CWS Update June 2009
- June 4-10 – Week of action for Peace
- June 5 – World Environment Day
- June 20 – World Refugee Day
>>Sri Lanka: Humanitarian crisis worsens as calls come for fair treatment of the Tamil people. Read more
>>The Lauru Jandal Band: a unique musical performance, DVD now for sale
>>Pakistan: Experts warn of humanitarian disaster as millions flee their homes. Read more
>>Afghanistan: Poverty, injustice the real problem say visiting expert. Until they are addressed, the region will not be safe. Read more
>>Climate Change: Pacific Church leaders’ statement on climate change in the Pacific and the need for the right to resettlement. Join their call for action and support the petition.
>>Carteret Islanders: the world’s first climate change refugees move to their new homes read more
>>Israel/Palestine: churches join an international week of action for peace
Sri Lanka: A Humanitarian Crisis
CWS partners in Sri Lanka have long worked for peace in their country.
One approach is to organise exchange visits between people from the
south (Sinhala people) and the north (Tamil people). These visits
created a new understanding when the participants realised how much
they had in common, notwithstanding the propaganda put out by the
leadership on both sides.
The story of one young woman, Malanee, illustrates this well. Her
much-loved husband, a soldier, was killed fighting the LTTE (Tamil
Tigers). Malanee was absolutely shattered by this and went into a deep
depression from which nothing seemed to rouse her. Many months later
she was reluctantly persuaded by a CWS partner to go on a visit to the
north-east. There she met a Tamil family who had lost a son and
brother in the fighting. As they exchanged stories and wept together
for their loss they realised how much everyone, the innocent with the
guilty, were suffering in that terrible conflict.
There are people in Sri Lanka who recognise the mistake that was made
when the country gained independence from Great Britain in that no
provision was made for the Tamil people to have their place.
Everything was geared to the Sinhala culture, including recognising
Sinhala as the only official language. Unfortunately the leadership on
both sides has been intransigent in the ensuing struggle. A few years
ago under a previous government it seemed that talks at last were
getting underway when the European Union right at that point declared
the LTTE to be terrorists. They withdrew from the talks and that put an
end to the only real chance of peace.
More immediately about 265,000 Tamils have been displaced from the
former war zone. The UN reports at least 7,000 civilians have been
killed and another 16,000 wounded. The government-controlled camps for
these people are overcrowded and short of supplies. ACT International
partners are providing water, sanitation, food and other items such as
clothing, shelter, toiletries and medicine to help those in transit.
There is concern about the basic human rights of those held in the
camps and the government’s capacity to meet their needs in line with
international humanitarian standards
CWS supports its partners who have long called for a fair settlement
for the Tamil people – which does not have to be in any way detrimental
to the rest of the population. In fact the terrible cost in lives and
in the drop in the standard of living has damaged the whole country and
they fear that unless a fair political solution is reached some kind of
continuing violent action is likely. The rest of the world, including
New Zealand, must work with the UN to ensure the underlying injustices
are dealt with and real peace is won.
CWS has an appeal for our partners who are responding to the needs. Please give generously.
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The Lauru (Choiseul) Jandal Band
Many readers of Update will have viewed the CWS documentary “Lauru Our
Land”, the story of women on Lauru who are working to improve the lives
of their families and communities. The film starts with a short clip
of a delightful group of youngsters with their “Jandal Band” which has
roused the interest of many. CWS is pleased to announce that we now
have a DVD with the full five minutes of their performance. It is for
sale at $15 and the proceeds will go to the children’s school. A great
gift for children and grandchildren.Order now from CWS. And if you have not seen the full documentary it is available on loan on vhs or DVD at any time.
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Pakistan: Experts Warn of Humanitarian Disaster
With millions of people in northwest Pakistan fleeing fierce fighting
between government forces and the Taliban, international humanitarian
agency and CWS partner, Church World Service, has personnel from its
Pakistan/Afghanistan offices working to provide basic shelter, food,
water and sanitation to those displaced in the region.
Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS P/A) director Marvin
Parvez, who visited New Zealand in May, said this situation was a very
serious threat to their country. The movement of people from the Swat
valley is threatening to become one of the world’s biggest displacement
crises. “We want a quick end to this crisis so people can return to
their homes,” he said. “We call on all parties to the conflict to
avoid civilian deaths and give safe passage for those who are trapped.”
