CCA encourages leadership, participation of persons with disabilities in Asian churches on IDPD–2021

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.

02 December 2021

CHIANG MAI: In a statement released on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD)–2021, the General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), Dr Mathews George Chunakara, encouraged member councils and churches to be mindful of and concerned about the special needs of people with disabilities: “It is the responsibility of churches and members of each congregation to uphold the dignity and rights of persons with disabilities and recognise them as children of God as well as to work for the implementation of rights-based approaches in services for them.”

Elaborating on the theme of the year, “Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities towards an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post-COVID-19 world”, the CCA General Secretary stated, “In a world where the challenges for persons with disabilities continues to increase, we must acknowledge harsh realities such as the limitations related to restrictions of movement, interaction, and physical support…The COVID-19 pandemic has put the spotlight on the various challenges in access to treatment, care, and support services for persons with disabilities. They continue to face barriers in their participation as equal members of society.”

“With the leadership and participation of persons with disabilities in our congregations and communities, Asian churches are called to mobilise, sensitise, be engaged with, listen to, and learn from the experiences of persons with disabilities as well as from their creativity, which should be used to advocate for their rights, to create more inclusive environments, and thus to ensure the full participation of people with disabilities in the journey towards an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post-COVID-19 world,” concludes the statement.

The full text of the CCA’s Statement on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD)–2021 can be found below: