Human Development - News
Latest News
26 April 2013 - Sexual Violence in Syria
The Lord Bishop of Exeter today received
responses to his written questions in the House of Lords probing
the government on the extent to which rape has been used as
instrument of war and torture.
Click here to read the questions and responses in
full.
11 April 2013 - Church welcomes G8 statement on
preventing sexual conflict in violence
The Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Revd Stephen Platten,
wrote to the Foreign Secretary, 11 April, welcoming the
G8 commitment to preventing sexual violence in conflict
sitiaoons. Click here to read the
Bishop's letter.
5 April 2013 - Striking at the causes of
poverty
With 1000 days left to achieve the Millenium
Development Goals (MDGs), the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin
Welby, has joined religious leaders across the G8 urging
governments to keep their promises on foreign aid. Archbishop
Justin is among 80 religious leaders who have signed
a letter to the Financial Times today, urging G8
countries to follow the UK in meeting existing commitments to spend
0.7% of national income on aid. With a focus on tax, trade
and transparency, the religious leaders argue, the UK Presidency of
the G8 has the potential to advance the MDG agenda in ways that
strike at the underlying causes of poverty, in particular by
ensuring the wealth created by developing countries is not lost
through unfair tax practices, a lack of transparency or a failure
to secure the benefits of trade for developing countries.
21 March 2013 - Church welcomes historic
decision on aid
Speaking in the House of Lords Budget debate on
21 March the Bishop of Bristol welcomed the achievement in the
Budget of one of the greatest promises to the world's poorest
people - that 0.7 per cent of national income will be spent on
international development aid, as agreed over 40 years ago at the
UN. The Bishop expressed regret, however, that more had not been
done to help strengthen the capacity of developing countries to
collect tax. Click here
to read the Bishop's comments in full.
13 March 2013 - HIV/AIDS: Commonwealth
Leading a short debate in the House of Lords on
Wednesday, Lord Black of Bentwood (Con) told the House that over 34
million people were living with aids and that last year over 1.8
million people died from HIV/AIDS. Speaking in the debate the Lord
Bishop of Newcastle stressed that whilst the Church was divided on
the issue of homosexuality there were never any grounds for
"denying the equality before the law of every single human being,
whether they are homosexual or heterosexual."
Click here to read the Bishop's comments in full.
7 March 2013 - Commonwealth and Commonwealth
Charter
The Lord Bishop of Leicester used his
intervention in a House of Lords debate on the Commonwealth to draw
attention to the levels of interdependence that exist between
Church of England dioceses and Provinces from around the
Anglican Communion that help to reinforce relationship in the
Commonwealth.
Click here to read the Bishop's comments in full.
7 March 2013 - International Women's Day
The Lord Bishop of Coventry used his maiden
speech in the House of Lords to speak about the role of women in
his diocese as well as the significant contribution that women make
to peace building around the world.
Click here to read his speech in full.
27 February 2013 - Overseas Aid
The Bishop of Liverpool and the Bishop of Exeter
led the way yesterday in Parliament pressing HMG for a
clarification of the Prime Minister's recent comments regarding the
possible pooling of the aid and defence budget.
Click here to read their interventions in
full.
27 February 2013 - Darfur, South Kordofan and
Blue Nile
The Lord Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Revd Michael
Langrish, made a moving and powerful intervention in a House of
Lords debate on the humnaitrian situation in Darfur, South Kordofan
and Blye Nile region of Sudan and South Sudan.
Click here to read the Bishops' comments in
full.
25 February 2015 - Make it a Fair Trade
Fortnight on Twitter
Click here to learn more about how Churches up and
down the country are marking the start of Fair Trade Fortnight this
year.
25 February 2013 - Post 2015 Millennium Development
Goals
The Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells received today written responses
to his questions on how the sustianability would be integrated into
the post-Millennium Development agenda.
Click here to read the Bishop's questions and
subsequent responses.
