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News
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Guest Worker Scheme
18/08/08
UNITING CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA AGENCY WELCOMES PACIFIC ISLANDS SEASONAL LABOUR SCHEME
The Uniting Church in Australia’s national agency for international relationships, Uniting International Mission, has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement of a pilot seasonal labour mobility scheme for the Pacific Islands.
Uniting International Mission spokesperson, Frances Voon, said its Pacific partners have long been calling for such a scheme, amid growing levels of unemployment in the region.
“The scheme has the potential to bring greatly needed income and skills-building opportunities to Pacific Island communities, provided adequate safeguards are put in place to ensure decent working and living conditions for Pacific Island workers,” said Ms Voon.
“Given the chronic labour shortages in the Australian horticulture sector, a seasonal labour mobility scheme has the potential to benefit both Pacific Island and regional Australian communities.”
“Uniting International Mission urges the Federal Government to explore ways in which a seasonal labour mobility scheme can work in conjunction with Australia’s aid and development program in the Pacific, in order to enhance the potential positive impacts of such a scheme for community development.”
“Similarly, efforts must be made to ensure that Pacific Island communities are not robbed of skilled workers, thereby exacerbating ‘brain drain’ from the Pacific.”
“It is vital that adequate safeguards are put in place to ensure decent working and living conditions for Pacific Island workers.”
Churches can play a role in building community links, offering hospitality and providing pastoral support for workers.
With its strong links to partner churches throughout the Pacific, and its presence across regional Australia, the Uniting Church may facilitate the building of people-to-people links between Australian host communities and Pacific Island sending communities.
“We stand ready to work together with our partners both in the Pacific and within Australia to promote the wellbeing of Pacific Island workers, their families and their communities,” Ms Voon said.
MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Frances Voon is available for interview. Please contact:
Amy Goodhew, Communications Coordinator, UIM: 02 8267 4269; 0421 785 488, amyg@nat.uca.org.au
Uniting International Mission is the Uniting Church in Australia’s national agency for international relationships, church partnerships, advocacy, people in mission, human rights, peace & reconciliation, relief & development.
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Pacific Trade – UIM Involvement
15/08/08
 Last year the five-yearly conference of the Pacific Conference of Churches in Pagopago highlighted trade as a priority issue for consideration by the Church. Trade negotiations involving the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands nations were expected to have a significant impact on the economic wellbeing, cultures and spiritualities of Pacific Islands peoples.
At the meeting of Synod and Assembly International Mission teams early this year, trade was named as a priority issue for consideration by the Uniting Church, leading towards the 2009 Assembly. This was to build on work already undertaken in Synods.
At a later conference of non-governmental organisations a small work-group was appointed involving the ACTU, Uniting International Mission, Oxfam Australia, a trade justice organisation, and a social policy writer also to raise trade issues relating to the Pacific. That paper was released today. Last week that group hosted the General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, Fei Tevi, to publicise the issues.
The issue of trade with Pacific nations is of vital interest to the wellbeing and development of Pacific island nations.
Frances Voon was employed to write a draft paper towards the Uniting Church’s National Assembly in July 2009. The aim is to articulate the Uniting Church’s position on the issues to help the Church be true to the gospel, to empower members to live out the gospel and to resource the Church in its public leadership.
This paper will be published shortly and will outline Uniting International Mission’s position on international trade.
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Climate Change Events
1/08/08
FIRST EVENT:
The Lowy Institute for International Policy invites you to a roundtable with Mr Fe'iloakitau Kaho Tevi, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches.
Details of the event are as follows:
Date: Thursday, 7 August 2008
Time: 3.30pm-4.30pm
Place: Lowy Institute for International Policy, Level 1, 31 Bligh Street, Sydney
RSVP: Orietta Melfi at omelfi@lowyinstitute.org by Monday, 4 August 2008
Islands of Hope: economic justice and trade in the Pacific
Mr Tevi will talk about the role of Pacific civil society in regional debates on trade, free trade agreements and economic integration.
Fe'iloakitau Kaho Tevi is the General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) which links the major Christian denominations of the Pacific islands region. Fei Tevi was elected to his position in September 2007 at the 9th PCC Assembly held in Pago Pago, which brought together representatives of the ecumenical body’s 26 member churches and nine member councils of churches in 17 island states and territories.
As a member of the World Council of Churches, the PCC has taken a visionary role to address issues of social, cultural and environmental concern, working on global warming, responses to the HIV pandemic, and trade and economic justice.
