AN AIDS FREE WORLD: A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

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).

First Preference:
General Secretariat (GS)
Second Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
30 November 2013
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

WORLD AIDS DAY 2013

“Shared Responsibility: Strengthening Results for an AIDS-Free Generation.”

World AIDS Day is “a time to reflect on, and celebrate, how far we have come in the fight against AIDS—and also to recognize how far we have to go. The response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic over the past three decades has been a monumental achievement in global health scientifically and logistically. In less than three decades, the discovery of effective Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) has transformed HIV infection from an inevitable death sentence to a chronically manageable disease. This has been one of the past century's greatest human achievements in health. However, with 2.3 million new infections and more than 1.5 million deaths reported in 2012, we simply cannot say that the AIDS epidemic is controlled. Progress, as welcome as it is, is still fragile and many challenges remain.”[1]

One of the major challenges lies in the struggle to effectively implement the scientific knowledge that works. For example, even though there is ample proof that Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) not only saves lives but also reduces transmission, only 34 per cent of people eligible for treatment are receiving it. Mother to child transmissions are still not under control as they are either not tested or the eligible have no access to ART. 16% of the Injecting Drug Users in Asia still live with HIV; and Stigma and Discrimination is still a major concern.

It is another challenge to see that people diagnosed with HIV are effectively linked to and retained in care, provided with the appropriate treatment and supported throughout their life. Most countries, both rich and poor, struggle to do this effectively. In the absence of a cure or a vaccine, what best can be done is step up the pace on delivering what we already know works, ensure the respect and dignity of all people and promote equal access to health services and social justice.

The Christian Conference of Asia has laid the ground plan to continue to accompany member churches and councils in a three-year program, starting January 2014, on A Holistic Approach to Build Sustainable HIV & AIDS Competent Churches and Communities which will contribute meaningfully towards ending Stigma and Discrimination, promote Interfaith Partnership and Solidarity and encourage the articulation of Asian Theological Reflections and Perspectives on HIV and AIDS.

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CCA AIDS Sunday 2013
CCA AIDS Sunday 2013
[1] Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, President of the International AIDS Society and Sharon Lewin, HOD of Infectious diseases, Alfred Health and Monash University

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