Applications invited for CCA’s Human Rights Training Programme

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).

No preference updated.

11 March 2021

The Institute on Human Rights (IHR) is a new initiative of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) to train prospective human rights and social activists from among young Christians in Asia.    

Spanning over a period of two weeks from 17 to 28 May 2021, the intensive training course is designed to enable young people to understand the principles of human rights and human dignity from Christian theological perspectives as well as to help them to understand the international human rights instruments and protection mechanisms.

The theme of IHR–2021 is “Being Defenders of Human Rights and Human Dignity”.

The IHR will be conducted virtually.  

The resource persons will include a wide range of internationally acclaimed human rights defenders practitioners, academics, and legal luminaries specialising in international human rights law and human rights protection mechanisms, including experts in human rights advocacy at the UN.

The syllabus for the course will cover the principles and foundations of human rights, human rights from biblical theological perspectives, human rights from interfaith perspectives, international human rights instruments and human rights protection mechanisms, human rights advocacy at the UN, and specific human rights issues in the Asian context.

The IHR will help prospective human rights defenders to develop their skills on the practical application of theoretical and legal human rights instruments while being engaged in defending human rights in their respective contexts.

Admissions to IHR–2021 will be limited to 25 participants between the ages of 25 and 35. Participants will be selected from among applicants who have an interest and commitment to human rights advocacy and ability to communicate in English.

The deadline for receiving completed applications for IHR–2021 is 10 April 2021.

For more information, please refer to the key documents below:

  1. IHR–2021 — Application Form
  2. IHR–2021 — Background Information
  3. IHR–2021 — Letter to CCA Member Churches and Councils