Honouring Indigenous Women’s Wisdom: May 18 – 22 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

From May 18 to 22nd, 2014, Indigenous women from Canada and the global South will be at the United Nations in New York as part of a joint KAIROS and Horizons of Friendship delegation to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). 

Indigenous women partners from Canada, Guatemala, the Philippines, Nicaragua, and Panama will come together as part of the Honouring Indigenous Women’s delegation to share experiences of the impacts of resource extraction on their communities, particularly on women, and to highlight Indigenous women’s leadership in protecting the environment and defending collective rights, including the right to Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC).

The delegation will deepen the understanding and visibility of these issues at the 13th session of UNFPII, an extremely important forum for Indigenous peoples worldwide, as well as provide an opportunity for Indigenous women to share strategies and develop a common agenda to address these impacts. 

Delegates will raise these issues at official UN sessions, side events and meetings with UN officials, the Canadian delegation, and other country delegations. 

As well, KAIROS and Horizons of Friendship will host an official side event at the UNPFII on Wednesday May 21: From Canada to Guatemala to the Philippines- Honouring Women’s Wisdom.

You can follow the delegation though our daily updates and video blogs (vlogs).  Please stay tuned.

Film maker and photographer Allan Lissner will document the delegation and conduct interviews for a KAIROS video on defending Indigenous rights and worldviews which will be launched in September 2014.

Open for Justice Op-Ed:
As Christians, we are challenged to condemn mining abuses

This op-ed regarding the impact that Canadian mining companies have on communities appeared in the Halifax Chronicle Herald on April 21. It was written by the Reverend Susan C. Johnson, the National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada, the Most Reverend Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Right Reverend Mark MacDonald, the National Indigenous Anglican bishop.  A revised version was published in the Hill Times on April 28th.

During Holy Week, Christians follow Jesus from Passion Sunday to Easter morning by way of the dark road of suffering and death on Good Friday. Recently, we heard the story of a Guatemalan community facing the development of a mine by Tahoe Resources, a Canadian company.  Read more.

Open for Justice rally on Parliament Hill, May 14, 12 noon

Join us on Wednesday, May 14, at noon on Parliament Hill for a rally calling for the creation of an extractive-sector Ombudsman.  Development and Peace is hosting the event, with broader participation from other CNCA network members.  Thousands of postcards and letters will be delivered to Members of Parliament in support of the Open for Justice campaign.
Download the Open for Justice rally poster to spread the word about this important action! And remember to send a letter to your Member of Parliament.

Call for justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines

According to KARAPATAN, the national alliance of human rights organizations in the Philippines, 169 men and women have been victims of extrajudicial killings under the current government of President  Benigno Simeon Aquino III.

From January to March of this year, 19 people were killed — 9 of these in March  alone.

Please join us in calling for justice for the extrajudicial killings of human rights defenders, Indigenous peoples and community leaders, members of progressive organizations, and civilians in the Philippines.

Read more.

For more information, please contact:
Connie Sorio
Ecological Justice Partnership Coordinator
csorio@kairoscanada.org
416-463-5312 X240
Toll-free: 1-877-403-8933 x 222

An Expression of Solidarity in Response to the Death of Merilyn Topacio Reynoso

In this expression of solidarity in response to the fatal attack against Merilyn Topacio Reynoso, a young Guatemalan activist, KAIROS affirms its commitment to intergenerational work and youth activism, and to working for a world where young people have the freedom and opportunity to participate fully in the development of their communities without fear of reprisals. The statement contains a link to an open letter to Guatemala’s Attorney General, signed by KAIROS and 35 other organizations, calling for a full and impartial investigation. Read more.

Merilyn Topacio Reynoso

For more information please contact:
Rachel Warden,
Gender Justice and Latin American Partnership Coordinator
rwarden@kairoscanada.org
416-463-5312 x 242
Toll-free: 1-877-403-8933

Keep Oil Underground in Yasuní Park

UPDATE ON YASUNI ACTION FROM JOHN DILLON:
Thank you for responding to KAIROS' urgent action calling on Ecuador’s electoral tribunal to support the call for referendum on the Yasuni initiative.

