ACT Alliance wants bring practices, teachings, and theologies to the forefront, which use the power of faith as a transformative force for gender justice and work to improve and highlight religious leaders’ central role as norm setters and advocates for gender justice to counter all fundamentalisms that threaten the rights of women and girls, but also men and boys everywhere.

Priorities

• To contribute to the gender equality debate and advocacy efforts in national, regional and global processes, including the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), the UN High Level Political Forum, as well as the International Conference on Populations and Development (ICPD) and the Beijing Platform for Action processes. 
• To ensure that all members of ACT Alliance develop a gender justice policy within their organizations and act as advocates for gender justice and equality.
• To develop ad hoc advocacy initiatives on the following thematic areas: Family law, Migration and displacement, Transformative masculinities, Economic justice, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Sexual and Gender-based violence.

ACT forums and members are engaged in  national, regional and global advocacy efforts to track governments’ commitments to improve rights-based policies on migration and displacement, in particular related to the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and other international instruments. 

Priorities

• ACT Alliance advocates for the human rights of all migrants and refugees, and opposes policy measures aimed at preventing the human right to free movement and ; and strongly promotes climate justice, including access to resources needed to adapt in place, as well as rights-based solutions to increase mobility options for those affected by climate change. 
• ACT Alliance calls on states to narrow the gap between the protection needs of migrants and refugees, and protection actually offered; and to reverse measures that restrict access to asylum ; and opposes the criminalisation of allies – including ACT members – who assist migrants in need, and particularly those who offer life-saving assistance. 
• ACT Alliance advocates for equal access of migrants and refugees to decent work and essential services, and that justice and due process are guaranteed and for those who were forcibly displaced, for whatever reason, including reasons related to climate change, to be allowed to apply for asylum or have access to other legal pathways to safety. 
• ACT Alliance opposes return migration that violates the principle of non-refoulement, or that exposes those being returned to harm or inhumane conditions.

ACT Alliance engages in advocacy work on peace and human security by building on the strengths of its members’ advocacy in this area, and assesses where the alliance can specifically add value to strengthen existing efforts. 

Specifically, ACT advocacy aims to contribute to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and work within its commitments under the Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement of Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes, at national, regional and global levels. 

Priorities

• ACT Alliance advocates for the participation of women in peace processes at all levels, using the lesson learned from the ACT forums’ work in placing women at the center of peace processes and peace negotiations. 
• ACT Alliance members engage in joint advocacy efforts to increase recognition and accelerate implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security, including lobbying, building awareness and engaging in the relevant national and global processes on UNSCR to connect the peace and human security agenda with the gender justice work. 
• ACT Alliance aims to strengthen linkages between humanitarian, development and peacebuilding in accordance with the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit recommendations and the 2030 Agenda. It will include support for and promotion of the importance of SDG 16, and its implementation and integration as an essential element in all other areas of work.

ACT Alliance is committed to working in a spirit of ecumenical diakonia (serving together). Diakonia is an expression of what churches are and do. The commitment to unity and sharing includes a mission to serve in the world, participating in God’s mission of healing and reconciliation, and of lifting up signs of hope. ACT Alliance therefore expresses its commitment to prophetic diakonia, denouncing injustice (advocacy) and announcing (actions) the ‘good news’ – in serving human need, breaking down barriers between people, promoting humanity in justice and peace, and upholding the integrity of creation, so that all may experience ‘fullness of life’ (John 10:10).

ACT Alliance stands in solidarity with Christians all over the world, sisters and brothers, in all their diversity, experiencing diverse problems and sharing diverse gifts. Further, ACT actively promotes interfaith coalitions as a way to develop and sustain joint social service and transformative advocacy across different religions and faith-based actors.

ACT Alliance advocacy is impact oriented; it amplifies the voices and experiences of people and communities; it connects our members’ organisations and forums all across the world; it is anchored within the ecumenical family; and it builds a global network of specialists, as well as strategic partnerships and relations. For impactful advocacy, ACT Alliance prioritises work within its national, sub-regional and regional forums.

ACT Alliance EU is a network of 13 European church-based humanitarian and development agencies whose purpose is to influence EU policy and practice regarding development and humanitarian aid policies and related issues, in order to provide sustainable benefits to and improvements in the lives of people affected by poverty and injustice around the world.

Humanitarian Policy & Practice (HPP) and Development Policy & Practice (DPP) are the core thematic areas of ACT Alliance EU advocacy work. HPP and DPP are supported by and intersect with special projects (which are currently on Migration and Displacement, Climate Justice, Food Security, and the Middle East) which all contribute to the  commitment to holistic, inclusive and sustainable development.

Learn more about ACT Alliance EU work