March 2010

Now is the time for a world free of nuclear weapons

A coalition of UK churches is calling for all nations to use this spring as the chance to map out the route to a nuclear free world.

The  Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty Review Conference (3 – 28 May 2010) presents a key moment for nuclear disarmament. Initial signs have been positive. Last year Russia and America, promised very large reductions in stockpiles. Our own government has pledged to work towards a world free of nuclear weapons. Now is the time to unite these good intentions within a strengthened international framework for non-proliferation and disarmament.

Developments since the end of the cold war have demonstrated that nuclear weapons offer no deterrent to the type of national and international threats that countries now face.  The list of defence specialists and politicians questioning the relevance of nuclear weapons to modern defence strategies continues to grow.  Now is the time to consign these weapons to history.

Under the banner Now is the Time, Churches in the UK urge that we grasp this moment to challenge all governments to commit to a path to zero nuclear weapons.  Play your part, write to the Prime Minister and ask him to ensure the UK government delegation is arguing for a world free of nuclear weapons.  In particular ask the UK Government,

·          To take bold measures at the NPT Review Treaty Review Conference in New York in May to strengthen the non-proliferation regime to ensure a more secure future for all.

·         To begin work on a new treaty to bring all fissile material under international control

·         To persuade nuclear armed states to adopt no first use policy

·         To work on achieving the political will to put in place a new legally binding verifiable and universal agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons. 

Join the Now is the Time Campaign and download a petition calling for these aims from www.endnuclearweapons.org.uk

February 2010

In December 2009, the European Commission announced a suspension of preferential trade status with Sri Lanka as a consequence of the treatment of the Tamil population in the final stages of the military campaign against the Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE).  The government of Sri Lanka have attracted widespread criticism for the shelling of civilian areas leading to the deaths of thousands of civilians.  In addition an estimated 300,000 people were relocated to internment camps which remained closed to outside agencies and journalists until December 2009.  The government has promised to return people to their homes by the end of January 2010. 

On 26 January Sri Lanka will hold a Presidential election.  The two leading contenders are President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his challenger, the former army chief, Sarath Fonseka.  Both had a prominent leadership role in the military campaign against the LTTE.  The challenge for any new government must be to satisfy the legitimate demands of Tamils who make up 18% of the population and to begin to restore peace, trust and confidence.

Action:-

Pray for Christians in Sri Lanka as churches are involved in the delivery of aid and initiatives to promote peace and interfaith collaboration. 

Write to the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband MP, to ask for Britain to use its influence to ensure that Government of Sri Lanka relocate all those in internment camps and to ask the President to outline concrete actions that his government will take to encourage meaningful political devolution and economic development in order to ensure a secure future for all.

As the situation is changing please check the following web page for updated information and actions, www.methodist.org.uk/srilanka or contact hucklesbys@methodistchurch.org.uk.

Write to: -

Rt. Hon. David Miliband MP

Secretary of State

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH

January 2010

The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) is an international partnership co-ordinated and led by the World Council of Churches (WCC). Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW), part of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain, co-ordinates the EAPPI in Britain and Ireland. The programme seeks to support local and international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and bring a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a just peace, based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

There are between fifteen to twenty-five trained Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) in the field at one time. They are able to cover the main areas of need in the West Bank, collect relevant data at checkpoints and report human rights abuses. As ‘internationals’ they are less restricted in their movement by the Israeli army than Palestinians or Israelis so can reach nearly all areas in the West Bank.

The EAPPI jackets, which EAs wear all the time, are recognised by more and more people on the street, at checkpoints, and at barrier gates. EAs live within the communities forming a link between the grassroots and the international community. Ana, whose image is on the action card, explains:

‘We’re here to monitor the situation and human rights abuses. Sometimes that fact means that soldiers don’t play with people, and treat them better. When things do happen we try to do something. We also count the number of people going through to report to the UN.’

Action
Churches and other ecumenical partners of the WCC have received an appeal to "mobilize their members and the public" in resistance to Israel's approval for the construction of 900 new housing units in the Gilo settlement on traditionally Palestinian land in East Jerusalem. The WCC general secretary, the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, called on organizations related to the Council "to act with resolve, in concert," with the intention "to reverse this decision of the Israeli government and the settlement programme it represents." In a public statement, Kobia expressed "great disappointment" at this development and emphasized that the WCC "strongly condemns the decision of the government of Israel to expand the illegal Gilo settlement as we believe that this decision will hinder attempts now in process to restart the peace negotiations."

Quoting a position adopted by the WCC Central Committee at its meeting in September 2009, Kobia warned that, "if settlements continue to expand and proliferate, they will further complicate negotiations and may destroy any chance for peace". He continued: "People of conscience and good faith around the world are looking to the government of Israel now to move toward the resolution of an interminable conflict rather than continue with decades-old policies that have driven it toward the point of no return."

