WCC calls for bold steps in global economic justice

At the 57th Human Rights Council side event titled “Reimagining Development: Inclusive Models for Sustainable and Equitable Development,” the World Council of Churches (WCC) reinforced its leadership role in advocating for inclusive, sustainable development. Rev. Nicole Ashwood, WCC programme executive for Just Community of Women and Men, urged global leaders to rethink development models based on human dignity, environmental care, and gender equality.

Speaking about the role of faith communities, Ashwood highlighted their unique capacity to foster transformative change. “As people of faith, we read the signs of the times and respond accordingly. Our development models must reject profiteering power and instead promote green economies and feminist approaches to development,” she stated. “We have a moral responsibility to act—the earth is on loan to us, and we cannot afford to default on that loan.”

Ashwood also called for dismantling the debt bondage systems that have trapped many “majority world” countries in a cycle of poverty. “How can communities thrive when ... burdened with debts that stretch generations into the future? We must restructure economic systems to give nations the freedom to determine their futures,” she urged.

The event, co-sponsored by the WCC, The Sikh Human Rights Group, and the Government of Tanzania aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development, which emphasizes equitable resource distribution and sustainable livelihoods. It also highlighted the urgency for wealthier nations to be held accountable for their role in exacerbating the climate crisis.

“We must be bold,” Ashwood concluded. “As stewards of creation, we have a duty to ensure that the most vulnerable—those who bear the brunt of climate change—have a voice in shaping a just and sustainable future.”