Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA) pre-event focuses on action plans for HIV and AIDS advocacy across Asia

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.

20 November 2019

ATCHAA_Pre-AEWA for NR

HSINCHU, Taiwan: Forty women representatives from churches, national and regional ecumenical councils, and related organizations who are meeting at the Presbyterian Bible College in Hsinchu city in Taiwan are working on an effective action plan for advocacy to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS in Asia.

The three-day workshop on ‘Asian Ecumenical Women Responding and Strengthening HIV & AIDS Advocacy’ is being held from 19 to 21 November 2019  in conjunction with the Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA) which is set to commence on 22 November 2019.

Prof Nai-Ying Ko from National Cheng Kung University gave a comprehensive presentation on the HIV and AIDS situation in Taiwan and emphasized on “U=U” or “Undetected equals Untransmittable”. Prof Ko’s presentation specifically emphasised the role of churches in effectively responding to the HIV epidemic via “ABCD” which stands for A – Awareness, B – Breaking Stigma, C – Community and Care, D – drugs like Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).

Presenting on the ‘Best Practices in Responding to HIV and AIDS’, the Executive Director of Taiwan Lourdes Association, Dr Paul Hsu shared with the participants a HIV Community Care Model that could be replicated in other Asian communities.

Dr Paul Hsu shared strategies such as Risk Behaviour Redefinition, Universal Precaution, and Gender/Sex Equality to improve the quality of life of People Living with HIV.

A PLHIV who shared her experiences with the participants said, “My faith community and family supported and encouraged me after I was diagnosed with HIV; this was crucial in my life as a PLHIV. I encourage you and leaders of religious communities to be sensitive in accepting  people affected by HIV.”

Susan Chang, President of The Garden of Mercy foundation inspired and moved the participants with her presentation and life story of initiating and establishing a foundation in 1998, and the many challenges she faced over the years to take care of people affected by HIV & AIDS and rejected by families and communities for their status.

Chang told the group, “I urge you to hear God’s call and do something in your contexts when you return from this workshop.”

Rachael Shanti Samuel from Malaysia, who explained the situation of her own church’s general conservative position and attitude to PLHIV commented, “It is not easy to approach the community with the issues of HIV and AIDS directly. However, after being a part of the workshop and hearing about the work and lives of many people associated with this issue, I am deeply touched and motivated to implement the action plan that I have prepared.”