Please use the words from the WCC press release to send your card to the Israeli Embassy

His Excellency Ron Prosor, Ambassador of Israel

Israeli Embassy,

15a Old Court Place,

London, W8

Useful links

WCC solidarity with churches in the Middle East: http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3113

eappi@quaker.org.uk  tel: 020 7663 1144

December 2009

Justice for East Timor: A Long Time Coming

Four years after a pivotal report into atrocities committed in East Timor was received by the East Timorese parliament, NGOs have delivered hundreds of copies of a widely-backed petition calling for its recommendations to be implemented to the President of the country’s national parliament.

The petitions – which contain the signatures of thousands of East Timorese alongside those of citizens from another 23 countries – were handed to the President of East Timor’s National Parliament in Dili, H.E. Fernando Lasama, on 28 November.

The signatories call on the parliament “to give urgent priority to discussion and implementation of the recommendations in Chega! in the near future.”

The Chega! Report (Portuguese for ‘stop, no more!’) documents the work, findings and recommendations of the independent Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) which began work in 2002.

The Commission was set up to investigate human rights violations committed on all sides during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor between April 1974 and October 1999. An estimated 100,000 people lost their lives during more than a quarter-century of violence and unrest.

Although the East Timorese parliament has had 4 years to examine the report, it has not yet debated its contents or recommendations. A “failure to respond to Chega! reflects negatively on the Parliament”, the text of the petition notes, adding that the implementation of the report’s recommendations is “important to victims and the building of the East Timorese nation”.

Dr Steve Kibble, Progressio’s Advocacy Coordinator for Asia said: “It is vital that the East Timorese parliament recognises the desire of many of its citizens, and many people around the world, to see justice done for the catalogue of crimes committed during Indonesian occupation. We urge the East Timorese parliament to discuss Chega! at the earliest possible opportunity. Only once this has been done can the people of this young nation begin to move forward with their lives.”

Progressio has been calling for justice in East Timor for many years. In 2008, its East Timor: Who Cares? campaign urged the UK government to provide financial and technical support for a justice centre in the East Timorese capital to promote accountability for past crimes.

In a letter to Progressio in April 2009, the British Ambassador to East Timor, Martin Hatfull said Britain felt “it was important for the East Timorese parliament to debate…the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation [CAVR – Chega! report] as part of the process of establishing accountability.”

If you would like to take part in Progressio’s fight for justice in East Timor, please send your postcard, with your name and address to:

Progressio

Unit 3, Canonbury Yard

190a New North Road

London, N1 7BJ

November 2009

October 2009

The Dar al Kalima School is a private co-ed Lutheran School in Bethlehem and a jewel in the battered city of Bethlehem. It is one of the ‘houses’ associated with the International Center of Bethlehem, the others being the Health and Wellness Centre and the College. The ICB is a Lutheran-based, ecumenically-oriented institution serving the whole Palestinian community.

As is the case of the boys in the image, children come from all over Bethlehem including the refugee camps. Many of these have gained scholarships from the worldwide Lutheran Church. The school takes children from 5-16 and is 58% Muslim and 42% Christian. It offers a holistic approach to learning and offers  Arabic, English and German as subjects. With a good spread of languages many have a better chance of employment abroad. The afternoon comprises  their extra curriculum activities such as sports, art and craft and music.

Religious Education is taken separately but the two groups meet together once a month and learn about shared values. Festivals and holidays are also shared. The teaching looks at the similarities rather than the difference between the faiths and culture. Judaism is taught but these days there is much less communication with nearby schools as there was before the wall was built.

The Occupation has had an effect on the children and the teaching. In the recent past curfews and shootings were common place. Children were not able to leave their homes for 40 days so the school  set up distance learning projects. When the children returned to school they wanted to be outside, not confined in classrooms. Guns, walls and violence often form part of their drawings but many also use images of bridges, the cross and crescent as signs of working for peace. 

Children often suffer bed wetting and trauma mood swings so the school has its own social worker and counsellor. The school tries to work with the parents on programmes to help the children adjust to their special situation.

Minister of the Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, Revd Mitri Raheb, senses that the people of Bethlehem are heading towards a catastrophe. “The Israeli government have taken the idea of the wall from the Russians, an import system from apartheid and land grab from the Indian reservations,” he says.

Today unemployment is high, with 50% of the population being under 18. Many Christian families have left because of the restrictions and joined families abroad. The wall has meant that new jobs in East Jerusalem are often unobtainable. Over three thousand men and women struggle though the checkpoint  each day to work. Many set out by 3am but are often turned back, even with the correct papers. Those who are ill can usually get permits but often the carer is refused making it impossible for the ill person to get to the hospital. For the first time this Easter, Israel only allowed three Bethlehemites through to Jerusalem to collect ‘The Holy Fire’ instead of the thousands that used to process.

Bethlehem is slowly being strangled and there are fears that there will soon be no Christians in the city. To find out more about the situation in Bethlehem visit www.openbethlehem.org. This group aims to show Bethlehem’s unique history as a living example of an open and multi-faith Middle East and encourage people to visit and invest in the city.

