From the Anglican Board of Mission
Civil Society leaders from all over the world converged on Melbourne this weekend for the C20 Summit. The C20 is a forum for civil society to input into the G20, the premier international forum for economic cooperation between countries. Australia is currently president of the G20, and the leaders of G20 nations will meet in Brisbane later this year.
Anglican Board of Mission Education Missioner, Brad Chapman says that it is important for the voices of churches to be heard in global forums like the G20. “The five marks of mission call for all of us to stand in solidarity with the poor and needy, and to challenge violence, injustice and oppression” said Mr Chapman. “Churches have a responsibility to speak truth to power and to ensure that economic discussions do not evade the responsibility for governments to do what is morally right”.
Two issues of particular concern for Anglican communities globally are climate change and food security. These were identified in consultations conducted by the Anglican Alliance in 2012 and became a focus of advocacy efforts at the G20 Forum in Russia in 2013.
Tagolyn Kabekabe is the Pacific Facilitator for the Anglican Alliance, based in the Solomon Islands. She travelled to Melbourne to speak out on behalf of Pacific Island communities feeling the effects of climate change. “With the small islands that make up the Pacific, every day people are affected by rising sea levels and inundation of land used to grow food” said Mrs Kabekabe. Pointing out that churches are already dealing with the resettlement of climate change refugees in the Pacific, Mrs Kabekabe called on G20 countries to do more to assist small island countries with climate change adaptation.
Tagolyn was brought to Australia for both the C20 event and Micah Challenge's Canberra advocacy event Voices for Justice by Anglican Overseas Aid in collaboration with the global Anglican Alliance as part of a broader plan to raise Anglican voices about the issue of climate change in the lead-up to the G20 event in Brisbane later this year.
Anglican Overseas Aid's Communications and Policy Advisor David Cook said that the G20 planners were refusing to address one of the most urgent issues facing the world's poor.
"For the world's poor, climate change is not some future threat – it is affecting them right now," said Mr Cook. "The G20 nations are the main contributors to climate change, and they need to take action to slow it down along with supporting those who are being affected. Yet Australia, as current chair of the G20, is refusing to add climate change to the agenda for November's G20 meeting. Bringing Tagolyn to Australia for the C20 and Voices for Justice is about giving a voice to the people who are most affected and calling on our leaders to act."
The C20 discussions focused on equity and participation, infrastructure, climate change and resource security, governance, and the ongoing role of civil society. Although they came together with diverse interests, civil society groups were united in their calls for an inclusive global society where the fruits of prosperity are shared with all without compromising future generations. The C20 Communique will be presented to Australia’s Prime Minister and made available on the C20 website (www.c20.org.au).
Tagolyn Kabekabe travels on to Canberra where she will meet with Members of Parliament as a part of Voices for Justice, an event organised by Micah Challenge that brings together Christian voices around issues of global justice and inequality. On Tuesday 24th June, she will join other Anglican representatives to the C20 in an advocacy webinar organised by the Anglican Alliance. Information about the webinar can be found at www.abmission.org