AFRICAN FAITH
LEADERS STATEMENT ON PRIORITIES FOR A POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
We, African faith leaders from the Symposium of Episcopal
Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), All Africa Conference of Churches
(AACC), the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), the Nigeria
Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, the Hindu Council of Africa, the Council of
Anglican Provinces in Africa, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and the
Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA), ahead of the forthcoming UN
General Assembly on the post-2015
Development Agenda New York, call on all Governments
and the global community to place the life, dignity, rights and well-being of
each person – now and in generations to come – firmly at the centre of all
discussion and endeavour for development.
We believe that each person is created in the image of
God and has equal dignity in relation with others. We also believe that
together, we must build an equal, fair and secure society where each woman, man
or child can flourish and contribute to the betterment of humanity.
We believe that we are bestowed with the stewardship of
our planet and that it is our duty to protect and care for our natural
environment. Together we must protect and preserve the earth and its abundance
of resources for our benefit and that of future generations.
Over the next two and a half years, UN Member States
and other actors will endeavor to build a new development strategy to succeed
the Millennium Development Goals after 2015. The post-2015 agenda must aim at
contributing to the realization of a world in which all human beings are equal
in the eyes of God, have equal opportunities to live a fulfilling life in a
society free from violence and fear and in which wealth and income disparities
within and between persons, countries and societies are at a minimum.
We believe that for this new agenda to gain legitimacy
and acceptance, it must be led by the priorities and perspectives of people
living in poverty and exclusion. The lives, voices, knowledge and experiences
of those in greatest need must be central to the debate to achieve sustainable development.
At the onset of the UN General Assembly Special Event on the MDGs and post-2015
sustainable development agenda we urge the international community to include
the following principles and intentions in the post-2015 development agenda:
A single, integrated agenda
Building on the achievements of the Millennium
Development Goals and ensuring that development is anchored on a genuinely
global sustainability pathway, the future framework for development must
reflect the integrated and inextricably linked social, economic, cultural and
environmental dimensions of development. A set of goals that fail to integrate
these dimensions in a balanced way is not acceptable for addressing present and
future development challenges.
A universal agenda
All countries need to commit to the new agenda and take
action according to their context. Solidarity,
with particular attention to the poorest, is a solid foundation for coherent
action for the common good by all countries. In particular, developed countries
need to prove their solidarity through delivering on existing commitments to
development assistance and to create more space for mutual, equitable and
productive engagement of developing countries in the development agenda, be it
trade, debt and tax agreements or carbon space in our atmosphere. All countries
have to step up to their respective responsibilities, no matter their national
context. The post-2015 agenda must not lose the focus on those who need it the
most.
Participation by the poor
Participation by the poor is a fundamental value which
must underpin the post-2015 development framework. Poor people’s participation
can ensure that development interventions are responsive to the complex factors
that inhibit them from living in dignity. The input of people and communities
experiencing poverty is essential in avoiding ineffective, poorly designed and
ill targeted interventions.
The UN and the global community need to invest time,
money and commitment necessary to overcome barriers to participation by those
who would benefit from its intentions and efforts. In particular the UN and
global community must ensure that participation of poor and marginalized women
and men and the young is built into the processes for global decision-making,
accountability and the implementation of the post-2015 development framework.
We must ensure a place at the table and in the field of development for the young
and children, both male and female. Our action to include them today will
determine how their world is tomorrow.
Reducing inequalities
Increasingly, addressing inequalities, be they rooted
in economic, gender or other social marginalization of people on account of
disability, ethnicity, beliefs or caste, is being recognized as central to
ending poverty and securing peace and harmony in society. We believe that all
women and men are equal in their worth. The vast disparities that obtain in relation
to asset, income, opportunity and power between men and women and between any
one social group and another are unacceptable.
The post-2015 agenda must aim to leave no one behind by
embracing and advocating a minimum threshold for wellbeing against which the
social status of each one person is evaluated. This threshold includes
recognizing personal and collective agency by individuals and communities for
their own development and guaranteeing their aspirations for wellbeing as the
basis for dignified and self-reliant livelihoods. Leaving no one behind must
include the right to social protection and implementing social protection
systems that guarantee a minimum level of income and access to services to
foster social cohesion and allow poor people to build resilience against
economic and environmental shocks and stresses. Further, data used to monitor
the post-2015 goals will need to include qualitative as well as quantitative
indicators disaggregated by income, gender and other relevant criteria to
ensure progress for those who need it the most.
Reforming Institutions of Politics, Society and the Economy
People live in poverty often times not because they
have been purposely excluded from social, political or economic processes, but
because those processes and the institutions on which they are grounded impair
their ability to engage them in ways that secure their wellbeing. Additionally
such processes may be manifestly unjust as may be evidenced by unfair trade and
unjust tax systems, environmentally degrading economic activity or failing social,
economic and political institutions. The new agenda must be built on securing
the accountability of these processes and institutions to all citizens,
especially those who are the intended beneficiaries of post-2015 development.
There is wide recognition that progress within the
existing MDG framework has not been equitable, and that disabled people are
disproportionately represented among those left behind by recent advances in
development. For the disabled to be effectively included in the post-2015
development framework, disability should be understood as one of several inherent
factors (including gender, age, geographical location and ethnic identity)
which contribute to the marginalization of individuals within their households
and communities, and which result in their exclusion within the social,
economic and political processes. This requires governments to ensure that
disabled people are included and disability discrimination issues are addressed
across all goals and targets.
Economic institutions and systems need to deliver for
the well-being of all people, within the finite limits of our planet’s
resources. Human flourishing requires that we use the unique gifts of
creativity and productivity but exercising them responsibly, for the well-being
of all Creation of which humans are only one part.
Acknowledging the crucial role of FBOs and Communities in
development
Much can be achieved for individual and communal
wellbeing by working in solidarity and in care for the vulnerable and our
earth. This can be done whether by the paying of our taxes with honesty as well
as by exercising love through giving and prayer. Faith Communities and practitioners
have valuable expertise and experience in development. Faith-based organizations
bring together and amplify rarely heard voices of the marginalized and excluded.
We strive to bring peace and justice to the world. Our important role as conveners,
amplifiers and informed experts needs to be recognized and resources provided to
ensure we can contribute in this role meaningfully at all stages of post-2015
development.
Issued this 23rd Day of September 2013.
=== End of Statement==
This statement has
been endorsed and supported by:
Africa Council of Religious Leaders (ACRL)
Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network (EDAN)
Inter- Faith Initiative to End Child Poverty, Arigatou
International – Nairobi
International Youth Catholic Students (IYCS)
The Baha’i in Africa
World Students Christian Federation-African Region
To contact the
Steering Committee
1- Mr. Firmin ADJAHOSSOU, Programmes Officer at SECAM
Secretariat
(fadjahossou@yahoo.fr; +233245315450)
2- Rev. Nicta LUBAALE, Secretary General of OAIC (nic.lubaale@oaic.org; +254721989257)
3- Sheikh Lattif Shaban, Director General of SUPKEM (lanshab@yahoo.com)
