ACT International

In 2006, ACT raised US$79.7 million for humanitarian assistance to communities in crisis in 34 countries.

ACT is an alliance of Protestant and Orthodox churches and their related organisations, drawn from the membership of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

Who We Are

ACT members’ strong local roots enable the alliance to provide locally based knowledge, analysis and understanding of emergencies and disasters. ACT recognises that, as important as identifying vulnerabilities and providing for people’s immediate needs are when crises occur, a vital component of its response is recognising the valuable gifts communities in crisis contribute: coping mechanisms and strategies for survival, skills and strengths, wisdom and knowledge, and resilience and courage. Strengthening local capacity lies at the heart of our responses to emergencies. The ACT alliance coordinates its global responses to humanitarian crises through the ACT Coordinating Office (CO), which is based in the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, Switzerland, where it is registered as a legal entity.

How We Work

ACT offers assistance to people caught in natural and environmental disasters, as well as in emergencies caused by war and civil conflict. Striving to reach communities in crises across frontlines, national borders, and other ethnic, political or religious divides, ACT through its members provides assistance irrespective of race, gender, belief, nationality, ethnic origin or political persuasion. ACT and its members are signatories to the Code of Conduct in Disaster Relief and aim to uphold the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response, known as the Sphere Standards.

ACT’s founders, the WCC and LWF, are members of the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response, with the ACT director representing the WCC at the principals’ level. The emergency and development network of the Catholic Church, Caritas Internationalis, is an observer to the ACT Emergency Committee-the highest governing body of the ACT alliance.

The Emergency Committee (or General Assembly) comprises 30 elected members from around the world who meet annually to shape ACT policies. An Executive Committee comprising six of the elected members, and one person each representing the WCC and LWF, meets several times a year to oversee the implementation of policies and mandates of the ACT CO.

In a number of emergencies ACT members work in partnership with United Nations agencies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Program, and UNICEF. The funding of ACT appeals, or a Rapid Response Funding (RRF) mechanism, is based on actions by and information from the members of the alliance. In 2006, ACT’s emergency funding totalled US$79.7 million. Africa received US$29.4 million, Asia and the Pacific US$41.5 million, Europe US$6 million, Latin America and the Caribbean US$1.2 million, and the Middle East US$5.9 million. US$833,822 was spent on emergency management training/capacity building and on funding actions through the Rapid Response Fund. The ACT CO, which facilitates the alliance’s response to emergencies, cost US$1.92 million to run in 2006. The operational budget for the office was entirely funded through member contributions.