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As head of policy at Christian Aid, a key member of the ACT Alliance, Alison Kelly has an eye on sustainable development in what is seen as the prophetic voice of the church, which has a busy year in 2015.
“We often talk of the prophetic church, and we are clear in articulating our understanding of a world ‘where all shall be included in the feast of life’. But is it now time also to be more prophetic not only about the what, but also the how?” she asked at a recent meeting.
Kelly questions if those involved with the prophetic voice can really say they are using all their resources and talents to the best effect to help marginalized and vulnerable communities across the world link with the power structures that affect their lives.
She notes that 2015 is a momentous year, marked by a series of summits and global meetings in which decisions taken by political leaders globally - “or by their inaction and lack of political will” - will shape our world for the foreseeable future.
Early on, the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction took place in Japan, in March.
Then in July many of the world’s political and business leaders will fly into Addis Ababa for the third Global Summit on Financing for Development.
“This meeting is critical in that what is agreed here will affect all the other global agreements on development and climate,” explains Kelly.
“Across all these summits and the long processes to get to them, there has been strong faith-based advocacy, significant civil society engagement and imaginative campaigning.”
The ACT Alliance, the World Council of Churches (WCC), the World YWCA and their members have been actively involved, and often lead, such initiatives “aiming to influence these agreements to shape a better world”.
September will see world leaders jet into New York for the United Nations General Assembly, which many hope will adopt a new set of Sustainable Development Goals that includes 17 goals and 169 targets for 2015 – 2030.
“October will see the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Istanbul – perhaps a bit lost in the midst of all the other global events, but also ever more important in the current context,” said Kelly.
The year will end with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP in Paris that is intended to sign a binding global deal to go into effect in 2020. That will limit global greenhouse emissions fairly across nations to prevent global warming above 2 degrees.
Kelly noted, “The year 2015 may end in December, but the global summits don’t stop there, as 2016 will see the World Humanitarian Summit [in Istanbul] and the UN Special Session on Drugs and Development.”
The Ecumenical Strategic Forum has a new format and a new configuration in which the fellowship are called to discuss critical issues and strategies for our response as churches, councils and ecumenical partners. The first meeting took place 21-22 May and was convened by the WCC in close cooperation with the ACT Alliance.
