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Texts of resolutions affirmed August 5 Affirmation and Adoption of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Resolution 1.1): On the 50th anniversary of its proclamation in December of 1948, this Conference (a) resolves that its members urge compliance with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the nations in which our various members Churches are located, and all others over whom we may exercise any influence; and (b) urges extension of the provisions of the Declaration to refugees, uprooted and displaced persons who may be forced by the circumstances of their loves to live among them. Religious Freedom and Tolerance (Resolution 1.2):This Conference, meeting at the dawn of the new millennium, calls upon (a) all faith communities, especially the Christian Church, to acknowledge our responsibility to mobilise our spiritual, moral and material resources to promote and protect as absolute rights, each person's freedom of thought, conscience and religion; (b) the leaders of all faith communities to encourage their congregations to reach out to people of all faiths among communities to encourage their congregations to reach out to people of all faiths among whom they live, move and have their being, in order to proclaim and demonstrate the imperatives of love and reconciliation as a pre-condition for a new world community, and (c) governments of all the nations our Churches represent to strive for creation of just and free conditions for people of all religions to practice their beliefs ``either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his (or her) religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.'' (UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights,Article 18)
Justice for Women and Children (Resolution 1.3): This Conference resolves that each member Church represented make an intentional effort to (a) discover the ways in which women and children are affected and victimised by the political, economic,educational, cultural and religious systems in which they live, (b) discover the ways in which criminal elements of our societies victimise and exploit women and children, (c) raise the level of public (local, national and international) awareness about such abuses, and (d) work toward eliminating abuses through co-operation with existing groups such as ECPAT (End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism) and the monitoring agencies of the United Nations and World Council of Churches.
Faithful Response to Aggression and War (Resolution 1.4): This Conference (a) abhors the evil of war; (b) repudiates and condemns the use of violence for settling religious, economic, cultural or political disputes; (c) encourages the use of peacekeeping forces to prevent or forestall the escalation of conflicts, and to assist in their resolution; (d) repudiates and condemns the use of terrorism; (e) decries the production and proliferation of arms, (f) commits its members to prayer, mediation, and any active, non-violent means we can employ to end current conflicts and wars and to prevent others; and (g) urges the nations represented by our Churches and all those on whom we have any influence whatsoever to join us in this endeavour.
Uprooted and Displaced Persons (Resolution 1.5) This Conference commits its members to (a) promote within the Anglican Communion and beyond a greater awareness of the plight of uprooted and forcibly displaced persons, including indigenous peoples, and the causes of such disruption, including Third World Debt, religious conflict, economic deprivation, political oppression and environmental degradation; (b) recognise the plight of our brothers and sisters who are victims of forcible displacement, and encourage prayer, worship, and study experiences which express the solidarity of the Anglican Communion with uprooted and forcibly displaced persons, commending the exceptional courage and leadership exercise of behalf of these victims by certain members of the Anglican Communion; (c) encourage effective advocacy on behalf of uprooted and forcibly displaced persons within the Anglican Communion as well as within its behalf of uprooted and displaced persons by designating contact persons in every province whose responsibility would be to develop and guide this work*, and (e) encourage the revitalisation of the Anglican Communion International Migrant and Refugee Network to assist the Anglican Communion in this work. (*All primates were requested to do this as expressed in Anglican Consultative Council 6, 1984. See Proceedings of ACC-6,Appendix 3, page 26, 1984.)
RESOLUTION TO RETURN BISHOPS FOR DEBATE---The Plight of the People of Northern andWestern Uganda (Resolution 1.6):This Conference, acknowledging the appalling suffering of the people of Western and Northern Uganda, urges the government of Uganda to continue to engage in a process which will lead to peace with justice and without revenge, a process which would include (a) acknowledgement by all involved of their responsibility for the continuation of conflict; (b) repentance for their actions; (c) providing appropriate compensation; and (d) engaging in formal acts of reconciliation.
RESOLUTION AMENDED TO INCLUDE BURUNDI---The Plight of the People of the Sudan and Rwanda (Resolution 1.7): This Conference, expressing its horror at the human disaster in the Sudan and Rwanda, urges that, (a) the Episcopal Church of the Sudan be encouraged to establish a dynamic network of reciprocal communications with government bodies, sympathetic Muslims, and non-governmental organisations, including the All Africa Conference of Churches, the Anglican Consultative Council, the Primates of the Anglican Communion, the Anglican Observer at the UN, and specialised organs of the UN and the UN Security Council; (b) the member Churches of the Anglican Communion find ways to help provide technology, equipment, vehicles and administrative support in order to make publicity about the response to the urgent situation in the Sudan and Rwanda possible; (c) the member Churches of the Anglican Communion contribute as generously as possible of expertise, labour, money, and material goods to aid in necessary rebuilding of these nations on all levels, and (d) help be sought from existing organisations whose mission is the facilitation of peace processes, to aid in the implementation of this resolution. |
