The continent of Africa is in crisis. The international community singled out Africa as the area of greatest human suffering at the United Nations' World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen, Denmark in March, 1995.
A century of colonial rule, preceded by two centuries of a vicious slave trade and followed by a generation of neo-colonialism, has left much of Africa's social, political and economic life in a shambles. The decade of the eighties was disastrous. Real wages for Africa's workers fell by 30% in a decade, and unemployment quadrupled. Infant mortality rates, a powerful index of human well-being, are now more than three times the rate for Southeast Asia and over double the rate for Latin America and the Caribbean. A destructive combination of military dictatorship, apartheid, economic collapse, social unrest, civil war, and natural disasters created 7 million refugees, 50 million disabled persons, and 35 million displaced people. Armaments poured into Africa during and following the Cold War are now used by some governments to oppress their own people; by armed bands who enrich themselves at the point of a gun and in inter-ethnic conflicts.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, President of the All Africa Conference of Churches, observes with alarm that: "The magnitude of the economic crisis is manifest by rising cost of living, adverse commodity prices, a ruthless free market, the unfair and heavy debt burden, the falling prices of raw materials, the over-burdening of social services, rising unemployment, especially among women and young men, unacceptable high mortality and morbidity rates among children and women and noticeable increases in general abuse and violence."
Yet the continent is a place of hope and promise. Peace has been achieved in a number of nations which were wracked by civil war for years. Democratic reforms are being demanded by the people of those countries still suffering under military dictatorship and government corruption. Democracy is struggling into life in more than a dozen nations. The whole world is rejoicing at the miracle of liberation in South Africa, as the old wine-skins of apartheid have been broken. New models of sustainable and equitable development are being created by the people of the continent, as they see the destructiveness of inappropriate Western and neo-colonial models. The continent is rich in natural resources needed by the entire world. Africa is blessed with people of remarkable energy, spirit and ingenuity. The United Methodist Church, continuing to grow rapidly, is a transforming presence in many countries, influential beyond its numbers, engaging in a holistic Wesleyan ministry of outreach evangelism and humanitarian service.
The Copenhagen Commitment:
In response to the crisis and mindful of the new possibilities emerging in Africa, governments and non-governmental organizations meeting at the United Nations' World Summit for Social Development made a solemn pledge:
We commit ourselves to accelerating the economic, social and human resource development of Africa and the least developed countries.
To this end, we will:
a. Implement, at the national level, structural adjustment policies, which should include social development goals, as well as effective development strategies that establish a more favourable climate for trade and investment, give priority to human resource development and further promote the development of democratic institutions;
b. Support the domestic efforts of Africa and the least developed countries to implement economic reforms, programmes to increase food security, and commodity diversification efforts through international cooperation, including South-South cooperation and technical and financial assistance, as well as trade and partnership;
c. Find effective, development-oriented and durable solutions to external debt problems, through the immediate implementation of the terms of debt forgiveness agreed upon in the Paris Club in December 1994, which encompass debt reduction, including cancellation or other debt-relief measures; invite the international financial institutions to examine innovative approaches to assist low-income countries with a high proportion of multilateral debt, with a view to alleviating their debt burdens; and develop techniques of debt conversion applied to social development programmes and projects in conformity with Summit priorities. These actions should take into account the mid-term review of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s1 and the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s2, and should be implemented as soon as possible;
d. Ensure the implementation of the strategies and measures for the development of Africa decided by the international community, and support the reform efforts, development strategies and programmes decided by the African countries and the least developed countries;
e. Increase official development assistance, both overall and for social programmes, and improve its impact, consistent with countries' economic circumstances and capacities to assist, and consistent with commitments in international agreements;
f. Consider ratifying the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa3, and support African countries in the implementation of urgent action to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought;
g. Take all necessary measures to ensure that communicable diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, do not restrict or reverse the progress made in economic and social development.
United Methodist Response:
As Christians, our faith is in the God of Jesus Christ, who stands with the most vulnerable and oppressed people in our societies. Their well-being must serve as a guidepost for justice. God, sovereign over all nations, had made of one blood all the peoples of the earth. United Methodists, therefore, remain ever-vigilant, listening more attentively than ever to churches and movements around the world, as they struggle for social, political, economic spiritual development. Therefore, we call upon the United Methodist people, local churches and agencies to:
1. Participate fully in the Campaign for Africa of the Council of Bishops and the General Board of Global Ministries and to urge the continuation of the Campaign; and urge the General Board of Church and Society to advocate for policies that address the economic crises, peacekeeping and human rights concerns in Africa.
2. Encourage United Methodist churches to increase their participation in programs of emergency relief, aid to refugees, reconstruction and development through the appropriate units of the General Board of Global Ministries, regional councils of churches and the World Council of Churches.
3. Encourage United Methodists to participate in Volunteers in Mission programs and educate themselves (orientation, cultural sensitivity and contingency planning), for working alongside African brothers and sisters in , e.g. reconstructing schools, clinics and churches. There is also a need to emphasize the importance of preparation for the cross-cultural experience for both the volunteer in mission and the receiving partner.
4. Be faithful witnesses to government leaders in every country to the need for concerted national and international efforts toward sustainable equitable development and reconstruction on the continent of Africa, guided by the Copenhagen Commitment, World Summit for Social Development.
5. Urge United Methodists to persuade their governments to ratify the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertificiation in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and /or Desertification.
6. Press the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to reform its structural adjustment programs, which have contributed to debts, declining economic and health systems, and deteriorating education in African nations.
7. Urge an embargo on present and future arms sales to Africa, and measures to rid Africa of the weapons which were poured into the continent, including the land mines which kill innocent people, predominantly women and children.
8. Continue and further develop the General Board of Global Ministries' commitment to comprehensive community-based primary health care, recognizing the role which poverty, poor sanitation, and polluted water play in the spread of communicable diseases across the continent; the collapse of the health care systems in many countries; and the ineffectiveness of Western medical models.
9. Monitor all programs of relief and development with special attention to these criteria:
a. Give priority to women and children, who suffer the most during times of social unrest and war.
b. Involve full participation of African United Methodists in setting priorities , designing, managing and coordinating projects, relying upon their experience, wisdom and resourcefulness.
c. Design programs to alleviate the root causes of poverty, oppression and social unrest.
d. Program for sustainability, both in terms of ecological integrity, and the avoidance of dependency by utilizing appropriate technologies which do not require continuing input of resources from other countries.
Endnotes:
1. General Assembly resolution 46/151, annex, sect.II
2. Report of the Second UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Paris, 3-14 September, 1990 (A/CONF:147/18), part one.
3. Ibid: A/49/84/Add.2, annex, appendix II
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Petition Text: 21357-GM-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference