The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) welcomes the adoption of the United Nations Pact for the Future on 22 September 2024. This document is the culmination of months of negotiations and represents a reaffirmation of the role of the UN in peacebuilding, promotion of human rights and global development.
The WEA is pleased to see the role of faith communities is affirmed in the Pact for the Future. As well, the Pact affirms the importance of combatting discrimination on the basis of religion.
“The 51 founding members of the United Nations has grown to 193, including my own country,” comments Goodwill Shana, Executive Chair of the WEA. “It is an important moment for all the countries to reaffirm their commitment to working together for peace, human rights, the rule of law and global development.”
“The WEA Global Advocacy Department focuses on religious freedom and peace building. We are pleased to see these key themes highlighted in the Pact for the Future,” says Kyle Wisdom, Director, Global Advocacy.
The WEA engaged in several consultations on the wording of the Pact, focusing on ensuring that religious freedom and faith-based organizations were included. Then WEA Director, Global Advocacy, Janet Epp Buckingham, participated in the UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, and helped form the Impact Coalition for Faith-based Solutions. Wisdom comments, “I wish to thank the previous Global Advocacy director, Janet Epp Buckingham, for her foresight and initiative in building a coalition of faith actors to bolster religious freedom protections in the Pact.”
Christine MacMillan, WEA’s Senior Advisor in the New York office, participated in aside-event to the Summit of the Future on September 20. MacMillan comments: “The event brought together faith leaders who identified the themes of the Pact with connecting points of relevance and an intent to influence. Creating an awareness that envisions sustainable communities will have evangelicals serving suffering humanity with futures long hoped for.”
“It is so important to have this language in the Pact for the Future because it is what the nations have agreed to,” comments Buckingham. “For all its challenges,the United Nations is where the nations gather to solve global problems.Christians need to have a place and a voice.”
“The Pact for the Future is just a first step in a process to transform the UN into an organization that is more effective in promoting peace and justice,” says Shana. “The WEA intends to continue to participate in this important work from our evangelical Christian perspective. Our advocacy comes out of our work on the ground helping the poor, assisting refugees, fighting human trafficking and building peace and reconciliation.”
The WEA, founded in 1846, represents more than 600 million evangelicals in 143 national alliances. It unites evangelicals worldwide for prayer, mission, and human rights advocacy. Visit worldea.org for more information.
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