22 November 2012 - Building on the successes of the
MDGs
The Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Revd Peter Price,
today took part in a House of Lords debate on the progress torwards
negotiating a new post-2015 MDG framework. Bishop Peter stressed
the importance of learning the lessons from the past while building
on what had been secured.
Click here to read the Bishop's speech in full.
21 November 2012 - Bishop expresses concern at
Rwanda's poor human rights record
The Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Revd Peter
Price, today asked a supplementary question in the House of Lords
raising concerns at the shrinking democratic space in Rwanda.
Click here to read the exchange in full.
19 November 2012 - Global Food Security
The Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Alistair Redfern, today
received a written response to his question asking the
government what assessment they have made of the impact of climate
change on global food security.
Click here to read the exchange in full.
14 November 2012 - UK G8 Priorities
The Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Alistair Redfern, today
received a written response to his question asking the
government what its priorties were for the UK Presidency of the G8
in 2013.
Click here to read the exchange in
full.
5 November 2012 - Eradicating Extreme Hunger and
Poverty
The Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Revd Peter Price,
today received a written response to his question asking the
government what steps they are taking to help achieve the
eradication of extreme hunger and poverty, especially amongst rural
populations by 2015.
Click here to read the exchange in full.
5 November 2012 - UN Commission on the Staus of
Women
The Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Revd Peter
Price, today received a written response to his
question asking the government for its assessment as to why
the 56th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women was
unable to agree final conclusions and what steps it
is taking to ensure that the Commission reaches agreement in
2013.
Click here to read the Bishop's question and the
subsequent response.
5 November 2012 - Maternal Mortality
The Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Revd Peter
Price, tabled a written question in the House of Lords
pressing the government on what steps it was taking to help reduce
levels of maternal mortality by 2015, in the light of Millennium
Development Goal 5.
Click here to read the Bishop's question and the
subsequent reply.
30 October 2012 - UN Commission on the Status of
Women
The Bishop of Bath and Wells tabled a written question in
the House of Lords pressing the government on what steps it was
taking to prepare for next year's UN Commission on the Status of
Women.
Click here to read the Bishop's question and the
subsequent reply.
22 October 2012 - Church presses for grown up debate on
development aid
Speaking in a House of Lords debate on the effectiveness
of development aid, the Bishop of Leicester stressed that if we
could move on from the existing debate about 0.7% of UK income, we
could reach the point of discussing other, more fruitful and urgent
questions such as the relative merits of microfinance, social
entrepreneurship and grass-roots advocacy.
Click here to read the Bishop's comments in full.
17 October 2012 - HMG affirms role of the Church in
conflict resolution and development
In a House of Lords debate on Sudan and South Sudan
Baronness Warsi, Senior Minister at State at the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office affirmed the exeperience, role and reach of the
Church in S.Sudan and affirmed HMG's committment to work in
partnership with the Church on conflict resolution and development
concerns, especially education. Her comments came in response
to two interventions in the debate by the Archbishop of York and
the Bishop of Exeter. Click
here to read both these interventions and Baroness Warsi's
comments.
9 October 2012 - Church expresses concern at high food
prices
The Lord Bishop of Derby tabled a written question in the
House of Lords asking the government for its assessment of the
recent rises in food commodity prices. Click
here to read the question and subsequent response.
9 October 2012 - Human Rights in Bangladesh
The Lord Bishop of Derby participated in a House of Lords
debate on the human rights situation in Bangladesh. The Bishop used
his intervention to draw attention to the plight of Rohingya
refugees and the work of Chrstian Aid on the ground. Click
here to read the Bishop's intervention and the full
debate
27 September 2012 - Church presses HMG to make trade
work for people and the environment.
The Bishop of Pontefract, the Rt Revd Tony
Robinson, who Chairs the Church's World Development
Network, added his name to a letter to Vince Cable pressing
HMG to ensure that the EU's trade relations don't disadvantage
developing countries. Click
here to read the full
letter.
