ZION MAGAZINE JOURNAL FOR CHRISTIANS ISSUE 15 JULY 2014
this issue Faith Leaders’ Summit on the Post 2015 Development Agenda P.1 Ahunna Eziakonwa – Onochie P.3 Jonah Lwanga P.5 Rev.Nicta Lubaale P.7
All about OAIC
Faith Leaders’ Summit on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Uganda has just witnessed the biggest event hosted by the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda where African Faith Leaders from different countries came together to discuss the Millennium Development Goals Agenda post-2015. The summit was organized under the auspices of the African Council of Religious Leaders; Organizations of African Instituted Churches; Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar; All Africa Council of Churches; Council of Africa; Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa; Union of Muslim Councils of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa; the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’i; the Association of the Evangelicals of Africa; Christian Aid; Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa; and Arigatou International, Nairobi. The aim of the summit was to strengthen and scale up the engagement of Faith Communities and Faith Leaders in shaping the Post 2015 Development Agenda. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that have been a hallmark of the global and national development agenda since the year 2000 expires next year 2015. The current MDGs include eradication of poverty, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reduction of child mortality, improvement of maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB. During the discussion it was mentioned that faith and religion plays a vital role in the
The Organization of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) is an association of African Independent and Instituted Churches (AICs), which has its origins in the work of HG Bishop Markos of the Coptic Orthodox Church (Egypt) with AICs since 1976, in Kenya. In 1978, HH Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church invited leaders of AICs from seven countries for a conference in Cairo, where the OAIC was founded. The basic aims of the organization were teaching and training. On purpose, development work and political involvement were left out. The main activity was Theological Education by Extension (TEE ), which received much support from ecumenical partners. The second conference of the OAIC, in 1982, was attended by representatives of AICs from 17 countries. The conference approved a constitution which required member bodies to be Trinitarian, based on the New and Old Testament, and confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. In terms of organization, the constitution placed ultimate authority with a general assembly to be convened every four years, and composed of representatives of the member churches. This model proved not to be suitable for the OAIC, which was lacking the resources to implement adequately such constitutional requirements. In spite of these shortcomings, the conference stimulated conciliarity among AICs. It sought to establish an AIC identity, distinct from the other church groupings in Africa, such as the All Africa Conference of Churches, the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, and more conservative groups. In the early 1980s, the international headquarters of the OAIC were established in Nairobi, Kenya. The TEE programme continued to spread throughout the continent and became the support structure of the organization. As of 1990, three new departments were set up: Rural Development, Women, and Research and Communication. A serious review of the organization was conducted which resulted in a regionalization, whereby churches would first adhere to one of the OAIC regions, or chapters, and the general assembly would be composed of representatives of these regions. The internal administration would be re-organized. The new structure was put in place in 1997, when the assembly was able to meet, in conjunction with a joint OAIC-WCC consultation on the relationships between the AICs and the missionfounded churches in Africa. The OAIC has made a significant shift in the direction of a more ecumenical profile. This is mainly due to the growing selfconfidence of the AICs in their own identity. There are now chapters in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mission of the OAIC continues: "to bring African Instituted Churches together in fellowship and to equip and enable them to preach the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed.".
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African Faith Leaders moving Africa forward lives and cultures of the majority of people
have exceeded what the labour market can
in Africa. Faith based institutions have a long
accommodate and the curriculum has creat-
history of action on development and often
ed a mismatch with the employment re-
deliver a multiplicity of services to individu-
quirements. As we look forward to shaping
als and communities affected by poverty,
the future, our agenda should aim to pro-
conflict, humanitarian and natural disasters.
mote interventions like innovation, skill formation and productivity that specifically
The summit was attend by delegates repre-
target the youth.
senting children, women, and persons with disability, youth and people living with HIV/
During the discussion it was realized that
AIDS. A pre-summit meetings was held on
more commitment and awareness is needed
the 30th of June 2014 where delegates rep-
to ensure that persons with disability are
resenting different groups had the oppor-
always considered when decisions are taken.
tunity to review, discuss current goals and
Disability is a cross cutting factor affecting all
measure the achievement so far. Each group
the issues being addressed in the document.
