News
Gender justice has been an important facet of the ACT Alliance Assembly being held Uppsala, Sweden this week.
Gender justice has historically been, and remains, one of the most important aspects of work within the ACT Alliance and its partners, said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, general secretary of the ACT Alliance.
“One of the major flagships of our work is gender justice and gender equality,” he said. “We do not believe that we will be able to advance any change in strategies of development if gender is not in each one of them.”
Yet even with the advancements in gender equality over the decades, there are clear signs that the fight for equality is still ongoing, said World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.
“The work is not over,” said Tveit, speaking during the ACT Alliance Assembly. “This the unity we seek, this is the unity we want as men and women.”
Tveit urged more and more men to try understand the importance of Thursdays in Black, a global campaign promoting a world without rape and gender-based violence. “This is my commitment,” said Tveit. “This is your commitment. This is what unites us.”
Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women, expressed appreciation for churches’ involvement in gender justice, particularly in the current time of pushback against equality for women.
“Because the church is both an enabler for a move forward but also a barrier for a movement forward, we need the church in order to minimize the potential pushback and also to build on the historic role that the church has played in pushing forward gender equality,” she said.
“We still have a situation in the world now where there are 18 countries where husbands can legally prevent their wives from working.”
The ACT General Assembly is the highest governance body of the ACT Alliance. It meets in person every four years, bringing together representatives of all 145+ members of the Alliance to elect its governing board and officers, and its Membership and Nominations Committee, to revise statutes and affirm new strategic direction, and make other major governance decisions.
Tveit to ACT Assembly: with hope, churches can act together (WCC press release 29 October 2018)
Archbishop Antje Jackelén opens ACT Assembly in Uppsala (WCC press release 29 October 2018)
Learn more about Thursdays in Black
