A workshop in Tanzania provides information and tools for effective advocacy in gender and climate justice 

(LWI) – Empowering faith leaders in Africa to engage in more effective advocacy for human rights, gender justice and climate action across the continent: that was the goal of a four-day workshop organized recently by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). 

The 26 to 29 May event brought together church leaders, interfaith partners, government representatives, United Nations (UN) officials and members of civil society organizations to strengthen understanding of regional and global human rights systems. It provided participants with practical skills and tools to engage with mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and other UN processes. 

Participants discussed growing concerns over shrinking civil society space, increasing pushback against women’s rights and threats facing environmental defenders in Africa and beyond. The workshop examined case studies from the African continent, including the Tanzanian church’s recent coordination of a UPR report sent to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and a CEDAW country report detailing barriers to women’s empowerment. Sessions explored African human rights systems, while also looking at advocacy opportunities within global climate processes.  Read more