02.04.2024

New Ways in Partnership

UEM General Secretary Rev Dr Andar Parlindungan opens the conference.

Photos by: Martina Pauly, UEM

The development policy conference of German churches and organisations took place from 19 to 20 March at the Protestant Conference Center on the Holy Mountain in Wuppertal. Around 80 participants from various church organisations took part in the event at the invitation of Bread for the World. The central topic "The future of development cooperation in a crisis-ridden world - new ways of partnering for global justice" was examined from various perspectives.

Andar Parlindungan, UEM General Secretary, opened the conference with a look at the legacy of colonialism and imperialism. He emphasised that global justice is still affected by these historical injustices, such as the unequal distribution of vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic. Parlindungan called on Europe, including churches and governments, to actively engage in global justice and become aware of their colonial past.

The first panel discussion focussed on the definition of the "Global South". Angelina Davydova from the Global Reference Group of Bread for the World emphasised that the term encompasses a large number of different countries and does not represent a homogeneous group. It became clear that the term needs to be differentiated and clarified in order to avoid misunderstandings.

Pastor Norita Sembiring shared her experiences with multicultural education work in the international UEM. The Head of Global Education at UEM emphasised how multicultural teams are involved as early as the seminar development stage. The team's joint learning process begins in the planning stage already. Sembiring referred to an international UEM seminar in Sri Lanka: here, the UEM member church MC-SL succeeded in integrating the diversity of religious and social groups, partly because the church can build on the trust of the community.

The panel discussion on the second day focussed on new ways of church partnership work. Valerie Viban from the Protestant Agency for Diakonie and Development emphasised that partnerships should not revolve exclusively around money, as this could reinforce an imbalance between givers and receivers. It was suggested that more focus should be placed on expert topics in which the southern partners can also make their contributions.

Marie-Luise Frost from Humboldt University in Berlin emphasised the importance of religious institutions in development cooperation. She emphasised that sustainable development in Africa is only possible with the involvement of religious actors. Frost called on Germany to be open to cooperate with religious institutions.

*MC-SL = Methodist Church of Sri Lanka