussion.

At the global level, the following commitments for a Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration would be important from our view:

Firstly, we need an increase and enhanced access to regular pathways for migration across all sectors – in keeping with established labour rights standards and relevant ILO conventions, and based on comprehensive, long-term and honest labour market analyses within and between countries.

Secondly, commitments need to be formulated in such a way as to avoid a Compact that focuses primarily on facilitating enhanced returns. We are concerned about the current inconsistency in standards related to assessing voluntariness of return decisions, the transparency and human rights compatibility of readmission agreements, and he lack of effective and independent post-return monitoring in countries of origin; furthermore, reintegration of returning migrants is an area that has not been consistently addressed in global processes so far, and would need a much more robust and participatory engagement with migrants and their communities themselves in order to make it sustainable.

Finally, we would like to draw attention to the need for ensuring complementarity between the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees, in order to ensure that issues such as those mentioned above, and potentially affecting people on the move which do not easily fall into the categories ostensibly covered by both Compacts, can be addressed in an integrated and human-rights compliant manner. In order to ensure this, reference should be made in the Compact text to commitments affecting these populations, and provisions should be made in the monitoring and implementation mechanism that would ensure regular and effective exchange between states and other stakeholders, including affected migrants and refugees themselves, about progress towards achieving relevant goals.

Thank you.

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