CCA ATCHAA Consultation to focus on strengthening role of church and community in Asia’s HIV and AIDS response

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.

01 April 2024

 

Bangkok, Thailand: Maximising the strengths of church and community in the Asian HIV and AIDS response, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) will organise a regional Consultation on ‘Let Communities Lead: Faith Perspectives to HIV Response’ from 5–7 April 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The three-day Consultation will bring together 50 participants involved in HIV and AIDS work, including church workers, healthcare workers, People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV) networks, social activists, and representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The Consultation will bring back the focus on community-driven responses to HIV and AIDS in collaboration with churches to enhance health outcomes. It will provide a platform for discussion of contextual theological perspectives on health and healing and identification of common strategies for churches, church organisations, and ecumenical institutions to respond to HIV and AIDS, such as prevention, health promotion, reduction of stigma and discrimination, improved care and support, and advocacy at all levels.

The various sessions of the Consultation will emphasise the importance of collaboration between churches and ecumenical organisations with local communities in fostering health-promoting societies, promoting inclusivity and acceptance, and overcoming barriers of stigma, especially in the Asian context.

The CCA’s Action Together in Combating HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA) programme continues to equip member churches and councils to effectively respond to HIV and AIDS issues, particularly in Asia, which is today home to 6.5 million people living with HIV and AIDS.