We received some disappointing news – the electoral council has invalidated 359,781 of the 850,000 signatures collected by Yasunidos.
Nevertheless, as the report below indicates, the campaigners are planning to approach the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. So the struggle continues.

Ecuador rejects vote on Amazon oil drilling in Yasuni park – BBC News

John Dillon
KAIROS Ecological Economy Coordinator



The initiative to keep 850 million barrels of heavy crude oil underground in Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park, one of the world’s most biodiverse areas, suffered a setback in 2013 when President Correa announced he would allow oil exploration to proceed.
 
At the time, KAIROS wrote a letter to Ecuador’s ambassador expressing concern about the expansion of petroleum licensing in ecologically fragile Indigenous territories in the Amazon: KAIROS Concerned About the Expansion of Petroleum Licensing in the Amazon

Civil society groups in Ecuador have responded with a campaign demanding a referendum on the issue as provided for in the constitution. On April 12, they delivered petitions with over 750,000 signatures to the National Electoral Tribunal in Quito. The signatures represented more than 584,000 registered voters (5% of the electorate), as required by law.
 
Now civil society groups, including KAIROS partner Acción Ecológica, are concerned the process could be derailed for political reasons.

Click here to Take Action!

For more information please contact:
Rachel Warden,
Gender Justice and Latin American Partnership Coordinator
rwarden@kairoscanada.org
416-463-5312 x 242
Toll-free: 1-877-403-8933

Briefing Paper No. 38: Movement for Divesting from Fossil Fuels Gaining Strength

Following the example of Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church in Toronto, a discussion on withdrawing investments from oil, gas and coal producing corporations is gaining momentum.  The inspiration for divestment from fossil fuels is the successful campaign that persuaded many investors to pull out of South Africa during the apartheid era. Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu draws on this experience in articulating the moral case for putting pressure on companies whose activities are leading to disastrous climate change.

The possibility that the financial value of shares in fossil fuel producing companies are in jeopardy is being taken very seriously by sectors of the business community. Investors are becoming wary of their exposure to companies whose asset values are vulnerable to changes in government policies and consumer demand. Investments in the Canadian tar sands are particularly risky.

Read the briefing paper.

For more information please contact:
John Dillon
Ecological Economy Program Coordinator
jdillon@kairoscanada.org
416- 463-5312 ext 231

Ethical Reflections on Fracking

The practice of hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) for shale gas and oil raises significant ecological and Indigenous rights issues. On 8 April 2014, KAIROS released a discussion paper inviting our member churches to consider whether KAIROS should endorse a moratorium on fracking. The paper documents several ecological issues, including the connection between fracking and water contamination, earthquakes and the release of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. It also describes how Indigenous peoples in North and South America are at the forefront of resistance to fracking.

KAIROS Offers Young Adults Subsidy for ‘Justice Camp: Land’

Application Deadline: May 31

Adults of all ages and church backgrounds are invited to gather in Edmonton, August 15-21 for Justice Camp. Learn about social justice issues up close and first hand through active immersion within the communities challenged by social justice issues.  Justice Camp includes directed immersion experiences, biblical reflection, worship and relationship building. Join participants from across Canada to develop skills to become effective social justice leaders within your local community!

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land…” Justice Camp provides excellent training for Christians who want to work for social justice based on their faith.  This year’s Justice Camp theme, ‘Land’ fits nicely with KAIROS’ priorities such as Watershed Discipleship, Resource Extraction, and Free, Prior and Informed Consent on Indigenous land.
 
KAIROS offers subsidies for participation in Justice Camp, with priority given to young adults, Indigenous and other racialized peoples, low income people, and people with disabilities.

For more details, visit the application form.

