During 19-22 June 2010, UnitingWorld joined more 300 than concerned Christians from across Australian in Canberra to participate in Voices for Justice, an annual event of Micah Challenge Australia which aims to further the commitment of Australian political leaders to fulfil their pledge to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

UnitingWorld Communications and Fundraising Manager, Mr Robert Lutton, led a group of school students and a teacher from St Vincent’s College in Potts Point, Sydney. The group met with Ms Claire Moore (Senator for Queensland), Mr Mark Coulton MP (Parkes) and Mr Malcolm Turnbull MP (Wentworth) to discuss their commitment to and role in eradicating extreme global poverty through effective development policies. Mr Lutton also met with Scott Morrison MP (Cook) in an additional meeting.

“I would like to express gratitude towards each leader for meeting with us. I am thankful that each received our concerns with genuine interest and a desire to also work for change,” said Mr Lutton.

“We commended Senator Moore for her commitment to the MDGs, especially in the areas of education and maternal health. Her voice within the Government and the community has been instrumental in seeing Aid levels increasing over the past three years. Mr Turnbull was especially responsive to the issue of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Several of our Church Partners in the Pacific, such as the Tuvalu Christian Church and Kiribati Protestant Church, are struggling to adapt to rising sea levels resulting in significant loss of low-lying land. We encouraged Mr Turnbull to continue to be a voice for action on climate change given the potential impact on those who are poor.”

Each member was provided with a report produced by Micah Challenge Australia, The World We Want To See: A Roadmap For Australia’s Overseas Aid Contribution By 2015-16. The report outlines a clear action plan for Australia to reach 0.7 percent of Gross National Income in Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 2015-16. The report also emphasises ensuring that the aid program maximises poverty reduction and providing a fair share of resources to assist developing countries adapt to climate change. Australia’s current ODA commitment is 0.33 percent, and a timeline is in place to reach 0.5 percent by 2015-16.

“Voices for Justice was especially important this year, in light of a federal election expected to be called within weeks and the incoming of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. We commend the Prime Minister in reaffirming her commitment to addressing climate change but urge Ms Gillard to enact policies that will lead to a significant reduction in emissions and assist developing countries to adapt to the impact of climate change. We ask also that she does likewise to achieve the MDGs,” said Mr Lutton.

“In the lead-up to the Federal election I encourage Uniting Church members to play an active role in guiding their local Federal MPs to enact these policies. Writing to local members and facilitating support forums in electorates gets the message out that we need to see immediate action taken to reach the MDGs. The Micah Challenge Australia website has a range of resources that can guide these actions,” said Mr Lutton.

Voices for Justice was followed closely on 23 June by the launch of The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010 by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in New York on 23 June. The report indicated that despite the Global Economic Crisis, the MDGs are still able to be by 2015 with sufficient political will.

The September Summit on the Millennium Development Goals will be held during 20-22 September 2010 to renew an international commitment to reaching the MDGs.

Additional resources:

The full Millennium Development Goals Report 2010 is available to view online

Click here to download the Micah Challenge Australia report, The World We Want To See: A Roadmap For Australia’s Overseas Aid Contribution By 2015-16

Visit the Muicah Challenge Australia website for information on how to on facilitate an election forum about poverty and the MDGs

Watch the video below to see the effects of extreme poverty and climate change on local communities in Indonesia. The video was produced by the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI), and features Iskanar Saher, Executive Director of the Centre for the Development of Holistic Ministry, Indonesia.

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