Initial assessments by Church World Service aid workers on the ground
indicate as many as 800,000 are now displaced by the most recent
violence, on top of conflicts that pushed out a half-million people in
the last year. The ongoing combat has forced governmental and
non-governmental agencies to create camps for the displaced. However,
the majority are seeking shelter wherever they can: with families, in
rented accommodation or in caves and in fields.
Shama Mall, a deputy director of CWS P/A, another member of the
visiting team, said the situation in her country was worsening. “It’s
very worrying. Many of these people are under the open sky in a very
insecure and unstable environment,” she said, and added that many of
them had never had to leave their communities before and were afraid to
do so.
Response teams and relief items are now being moved into the area to
meet the needs of those who are in makeshift camps and other
accommodation where no sustainable food, shelter, water or hygiene is
available. Together with ACT International (Action by Churches
Together) they are providing humanitarian aid to meet basic needs.
Church World Service has been active in Pakistan for more than 50
years, with programmes in disaster management, capacity building,
development and assistance for displaced people. The agency’s Pakistan
offices served as a lead agency in recovery following the country’s
massive 2005 earthquake.
Donations for the displaced and fleeing people can be made online or phone 0800 74 73 72.
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Afghanistan : Poverty, Injustice the Real Problem
Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan has undertaken considerable
analysis of currents in Afghanistan and offers local perspectives on
the enormous challenges facing the country.
Marvin Parvez, one of four experts who visited recently, says New
Zealand’s efforts to provide security are important but the role would
be more effective if New Zealand addressed the poverty which is
compounding the insecurity. Afghanistan has some of the world’s worst
health markers – an average life expectancy of 43, a 20 percent death
rate for children under five, and widespread disease and malnutrition.
It is facing the most severe drought in a decade which threatens
millions. The heroin trade, suicide bombings and the war on terror
have sidelined the humanitarian agenda. Off the radar are the
humanitarian crises – drought, displacement, human rights violations.
Unless the international community addresses the root causes of
conflict, the fighting will not stop.
“The absolute poverty of ignorance, hunger and illiteracy pushes people
to strange ideas of militancy, extremism and suicide,” he said. “We
talk about tanks and military and guns. What about justice? Today,
Taleban are gaining ground again because of the injustices, poverty and
corruption, not because there are fewer tanks and guns. The
international community has promised the Afghans so many times that we
will not abandon them. Yet what we don’t abandon is our own agendas
and then hunger, poverty and human rights are always the last issues to
be addressed.”
He said it was crucial the war on terror was successful, but the war
against hunger should be given a lot of space too. It has to be a
package where humanitarian relief, strengthening democracy, the fight
against corruption and against poppy growing have to have attention.
Military might alone will not solve the problems of Afghanistan.
CWS P/A’s extensive programme in Afghanistan assists communities
affected by drought, returnees who came home after the fall of the
Taleban, and disaster relief work such as the April 17, 2009 earthquake
which killed 22 people.
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Climate Change & Resettlement: Pacific Church Leaders’ Statement
Peter
Emberson, Climate Change campaign officer of the Pacific Conference of
Churches, commenting on the “Moana Declaration” issued at a meeting of
Pacific Church leaders, says “The word Moana in all Polynesian
societies represents the sea and its life-giving force - the watery
tapa that conjoins oceania and its peoples. Our oceanic heritage is
evidenced by the sea’s various representations in our oral traditions,
art-forms and sustainable livelihood practices. The late Epeli Hau’ofa
goes as far as to state that the sea is in us - as when we cry, our
tears are the sea. The saddening reality is that this same moana -
endeared and valued in all Pacific cultures - is threatening the very
concepts of our lives as oceanic peoples.”
In their statement Church leaders affirmed their belief in the
Christian tradition that the land and sea are the creation of God, who
is present in and beyond both and in which the Pacific peoples “live
and move and have their being”. They acknowledged that they are God’s
gifts to be used for the livelihood and well being, not only of the
present generation but all generations to come and as such are to be
respected and cared for.
The declaration further states, “Mindful of the stewardship placed on
us by God, over our fenua/vanua (terrestrial ecosystems) and our moana
(marine ecosystems), it is painfully clear – from convincing scientific
evidence that the human release of carbon dioxide through the continued
burning of fossil fuels is causing and will, in the foreseeable future,
cause catastrophic heating of the earth’s atmosphere and disruption of
the earth’s climate – that our response has been inadequate to the
scale and pace of Earth’s degradation. And to continue to walk the
current path of ecological destruction is not only recklessness; it is
sin.”