For more information please contact:
Shannon Neufeldt
Network and Young Adult Coordinator
sneufeldt@kairoscanada.org
416-463-5312 ext.222

KAIROS Canada’s Letters to the Editor

Since launching its Letters to the Editor Campaign in February, KAIROS staff and companions have had 13 letters published in such newspapers as the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, The Telegraph Journal, Embassy and even the Toronto Sun! The release of the latest IPCC report provided a great opportunity for more letters.

If you are interested in being part of this growing letter writing team, please contact:

Cheryl McNamara,
KAIROS’ Media Coordinator,
at cmcnamara@kairoscanada.org

Here is a sampling of the letters published in April from the Toronto Star:

April 19 - Canada is engaged in a Truth and Reconciliation process to address injustices perpetuated by previous generations through the Indian residential schools system. While our ancestors deserve our respect, we must acknowledge their deep failure to recognize the value of diverse cultures and traditions.
I wonder what my daughter will think about my generation in years to come. How will she feel about our incapacity to address the climate crisis with courage and conviction, and our willingness to let possible solutions slip through our fingers due to denial.
We must get serious about climate change and make our children and grandchildren proud. Let us assure them a stable future before it is too late.
Jennifer Henry, Executive Director, KAIROS Canada, Toronto


April 19 - What is needed from the government of Canada in response to the latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a recognition of the seriousness of the contributions of carbon-based economies, through their global corporations, to the disruption of the mutually interacting climate and, hence, life supporting, systems of the planet.
If our children, let alone our grandchildren, are to live without consistent catastrophic weather and be free of the fear, instability and costs involved, our purposes, economies and lifestyles must change. Growth must go. Sustainability must succeed.

National prosperity must be partnered to international survival, because self preservation will be the ruination of us all. The present government’s wilful blindness is nothing short of wickedness.
Mervyn Russell, Oakville


April 5 - The day after the final Truth and Reconciliation hearing, the latest IPCC report emphasizes how climate change is hitting Canadian aboriginal communities, culture and food sources especially hard. It’s time to accept the truth of the effects of our actions and reconcile ourselves to taking responsible measures: remove oil subsidies, shift taxes from income to carbon, adequately fund monitoring to inform future decision-making.
Expand public transit, curb sprawl. Cut jet travel, eat less beef, insulate our homes. A kilogram of prevention today will avoid tonnes of future environmental, economic, social and guilt burdens.
Elizabeth Snell, Guelph​

For more information on KAIROS’ Letters to the Editor please contact:
Cheryl McNamara
KAIROS Media Coordinator
cmcnamara@kairoscanada.org
416-463-5312 x 246
877-403-8933 x 246

KAIROS Executive Director Jennifer Henry reflects on how companions
help us to sustain our confidence in Easter Hope.

As sure as the spring will come, as certain as the dawn will break--that confidence is Easter’s gift.

We believe in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. But it’s a faith that can be sorely tested in the pain and the depth of our Good Fridays.

Will the fighting in South Sudan end?
Will the climate heal?
Will extra-judicial killing in the Philippines stop?
Will Indigenous women be safe?
Will land be preserved for future generations?

There’s nothing certain about any of that.

Alone, it’s hard to hold on to that Easter certainty of peace, justice, and restoration - the certainty of transformation. That’s why we need companions.

In May, we’re going to gather women together in New York, Indigenous women from Canada, from the Philippines and Guatemala. Each one is an incredible activist. We’re bringing them together at the United Nations because we know that they’ll find in each other greater courage and persistence to stay the course. Sure and certain determination for human rights in their countries.

And we know that we too will be re-inspired. That they will keep alight in us that Easter Hope that the integrity of Creation, that the dignity of every person, can be preserved.

We believe that God calls us to testify to Easter Hope, and to collaborate with the resurrected Christ who brings forth new life for all God’s people. It’s a daunting invitation, but one made easier with companions.

This Easter, consider joining KAIROS and bringing your hope together with ours.

Become a companion, or become a KAIROS community. Invite others to join this growing ecumenical movement.

We need each other if we’re going to change the world.

For everything that you do in Easter Hope, thank you. And Easter Blessings from all of us here at KAIROS!