Mr Tevi has long been involved in regional civil society initiatives to address the potential economic and social impacts of regional trade agreements like the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and PACER-Plus, the proposed free trade agreement with Australia and New Zealand.
With Pacific churches playing a crucial role in the provision of health, education and welfare services to Pacific communities, Australian and EU proposals for greater trade in services take on new importance for the ecumenical movement in the Pacific.
I hope you will be able to join us.
Jenny Hayward-Jones
Program Director
Myer Foundation Melanesia Program
LOWY INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY
31 BLIGH STREET, SYDNEY, NSW 2000 AUSTRALIA ABN 40 102 792 174
POSTAL ADDRESS PO BOX H-159 AUSTRALIA SQUARE 1215
TELEPHONE +61 (0)2 8238 9000 FACSIMILE +61 (0)2 8238 9005
WEB: www.lowyinstitute.org
BLOG: www.lowyinterpreter.org
SECOND EVENT:
We are writing to invite you to participate in a public meeting to discussion: "Australia, the Pacific, trade, trade agreements and economic justice" with Mr Fe'iloakitau Kaho Tevi - General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC)
DATE: Thursday 7th August, 6 - 7.30pm
VENUE: LHMU Conference Room
Level 8
187 Thomas Street, HAYMARKET, SYDNEY
If you would like to participate please RSVP by Monday 4 August to
Dee@actu.asn.au ph: (03) 9664.7339
THIRD EVENT:
Climate Change in the Pacific: Voices from Affected Communities
An evening seminar and discussion
Thursday 7th August, 6 - 8pm
Wesley Church, Wesley Mission, 220 Pitt St Sydney 2000
Free admission
Climate change is already a daily reality in the Pacific, with devastating consequences for many Pacific Islands people. Storms, storm surges and droughts are more frequent and extreme, and seas are encroaching. As a result, coastlines, homes, schools, and other vital infrastructure such as roads are damaged. Many people also face loss of traditional livelihoods as fish stocks, crops and fresh water decline. In some cases, entire communities are being forced to relocate. People living in the low lying islands of the Pacific face an uncertain future because of the ongoing effects of climate change.
This event will feature experiences and stories of three voices from affected communities. Come along and learn about the issue of climate change, the imperative for action, and what you can do in solidarity with Pacific communities.
Speakers:
• Aisake Casimira, Ecumenical Animator with the Pacific Conference of Churches, based in Fiji
• Akii Neneia Taratiera, from Kiribati, now living in Sydney and involved in the Pacific Calling Partnership
• Sulufaiga Uota, from Tuvalu, a theology student at Charles Sturt University
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National Ministers Conference exposure visits
30/07/08
At the conclusion of the national minister’s conference in Bali, three exposure experiences were organised by Uniting International Mission. These were organised with the intention of raising awareness and learning from the Indonesian church as it engages in a number of critical issues. These include programs to combat poverty, a focus on sustainable development, living in a pluralist society and engaging with other faiths.
The exposure visits were to the following areas.
West Timor - A group of ten people led by Rev Apwee Ting, visited the Evangelical Christian Church in Timor. This is a large church with 1.4 million members serving in one of Indonesia’s poorest provinces just over 500 kilometres northwest of the Australian mainland. Visits were made to congregations in the central mountains together with church institutions around Kupang. A visit was also made to a cattle project in Betun (near the border with East Timor) that is operated by the TLM Foundation. This is a community development initiative that operates under the church and focuses on developing sustainable small scale business enterprises that generate income for poor remote communities.
Java – A group of eight people led by Rev John Barr visited Java and were hosted by the Indonesian Christian Church. In Jogyakarta, central Java, time was spent at Muslim pesantren and then a Buddhist conference centre. In Jakarta the group visited the Wahid Institute that is operated by Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Muslim organisation. This institute is named after Indonesia’s former president and it has been set up to promote Islam as a religion of peace and to facilitate inter-faith engagement. Visits were also made to Bandung where the church is extensively involved in tertiary education. The group also met with the Indonesian Communion of Churches and with the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, the Hon. Mr Bill Farmer.
Bali – A group of twenty people led by the president, Rev Gregor Henderson, spent a weekend in Blimbingsari village in West Bali. Here the Protestant Christian Church in Bali has established a model community that is committed to living Christian faith in a traditional Balinese context. Traditional Balinese arts and crafts have been incorporated into worship and other expressions of faith. While Bali is subject to massive global influences, the church encourages a strong Balinese identity and has become known across the world for it contribution to contextualization and its respect for Bali’s dominant faith, Hinduism.
