Prayer, Action and Information around the G20

As the G20 "comes to town" next week, how can we make sense of the maelstrom of opinions, hopes and fears around the meeting? And what can we do to pray and express our hopes that any outcomes of the meeting will be ones that move the world towards the vision of God's Kingdom, a vision of love and justice?

Praying and Acting

Within a UK context, there are two major opportunities for prayer and action.

• "Put People First" is holding a service, march and rally on Saturday, 28 March. The service , which begins at 10:30 for 11:00 features the Bishop of London; Joel Edwards, International Director of Micah Challenge; Christine Allen, Executive Director of Progressio; and Fr Joe Komakoma, General Secretary of the Episcopal Conference, Zambia. Many other church and agency leaders will also be speaking and reading, and there will be worship music by Andy Flannagan. A tremendous opportunity to gather and pray for wisdom and discernment for those meeting . . . but also more broadly for God's justice, mercy and peace to flow through all deliberations and our own lives.

• Micah Challenge , the international coalition of Christian organisations campaigning on the Millennium Development Goals and seeking to engage the churches in issues of poverty and justice, has prepared the Rise Up resource to help us pray for the G20 meeting and more generally for a better world. This resource will be used by Christians in countries around the globe -- from Australia to Zambia. Join in! There's a special prayer for use this Sunday, 29 March, in churches. Can you see if your church could use it? 

Information and Opinion

Is the G20 legitimate? Or not? Should it be trying to reform the world's financial architecture? Or standing by to allow a more representative UN-based system to do the job? Should it try to relaunch the Doha round of trade talks to fight protectionism? Or would doing so imperil the economies of some of the world's poorest countries? 

If you're trying to find out more about the issues surrounding the G20, here are some places to begin:

• The official website of the London Summit
  Gives the official aims, press releases, etc.

• G20 voice
  One of the most interesting developments in coverage of a major international meeting (and praise to Oxfam for coordinating it!). The G20 voice project means that 50 civil society bloggers will actually be in the G20 Excel Centre, with the same access as traditional journalists, blogging away in real time. They've come from all over the world . . . go to the site to hear their perspectives.

• The newspapers.
  As ever, the broadsheets will have ample coverage and opinions. Two the best places to look?  The Guardian which, for example, has just printed this entry from Joseph Stiglitz. And the Financial Times, which has an "in-depth" section on the G20 which brings together related articles and commentary. 

• The policy statements.
  One of the broadest coalitions of organisations ever assembled in the UK is Put People First , which counts among its members development agencies, environment agencies, faith groups, unions, student groups and other civil society organisations. Major Christian charities, such as CAFOD, Christian Aid, Micah Challenge UK, Progressio, Tearfund and World Vision are among its key members. Put People First has a policy platform which addresses the need for a more just financial architecture, secure jobs and public services for all, and progress towards a low-carbon future. You can download the full report , or go to the website for the main recommendations.

  ODI, the Oversea Development Institute, has put together a "Development Charter for the G20 ," a series of short reports that address the potential areas where the G20's decisions could affect, positively or negatively, developing countries. This is a slightly more technical document, but worth reading.

  Choike , the online portal on southern civil societies, will print news and press releases about the G20 from various northern and southern civil society organisation.