CCA expresses condolences on the passing away of renowned Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir

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).

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12 February 2018

Asma edit photo

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) expressed condolences on the sudden demise of Asma Jahangir, an internationally recognised champion of the human rights movement hailing from Pakistan.

Asma Jahangir has been closely associated with the human rights advocacy initiatives of the Christian Conference of Asia and the World Council of Churches for several years. Both the Asian and global ecumenical movement worked with Asma Jahangir on the global advocacy against the misuse of the blasphemy law in Pakistan. Asma Jahangir co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. CCA and WCC became partners of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in their human rights advocacy on rights of religious minorities and democratisation in Pakistan.

The Christian Conference of Asia conveyed deep condolences to the bereaved members of the family and numerous friends and admirers of Asma Jahangir around the world.

The General Secretary of CCA Dr. Mathews George Chunakara in a condolence message stated that “Asma Jahangir was a strong advocate for democratisation and human rights, and she promoted the cause of developing a counter liberal politics to challenge growing religious intolerance and politicisation of religion. She was concerned about the increasing trend of impunity among those who commit crimes in the name of religion, and she advocated that this trend has to be addressed with a sense of urgency”.

The CCA General Secretary recollected that while Asma Jahangir was serving as the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, he had several opportunities to work with her on behalf of the human rights advocacy programmes of the CCA and the WCC in 1990s and 2000s.

“I remember her profound articulations on several occasions at the UN fora about the human rights violations and persecutions against religious minorities in different parts of the world, especially misuse of the blasphemy law in Pakistan. While addressing the Asia Plenary session of the Central Committee meeting of the WCC in the early 2000’s, Asma Jahangir reminded the international ecumenical community how important it is to be careful about the trend in many countries bringing religion into legislations, as the law itself can become an instrument of persecution against religious minorities”, added Dr. Mathews George Chunakara.

Asma Jahangir tenaciously fought for democratisation and civil rights in her own country, and was an ardent critic of authoritarianism and imposition of emergency in Pakistan; precisely for this reason she was put under house arrest in 2007 after the imposition of emergency in Pakistan.

After serving as one of the leaders of the Lawyers' Movement, she became Pakistan's first woman to serve as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. She provided leadership for several Asian human rights organisations as well as for the International Federation for Human Rights. Her contributions as a member of the UN panel for inquiry into Sri Lankan human rights violations and on a fact-finding mission on Israeli settlements were remarkable.