The Interfaith Standing Committee on Economic Justice and the Integrity of Creation (ISCJIC)

The Interfaith Standing Committee on Economic Justice and the Integrity of Creation (ISCJIC) is a faith-based committee comprising religious leaders from the Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT), Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), and the National Muslim Council of Tanzania (BAKWATA). The committee was founded in 2008 to facilitate the religious leaders’ role in advocating effectively for social and economic justice. =Members=

Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT)
The Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT) was established in January 1934 as a fellowship of Church and non-Church Christian organisations. It was then named the Tanganyika Missionary Council until 1964 when it adopted its current name. The CCT is an Ecumenical Church Organisation formed by twelve Protestant Churches and twelve Para-Churches Organisation/ministries. Its mission is to foster unity and enhance capacities of members to witness for Christ and foster holistic development.

Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
The Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) is the assembly of the Bishops of Tanzania. It was founded in 1957 and officially recognised by the Tanzania Government in 1958. It is headquartered in Dar es Salaam and includes all Roman Catholic bishops in the country. The TEC consists of the following institutions: the Plenary Assembly, the Permanent Council, the Secretary-General, eight departments, three research units, eight commissions. The authority and responsibility for managing the activities of TEC are granted to the Plenary Assembly, which is composed of all members and meets once a year. It is chaired by the President of the Conference.

National Muslim Council of Tanzania (BAKWATA)
The National Muslim Council of Tanzania, known as BAKWATA by its Kiswahili acronym (Baraza Kuu la Waislam Tanzania) is a faith-based Islamic organisation registered since 1968. The Council has branches all over Tanzania with a network from the national to the grassroots level with 22 regional and 113 district offices served by over 700 sheikhs. Around 2,800 mosques are run under its co-ordination.

=Natural Gas related activities=

Review of the National Petroleum Policy Draft
The ISCJIC in collaboration with HakiMadini, Policy Forum and Oil and Natural Gas Environment Alliance (ONGEA) reviewed the draft of the National Petroleum Policy of Tanzania. In a joint statement, they advised the government Tanzanian Ministry of Energy and Minerals to start the consultation process with national stakeholders and the general public. Moreover, they urged the Ministry to do two things: Firstly, to establish effective financing options for the National Oil Company and its subsidiaries and, secondly, to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the natural gas resources in the country.

Comments on Leaked Statoil PSA addendum
ISCJIC, HakiMadini, Policy Forum and Oil and Natural Gas Environment Alliance (ONGEA) teamed up and issued a statement on the controversy surrounding the leaked addendum to Production-Sharing Agreement (PSA) between Statoil and the government. They asked the Tanzania Government to refrain from endorsing confidentiality clauses in future contracts and to review the existing clauses. They also criticised the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) for failing to provide information on the underlying economic rationale and assumptions applied to justify either deviation from the model addendum or the actual terms of the signed PSA.

=References=