Voices of the poor must be heard; Church support for Scrap Metal Dealers Bill; Media Review
Voices of the poor must be heard
The High Level Panel advising the UN on the new post-2015 development framework, meeting in London this week (1 November) and co-chaired by David Cameron, must ensure the voices and expertise of those directly affected by poverty and injustice are heard and valued, says the Church of England’s International Affairs Adviser.
Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting the meeting of the High Level Panel, of which he is a co-chair and which was set up by the United Nations to create a successor to the existing Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Speaking at the start of the High Level Panel’s meeting in London Dr Charles Reed, the Church of England’s International Affairs Policy Advisor, commented: “If we are to learn anything from the way MDGs were negotiated it is that if the post-MDG development agenda is to command widespread legitimacy it can not be defined by a group of experts and technocrats working behind closed doors in a way that leaves unchallenged a model of development centred on the concerns of donors”
Dr Reed, who will be attending the High Level Panel’s outreach with Civil Society on 2 November, said: “As a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Church of England obviously has particular issues and priorities close to its heart that we would like to see reflected in a post-2015 agenda. That is only natural. But it is important that all parties step back from selling a particular agenda or prescriptive view of human development to focusing instead on ensuring that the voices and expertise of those directly affected by poverty and injustice are heard and valued.”
“As a Church we are committed to working with our partners from all around the Anglican Communion to ensure that their voices are heard fully and directly in the consultation process. A practical proposal from a faith based NGO in rural Kenya should receive as much attention as an idea from the Gates Foundation.”
Church support for Scrap Metal Dealers Bill
Church of England bishops are calling on MPs to support the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill on November 9. The epidemic of metal theft continues to plague churches, war memorials, schools, heritage properties, rail and utility services and even hospitals across the UK. It has cost £27m¹ to repair the nearly 11,000 cases of criminal damage inflicted on England’s churches alone since 2007.
For the Church of England in 2012, the worst affected dioceses have been Salisbury, Chelmsford and Winchester with 120 claims made on insurance policies.
Consequently, bishops are supporting senior Conservative backbencher Richard Ottaway’s Scrap Metal Dealers Bill. It has its remaining stages in the House of Commons on Friday, 9 November and seeks to licence all scrap metal dealers, verify the identity of all those selling metal and for all those cashless transactions to be recorded. If passed by MPs the bill will progress to the House of Lords.
The Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, the Bishop of Salisbury, says: “It is shocking that more than 50 churches in my diocese have had metal stolen this year. One church has suffered eight separate break-ins. These thefts not only damage buildings, they destroy community by demoralising the volunteers who care for these local facilities. The 950 churchwardens who care for our churches are all committed and hard working volunteers. They will be pleased if the Scrap Metal Dealers Bill is passed by the House of Common on 9 November. It will protect community assets.”
MEDIA REVIEW
Christingle spotlights justice
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/3/christingle.spotlights.justice/30940.htm
Personal assessment of what faces new Abp of Canterbury.
Andrew Brown in The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/31/archbishop-canterbury-church-of-england
Reports that the Government has dropped plans to require women seeking abortion to receive independent counselling.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/31/abortion-counselling-review-halted
Report that hospitals are receiving financial inducements to place terminally ill patients on the Liverpool Care Pathway.
Picture features about the 500th anniversary celebrations for the Sistine Chapel frescoes.