On October 14, 2009 the Canadian 2010 Interfaith Partnership issued the statement "A Time for Inspired Leadership and Action". The Statement calls on the 2010 Religious Leaders' Summit (June 21-23, Winnipeg, Canada), preceding the G8 (G20) Summit (June 25-27, Huntsville, Canada), "to put first the needs and values of the majority of the world's population, of future generations and of Earth itself." (See here.)

WACC wholly endorses the 2010 Interfaith Partnership Statement and its urgent call to address the immediate needs of the most vulnerable, to prioritize long-term environmental sustainability, and to create paths for peaceful coexistence.

From WACC's perspective, the potential of communication to strengthen the effectiveness of policies, strategies, and actions to tackle these issues appears to have been overlooked. It is WACC’s belief that mass and community media can play a key role in informing the public, highlighting the vital policy decisions at stake, and nurturing the kind of public debate that spurs politicians and leaders into action.

WACC supports the notion that those responsible for media content should not just “report the news”, but broaden the public agenda and even help set it. This is not at odds with journalistic principles of objectivity and balance, since media outlets and journalists have a duty to put forward views on matters of political and social justice.

And when it comes to poverty reduction, the media are crucial to bringing information before the public, contributing to the quality of public discourse, and bringing marginalised voices, such as the people of Haiti, into the public eye.

The people of Haiti have reason to fear the hurricane season. Every time a powerful weather system strikes their island, it leaves death and devastation in its wake. Their fears have been compounded by extreme poverty and massive deforestation which have left the population vulnerable to strong winds, mudslides and flooding.

According to a recent report by Al Jazeera (see here), "The hurricanes and floods... put pressure on the population and institutions," says Mark Schneider, senior vice-president of the International Crisis Group and an expert on Haiti.  "The continued removal of trees complicates the situation more. Even when there are mild storms, Haiti is exposed to major flooding. People get frustrated because they don't have resources to respond."

Formerly known as the "Pearl of the Caribbean" because of its natural resources – chiefly sugar cane and wood – Haiti's deforestation began during the colonial era and only two per cent of its trees now remain. These days Haitians, most of whom have no access to electricity or gas, use the few remaining trees as charcoal. Haiti is currently working with Cuba and the Dominican Republic to present a plan to the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 for putting a biological corridor in place with the aim of protecting endangered areas and those living in them.

Communication can impact positively on all these areas by telling the stories of people affected by poverty and climate change. It can build public awareness both within a country and in other nations about what needs to be done. It can put pressure on politicians and the leaders of international institutes such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organization to come up with viable solutions.

In preparation for the 2010 Religious Leaders' Summit, WACC is keen to support in whatever ways it can communicators who are alerting their constituencies to the urgent need to reverse growing poverty, climate change, and global insecurity. WACC challenges religious leaders and religious communicators not to wait for next year’s summits, but to demand action now.

However imperfect the Millennium Development Goals and the strategies designed to achieve them, no one can deny the overwhelming need for immediate international agreement and cooperation. The people of Haiti, and the people of every country in the world, need more. They need positive action. Now!

See also: http://www.oikoumene.org/gr/news/news-management/eng/a.html?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=13423&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1634&cHash=c46c6051a3

http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/economy.html

http://www.waccglobal.org/en/activities/climate-justice.html

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