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Statement of the Ecumenical Summit on Zimbabwe
 17/07/08
Christian leaders from southern Africa and across the world concluded the summit on the situation in Zimbabwe with the following statement.
We have come together as followers of Jesus Christ from southern Africa and from around the world, bound by our common faith and a shared concern for God's people in Zimbabwe. We are from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Madagascar, Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana. We are mainly from the reformed tradition – particularly the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa and the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa – but not exclusively so.
1. We include representatives of national councils of churches in South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Malawi, Botswana and Zambia, but also delegates from the World Council of Churches, the Fellowship of Councils of Churches in Southern Africa (FOCCISA) from the Council for World Mission, from the United Evangelical Mission and from Communauté d'Eglises en mission (Cevaa) and from churches in Europe, North America and the Caribbean – bodies with global constituencies. Together, we represent millions of people of faith around the world.
2. Our concern is rooted in Christian values: justice, love and compassion. We believe that all people are created in God's image and are therefore worthy of equal dignity and respect. We hear the cries of all suffering people as the cry of Christ from the cross.
3. For the past four days (14–17 July), we have participated in an Ecumenical Summit on Zimbabwe at Willow Park, Benoni, under the theme "Overcoming Fear by Faith". Delegates from Zimbabwe spoke about the injustices that the people of Zimbabwe face on a daily basis. We have heard firsthand accounts of the pain of our brothers, sisters and children who have endured assault, torture and intimidation. With our own eyes, we have seen evidence of the brutality and death that has been inflicted by the Mugabe regime. We have learnt of people subjected to extreme destitution because of economic chaos; people who go to bed hungry, who do not have access to the basic necessities for a healthy and dignified life; people who have been forcibly removed or intimidated into false displays of political affiliation.
4. These examples of human tragedy have persuaded us to conclude that –
o There is a profound crisis in Zimbabwe. Fear is endemic as a result of state-sponsored intimidation and political violence. Large numbers of people are being assaulted, abducted, tortured, displaced, maimed, and killed.
o The 27 June presidential "run-off" poll lacked any legitimacy; therefore it cannot be a starting point for negotiations. Instead, the will of the people expressed on 29 March must be respected and honoured. Our assessment coincides with that of the Heads of Christian Denominations in Zimbabwe and the electoral observer missions from SADC, the African Union and the Pan-Africa Parliament who have acknowledged the illegitimacy of the 27 June poll.
o The political crisis in Zimbabwe and its humanitarian consequences represent a threat to the entire region that demands urgent and co-ordinated action.
5. Consequently we are called to respond to the people's cries by working for justice, peace and reconciliation in Zimbabwe. Already, a range of stakeholders, including some churches, has been working vigorously to address aspects of Zimbabwe's overlapping crises and, in particular, to find political solutions. There is a need to recognise and to highlight the good work being done and to involve more stakeholders in these efforts to achieve reconciliation.
6. At the same time we recognise that we can do more. We commit ourselves to:
o Pray for an end to illegitimate rule in Zimbabwe and for honesty and transparency in the mediation process led by President Mbeki;
o Provide palliative and moral support for the people of Zimbabwe;
o Extend hospitality to those who have been displaced; and
o Covenant to pursue this issue of justice, as we have with previous issues linked with other nations, until Zimbabwe has a legitimate government.
7. We commend those governments who refuse to accept the legitimacy of Mugabe's regime, but governments, too, can do more. We call upon the governments of SADC nations to:
o Refuse to recognise the illegitimate government of Robert Mugabe;
o Impose targeted economic sanctions against the regime;
o Broaden the mediation effort by the appointment of additional mediators from SADC and the African Union to the mediating team;
o Use their influence to work for a transitional administration and a truly negotiated settlement; and
o Ensure that displaced Zimbabweans in the region and other parts of the world are granted refugee status and are treated with respect and dignity.
8. We urge President Mbeki in his role as mediator to:
o Recognise the extreme urgency of the situation and expedite the mediation process;
o Use his influence to halt political violence and protect the security of all Zimbabweans;
o Be seen to listen to a wider range of voices, including churches and civil society organisations, in order to avoid outcomes that simply represent the narrow interests of politicians; and
o Refrain from taking any action or making any statement that might be perceived to compromise his impartiality.