24 September 2012 - Bishop of Derby voices concern at
rising levels of food insecurity in Yemen
The Bishop of Derby tabled a witten question in the House
of Lords voicing concern at the rising levels of food insecurity in
Yemen.
Click here to read the full parliamentary
exchange.
3 September 2012 - Education for Children Affected by
Armed Conflict
The Archbishop of Canterbury hosted a one day conference
at Lambeth Palace on the issue of education for children affected
by armed conflict. During his concluding remarks the Archbishop
pressed for education to be made central to the humanitarian
agenda.
Click here to read more about this conference
and its policy recommendations.
25 July 2012 - Food Security
The Bishop of Exeter, Rt Rev Michael Langrish, asked a
supplementary question to an oral question on the Food Security
Summit. Bishop Michael stressed the importance of supporting
smaller-scale ecological food production systems practised by
millions of small-scale farmers and producers. Click
here to read the full parliamentary exchange.
24 July 2012 - Violence in Nigeria
The Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Justin Welby, asked
a supplementary question to an oral question on the escalating
violence in Nigeria. Bishop Justin asked the government whether it
remained committed to working with private and civil society
organisations, particularly the churches and religious leaders in
Nigeria. Click
here to read the full parliamentary exchange.
26 June 2012 - Strengthening the UN Presence in
DRC
In light of the deteriorating security situation
in DRC, the Bishop of Bath and Wells pressed the government as to
its assessment of the current United Nations Stabilisation Mission
in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the ability of that
mission to meet its core mandate of stabilisation and protection of
civilians. To read the full exchange click
here and
here.
25 June 2012 - Church Responds to HMG statement on
G20
The Rt Revd John Packer Lord Bishop of Ripon & Leeds
responded to the Government's statement regarding the recent G20
Summit. The Bishop asked Lord Strathclyde about the need to tackle
corruption and improve access to technology in the poorest
countries of the world.To read the full exchange click
here.
20 June 2012 - MDGS Post 2015
The Lord Bishop of Derby tabled a series of written
questions in the House of Lords on HMG's plans for negotiating
a successor agreement to the post-2015 Millennium Development
Goals. These questions and their subsequent replies can be read
here.
12 June 2012 - Rio+20 and intergenerational
justice
In a recorded message in advance of the Rio+20 UN
Conference on Sustainable Development the Archbishop of Canterbury
asks: "What kind of world do we want to leave our children?" To
listen to the Archbishop's full message click
here.
25 May 2012 - Food Security
The Rt Revd Alastair Redfern,
Lord Bishop of Derby and the Rt Revd Nigel Stock,
Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury an Ipswich spoke about
the importance of international and domestic food security.
Responding for the Government,
Lord Taylor addressed a number of the concerns raised
by both bishops.
24 May 2012 - Faith and Rio+20
On 23 May 2012 the Bishop of Bath and Wells took part in a
Panel discussion with the Rt Hon Caroline Spelman, the Secretary of
State for Agriculture, on preparations for the Rio+20 Summit. The
discussions focused on our understanding of sustainable development
and the contribution that faith can play in re-imagining
communities. Coverage of this event was provided by the Guardian
Online and can be read
here.
23 May 2012 - Financial Transparency
In a written respone to a parliamentary question tabled by
the Bishop of Derby, the Government welcomed efforts by UK
businesses to increase transparency on how much tax they pay and
encouraged them to go further to help build public support for, and
confidence in, a fair and competitive tax system. To read the full
exchange click
here.
21 May 2012 - Sudan and South Sudan
The Government today
responded to a parliamentary question tabled by the
Bishop of Bath and Wells inquiring as to what measures it is taking
to assist in arresting the violence between Sudan and South
Sudan.
