Girls for a Future

The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious consequences for children worldwide, but especially for girls. School closures put especially girls at risk to not only lose out on education temporarily, but to drop out entirely, removing the opportunity to determine their own future. At the same time, the protection mechanisms which work in school are no longer in place.  LWF country programs in the past months have noted an increase in sexual and gender-based violence, early marriage and teen pregnancies which will likely become worse.

Online and on social media, LWF will share insights from the field, voices of girls and of LWF education and protection officers. Please share these insights, and support LWF’s work to empower girls.

Please follow, comment and share the #girlsforafuture #LWFforhopeandafuture on social media and join us on our profiles:

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Resources

Public Webinar on debt cancellation and reparations as tools for promoting justice, sustainability and life-affirming economies

The COVID-19 pandemic is aggravating the debt crisis, deepening socio-economic inequality. At the same time, the world continues to grapple with intertwined challenges of climate change and deep-seated-racism.

This webinar seeks to address the following questions: What do our faith perspectives have to say on the issue of debt and how it is affecting the lives of millions of people around the world? How can finance and financial structures be made to align with our faith-rooted values? Can debt cancellation and reparations serve as important tools for promoting justice, sustainability and life-affirming economies?

Speakers: 

• Yusuf JHA is author of the book, The Way of Return: Responding to Economic and Environmental Injustice Through the Wisdom Teachings of Islam.  Yusuf is a trainee Mufti and translator at the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments (AWQAF, Abu Dhabi). He worked for over a decade in the Islamic finance industry.

• David KRANTZ is a co-founder, president and chairperson of Aytzim: Ecological Judaism. David serves on the board of directors of Interfaith Moral Action on Climate and on the founding team of the Interfaith Oceans.

• Dr Jahlani NIAAH coordinates the Rastafari Studies Unit and is a lecturer in Cultural and Rastafari Studies at the Institute for Caribbean Studies in the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. Jahlani co-authored the book, Let Us Start with Africa: Foundations of Rastafari Scholarship.

• Lapapan (Anne) SUPAMANTA works with the Assembly of the Poor, a Thai movement of rural and urban grassroot groups organizing to collectively defend and promote the rights of the socio-economically marginalized. Previously, she served as executive director of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists.

• Rev Dr Karen Georgia THOMPSON is the Associate General Minister and Co-Executive for Global Ministries at the United Church of Christ (UCC) in the United States and leads the joint UCC and United Church of Canada committee working on the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).

Organizers:

• World Council of Churches

• World Communion of Reformed Churches

• Council of World Mission

• Lutheran World Federation

Register for the Zoom webinar

Registration deadline: 2 October 2020

Building skills for effective gender justice advocacy

This course will review, reinforce and enhance participants' knowledge of human rights and women’s human rights advocacy. Participants will share their experiences, contextual challenges and opportunities for advocacy.

Objectives:

• Build on existing knowledge and skills around human rights and gender justice advocacy
• Increase participants’ awareness of the crucial role that faith-based organizations can play in gender justice advocacy
• Enhance participants’ capacity to engage in different advocacy platforms such as the Convention for the Elimination of all Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Universal Peer Review (UPR) mechanisms and compile CEDAW and UPR shadow reports.   

The training is a collaboration between Lutheran World Federation, Finn Church Aid, World Council of Churches, Church of Sweden, Mission 21 and ACT Alliance..

Languages:

• English with in session interpretation to Spanish

Sessions:

• Week 1

1. 26 October 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 (GTM + 1)
2. 28 October 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 (GTM + 1)
3. 29 October 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 (GTM + 1)

• Week 2

1. 2 November 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 (GTM + 1)
2. 4 November 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 (GTM + 1)
3. 5 November 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 (GTM + 1)

• Week 3

1. 9 November 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 (GTM + 1)
2. 11 November 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 (GTM + 1)
3. 13 November 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 (GTM + 1)

Registration deadline: 16 October

Visions for transformative climate action

Reaching the time of what should have been the COP26 in Glasgow, the final session offers a space for dialogue on faith-based climate action. Stories of hope in action from faith communities around the world are shared and reflected on. The session offers interactive opportunities for participants, facilitating connections and raising motivation for the year ahead.

Panelists:

• Tais Tokusato, Soka Institute for the Amazon (Brazil)
• Fr Joshtrom Kureethadam, Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (India)
• Khulekani Sizwe Magwaza, Lutheran World Federation Youth Representative (South Africa)
• Sister Jayanti Kirpalani, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (UK)

Moderator:

• Chiara Martinelli, from CIDSE – The International family of Catholic social justice organizations (Belgium)

Zoom Hosts:

• Interfaith Glasgow
• Interfaith Scotland

Register for the Zoom webinar

Event languages: English (interpretation into Spanish available) 

Event Flyer in English

Event Flyer in Spanish

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Climate Justice

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27 October 2020

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COP26 – Ramp up ambition!

Visions for transformative climate action

The second of three online sessions brings together representatives from the scientific, policy and faith communities engaged in climate change. It is an interdisciplinary discussion on the agenda for COP26 and what this means for climate action now.