We make this urgent plea in solidarity with our suffering sisters and brothers in Zimbabwe and in the conviction that we are able to overcome fear by faith.
Adopted, 17 July 2008
Johannesburg
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Fugia welcomes missionary’s wife
 18/07/08
By ELIAS LARI
THE Wesleyan Church members of Fugia in the Koroba/Kipiago district of Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea presented gifts to a wife of a pioneer missionary who visited their area last week.
Dorothy Hotchkin, wife of the missionary Walter Hotchkin who established Wesleyan Church on Sept 16, 1961 at Fugia village, was accorded a warm welcome.
The villagers slaughtered pigs and presented her with string bags and other artifacts.
Mrs Hotchkin, who spent 47 years in the country before returning to Queensland, Australia with her family, spent almost half their lifetime, building a church, community school and aid post and preaching the gospel.
She followed her husband with her two sons and came to PNG in October 1961, just one month after her husband left for Southern Highlands province.
Mrs Hotchkin, now in her 70s, said that two of her daughters were born in Southern Highlands province.
She said they stayed in Fugia until 1993 when they decided to return to their own country and start a new life.
She said her husband died from a short illness in Australia in 2005, leaving her with four children, 11 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Mrs Hotchkin said that apart from preaching the gospel, she assisted her husband to teach Tok Pisin and then preach the gospel in Huli dialect.
She said they built a community school for the people to have access to education and later built an aidpost.
She said that in the past it was not easy to educate the people or preaching the gospel because of language barrier but after sometime the people learned to understand Tok Pisin.
Mrs Hotchkin said she paid the visit at the request of the Fugia people to see the church and other services they had started during the colonial period.
She believed that her visit this year might be her last because of her old age and added she would not forget the “wonderful” people from Fugia.
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Indonesia admits guilt over Timor
17/07/08
The Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has endorsed a truth commission's statement that his nation was to blame for gross human rights abuses against the East Timorese in 1999. Dr Yudhoyono stopped short of a formal apology and ruled out prosecution of those responsible.
Stating that he felt the "deepest regret" for those murdered, raped and tortured in the bloody aftermath of East Timor's 1999 independence vote, Dr Yudhoyono emphasised that the Commission of Truth and Friendship report was about institutional rather than individual responsibility.
He was flanked by East Timor's independence figureheads, the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, and the President, Jose Ramos-Horta. The trio agreed the report should be used to move on from the atrocities.
The report says more than 1000 East Timorese died after the independence vote, and they were victims of a campaign of terror and destruction orchestrated by Jakarta.
Most abuses were carried out by local militias who were funded, armed and directed by Indonesia's military, the TNI, the report says
Dr Yudhoyono pleaded for both nations to move on. "Only the truth can release us from the handcuffs of the past," he said.
A joint declaration signed by the leaders referred to the events as "an unfortunate chapter of our shared past" and stated "we are determined to bring a closure to a chapter of our recent past". Such events should never be allowed to recur, it said.
The commission's report calls for Indonesia's military to accept civilian control and respect for human rights.
Until now, Indonesia had blamed local militias, and no Indonesian commander or official had been successfully prosecuted.
The commission found the Indonesian army, police and Government encouraged and participated in crimes
Mr Ramos-Horta said East Timor was not seeking an international tribunal to punish those responsible.
"Justice is not and cannot be only prosecutorial in the sense of sending people to jail; justice must also be restorative," he said. "We as leaders of our people must lead our nations forward. The events of 1999 are known to all. I shall not dwell on them," he said.
This is a step forward for Indonesia and East Timor to building a lasting peace in the region.
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Charges filed against Sudanese President
15/07/08
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court filed genocide charges last night against Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.
Al-Bashir was charged with masterminding attempts to wipe out African tribes in Darfur with a campaign of murder, rape and deportation.
Prosecuter Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir to prevent the deaths of some 2.5 million people forced from their homes in Darfur and still under attack from the government-backed janjaweed militia. "Genocide is a crime of intention -- we don't need to wait until these 2.5 million die,"
"The genocide is ongoing," he added, saying systematic rape was a key element of the campaign. "Seventy-year-old women, six-year-old girls are raped," he said. "Massive rapes, gang rapes, rapes in front of the parents."
Sudan rejects the court's jurisdiction and refuses to arrest suspects.
