Today, we present our ELCA Advocacy Update for the month of October. Please read below for important information on ELCA Advocacy efforts in Washington, across the country and throughout the world. Please also visit our blog for more information on advocacy efforts from our Lutheran State Advocacy offices. 

Advocacy Update - October 2015

ELCA Advocacy, Washington D.C.

2015 ADVOCACY CONVENING: Last month ELCA, Episcopal and community leaders from around the country met in Washington, D.C., for a two-day advocacy event. The 2015 Advocacy Convening brought together bishops and grassroot leaders in a common call to action the week of Pope Francis’ first papal visit to the United States. Participants of the convening explored the role of deliberative democracy and faith in informing public service and examined the ways our shared faith perspective can cultivate mutual respect, moral reflection, and honest conversation with our government.

On the day of Pope Francis’ joint-address to Congress, convening participants met with more than 60 congressional offices and 24 members of Congress. There, leaders and advocates deeply involved in their communities urged their lawmakers to pass a responsible budget that provides funding for programs that fight extreme poverty, climate change, and protect children fleeing Central America. At the same time, more than 250 advocates from across the country sent letters to Congress through the ELCA Advocacy Action Center.

ADVOCATING FOR A JUST FEDERAL BUDGET: On Sept. 30, Congress passed a resolution that will fund the federal government until Dec. 11. However, this resolution does not provide necessary increases in funding to address our concerns for environmental issues or vulnerable people. Now, budget talks continue and there is an opportunity once again to influence our members of Congress as they debate how to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, 2016.

In the next few months we will continue to raise our voices in support of a budget that honors our earth and the well-being of all around the world. This includes funding for the Green Climate Fund, health and refugee services, emergency food assistance, and other programs that enhance the lives of families in the U.S. and abroad. Continue to check your inbox for opportunities to join us and faith communities around the country in urging Congress to pass a faithful budget. 

LUTHERAN AND EPISCOPAL CHURCH LEADERS’ OPINION COLUMN FEATURED IN USA TODAY: Presiding Bishop Eaton joined leaders of Lutheran and Episcopal churches in Canada and the United States to write an opinion column on uniting to safeguard God’s Creation that was featured in USA Today on September 23. The church leaders described that “our traditions drive us to address the interrelated problems of climate change, environmental degradation, hunger and poverty… Though we represent different religious institutions, we share a common goal, and recognize that time is short to achieve it. We all know that to protect the poorest we must protect the climate.” This piece was published during Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S. 

Lutheran Office for World Community, New York, N.Y.

SITUATION IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: The Lutheran Office for World Community has been following the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) very closely. On Sept. 26, an upsurge in violence occurred in the previously relatively stabilized capital of Bangui. Only four days prior, a meeting between the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and nongovernmental organizations highlighted the positive outcomes of the people-centric National Forum in Bangui, which adopted the Republican Pact for Peace, National Reconciliation and Reconstruction. These outcomes, especially free and fair national and legislative elections scheduled for October 2015, have become a high-priority for U.N. agencies, including the Security Council, DPKO and the U.N. Development Programme. However, violence in the country’s capital in the recent days has led CAR’s interim transitional president, Catherine Samba-Panza, to postpone the previously scheduled October elections. In a high-level U.N. meeting on CAR held on Oct. 1, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged member states to give financial contributions to CAR to fund the priorities of the Bangui Forum and to rally the support of the international community. As for the role of faith-based organizations in CAR, DPKO urges spaces of faith and worship to also be vehicles for reconciliation among marginalized and oppressed peoples. Additionally, The Lutheran World Federation and nine other nongovernmental organizations drafted and signed an advocacy memorandum outlining the problems in CAR and recommending solutions. For more information on the situation in CAR, read here.  

OUTLOOK OF THE HIV AND AIDS EFFORTS AT THE UNITED NATIONS:  During the 70^th Session of the U.N. General Assembly, Nicholas Jaech with the Lutheran Office for World Community joined activists, health workers and governments to discuss long-term commitments to ending HIV and AIDS by 2030 – an objective outlined in the Fast-Track strategy developed by UNAIDS. On Sunday, Sept. 27, a meeting between UNAIDS and civil society was held to discuss the financial realities of achieving this goal. UNAIDS admitted a $10 billion to $15 billion global shortfall in funds necessary to successfully implement the Fast-Track strategy. On the same day, a high-level event, “Ending the AIDS Epidemic by 2030: Shaping New Models and Means of Implementation,” was hosted by the governments of Kenya and Malawi, in partnership with UNAIDS. At this event, the governments of Malawi, Kenya, Mali, Lesotho, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the United States pledged their support for the Fast-Track strategy. All governments that spoke highlighted the need to focus on adolescent girls, who are eight times more likely than men to be HIV positive. These governments also acknowledged the importance of concentrated efforts to support and de-stigmatize marginalized groups, specifically men who have sex with men, sex workers, and drug users. For more information on ELCA efforts concerning HIV and AIDS, click here. Additionally, follow them on Facebook and on Twitter at @ELCAHIVandAIDS.  

U.N. TURNS 70 AND DISCUSSES REFORMS: The United Nations celebrates its 70^th anniversary in October. During the annual General Debate in September, many heads of state used this anniversary occasion to highlight the achievements of the United Nations regarding its three pillars – peace and security, development, and human rights. Nevertheless, voices also gained momentum demanding reforms of current U.N. structures. A growing number of countries support the French-Mexican initiative to encourage the permanent five members of the Security Council (China, France, the United Kingdom, Russia and the United States) to refrain from using the veto in cases of mass atrocities. A similar project was launched by the ACT-Group (Accountability, Coherence, and Transparency). About 60 countries signed a Code of Conduct pledging not to vote against any drafts that would deter international action on genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. Additionally, many member states demand a more transparent and diplomatic process of the selection, nomination and appointment of the next secretary-general, who will follow Ban Ki-moon in 2017. Many members of civil society supported this demand by joining the 1 for 7 Billion Campaign.

POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA; 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINBLE DEVELOPMENT: On Sept. 25, more than 150 heads of state convened for the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 and adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Transforming Our World, which is “a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity.” The Global Goals, as they are called in a recently launched campaign, consist of 17 new sustainable development goals and 169 targets. LOWC has been monitoring the negotiations and will continuing to follow the implementation phase including the development of target indicators by 2016 and the establishment of review mechanisms. 

Lutheran state advocacy efforts across the country

Find out all about the vast and incredibly important work of Lutheran advocates across the country by visiting our ELCA Advocacy Blog. 

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