Panelists:

• Sarmad Iqbal, Islamic Relief Worldwide (Pakistan)
• Neil Thorns, Chair of the Climate Coalition and Advocacy Director at CAFOD (UK)
• Prof Joyashree Roy, Bangabandhu Chair Professor, Asian Institute of Technology. IPCC Author (Thailand)
• Moema de Miranda, Churches and Mining, Franciscans, Brazil
• Ovais Sarmad, UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary (Bonn)

Moderator:

• Lindsey Fielder Cook, Representative for Climate Change, Quaker United Nations Office (Geneva)

Zoom Host:

• The Lutheran World Federation

Register for the Zoom webinar

Event languages: English (interpretation into Spanish available)

Event Flyer in English

Event Flyer in Spanish

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27 October 2020

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Hope for the future

Visions for transformative climate action

The first of three online sessions provide a space to explore the response offered by different faith traditions to the current climate crisis and COVID-19. The discussion focuses on how these perspectives might help to navigate through this precarious moment.

Panelists:

• Reverend James Bhagwan, Pacific Conference of Churches (Fiji)
• Iyad Abu Moghli, Faith for Earth UNEP (Nairobi)
• Liza Zogib, DiversEarth and Chair of the IUCN Religion, Spirituality, Environmental Conservation and Climate Justice Specialist Group (Switzerland)
• Mohamed Mohideen, Islamic Council of Victoria (Australia)

Moderator:

• Faith Biddle, Friends World Committee for Consultation, UK

Zoom Host:

• Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University

Register for the Zoom webinar

Event languages: English

Event Flyer in English

Event Flyer in Spanish

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Hope for the future

‘Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect’ to end violence against women

Together with international partners, faith-based organizations and global advocacy groups around the world, we use this opportunity to raise our voices for a stronger response and prevention of Sexual and Gender Based Violence.

This year’s campaign takes place 25 years after the Beijing Conference on Women and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated gender inequality and exposed other forms of discrimination and violation of women and girls' human rights.

We encourage LWF Member Churches and Country Programs from around the Communion to creatively engage with the 16 Days campaign and we offer resources to facilitate this.

Between 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) and 10 December (International Human Rights Day), let us stand together to promote gender justice and dignity for all.

We invite you to read and share our stories and resources, which you will find here:

16 Days - CAMPAIGN ACTION PACK - EN

16 Days 2020 campaign - Online Media Kit

Perspectives from Faith-based Actors

Live session at the 2020 Geneva Peace Week

Awareness is increasing that the challenge for peacebuilding in countries from the global south will become exponentially more difficult due to the current COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. Peacebuilding is disrupted, and socio-economic inequality and political instability are exposed further by inadequate government responses to the pandemic.

Climate change and frequent extreme weather events have already affected many conflict-affected countries that depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Thus, the impact of climate change and the current pandemic reveals the diminished capacity of states with weak institutions and the risks posed to faith-based actors in peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

Speakers:

• Beverly Longid, Global Coordinator, The International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), Phillipines
• Sophia Gebreyes, Country Representative, Lutheran World Federation, Ethiopia

Moderator:

• Sivin Kit, Program Executive for Public Theology and Interreligious Relations, Lutheran World Federation, Switzerland

Register for the live session

Further information:

More on LWF Interfaith and Peace

More on LWF Climate Justice

Geneva Peace Week

A global service to mark climate advocacy leading up to COP26

Join a short service of prayer, reflection, and action on climate justice with friends from around the world.

In November, world leaders should have been gathering in Glasgow, United Kingdom, for COP26. The UN climate conference was postponed until November 2021. To mark the original conference dates and reflect on the role of faith actors in pushing for more ambitious climate action in the coming year, we will gather from all over the world for a short service of prayer and solidarity.

Speakers from every continent will lead prayers and share experiences of the struggle for climate justice. Join us at the start of this year of prayer and action.

#LWFforClimateJustice

Zoom Registration

Youtube Live-streaming

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Global Prayer and Action Chain for Climate Justice

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The world we want

3 November 2020

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COP26 – Ramp up ambition!

11 November 2020

Read more Learn, discuss and explore climate action in the run up to what should have been COP26.

Hope for the future

How ethnic communities are fighting for the rights of the Atrato River in Colombia 

On the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, we present the case of the Rio Atrato, a river with legal rights, and the work of the ethnic communities protecting its rights as well as their own.

The LWF supports the Commission of Guardians of the Atrato for the effective implementation of the T-622 historic Court ruling in Colombia, which recognizes legal rights to the Atrato River and gives a series of directives to protect the rights of local communities in the Atrato Basin. With partners like the Climate Alliance and FIAN, this Zoom event aims to:

• Give more visibility to the fight of ethnic communities for the respect of their social, economic, cultural and environmental rights
• Raise awareness about key issues within the question of environmental protection and food sovereignty, and about the challenges faced by ethnic communities in Colombia in the face of industries such as mining 
• Present the lessons and practices of the emblematic case of the Atrato River, in particular with the recognition of the legal personality of the river. 

Speakers:

• Maryury Mosquera, Guardian for the Community Council COCOMOPOCA 
• Nixon Chamorro, Guardian for the Choco Indigenous Roundtable 
• Juan Carlos Morales Gonzalez, Director of FIAN Colombia 
• Harol Rincon Ipuchima, Coordinator for climate change and biodiversity of COICA and vice-president of Climate Alliance Europe 
• Musonda Mumba, Chief Terrestrial Ecosystems Unit of UNEP 

Moderator

• Elena Cedillo, LWF Program Executive for Climate Justice 

This event is co-organized by The Lutheran World Federation, FIAN international, FIAN Colombia, Climate Alliance, Climate Alliance Vorarlberg, and COICA. 

It is supported by Canton de Genève and ACT Church of Sweden.

Zoom Registration

Languages: Spanish, interpretation provided for English, French and German

Youtube Livestreaming

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LWF Colombia