Advocacy

Pushing Forward in Times of Crisis: Faith-Based Advocacy for Justice.

 

In 2024, ACT Alliance continued to advance our advocacy grounded in a faith and a human rights-based approach – coordinating ACT members in the pursuit of justice, peace, and dignity for all. Amid growing global challenges, including rising racism, conflicts, nationalism, and the weakening of multilateral cooperation, our commitment to global solidarity remained unwavering.

Throughout the year, ACT Alliance enabled strategic advocacy that amplified the voices of faith communities on the frontline, to speak truth to power at local, national, and international levels. We defended civic space, stood against fundamentalisms that threaten democracy and freedom of expression, and strengthened the capacity of the alliance to mobilise, collaborate, and ‘turn hope into action’.  

The ACT Advocacy Academy is a global capacity-building initiative focused on advocacy, offered by the ACT Alliance. It’s designed to enhance the advocacy skills of individuals working within its member and partner organizations, and other related bodies. The program involves a 4-month blended learning experience, including webinars, independent study, and the development of a concrete advocacy plan. The ACT Advocacy Academy 2024 included:

  • 118 Applicants / 76 Participants
  • 49 Graduates
  • 36 Organisations
  • 26 Countries
  • 31 Coaches and 33 Faculty Members
  • 4 Month Blended Learning Training Programme.
  • 12+ Advocacy Lectures and Webinars

 

“I am privileged to have been part of the faculty and coaching teams of the ACT Alliance Advocacy Academy over the past seven years. Each year the Academy has trained a diverse group of at least 50 participants drawn from the various members and partners of the ACT Alliance that are based in different regions.  It has been a truly global platform for development practitioners who are interested in pushing for meaningful changes in policies and practices in different thematic areas. It has also provided a great opportunity for the participants and coaches to interact and learn from each other during and after the academy sessions.”

Philemon Jazi, Diakonia & ACT Alliance Advocacy and Policy Reference Group Co-Chair, 2020 – 2024

Fundamentalism and ACT’s UN Tax Convention work

01
Strengthening Policy Coherence and Strategic Influence
01

Strengthening Policy Coherence and Strategic Influence

 

  • Strengthened coherence in ACT Alliance’s policy and advocacy work by promoting awareness and consistent use of sign-off policies and procedures across the alliance.
02
Evidence-Based Research and Innovative Reports
02

Evidence-Based Research and Innovative Reports

 

03
National to Global Advocacy Impact
03

National to Global Advocacy Impact

 

  • Strengthened national-level advocacy and ecumenical cooperation.
  • Deepened work with faith leaders to drive strategic advocacy efforts from national to global levels.
04
Youth Engagement
04

Youth Engagement

 

  • Youth engagement was further mainstreamed in advocacy efforts.
  • Youth representatives shaped ACT’s advocacy through leadership roles, delegations, events, and communications.
05
Strategic Partnerships and UN Engagement
05

Strategic Partnerships and UN Engagement

 

  • Deepened strategic, effective, and relevant partnerships with UN agencies, including UNFPA, UN Women, UNDP, and UNEP.
  • ACT served as a key partner for the ICPD+30 global faith-associated event.
06
Influence in Global Policy Processes
06

Influence in Global Policy Processes

 

  • Played a key role throughout the preparatory process for the Pact for the Future, adopted at the UN Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow in September.
07
Addressing Structural Injustice
07

Addressing Structural Injustice

 

  • Co-created efforts to address structural gaps that entrench injustice, such as debt, tax, and global financial architecture reform.
  • Established a new Community of Practice on the UN Tax Convention.
08
Collective Advocacy Statements
08

Collective Advocacy Statements

 

  • Co-created and approved 18 public statements during the ACT General Assembly, including statements on localisation, tax justice, and civic space.

In 2025, ACT Alliance’s Advocacy work will focus on:

01

Promoting forum-centred advocacy by strengthening capacity through initiatives like the ACT Advocacy Academy.

02

Providing analysis and addressing gaps in emerging, and cross-cutting advocacy, to catalyse innovative and comprehensive responses to injustice.

03

Enhancing interconnected advocacy to bridge local realities to national, regional, and global policy spaces, including targeted regional platforms, such as the African Union.

04

Amplifying collective faith and rights-based advocacy by ACT Alliance members in UN spaces (New York & Geneva) to strengthen our influence for justice.

05

Safeguarding the implementation and review of ACT’s policy and advocacy procedures to ensure coherence, visibility, and contextual relevance.