Prophetic Leadership: A Call to Action

We can no longer afford complacency and endless debate. Love for God, our neighbors. We call on the Lausanne Movement, evangelical leaders, national evangelical organizations, and all local churches to respond urgently at the personal, community, national. A new commitment to a simple lifestyle. Leadership from the church in the Global South. As the Global South represents those most affected in the current ecological crisis, it possesses a particular need to speak up, engage issues of creation care, and act upon them.

We the members of the Consultation further request that the church of the Global South exercise leadership among us, helping to set the agenda for the advance of the gospel and the care of creation. Mobilization of the whole church and engagement of all of society. Mobilization must occur at the congregational level and include those who are often overlooked, utilizing the gifts of women, children, youth, and indigenous people as well as professionals and other resource people who possess experience and expertise. Engagement must be equally widespread, including formal, urgent.

Environmental missions among unreached people groups.

Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy

Radical action to confront climate change. We understand these actions to be an application of the command to deny ourselves, take up the cross. Sustainable principles in food production. In gratitude to God who provides sustenance, and flowing from our conviction to become excellent stewards of creation, we urge the application of environmentally and generationally sustainable principles in agriculture field crops and livestock, fisheries and all other forms of food production , with particular attention to the use of methodologies such as conservation agriculture.

We call for an approach to economic well-being and development, energy production, natural resource management including mining and forestry , water management and use, transportation, health care, rural and urban design and living, and personal and corporate consumption patterns that maintain the ecological integrity of creation. Local expressions of creation care , which preserve and enhance biodiversity. Prophetic advocacy and healing reconciliation.

Each of our calls to action rest on an even more urgent call to prayer, intentional and fervent, soberly aware that this is a spiritual struggle. Many of us must begin our praying with lamentation and repentance for our failure to care for creation, and for our failure to lead in transformation at a personal and corporate level.

And then, having tasted of the grace and mercies of God in Christ Jesus and through the Holy Spirit, and with hope in the fullness of our redemption, we pray with confidence that the Triune God can and will heal our land and all who dwell in it, for the glory of his matchless name.

Prophetic Action: Christians Convening for Palestine

We, the participants of the Jamaica Creation Care Consultation, invite Christians and Christian organizations everywhere to signify your agreement with and commitment to this Call to Action by signing this document as an individual or on behalf of your organization, institution. Individuals may sign by going to http: Questions about this procedure may be sent to the same address. Human security in Asia is threatened and hampered due to various factors, such as increasing poverty, inadequate health care, economic exploitation, exploitation of natural resources and environmental degradation; armed conflicts and violence; militarization, arms build-up, nuclearization, spread of small arms and light weapons; domination and intervention of major powers from outside the region as well as within the region; ethnic and religious conflicts, political unrest and violations of human rights in various forms.

Armed conflicts and violence, terrorism and counter-terrorism, and armed insurgency have taken the lives of hundreds of people in Asia. The influx of small arms and narcotics are also major concerns in the region. Growing tendencies of ethnic solidarities, identification with rising religious fundamentalism and ethnocentric cultural aspirations destroy national unity and integration in several Asian nations. Over the years governments in Asian countries have used religion, ethnicity and caste to strengthen their base and to maintain their power, resulting in discrimination, and feelings of insecurity and fear among the minorities.

Much of the state machinery and economy is spent in policing and maintaining law and order, which affects the quality of life and freedom of all citizens. Freedom of expression and the democratic space in Asia is disturbingly shrinking.

Creation Care and the Gospel: Jamaica Call to Action

In the name of security, legitimate dissent and protest is suppressed, including those raised by minorities, indigenous peoples, non-governmental organizations, even opposition political parties, thus shrinking political diversity. Attacks on whistleblowers, journalists and human rights activists continue to shock the world. Many nation-states have aggressively asserted their roles while the participation of citizens and civil society organizations in the political process has diminished.