In consequence of the impact of this situation on “food and water
security; our way of life; our culture; our community; our overall
health and well being; the ecological systems on which we depend and
other creatures with whom we share Gods creation”, the church leaders
call on the Pacific Islands Forum, the affected states and the
international community to take the necessary steps to respect and
protect people and communities overcome by climate-induced
catastrophes.
In particular they call for plans to care for people forced to flee
their homes and lands and to establish a convention for resettlement
and to identify suitable places for relocation. Policies and practical
programmes should be developed to assist populations to adapt to the
changing environment, in particular by making available financial
resources for resettlement and to ensure sustainable livelihoods for an
adequate standard of living, as well as to make resources available for
the protection of the host communities.
Finally the church leaders prepared a petition calling on the Pacific
Islands Forum to take all necessary steps to ensure these measures are
put in place.
See our climate change section for petition and the full Moana Declaration
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Climate Change: Carteret Islanders First Refugees
Carteret Islanders of Papua New Guinea (PNG) have become the first
climate refugees as they relocate to new sites to escape the effects of
climate change on their homeland. According to PNG’s Post Courier,
islanders moved to their new home, Tinputz, the relocation site in May
to prepare the land for their families to move over permanently.
Fathers of the first five families to relocate arrived with their sons
to support them in the work leading up to the time when their wives and
children will eventually join them.
A spokesperson for a local non-governmental organisation, Tulele Peisa,
said they were able to build sago palm houses for these five families
and were hoping the government intervenes to provide funds for iron
roofing and other necessities. The five fathers were met by the
Tinputz community, representatives of the Tinputz Parish Council and
Tulele Peisa on arrival which was ‘quiet but a significant historic
occasion and to a traditional welcome ceremony performed by women from
Tinputz’.
Mandated by the elders from Carterets to fast-track the relocation of
the islanders, Tulele Peisa has for 3 years been working in close
partnership and dialogue with the Catholic Church of Bougainville for
land to voluntarily resettle some families, which resulted in the
Church giving 41 hectares of land. Carterets Islanders want to
relocate to mainland. They want to begin true relationships with their
host community partners and get involved in some income generating
activities to sustain their lives. The five families were chosen from a
criteria set by Tulele Peisa with the emphasis on size of family,
whether a family has enough to feed on the island, access to paying
school fees and medical services and whether the family is able to
survive on the island for the next two years.
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Israel/Palestine: Churches Prepare World Week of Action for Peace
The World Week for Peace in Israel/Palestine, 4-10 June 2009, is
intended to generate joint church action for a just peace. The convenor
is the World Council of Churches (WCC) and a Palestinian community
organisation is offering a way for countries to join – by sending peace
prayers to Bethlehem.
“When the children of Shufa in the West Bank play too close to the
settlement, the Israeli settlers feel their security is threatened.
Children have been held and questioned for hours,” an Ecumenical
Accompanier in Occupied Palestinian Territory writes in a blog on the
World Week website.
In the UK, people in participating churches have been asked to bring a
small stone to build a cairn in their place of worship and use it to
remember those who have had their houses demolished. Let the stone be a
reminder of the ‘Living Stones’, is one of many suggestions. In Norway
plans include a civil society debate with politicians on ethical
investment and settlements, with their elections later this year in
mind. In the Philippines prayers and letters will be sent to
Palestine from children who are refugees in Mindanao displaced by the
intensifying war between government and Muslim insurgent forces.
People and parishes around the world are invited to send peace prayers
to Bethlehem. A church-related community organisation there will share
the prayers for worldwide use online during the World Week and they
will be read aloud locally at the Wall, near settlements, and in
Palestinian parishes and schools, including in Gaza.
The WCC-led week of action is in its fourth year. Participants are
invited to pray, educate and advocate, inspired by the theme “It’s time
for Palestine”. A prayer offered by the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem
has been sent to more than 120 countries, along with invitations to
join World Week. The week starts on 4 June each year to mark the last
day – 4 June 1967 – of internationally recognised borders between
Israel and a future Palestine. The action week is part of the WCC’s
Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum. For more information see
http://worldweekforpeace.org or email Juan Michel at media@wcc-coe.org
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