An ecumenical delegation supported by Caritas has urged the OECD to create democratic ownership of aid ahead of a summit on aid effectiveness in Accra, 2 to 4 September.

The chair of the OECD working group on Aid Effectiveness, Ambassador Jan Cedergren met yesterday with an ecumenical delegation led by Rev. Dr. Mvume Dandala, General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC).

Bishop Dandala said that Churches and international faith-based organisations long for the day when aid is no longer necessary and they are demanding real development for the poor based on justice, not bad charity.

He shared the delegation’s key concerns of the vital importance of transparency on part of both donors and recipient governments and that churches and faith based organisations can be instrumental in holding both donors and governments accountable. He said there is an urgent need to recognise the role which Churches and faith-based organisations play with regard to the creation of democratic ownership and transparency needs to be recognized.

In his public address to the Civil Society Organisation Parallel Forum, Ambassador Cedergren talked about the important and ongoing role of the Churches in building grassroots and democratic national ownership of development, and of building accountability.

Ambassador Cedergren warned that the forum will not resolve all the problems [in] of aid, and not everyone will be satisfied with the results of the forum, as this is a long process of compromise in which donors and governments are cautious about change.

He congratulated the Churches and international faith-based organisations for continuing to engage with the dialogue, noting the importance of the ecumenical commitment to be “in it for the long run”.

Later, an ecumenical service was celebrated jointly by Bishop Dandala and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kumasi, Ghana, the Most Rev. Thomas Mensah. The service, which focused on the theme of improving aid, received moving messages from agricultural workers, and youth.

The ecumenical gathering, attended by delegates from both the Civil Society Organisations Parallel Forum and the High Level Forum, joined the congregation in prayer, reflection and song for development, justice and peace.

Photographs are available to download here

Main media contact in Accra: Sean Hawkey
Telephone: + 44 777 561 6813
Email: sha@wcc-coe.org

For Caritas: Blandine Bouniol
Telephone + 32 478 585 408
Email: bbouniol@caritas-europa.org