Letter from the
General Secretary

2024 was a year of profound complexity and fragility. From the protracted war in Gaza to the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Sudan to climate-induced disasters displacing millions. These are not isolated crises. They reflect the convergence of broken systems: rising conflict, climate injustice, inequality, and the erosion of trust in public institutions. Over 300 million people required humanitarian assistance in 2024 alone.

In this global landscape, ACT Alliance has stood firm, not as a single voice, but as a community of 152 faith-based organisations, working together in alliance. The power of our collective lies not only in our numbers, but in our shared values rooted in faith, solidarity, and the moral imperative to act for justice. As a bridge between the grassroots communities and multilateralism, and between communities of faith and decision-making spaces, ACT Alliance works to amplify voices too often left unheard.

In 2024, our ACT Alliance made critical contributions including:

 

01

Being present and vocal in global arenas, influencing outcomes at COP29, shaping policies around the Global Goal on Adaptation, gender justice, and the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance.

02

We deepened our commitment to decolonising aid by advancing the Rapid Response Fund as a key pillar for localisation of humanitarian efforts.

03

Across the alliance, more than 106 members are now implementing gender justice policies advancing rights, protection, and equity in all that we do.

04

Convening the 4th General Assembly, bringing together members working in over 127 countries, electing a new Governing Board, and approving 18 public statements outlining collective priorities on issues including Ukraine, Palestine, Cuba, tax justice, and fundamentalisms.

But these achievements are not enough if we do not also question the very systems within which we work. We are called to be more than responders. We must be systems-changers.

The humanitarian and development sector must confront its own imbalances, especially in how power, voice, and resources are distributed. Decolonisation of aid is not just an aspiration, it is a necessary correction to an outdated system. What does it mean to truly shift power to local actors? How can funding modalities be reimagined to strengthen, rather than constrain, community leadership? How do we ensure trust-based partnerships, where the value of proximity and context is not only recognised but prioritised?

We must also recognise that there is not a single humanitarian “system,” but rather a diverse ecosystem made up of formal and informal actors, from grassroots responders to international agencies. True transformation will not come from relying solely on “the system” as it stands, but from embracing this broader ecosystem – acknowledging, resourcing, and collaborating with the full spectrum of actors who are already responding with agility, legitimacy, and care in their own contexts.

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Our work remains grounded in our faith. And our faith reminds
us: hope is not passive. It is active. It is relational. It is bold.

This is why the theme for our General Assembly for 2024
was “Hope in Action: Together for Justice.”

Thank you for walking this journey with us. Together, in alliance, we will continue to respond and to reimagine.

Rudelmar Bueno de Faria
General Secretary, ACT Alliance