21 May 2012 - Tax Justice
In a
written response to a parliamentary question tabled by
the Bishop of Derby the government said that it was down to British
Overseas territories to decide whether they should sign the
multilateral convention on mutual administrative assistance in tax
matters.
21 May 2102 - Fragile states and the ATT
In a Parliamentary exchange in the Lords the Bishop of Eds
and Ips pressed the government to do more to ensure that fragile
states and those states coming out of conflict are properly
resourced to take part in next month's ATT negotiations at the UN.
To read the full exchange click
here.
18 May 2012 - G8 must do more to tackle food
security
Returning from a recent visit to South Sudan the
Archbishop of York writes in an editorial article in The
Independent on the vital steps that G8 countries need to take to
address food security. The full editorial can be read
here.
17 May 2012 - UK's Aid Budget
In the internatioal debate on the Queen's Speech, the Lord
Bishop of Lichfiled expressed his diappointment at the lack of
legislation to enshrine the 0.7% traget in law. The Bishop urged
HMG to do so before the next General Election.
Click here to read the Bishop's full intervention.
17 May 2012 - Children's health and UK's humanitarian
aid to Sudan and South Sudan
The Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Revd Stephen Platten,
asked a supplementary question about the UK's humanitarian aid
programme to Sudan and South Sudan. Bishop Stephen focused his
intervention on children's health. The full parliamentary exchange
can be read
here.
16 May 2012 - Extractives and DRC
The Rt Revd Stephen Platten, Lord Bishop of Wakefield,
asked a supplementary question about the Congo and the need to
tackle corporate corruption. Bishop Stephen spoke about the need
for greater transparency in the dealing between corporate companies
and governments around the world. The full parliamentary exchange
can be read
here.
12 April 2012 - DfID warned not to disregard the role of
the Churches in South Sudan
The House of Commons International Development Committee
published today its report on Southern Sudan. In it the Committee
of MPs warned the DfID not to disregard the constructive role that
the Sudan Council of Churches can play in the areas of peacemaking
and mediation. The Committee's full report can be accessed
here. The Church's submission to the inquiry can be
accessed
here.
28 March 2012 - USPG launches appeal for Anglican Church
in Zimbabwe
The Anglican mission agency USPG today launched an
appeal
in support of the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe as its faces ongoing
harrassment and intimidation from state authourities.
26 March 2012 - The Church as Architect of
Resilience
Participating in a House of Lords on Sudan the Bishop of
Rippon and Leeds spoke of how churches and faith-based
organisations are among those best placed to help in the provision
of aid and mediation at a local level within South Sudan. To read
more click here
19 March 2012 - Water and Sanitation for All
Ahead of World Water Day on 22 March the Bishop of Bath
and Wells, the Rt Revd Peter Price secured time in the Lords for a
debate on enhancing access to water and sanitation in developing
countries. with 4,000 children dying a day in Africa because of
diarrhoea, +Peter said: "It is entirely unacceptable in the twenty
first century that international development efforts are still
being held back because of a lack of access to clean water and
sanitation." Read his speech and the full debate
here.
1 March 2012 - International Women's Day
The Rt Revd Peter Price Bishop of Bath and Wells took part
in the International Women's Day debate in the House of Lords.
Bishop Peter spoke primarily of his experiences visiting Gaza and
meeting women's groups trying to enhance and empower the community.
Bishop Peter also spoke of issues faced by older women and those
with HIV / Aids and concluded his comments by highlighting projects
the church is involved in overseas to assist and support women.
Read his speech here.
22 Februray 2012 - Ash Wednesday Declaration
The Archbishop of Canterbury signed today the Ash
Wednesday Declaration, launched by Operation Noah, which calls on
the Church to care for God's creation. Read more about this story
here.
12 January 2012 - Time to accelerate the transition to a
green economy
The Bishop of Bath and Wells spoke during a debate on the
Government's Green Agenda pressing the government to accelarte the
transiation toa green economy.
