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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 16.02.2005 |
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| FEATURE: Where the LWF Becomes Part of Civil Society |
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Increased LWF Participation, Commitment to World Social Forum
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil/GENEVA, 16 February 2005 (LWI) – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has participated in the World Social Forum (WSF) since the second such forum in 2002 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. With each passing year, the LWF delegation has grown in numbers and involvement in the various activities offered under the WSF theme “Another World is Possible.” Brazilian journalist Susanne Buchweitz, reporting for Lutheran World Information (LWI), spoke with a cross section of the 60-person delegation attending the January 26-31 forum in Porto Alegre.
“It was a very good opportunity for me to learn many things about the forum and current global issues,” said Mr Imrul Kayes Muniruzzaman, director for social empowerment projects at the Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) in Bangladesh. RDRS is one of the 24 field programs of the LWF Department for World Service (DWS).
Muniruzzaman and his colleague Ms Dilrose Hossain participated in a workshop on a rights-based approach to development. They presented RDRS’ evolution since its inception as an LWF/ DWS country program soon after Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, to an associate program in 1997, nationally recognized as a leading non-governmental organization (NGO) in development. RDRS was initially involved in relief work, supporting refugee repatriation. But from 1980 onward, it started rural development activities focusing on health, education and agriculture. “But we were working in isolation, not in an all-inclusive manner, and we realized this kind of assistance did not help the needy people improve their livelihood. They needed more comprehensive support,” Muniruzzaman said.
RDRS has since moved into more comprehensive development activities, adopting a holistic approach. Today, RDRS works with 300,000 poor families in seven districts in the country’s northern region. The focus is on social empowerment; improving livelihoods through agricultural and environmental activities; as well as micro-finance projects.
Bangladesh - with a population of over 141 million people -is an extremely poor country, Hossain stressed. “People are deprived of many things, including their rights, and there is little awareness and education especially about people’s right to land and women’s rights,” reported Hossain, RDRS senior program manager for innovative projects including HIV/AIDS prevention, and collaboration with NGO networks.
Linking Up with Networks, Addressing Human Injustices
Ms Shashi Rijal, advocacy co-ordinator with the DWS field program in Nepal, attended several workshops related to human rights violations and territorial obligations. “I certainly have learnt a lot of things that will allow me to move forward with my responsibilities.” Started in 1984, LWF/DWS Nepal focuses on empowering the most vulnerable groups in society to achieve a just and sustainable livelihood. There is increasing focus on advocacy and networking to support civil society efforts that seek to address injustices particularly with regard to marginalized and disadvantaged groups and communities such as the ‘untouchables’ (Dalits) and freed bonded laborers (kamaiyas). The program also supports over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in seven camps in southeast Nepal.
Ms Marta André Uetela, responsible for human rights issues with the LWF/DWS field program in Mozambique was participating in the forum for the first time. “Before coming here, I wasn’t sure there would be room to discuss Mozambique’s concerns, but I discovered the problems are common to all.” The LWF Mozambique program covers five of the country’s ten provinces. Its priorities include support to community members to reduce risk and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, and alleviation of the impact on those affected by the epidemic. It also works with the most vulnerable people in society to ensure food security, promotion of human rights, healthy life-styles and an enhanced ability to manage the environment.
Rights-Based Approach Provides Tools to “Attack Causes”
Many members of the LWF delegation took part in discussions on a rights-based approach to development. “The LWF has been involved in human rights and development work since its very inception. What is new, however, is the deliberate effort in the past two or three years to bring together human rights practitioners and those working strictly in development,” said Ms Maria Immonen, LWF/DWS program officer for advocacy and communication. Though significantly influenced by human rights work, development practice has not been able to change power structures, she noted. “The rights-based approach allows us to have tools to attack causes that are behind each country’s problems: for instance, lack of water, what causes it and what can the local population do?” she urged.
A rights-based approach uses United Nations human rights legislation in a development context, so there is increased focus on holding governments accountable. “It also has an effect on how we view the people with whom we work. We no longer refer to them as beneficiaries, instead they are people who are rights holders,” Immonen added. LWF/DWS works in 37 countries worldwide through four regional, 15 country and five associate programs and emergency operations.
Ms Vidhya Rani, women’s desk secretary, United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) and regional coordinator for the LWF Women in Church and Society desk, mainly focussed on the issue of water privatization, a growing concern in India. “The UELCI marked 2004 as the ‘Year of Water’,” with the aim to involve the member churches in addressing the concern, she said. At the forum, Rani joined in a seminar organized by the International Coalition Against Privatization of Water, during which several perspectives on water privatization and its impact on the poor were presented.
Important LWF Contribution to Diakonia, Humanitarian Assistance
“The LWF had an unprecedented level of participation in this year’s WSF, both in terms of numbers and diversity,” said delegation leader Mr Peter Prove, LWF Assistant to the General Secretary in the Office for International Affairs and Human Rights.
The team included at least one representative from each continent. “That is an enormous evolution in terms of LWF presence from two or three years ago, when there were three or four people. It is also a sign of a much greater commitment,” Prove said. He recalled that the LWF Tenth Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada, in July 2003 acknowledged the WSF as an important place for the Lutheran communion’s engagement in the struggles for social justice.
However, the LWF should not assume it comes to the WSF only to learn, but also to teach. “I think we also have something very important to contribute in terms of our experience of diakonia and humanitarian assistance. Certainly from my perspective, contributions made by the LWF to discussions at the WSF have been good and valuable for others, and this is important,” he said.
Prove recalled a statement made by Rev. Ángel F. Furlan, former president of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church (Argentina) three years ago: “The World Social Forum is a place where churches can be part of civil society, rather than walking in front of civil society, or dragging along behind civil society.”
The WSF 2005 LWF delegation leader asserted there was no other forum like the WSF in terms of bringing together global civil society. “Of course, it is imperfectly realized, it is not really comprehensive geographically. One might say that it does not include the real grassroots, but it has already established itself as the peak international forum for civil society struggles for social and economic justice.” (1,207 words)
(Adapted from the original Portuguese written for LWI by Brazilian journalist Susanne Buchweitz.)
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