Asian churches and the ecumenical movement have a responsibility to address these realities in Asia. It is important that churches take keen interest in its search for mission and witness in all kinds of emerging situations and work together to envision a new paradigm for collective action.

Creation Care and the Gospel: Jamaica Call to Action - Lausanne Movement

CCA has been regularly deliberating on the emerging trends in Asia and the sub-regions. More needs to be done and during the next five years CCA has to keep a close watch on all the aspects that affect the fabric of life and reclaim its prophetic witness and advocacy. The CCA will encourage member churches and councils to analyse and understand the emerging Asian issues and evolve ecumenical responses, and facilitate collective ecumenical action as part of the prophetic witness of Asian Churches at the regional and global levels.

Activities include training in advocacy at national, regional and international levels on emerging Asian Issues for church workers and reflections on theological imperatives on advocacy and prophetic witness of churches.

Despite some positive developments in , including elections of some governments that have promised improvements in human rights, the overall trend in Asian countries has been regressive due to impunity, continuing discrimination and violence against women, ongoing torture and further use of the death penalty, crackdowns on freedom of expression and assembly, pressure on civil society and threats against human rights defenders and media workers.

There were alarming signs of rising religious and ethnic intolerance and discrimination, with authorities either being complicit or failing to take action to combat it. Common concerns include unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions on freedom of expression; impunity for serious human rights violations including torture; the treatment and poor legal protection of undocumented migrants, asylum seekers and refugees; human trafficking; and discrimination against women, persons with disabilities and persons living with HIV and AIDS. The South and West Asia sub-regions host a diverse set of human rights challenges.

Countries like Afghanistan and Nepal are in the midst of post-conflict transitions but face significant problems of insecurity, exclusion and lack of transitional justice. Democratic institutions and the rule of law are on the brink of reforms. Conflicts persist in several countries, with resulting human rights violations and displacement.

Though well-established legal systems exist, implementation and enforcement of the law is weak, and impunity is still a problem. The barriers against accessing the justice system are formidable for many people, reflecting the impact of social and religious traditions on women and other groups. Poverty is at the root of many human rights violations and contributes to specific problems, such as child exploitation and human trafficking. The list is never-ending and violations will continue as long as poverty, greed for wealth and power, and corruption exist in various Asian countries.

The church is called to be engaged in Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy by raising its voice to demand justice and advocate for better policies and legislative action, help build awareness of human rights situations, and create an ecumenical platform from where a strong united ecumenical voice, response and call for action can be heard. CCA has been active in creating awareness on human rights, not only the rights of individuals, but also the rights of the communities that are traditionally marginalized and suppressed.

CCA sees the need for a sustained effort in pursuing the human rights program in the future in order to contribute to improving human rights situations in Asia. In the coming years CCA will facilitate various advocacy initiatives of Asian churches in response to their requests and accredit the participation of Asian church representatives at various UN events in the region and also at three different UN Centers — New York, Geneva or Vienna depends upon the needs and requests of Asian churches.

This program will focus on identifying and addressing human rights concerns in Asia based on Biblical and theological foundations and assisting the Asian churches in demonstrating their prophetic voice in dealing with human rights violations in Asia. Migrant workers from Asia have become victims to unscrupulous people in the global labor market and are subjected to many forms of violence, abuse and sexual exploitation. The number of migrants crossing borders within Asia and beyond the borders of Asia in search of financial opportunity and human security is rapidly increasing.

In , the number of migrants rose to From Indonesia alone, about , migrant workers leave their homes every year to seek work abroad. Approximately 75 per cent of all documented Indonesian migrant workers are women, with the vast majority working as domestic workers. Bangladesh, over a period of 33 years, has sent through regular channels alone, more than 6.

Regarding Sri Lanka, recent estimates suggest that over a million migrants work abroad while the annual reported outflows are about , persons. Over two million Nepalese men and women work abroad in countries other than India. Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from India are in various Arabian Gulf countries. Malaysia has a total of 1. In addition, there are an estimated million undocumented migrants. There is a troubling paucity of examining the plights of Asian migrant workers with regard to health care which is a basic tenet of human rights.