Send your action card to your local MP or MEP to tell them about what is happening in Bethlehem. Encourage them to visit the Open Bethlehem website. You could burn one of their videos to disc and send it with your personal thoughts to your MP or MEP.

Or

Bedouin tribes are increasingly seeking education as a way forward as their traditional life suffers with the Israeli authorities restricting movement of their herds. Most suffer from extreme poverty, lack of access to health, education, work, electricity, water and food security. Students, especially girls, face overwhelming obstacles to access schools & lack electricity for home studying.

One Bedouin Community decided to build a school for their children made out of car tyres. The School was designed and partly funded by an Italian NGO “Vento di Terra”. Sisters of Camboni, ICAHD with SIVMO and France-Palestine Solidarite de St. Etienne also provided funding. International volunteer builders included Rabbis for Human Rights, ICAHD and Bedouin community members.

However a demolition order has now been placed on the building which would have allowed the children access to education, many for the first time. The Palestinian Authority had already offered six teachers for the school.

What Can You Do?  Please contact:

Minister of Defence, Ehud Barak, Ministry of Defence, Kirya, Tel Aviv

and

Head of the Civil Administration, Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai,

Central Command, Neve Yaakov, Jerusalem

Request them to commit to their responsibilities under Oslo and Fourth Geneva Convention to provide education, health facilities and all human rights to West Bank Bedouin refugees and cease displacement in Area “C”. 

September 2009

In the picture you see Norgie Tucker from Chateaulebelair, St Vincent. Norgie is a banana grower and she is particular about the quality of her bananas which will be exported to the UK. Here she is checking the bananas before harvesting to ensure that they are of the highest quality. Most households in the UK buy bananas on a weekly basis. Have you thought about how they have been grown, harvested and despatched? Often large exporting companies buy bananas straight from the grower at miniscule cost and producers are not in a position to improve or invest in their businesses.

Companies who have adopted the Fairtrade system of buying and exporting, are ensuring that producers receive the best prices, invest in decent working conditions, developing local sustainability. These companies are giving producers fair terms of trade which must never fall below the market price.  A growing awareness of this mark now means one in every four bananas purchased carry the fair-trade mark.

By working together, companies adopting the Fairtrade system are helping to empower the poorest and weakest producers in the world, and at the same time, working with producers in partnership to help develop a better economy.

In September 2000 at the United Nations Millennium Summit 189 nations of the world adopted the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration. This declaration was signed by 147 heads of state.

Millennium Development Goal 8 aims to ensure that developing countries are not exploited in the financial sector by unreasonable lending with high interest rates. Trading should be at a fair price allowing traders and growers to earn and invest without discrimination.

Least developed countries, landlocked countries and islands, especially, need assistance to develop finance and trade systems which will allow economic growth.

Look for the Fairtrade Mark when you shop. Over 3000 products, from coffee to flowers, are Fairtrade certified. By buying Fairtrade products you will be helping to achieve MDG 8 and helping to sustain a better trading standard across the world.

This month use your card to lobby Peter Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

·         State that you try to purchase fair-trade goods as your contribution to creating fair partnerships

·         Challenge him to explain what he is doing to create relationships that support the grower, not just rules that benefit the consumer

Write to: -

Rt Hon Peter Mandelson

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET

August 2009

The key to the future of the developing world is the education of girls.  Women need the power to control their own lives and make sure their children are healthy and educated.  There are still many, many problems which women's education will overcome. For example: HIV/AIDS related illness is increasing in Asia - some estimates say that half of the babies born over the next seven years will be HIV positive. If girls are educated, this statistic could be reduced, by taking care, and being made aware of the availability of drugs and support.

The reality is that the problem of children becoming orphans is also increasing.  The parents die; not just from AIDS related illnesses, but other diseases like meningitis and tuberculosis, and poverty in general is a major contributory factor.  In addition, parents are sometimes forced to leave their children to find work, in local towns or large urban areas in cities.  If women were educated, there would be more opportunities for work and supporting their children becoming available to them.

Lister Girls Home in Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu, that Christians Aware is committed to supporting through the South Asia Council for Community and Children in Crisis, has 25 girls and all attend the local school in whose compound the home is based.  The girls come from diverse backgrounds (mainly poor agricultural workers) but all have one or two parents that cannot look after them for various reasons, and they have come to be educated to improve their standard of life.  Jasmine and Sathya wish to become teachers, Muthulakshmi and Priyadarshini nurses, Sweetyline and Rathna want to be engineers and Pushpalatha wants to join the Police. Here they have some chance of being educated to the high standards needed for these professions.

Please send your card of support (with 62p stamp and Air Mail sticker) to:

Lister Girls Home

SAC-CCC

P O Box 3325

Bangalore 560 033

Karnataka, India

Action cards are produced under the auspices of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Christians Aware, Progressio, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church, and the United Reformed Church.

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