Anglican leaders at Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict

9 June 2014

Anglicans will take part in events at the Global Summit, which is taking place from 10-13 June, and highlight the role that faith groups have in preventing sexual violence in conflict.

You can get involved with the global event wherever you are in the world – details are further down in this article.

The Global Summit will bring together government ministers from over 140 countries and representatives from civil society, grassroots organisations, the judiciary, militaries and international organisations, to agree practical actions to help put an end to the use of sexual violence in conflict.

The summit aims to agree specific action to end impunity, give greater support and provision of services for survivors, and improve international strategic coordination, amongst other aims. The summit will also see the launch of a new International Protocol on the Investigation and Documentation of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

More information on the Global Summit can be seen here.

How are Anglicans involved in the summit?

Anglican churches and agencies, with Christians and other faith communities, have long been engaged in responding to sexual violence in their communities and providing care and support to survivors.

Archbishop Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, recently visited an initiative run by the Anglican Church of Congo.  And Archbishop Thabo Makgoba joined the We Will Speak Out campaign launch in South Africa last year.

The Anglican Alliance and Anglican Communion are members of We Will Speak Out coalition, which is a global coalition that brings together Christian NGOs, churches and organisations who have committed to end sexual violence in communities around the world.

Anglicans from around the Anglican Communion will participate as part of the We Will Speak Out coalition.  They will be taking part in the Global Summit as speakers at panel discussions and as delegates attending the expert and ministerial meetings, and they will be highlighting the role that faith communities have in preventing and responding to sexual violence in conflict.

On 11 June a multi-faith panel will discuss the role that faith leaders have in speaking out about sexual violence, as well as addressing the root causes that contribute to it.  Faith leaders also play a key role in providing care and support to survivors, which includes countering the stigmatisation of survivors.

On 12 June a second panel will focus on the role of the churches and Christian NGOs in Democratic Republic of Congo and how they are preventing and responding to sexual violence in conflict in their context.

Both of these events are open to the public and free to attend.  The Anglican Alliance will also report on each event on our website once they have taken place.

How can you take part in the Global Summit?

There are many ways that the global Anglican community can take part in the Global Summit and support the faith-based presence at the events.  Here are some of the ways that you can be involved:

  • Twitter Q&A

On Wednesday 21 May from 13.30 – 14.30 (UK time) the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague will be answering your questions about the Global Summit via Twitter.  You can submit your questions here.

  • Attend free public fringe events in London from 10-13 June

As well as the two panel discussions at which Anglican leaders will be speaking, the Summit Fringe has over 150 free events taking place that are open to the public.  These include panel discussions, performances, films and a marketplace.  You can see more information here.

  •   Attend events around the world and watch online

In the coming weeks the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be releasing more details on events around the world that you can attend and details of how to watch events online if there is not an event near you.  We will post further details on our website and Facebook page.