was tasked to present a report on the issues
Disability rights should be emphasized in
which needs more attention. Some of the
very clear terms. The document language
issues raised during group report was that
should be written according to the letter in
children should be allowed to have a voice
the UN convention in the rights of persons
and should be listened to. Even though en-
with disability. The goal of addressing ine-
rolment in education has increased, most
quality need to emphasize issues of improv-
children start school two years later than
ing access to facilities in relation to principles
they are supposed to, and most of them
of the United Nations. People on the ground
drop out of school. A boy child is becoming
should be empowered by giving them a
more vulnerable since more attention is giv-
voice to be listened to and address their
en to a girl child. Today we have more or-
issues. People’s attitude towards the poor
phans because of violence and the pandemic
and people with disability should be changed
diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
by analyzing socio-cultural issues and issues of maternal health that usually leads to disa-
It was mentioned during youth report that Africa has the fastest growing and youthful population in the world. Youth under the age of 15 amount to 40% and age 15-20 con-
bility. The Faith Based Organizations should take a leading role in changing society perceptions that is negative stereo types about people with disability and disability itself.
stitutes to 20% of African population. African economies has grown at an impressive 6%
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but this growth has not created good jobs for the youth entering the labour market. Youth unemployment has remained above 10% during the past decade, four times higher than South East Asia and it is expected to continue growing. The education system has produced more graduates whose number
“The purpose of the summit was to develop strategies for the engagement of faith communities across the continent in the post 2015 processes as well as involvement in the implementation process of the new framework at national levels.”
Meeting Point Children Choir
Religion in Uganda According to the census of 2002, Christians made up about 84% of Uganda's population. The Roman Catholic Church has the largest number of adherents (41.9%), followed by the Anglican Church of Uganda (35.9%). Evangelical and Pentecostal churches claim the rest of the Christian population. There's a growing number of Presbyterian denominations like the Presbyterian Church in Uganda, the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Uganda and the Evangelical Free Church in Uganda with hundreds of affiliating congregations. The next most reported religion of Uganda is Islam, with Muslims representing 12% of the population. The Muslim population is primarily Sunni. There are also minorities who are Shia (7%), Ahmadiyya (4%) and those that are nondenominational Muslims. The remainder of the population follow traditional religions (1%), Baha'i (0.1%), other non-Christian religions (0.7%), or have no religious affiliation (0.9%). The northern and West Nile regions are predominantly Catholic, while the Iganga District in eastern Uganda has the highest percentage of Muslims. The rest of the country has a mix of religious affiliations. Prior to the advent of alien religions such as Christianity and Islam, traditional indigenous beliefs were practised as a means of ensuring welfare of the people were maintained at all times. Even today in contemporary times, these practices are rife in some rural areas and are sometimes blended with or practised alongside Christianity or Islam. In addition to a small community of Jewish expatriates centred in Kampala, Uganda is home to the Abayudaya, a native Jewish community dating from the early 1900s. One of the world's seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship is located on the outskirts of Kampala. See also Bahá'í Faith in Uganda. Founded by JJ Keki, an interfaith movement bringing together Muslim, Jewish, and Christian coffee farmers has resulted in the Mirembe Kawomera (Delicious Peace) Fair Trade Coffee Cooperative in Mbale, Uganda. Members of the cooperative sing about interfaith peace in Uganda on the Smithsonian Folkways album "Delicious Peace: Coffee, Music & Interfaith Harmony in Uganda." Indian nationals are the most significant immigrant population; members of this community are primarily Ismaili (Shi'a Muslim followers of the Aga Khan) or Hindu.
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Ahunna Eziakonwa – Onochie (UN Resident coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Uganda)
Commended the efforts of all the different
biggest challenges of our generation has
faith communities for taking the initiative in
shown declining trends across the globe. The
convening a summit to consolidate their
proportion of people living in extreme pov-
views on the post-2015 development agen-
erty has been halved at the global level. In
da. Onochie further mentioned that this is a
developing countries, the proportion of peo-
critical time in the history of the world as the
ple living on less than 1.25 $ a day fell from
world leaders and communities all over the
47% in 1990 to 22% in 2010. There is a gen-
world are engaging in developing an agenda
eral consensus that MDG frameworks have
that will guide the next phase of the devel-
helped in shaping the policy frameworks in
opment efforts. Within the United Nations,
many countries across the world including
this is particularly a moment of both reflec-
Uganda. As you might be aware that Uganda
tion and renewal. Reflection on the target
already met target associated with halving
that we were able to achieve against what
the number of people living in absolute pov-
was set as the millennium development
erty and achieving death sustainability and it
goals and renewed efforts to see how best
is very much on track to achieve another
we can learn from the experiences and take
eight of its seventeen targets.