24 October 2011 - Archbishop of Canterbury hosts round
table on the famine in the Horn of Africa
The Archbishop of Canterbury hosted a round table at Lambeth Palace on the
famine in the Horn of Africa. The round table drew together
representatives and experts from around the Anglican Communion as
well as officials from the Department for International
Development.
18 October 2011 - Christian Aid launches new report on
sustainable farming
Christian Aid's new report, Healthy Harvests, sets out the
benefits of sustainable agriculture in Africa and Asia. It shows
how smallholder farmers can improve agricultural productivity, food
security and livelihoods by adopting sustainable approaches that
utilise resources, conserving technologies and that draw upon their
own knowledge.
7 October 2011 - The Bishop of Exeter warns of the
Dangers of Growing Food Insecurity.
The Bisop of Exeter, the Rt Revd Michael Langrish, writes
in a Church Times editorial that in an age of plenty where there
is enough food for everyone there is no reason why anyone should go
without. The propblem he warns is not so much a lack of food as
restricted access to food.
2-7 October 2011 - Anglican Alliance hosts climate
change consultation in Sao Paulo, Brazil
The Anglican Alliance for Relief, Development and Advocacy
organised a 6 day regional consultation on climate
change in Brazil. This consultation draw up a Communion wide
advocacy
strategy on climate change for the coming years. You
can read more about this consultation by clicking on the Ethical Comment
blog. The results of the consultation
can be read here.
September 2011 - Church Partners explain how Climate
Justice Fund makes a difference
Read
more about how your contributions to the Climate
Justice Fund are making a difference in Teso in the North-East of
Uganda.
16 September 2011 - New Food Security Resources from the
Anglican Alliance
The Anglican Alliance for Relief Development and Advocacy
has produced a series of resources to assist churches mobilise
their voice ahead of World Food Day on 16 October 2011. These
include an update on food security as well as a Church
action guide for Food
Sunday.The Alliance has also produced a simple
advocacy letter for adults and for children
that can be used ahead of a meeting of the G20 in France, November
2011. These resources have been produced in partnership with the
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance to mark
the Churches Week of Action on Food, 10-17 October 2011.
August 2011 - Crisis and Commitment
The Anglican Communion's Environment Network
issued the following statement and action plan
following a meeting in Lima, Peru, August
2011.
23 August 2011- Put food at the centre of
Creationtide
A podcast by the Bishop of London
encourages churches to celebrate the season of Creationtime (1 September - 4 October)
by focusing on the role of food in God's creation and everyday
lives.
31 July 2011 - Archbishop of York on food crisis in Horn
of Africa
On the 31 July the Archbishop of York's article in the Observer stressed the
importance of supporting the people of East Africa and the role
that the local Church is playing in the relief effort.
28 July 2011 - Archbishop of Canterbury supports famine
appeal
On the 28 July the Archbishop of Canterbury made an urgent appeal for donations to
emergency relief activities in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia -
currently facing one of the worst droughts for 60 years.
4 July 2011 - Bishop questions Government on results of
G20 Mtg
On 4 July 2011 the Bishop of Exeter tabled a written question in
the House of Lords asking the government to make a statement on the
results of the G20 Agriculture Minister's Meeting and how it
intended to implement the resulting Action Plan.
20 June 2011 -Archbishop of Canterbury in Kenya
As part of his visit to the Diocese of Machakos in Kenya,
the Archbishop of Canterbury went to the Christian Community
Services offices to hear about the work they are doing in the
region - empowering rural communities who are facing the challenges
of food security, adaption to climate change and environmental
conservation (20 June 2011). Read more about his visit here
9 June 2011 - Bishop presses Gov on food security ahead
of G20 Mtg
The Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Revd Michael Langrish, wrote to the
Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs (9 June 2011) pressing that the issue of price
volatility in food markets be discussed at the G20 Agriculture
Ministers Meeting (20-22 June 2011). Analysis of the results of
this meeting can be read here.