Migrant workers go through enormous emotional and psychological trauma on account of being away from their families and of their loneliness often in sub-human living conditions. They are not able to be joined by members of their families for several years; not able to travel back when their family members are sick of dying because their passports are confiscated by their employers; not able to travel because they have to pay back loans borrowed to pay the agents who facilitated their travel.

They are forced to work long hours without rest or relaxation with little or no contact with friends or local community. Of all the migrant workers, women are the worst victims. Thousands of Asian migrant women are working as domestic workers, in inhuman living conditions, in different Asian countries and in Arabian Gulf countries. Most of these are domestic workers, often exposed to sexual abuse and harassment, harsh treatment, lack of health care and with little or no contact with anyone outside their work places.

There were several cases reporting that workers find suicide to be their only escape from their desperate circumstances. Many Asian governments and their economies benefit a great deal from the foreign exchange remittances by the migrant workers. However, hardly any of these governments do anything to protect and support the rights of migrant workers. The government should have a systematic implementation policy to at least decrease the number of agencies that deceive, recruit, and exploit workers and improve their conditions, giving migrant workers regular access to medical care both in the receiving and sending country.

The given context warrants Asian churches and CCA as a regional organization to take concrete steps to raise their voices for the vulnerable groups and advocate for their rights, dignity and safety through relevant forums as well as through governments. It is expected that these activities will alert the Asian churches and ecumenical councils on the plight of the migrant workers in sending and receiving countries and mobilize them to organize, together with civil society organizations, national campaigns to ratify and implement the international convention on the rights of migrant workers and their families.

Human Trafficking or trafficking in persons is unfortunately thriving in the form of modern day slavery. Asia is not an exception to this reality. The Global slavery Index GSI shows that there are nearly 36 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, of which, The majority of victims of trafficking are between 18 and 24 years of age. Individuals may be trafficked and exploited in a variety of ways. The trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation has been the most commonly recognized form of trafficking. Yet, many, if not more, men, women and children are trafficked for such forms of labor exploitation as work in factories, in agriculture, construction, fisheries, textile, and mining industries, and for domestic servitude and care services.

Traffickers frequently target children for begging, domestic servitude, adoption, removal of organs and petty street theft. Poverty, unemployment, war, natural disasters, gender inequalities, discrimination, gender-based violence, desperation, cultural and social frameworks are good predictors of vulnerability to being trafficked. However, those who fall prey to traffickers may also be relatively wealthy, relatively educated and from urban areas.

While international trafficking is often in the spotlight, people who are trafficked may be transported internationally, regionally or, as is the case with many trafficked persons, within their own national borders. The trafficked people or victims of human trafficking are first and foremost human beings and hold their undeniable human rights and human dignity.

Their rights and security require specific and special protection in all circumstances, which are often denied. In this challenging situation the churches unarguably have a crucial role to play especially in providing support and assistance to victims of human trafficking particularly women and children and advocating for their rights by raising awareness of issues and mobilizing necessary support for appropriate arbitration.

The ecumenical family has been engaged in global advocacy on uprooted people for a long time. CCA knowing its theological conviction based on the principle of love of Christ for the stranger and the vulnerable and acting to its prophetic call, has conducted several programs addressing the concerns of migrants and migrant workers crossing the borders of their home countries. However, in the Asian context, the issue of human trafficking has not been addressed adequately through ecumenical platforms except that of an international consultation the CCA had organized jointly with the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches in These consultations shared the work and experiences of churches in combating and eliminating this modern day slavery.

The Churches are called to discover the plan God pursues for victims of human trafficking and forced migrations. Churches need coordinated action to create public awareness and build the capacity of vulnerable groups and professionals working in the field of anti-trafficking; provide support and assistance and advocacy among civil society organizations, faith based organizations, policy makers and legislatures to address the concerns and issues related to human trafficking, forced migrations and luring people for migration leading to human trafficking.