further actions for resolving some of the developing challenges that are still with us. It is in this sense that this summit come at an opportune time and as religious leaders, your contributions to the shaping of this agenda is critical. In orders to provide a context for this summit, let me highlight some of the progress that has been made since the formal adoption of the MDGs and allow me to make brief observations on the emerging issues in the post 2015 agenda. I’m very certain in the course of this two day summit that this issues will be looked at more deeply. Since the MDGs were adopted in 2000, there is a clear evidence that poverty which is one of the
Facts about Uganda’s Coat of Arms... The coat of arms of Uganda was adopted three weeks before the proclamation of independence by the Uganda Legislative Council. On the 1 October 1962 the arms was approved by the Governor of Uganda Sir Walter Coutts, and formally established by law on 9 October. The shield and spears represent the willingness of the Ugandan people to defend their country. There are three images on the shield: those on top represent the waves of Lake Victoria and Lake Albert; the sun in the center represents the many days of brilliant sunshine Uganda enjoys; and the traditional drum at the bottom is symbolic of dancing, and the summoning of people to meetings and ceremony. The above explanation, about the symbolism of the drum, is a distortion that came about after the bloody 1966 national crisis when the Prime Minister of the day, Milton Obote, made a violent military attack on the king of the Kingdom of Buganda in central Uganda, Edward Mutesa II, who was the ceremonial president of the state at the time. The following year, 1967, the nation's constitution was abrogated and replaced with a new one which abolished the country's ancient monarchies—the kingdom's of Buganda, Bunyoro, Ankole, Toro, and the Principality of Busoga, turning Uganda into a republic and making Milton Obote president with unlimited executive powers. Before Obote's rule, the drum was symbolic of royalty and the authority of Uganda's kings. On a related note, the kings of Uganda were the first to use the traditional lentil shaped African shield in their heraldic arms. The shield is flanked on the right by a Crested Crane (Balearica regulorum gibbericeps), a subspecies of the Grey-crowned Crane and the national bird of Uganda. On the left is the Ugandan Kob (Kobus kob thomasi), a species of Kob that here represents abundant wildlife. The shield stands on a green mound, representing fertile land, and directly above a representation of the River Nile. Two main cash crops, coffee and cotton, flank the river. At the bottom is the national motto: "For God and My Country".
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Lazarus Kampambwe – AU Representative (Special Adviser on Economic Affairs)
By: Lazarus Kampambwe – AU Representative (Special Adviser on Economic Affairs) There was no development agenda prior to
2015 we must talk about eradication of pov-
2015 that we are succeeding, instead we
erty, universal access to education, good
have a millennium development goals and
quality education, universal access to safe
they did not constitute the development
drinking water, universal access to health
agenda. Millennium development agenda
facilities and good health facilities.
were addressing the symptoms of a problem. Now we have the opportunity as we develop the post 2015 development agenda to address the root cause of these symptoms which were being addressed by the MDGs. As we conceive the post 2015 we should not only think of renewing the MDGs framework. The MDGs are but one of the elements of the post 2015 development agenda.
ents out of decision making, out of all spheres of our lives will be to prescribe failure for ourselves and for post 2015. Another important issue which we seek
The second point under the MDGs is that we have to recognize that unemployment is one of the most threatening explosives that we have and we must find a way of addressing it, in particular youth unemployment. Therefore we are hoping that as we develop the post 2015 at the negotiations to take place in New York, we must develop SDG and MDG on unemployment with measurable targets. Another element is based on wom-
The second of those elements has been the
en and how we integrate women in decision
sustainable development goals (SDG) pro-
making. More than 50% of our population
cess, the RIO + 20 process because we are
are women and to leave 50% of our tal-
to develop on MDG and SDG is social protection. We have talked about growing inequality and the only way to handle this as we create employment and the opportunities to bring those who are vulnerable out of vulnerability is at least also to provide social protection. Another of the important element we seek to see as we develop the MDGs and the SDGs is a framework of accountability implementation and co-ordination. One of the weaknesses of the MDG framework was the fact that we could make
trying to develop through that process sustainable development goals. Whether we have the good millennium development goal framework and good sustainable development goal post 2015, still we will not have had a post 2015 development agenda that could succeed. The third element is the successful implementation of existing frameworks. With regard to the MDGs, taking three components one by one, some of the basic points that are being made by Africa in its common position is that we must raise the level of ambition. In the MDGs we were content to talk about reductions. In the post ZION MAGAZINE JOURNAL FOR CHRISTIANS 4
Honourable President Yoweri Museveni gracefully walking into the “Faith Leaders’summit” in Uganda
pledges and commitment but we were not held to those commit-
Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Egypt and Mali. He
ments. Many are the commitments that remained unfulfilled. We hope
said these violence manifest religious undertones. We are further
that one of the things that you can do, given the strength that you
challenged as religious leaders to explain how religion, a tool for
have, given the leadership that you have, is to help create a movement
peace-making can be used to kill and maim.
for justice, a movement for the implementation of the post 2015 development agenda.
