Development and Peace
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About Development & Peace
Development and Peace is an 11,000 member, Canadian lay movement that is endorsed by the Catholic Bishops of Canada and it is the official international development organization of the Canadian Catholic Church. It sponsors more than 85 humanitarian aid and community development projects in 27 countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 160 church sponsored agencies throughout the world. This gives it access to provide immediate aid in the event of natural or man-made disasters anywhere in the world. More information can be found here: https://www.devp.org/en/
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Discover Development and Peace’s People and Planet First 2022 Fall Action Campaign
Since last September, we have been advocating for Canada to adopt due diligence laws to prevent Canadian companies’ human rights and environmental abuses abroad and to help affected communities access justice. For more information about this legislation, go to this link: Frequently Asked Questions on due diligence legislation – Development and Peace (devp.org)
Join us as we continue working on this issue this year and help us mobilize new members so that together we can put our faith into action and build a more just world.
For more information visit People and Planet First – Development and Peace (devp.org)
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55 years of successes fighting injustices!
This October marks the 55th anniversary of Development and Peace — Caritas Canada as the Catholic Church in Canada’s official international solidarity organization. That means we have been fighting to give a voice to our marginalized sisters and brothers in the Global South since 1967! Here is an overview of some of our notable campaigns and accomplishments:
- In 1969, we launched the 1% Program with the Catholic Women’s League of Canada to support marginalized women in the Global South—a program that is active to this day.
- We sent Christmas cards to political prisoners in South Africa in 1978 and advocated alongside Nelson Mandela for an end to apartheid in South Africa from 1988 to 1989.
- In the late 1990s, we supported the Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative’s campaign to cancel the foreign debt of the 50 poorest countries, and around 650,000 signatures were gathered in Canada (485,000 thanks to Development and Peace).
- Since 2006, we have repeatedly called for responsible mining practices by Canadian companies in their overseas operations.
- We acted to protect our common home in solidarity with the people of the Global South in 2015 and 2019.
- So far, we have gathered over 24,000 signatures for our petition for mandatory due diligence legislation to prevent and address Canadian corporations’ overseas abuses of human rights and the environment.
None of this work would have been possible without your support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
But our work is not done! Join us as we look to the future. Together, let’s continue to act for social justice—there is so much more to accomplish!
Celebrate with us, join the movement!
People power can change the world, and when you are a member of Development and Peace, you are part of that change. Let’s be the change we want to see! Take action for global justice! To find out how you can become involved, contact your local animator. If you are not already a member, consider becoming one today! -
Pastoral Letters from the Bishops of Canada
On 8 February 2023, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued four pastoral letters on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Intended as a framework for local engagement with Indigenous Peoples, the letters are the fruit of many months of listening, encounter, and dialogue with them, including through Listening Circles, the Indigenous Delegation to the Vatican in April 2022, and Pope Francis’ Apostolic Voyage to Canada in July of the same year.