12 May 2011 - Bishop contributes to Parliamentary debate
on global food crisis
The Bishop of Hereford participated in a House of Lords debate on global food
security (12 May). The debate was in response to the
Foresight Report on Food and Farming Futures published by
the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser.
1 May 2011 - New Christain Aid report on food
security
Christian Aid released its new report Hungry for
Justice: Fighting Starvation in an Age of Plenty.
April 2011 - Anglican Alliance launches new campaign on
food security
In April 2011 the Anglican Alliance for Development, Relief and
Advocacy held a regional consultation in Nairobi where
the question of food security emerged as a pressing priority for
African provinces of the Anglican Communion. The following resource
pack was produced by the Anglican
Alliance to assist Churches across the Anglican
Communion to work together and with others in pressing the G20
leaders when they meet in November 2011 to take the necessary steps
to manage food prices and govern markets in a way that prevents
future food crises.
- Introduction to Food Resources
Pack
- Briefing for Food Advocacy
2010 - Diocese of St Albans launches Harvest Appeal in
support of Climate Justice
The Diocese of St Albans today launched a harvest appeal in support
of the Climate Justice Fund. Read more at -
'Five a day' a luxury, challenges Bishop of St
Albans
4 June 2010 - International Anglican Bible project aims
to discover the Church's role in battling climate
change
Members of the worldwide Anglican Communion are working together on
a project to discover what the Bible tells the church about saving
the planet from environmental damage. Read more here.
13 December 2009 - Act for the Sake of Love:
Archbishops's Sermon in Copenhagen
"We cannot show the right kind of love for our
fellow-humans unless we also work at keeping the earth as a place
that is a secure home for all people" said the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, today at an international ecumenical
service in Copenhagen Cathedral at a midpoint during the critical
UN Climate Change talks. Read his full sermon here.
5 December 2009 - Ecumenical Service at Westminster
Central Hall
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, today
gave an address at an Ecumenical Service at
Westminster Central Hall, London, in the run up to Copenhagen.
September 2009 - Church launches Climate Justice
Fund
Following a debate in its 2008 General Synod the Church launches
its Climate Justice Fund ahead of the 2009 UN climate change talks
in Copenhagen. Read more at:
Launch of Climate Justice Fund - make it
personal
9 December 2008 - Churches urge Europe's leaders to
build a green economy
In advance of the EU summit this month, the Archbishop of
Canterbury, the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden and the
Presiding Bishop of EKD have written to the President of the
Council of the European Union, HE Nicolas Sarkozy, urging him to
ensure that "that climate considerations are not marginalised in
the search to find short and medium term solutions to immediate
economic pressures." Read the full letter here.
July 2008 - General Synod debates climate change and
human security
In July 2008 the Church of England's General Synod debated
a report on climate change and human
security. At the end of the debate the General Synod
authorised the establishment of a Climate Justice Fund as a means
by which parishes and diocese here in the UK could show solidarity
with churches overseas already affected by climate change.
February 2008 - A Europe for Climate
Justice
The following briefing paper examines the
developments in the EU's position on climate change. It makes
recommendations as to how the emissions trading scheme might be
reformatted to help mitigation efforts at home and adapation
abroad.
November 2007 - Towards a Post Kyoto Climate Treaty for
Climate Justice
This briefing paper explores the scientific
and political challenges facing negotiators in Bali. It argues that
the likelihood of securing a just and equitable treaty on climate
change depends on moving away from particularistic notions of
justice to an understanding of overarching justice, which helps to
transform our relationship with each other and the natural
world.
August 2007 - Climate Justice: Not Just a Green
Issue
Climate change is more than a green issue it is also a pressing
humanitarian concern for many of the poorest communities around the
world. The following briefing
paper asks whether the Church needs to concentrate
more resources on the social justice concerns of many of its
partners and members from across the Anglican Communion.