The charges are expected to cause further turmoil in Sudan and some analysts fear it could make life even worse for refugees living in Darfur's sprawling camps and relying on humanitarian aid for food and water.
Most members of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic African groups were driven from their homes by Sudanese forces and the janjaweed in 2004. Since then, the janjaweed had been targeting the camps, aiming to starve the refugees.
"These 2.5 million people are in camps. They (Bashir's forces) don't need gas chambers because the desert will kill them," Mr Moreno-Ocampo said. The refugees "have no more water, no more food, no more cattle", he said.
"They have lost everything. They live because international humanitarian organisations are providing food for them."
An estimated 300,000 people have died in Darfur since conflict erupted there in 2003 when local tribes took up arms against Bashir's Arab-led government in Khartoum, fighting for control of the resource-rich region.
Mr Moreno-Ocampo said the international community needed to act to prevent more deaths.
"We are dealing with a genocide. Is it easy to stop? No. Do we need to stop it? Yes. Do we have to stop it? Yes"
Uniting Church Overseas Aid is maintaining it’s ‘A Village Called Nachipo’ project to improve sanitation and education. Nachipo is near the Kenyan border and the last stop for many refugees fleeing from the turbulent North.
Please keep the people of the Sudan in your prayers. |
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Troubles continue for Zimbabwe
14/07/08
 The situation in Zimbabwe continues to be dire and Uniting International Mission continues to urge you to pray for the people of Zimbabwe and for a swift end to the current conflict.
The following timeline outlines the progression of the issues surrounding the Zimbabwe elections.
March 29 Zimbabweans go to the polls and MDC claims victory the day after
April 2 Calls for Mugabe to concede
May 2 Electoral body says opposition must contest a second round run-off
May 10 Tsvangirai agrees to second poll
June 5 Western diplomats held while investigating allegations of violence
June 19 UN warns of humanitarian disaster to hit Zimbabwe next year
June 22 Tsvangarai pulls out of election branding the poll "a violent, illegitimate sham"
June 26 Nelson Mandela breaks his silence on the crisis, accusing Mugabe of a tragic failure of leadership
June 29 Mugabe is sworn in as president
July 7 G8 leaders round on Thabo Mbeki for failing to pressure his regional ally into accepting March 29 poll results
While the international community now debates how best to bring an end to Zimbabwe’s troubles, the people of Zimbabwe continue to suffer.
In the current climate of fear and violence, Uniting Church Overseas Aid’s Water Harvesting project in Muzarabani has been suspended. The Uniting Church in Australia continues to communicate its solidarity to our partner churches in Zimbabwe.
When the current crisis reaches an end the people of Zimbabwe will need our help more than ever. Click here for more information about our water harvesting project and to donate to this project.
Click here for more information on the gross human rights abuses being perpetuated in Zimbabwe.
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Uncertain future for Zimbabwe as opposition leader withdraws from race
25/6/08
 The withdrawal of candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, from the run-off election for the presidency of Zimbabwe is understandable and reflects the level of intimidation and brutality towards opposition supporters.
"Given the totality of these circumstances, we believe a credible election is impossible.” Tsvangirai said on Sunday 22nd June. “We can't ask the people to cast their vote on June 27 when that vote will cost their lives. We will no longer participate in this violent sham of an election."
South Africa is working to mediate between the two sides, encouraging talk to continue despite Tsvangirai's announcement. However the South Africa government leadership appears to have underestimated the level of violence and intimidation and its impact on innocent people.
As a result of this withdrawal, the presidency will remain with the 84-year-old Robert Mugabe.
Underlying issues remain unaddressed. The economy is in cataclysmic decline, communities are without basic services and people are without food. There is growing malnutrition and escalating violence against people who speak out, including churches. Major change is needed.
Uniting Church Overseas Aid’s Water Harvesting project in Muzarabani is on hold while the dire situation in Zimbabwe remains unresolved.
The Uniting Church in Australia continues to communicate to our Zimbabwean partners our continuing concern for the people of Zimbabwe including churches. We invite people to keep praying for Zimbabwe.
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Zimbabwe Update
18/06/08
This week we received the following email from a Bishop of one of our partner churches in Zimbabwe that brought new disturbing and desperate news.
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32 Warrior Tribes in the Southern Highlands prepare to sign peace treaty
17/05/08
During the early weeks of May, 2008, events of historical significance took place as the first 3 of a proposed 16 peace mediations, were carried out between 6 of the 32 warrior tribes in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea |
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