One of the privileges held by our team is the ongoing opportunity to publicly represent our organisation, as well as the voices of Australian Baptists more broadly, at conferences, public forums, and roundtable gatherings. A prominent example of this is our ongoing commitment to the coalition of faith-based organisations that are part of Micah Australia.   

As many of you would know, we share a certain DNA—a kind of ‘heartbeat’—with Micah. This is particularly evident in their unashamed commitment to live out the encouragement of the scripture that is their namesake (Micah 6:8), calling God’s people to ‘act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.’  (In the interest of full disclosure, this might be a good time to mention that I also have the privilege of serving as a Board member for Micah Australia!)  

We’re proud to join with Micah and a coalition of Australian aid and development organisations to launch the Safer World For All Campaign. Threats to our world are intensifying—dangerous weather, increased conflict and soaring inequality are causing harm across nations. Australia must act to build a safer world for all. 

Threats to our world are intensifying—dangerous weather, increased conflict and soaring inequality are causing harm across nations. Australia must act to build a safer world for all. 

The Problem: Polycrisis  

A relatively innovative word being used to describe the times we are living in is ‘polycrisis,’ referring to the numerous critical, overlapping issues currently confronting the global community—escalating poverty and inequality, global conflict and displacement, and an increase in adverse weather and natural disasters. The reality is that these challenges will not diminish on their own; indeed, the likelihood of them increasing towards catastrophic levels only becomes more certain if left unaddressed.   

But while the increase in the number and nature of these complex issues has the capacity to feel overwhelming, along with the other members of Micah, we believe we have the capacity to strategically address these issues through long term and sustained collective advocacy. This is what Safer World For All is all about! A campaign that has the capacity to hold, and adapt as needed, all kinds of advocacy actions that will be required to achieve specific objectives over the next five years–and you’re invited to join with us. 

Working Towards A Solution 

The goal of the Safer World For All campaign is to provide a platform for Australians to collectively raise their voices and inspire our nation’s leaders to take action.  

As a result of our collective voice, we hope to see an increase in Australia’s foreign aid budget, movement towards a fairer economic system that reduces inequality for the world’s most vulnerable, and a commitment to a safer climate. 

These are lofty goals, but as the scriptures say, ‘without vision, the people perish!’ (Proverbs 28:19) and we’re proud to be part of a visionary coalition who are not only hopeful for a better future but prepared to pray, advocate and work towards it. 

The world has made some progress in tackling extreme poverty, gender inequality and child mortality. Recently, after advocating for the people on Myanmar, we were thrilled to see the Australian government impose immediate sanctions. There is power in everyday Australians unifying to inspire our leaders to take bold action. 

If you’re interested in finding out more about this campaign, I encourage you to register your interest here. You can also visit the Safer World for All website to explore how to be involved. You will find upcoming advocacy initiatives, strategy and policy papers, timelines, church toolkits, and more!  

About Micah Australia 

Micah empowers Australian Christians to advocate for those most on the margins of today’s global village, regarding the most urgent and complex issues of justice facing our world today; extreme poverty, rising conflict, and the destruction of our environment. Through a generous multi denominational approach to faith-based advocacy in Australia, Micah has built significant respect amongst those in the aid and development sector, through their ability to bring together people from varied expressions of the Christian faith and elected representatives of all stripes. Micah’s broad scale advocacy campaigns are the vehicle through which they do this, and it is a powerful movement to be a part of!