Asian churches also are not adequately involved in any advocacy on ratification of existing and relevant international instruments by their respective governments. These instruments and their practical applications contextually need to be made aware among the public for which Asian churches can play a major role in several countries. It is in this context that the CCA will initiate concerted efforts to address the concerns of human trafficking through regional and national programs focusing on building the capacity of Asian churches to combat human trafficking.

The CCA will also facilitate advocacy networks and build ecumenical alliances and collaborations to help prevent vulnerable people from being trafficked and provide assistance and support to the victims of human trafficking. Although, Indigenous Peoples have unique, distinctive cultures, languages, legal systems and histories and share a strong connection to the environment and their territories, across Asia they are the most vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalized people.

Like in other parts of the world, in Asia too, the Indigenous people face problems of widespread land confiscation, negative environmental, social, and health impacts, and threats to traditional and sustainable livelihoods.

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Indigenous people and communities in Asia remain among the most persecuted of all minorities, facing discrimination not only on the basis of their religion and ethnicity but also because of their indigenous identity and their socio-economic status. Militarization, displacement, oppression and the struggle for their right to self-determination are issues faced by the Asian Indigenous Peoples.

A major challenge for Indigenous people is to see action from States to implement their international human rights commitments in national laws, policies and programs. The struggle of Indigenous people and other vulnerable ethnic and caste groups due to discrimination in various forms continue to be a pervasive phenomenon in different countries in Asia. Military offensives in Kachin and Northern Shan states, a lack of significant legislative and institutional reforms, and persecution of Muslim Rohingya in Arakan State are specific examples.

The struggle of the Indigenous ethnic people in West Papua has a long history of their ongoing demands for their rights.

Call to Action Writing Team:

The discriminated Dalits in India and other South Asian countries due to their caste identities and centuries old caste based discriminations deny their basic human rights and dignity. Though the world sees indigenous and vulnerable as disgraced and powerless, God is always present in the struggles of those unjustly pushed to the margins of society. God hears the cry of the oppressed and accompanies them in their journey towards liberation Exodus 3: Marginalized people resist injustice and oppression in their own ways and through their struggles for life, justice and dignity and rights for themselves and for all, unveil the presence and power of God in their lives.

In Asia, millions of children continue to be victims of the most appalling forms of exploitation, violence, abuse and neglect.

Children are sold outright or forced into bondage to work off family debt in several Asian countries. There are hundreds of thousands of children in different Asian cities and towns living on charity, household refuse and on prostitution and delinquency. From the Christian perspective, we affirm and acknowledge that children are bestowed with special rights due to their special and unique needs.

We recognize our responsibility to uphold their rights, especially their inalienable right to protection. Out of our deep theological convictions and spiritual reflections we understand that it is our calling to build safe environment, in our families, churches and communities, where men, women, children and adults, including those who are hurt and suffering, may find love, care, healing and wholeness. It is therefore our mission to be engaged in enabling children who have suffered from abuse to lead their lives with dignity in a safe environment.

CCA has been actively involved in programs that uphold the rights and dignity of children. However, as child abuse is increasing rapidly in gigantic proportions, more needs to be done to engage Asian Churches for advocacy against child labor and sexual exploitation of children, and to affirm and uphold the rights and dignity of children. Health is more than physical or mental well-being of a person, and healing is not primarily an outcome of only medical care or treatments.

This understanding of health coheres with the biblical-theological traditions. This message is embodied in the life, acts and message of Jesus Christ. The Bible recounts many instances where Jesus healed persons with various infirmities but, equally importantly, he restored people to their rightful places within the fabric of the community. Healing is more about the restoration of wholeness than about correcting something perceived as defective. This may include various meanings and aspects of healing — physical, spiritual and social wellbeing.

There are many ways in which churches can be, and are, involved in health and healing in a comprehensive sense. They create or support clinics and mission hospitals; they offer counseling services, care groups and health programs; local churches can create groups to visit sick congregation members.