CCA General Secretary urges churches to invest boldly in young people on International Youth Day 2026

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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12 August 2026

Chiang Mai, Thailand: “Echoing the call of the Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly 2026, we urge our member churches and councils to invest boldly in young people and to make space for their voices at tables of discernment,” said the General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), Rev. Jung Eun Grace Moon, in a statement released on International Youth Day 2026.

Rev. Moon urged churches to “share authority rather than merely responsibility, and to listen not because youth are the future, but because the Holy Spirit is speaking through them today”.

Observed annually on 12 August to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing young people around the world, the theme of this year’s International Youth Day is "Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.”

The CCA General Secretary noted that many young people face systems and structures that limit their participation and opportunities while carrying social, economic, and environmental burdens far beyond their control.

“These realities were powerfully articulated at the recent CCA Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly where young people reflected on the many "yokes" that burden their lives and renewed their commitment to dismantling these structures of injustice through faith, solidarity, and collective action”, said Rev. Moon.

The Fifth Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly, held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from 17 to 21 April 2026 under the theme “Break Every Yoke,” brought together over 200 young people from across Asia and beyond, who critically engaged with pressing issues affecting youth in the region and committed themselves to becoming agents of change in their communities and societies.

The CCA General Secretary affirmed, “The Church is strongest when young people are trusted not merely to participate but to lead, question, discern, and serve alongside every generation. Through leadership formation, ecumenical engagement, theological education, and advocacy, CCA remains committed to nurturing spaces where young people can grow, lead, and shape the future of the Church and society.”

Speaking to the young people of Asia, Rev. Moon said, “May your compassion break down the walls of hatred, your love overcome fear and division, your hope bring life where despair prevails, and your witness bear the fruits of justice and peace.”

The full text of the CCA Statement on International Youth Day 2026 can be found here.