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In the same way that in the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a move-
The Millennium Development Goals summit was opened by the
ment on debt cancellation and it is this movement that eventually per-
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who in his opening re-
suaded the governments to finally do the right thing. The post 2015
marks requested delegates to read Mathew 22:32-39 which teach-
development agenda and its implementation belongs to “just wars”, it
es us to love God and also to love each other. The President fur-
is a war for global justice.
ther mentioned that “A Christian who sings the whole day, praises the whole night and does not love his neighbour is a liar. Who are you to look down on anybody created by God? We are all here by
Jonah Lwanga, Chairman of the Inter Religious Council of Uganda and Orthodox Church Leader
our own rights. You have to right to try to prove that you are better than the other”. About the conflicts in Africa, the President said they are caused by failure to observe religious teachings. Ongoing sectarian and unjust wars are caused by failure of the reli-
Cited the endemic abuse of public resources and human rights in most African countries. Religious leaders should speak out when resources badly needed for the provision of critical services to our people are squandered by a few, corrupt officials. Lwanga urged religious leaders to make arrangements for settling people displaced by armed conflicts and saving the majority of Africans, who continue to languish in poverty despite progress made since 2000. He condemned violence that has clouded Africa, in its extreme forms, in countries such as Nigeria,
gious leaders to guide their followers. The President blamed lack of knowledge and laziness for most of the problems affecting Africa. Genesis encourages us to work hard and have knowledge in order to dominate. Africans have to work hard and stop relying on aid because the continent needs trade not aid. Only trade will change the fortune of Africa. He quoted Deuteronomy 28:11-15 to support his statement. ZION MAGAZINE JOURNAL FOR CHRISTIANS 5
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Rev. Nicta Lubaale – Secretary General of Organization of African Instituted Churches
Proposed areas for Post 2015 Development Agenda 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere 2. End hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all and promote sustainable agriculture. End hunger and ensure that all people have access to adequate, safe, affordable, and nutritious food all year round by 2030 3. Attain healthy life for all at all ages 4. Provide equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all 5. Attain gender equality, empower women and girls everywhere 6. Secure water and sanitation for all for a sustainable world 7. Ensure access to affordable, sustainable, and reliable modern energy services for all 8. Promote strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all
The future demands that we should not accept the abnormal to be normal. We need to look at the theology we have accepted. Mortality rate numbers are very high for us to accept and as we move towards 2015 Development Agenda, we have to be bold enough to reduce the figures. Poverty is not an accident, it does not come from hell neither does it come from heaven, and it is man-made. The structures, the institutions, and the processes that cause poverty and suffering are in the hands of us human beings and we are the ones who can bring about change. As we move to the future 50 years of Africa we must look at the theology we have accepted. We have buried many people who have died pre-maturely of HIV/AIDS, men, women and children, and we say Lord we have brought back your servants. God is not in the business of calling African men, women and children, He is a God who gives life. The next development agenda will be about us creating a better world where dignity is possible for all. Not everyone will be a millionaire, and not everyone will live in a big mansion, but each of us should have access to at least two decent meal a day. The future will is on us to lay new foundations on which shared posterity is built. More wealth has been generated in the last 50 years of the world than any other period, but at the same time inequalities are increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. As faith communities we have the responsibility of bringing our moral voice and say this is not right.
9. Promote sustainable industrialization 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries 11. Build inclusive, safe and sustainable cities and human settlements 12. Promote sustainable consumption and production patterns 13. Promote actions at all levels to address climate change 14. Attain conservation and sustainable us of marine resources, oceans and seas 15. Protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems and halt all biodiversity loss 16. Achieve peaceful and inclusive societies, rule of law, effective and capable institutions 17. Strengthen and enhance the means of implementation and global partnership for sustainable development.
Levhuwani Nhlambo 078 182 1005 levhu.nhlambo@zionmagazine.co.za Or levhu.matumba@gmail.com
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