wfn.org | Africans and U.S. Religious Leaders Seek Climate Justice

["Philip Jenks" <pjenks@ncccusa.org>]

Faithful Africans Work with U.S. Religious Leaders to Seek Climate  Justice

African and U.S. faith delegation joins cites failure of U.S. and UN to provide adaptation assistance

Washington D.C., September 23, 2008 - In response to the growing  challenges of climate change such as crop failure and increasing storms  occurring across Africa, a delegation of Christians from Uganda and  Zimbabwe are joining National Council of Churches USA (NCC) delegates  September 22 - 27, to meet with Capitol Hill lawmakers to seek  international adaptation assistance.

"The crops die," said delegate Rosemary Mayiga, a Ugandan Catholic and  rural economist. "Farmers then have to plough and plant again. It is not  moral for some people to go to bed with a full stomach when others go to  bed with their stomach empty."

"The delegation aims to raise awareness about how global climate change  impacts those living in poverty and to help people understand that  climate change is a moral issue that demands timely action," said Tyler  Edgar, delegation representative from the National Council of Churches.

Religious delegates also included Evelyn Nassuna, Lutheran World Relief  (LWR) in Uganda; Daniel Nzengya, a professor at Africa University in  Zimbabwe; Marcia Owens, African Methodist Episcopal Church; and John  Hill, General Board of Church in Society at the United Methodist Church.

While in the United States, delegates will voice African concerns by  briefing members of Congress and senior religious leaders on the  devastating impacts of climate change on the countries in Africa and  calling on both U.S. lawmakers and the United Nations to address these  disproportionate impacts.

This trip is a continuation of a partnership formed between African  Christian activists and representatives from the NCC who attended the  recent UN Climate Negotiations in Accra, Ghana.

While in Accra, the religious delegates urged UN delegates to develop a  new treaty, due for completion by the end of 2009, to slow global  warming and provide strong adaptation measures for communities such as  the farmers in Uganda.

Marcia Owens, a minister in the Florida branch of the African Methodist  Episcopal Church who attended the Accra negotiations with the National  Council of Churches said, "We hear about climate change as a political  issue, an environmental issue and an economic issue. We want to press  the point that this is a moral issue."

In response to the growing concern for Africans, more than five hundred  people of faith have signed the NCC's solidarity statement, which  welcomed the African delegates to the U.S. on September 22.

The NCC is the ecumenical voice of America's Orthodox, Protestant,  Anglican, historic African American and traditional peace churches.  These 35 communions have 45 million faithful members in 100,000  congregations in all 50 states.

NCC News contact: Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228, NCCNews@ncccusa.org

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