CCA facilitates advocacy training for young Cambodian Christians on HIV and AIDS

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.

05 April 2023
Participants of ATCHAA national training programme in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia: The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) organised a two-day national training programme on 30–31 March 2023 that equipped a group of Cambodian Christian youth leaders with essential knowledge and leadership skills to work towards combating the HIV epidemic in the country. 

Dr Ronald Lalthanmawia, CCA Programme Coordinator for the Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA), conveyed greetings on behalf of the CCA. Rev. Sok Nev from the Beautiful Church of Christ in Cambodia greeted the participants on behalf of the church leaders of Cambodian churches.

The sessions that focused on enhancing comprehensive knowledge of HIV transmission helped participants to understand the seriousness of the growing menace in Cambodia. The SAVE approach (Safer Practices, Access to Treatment, Voluntary Counselling and Testing, and Empowerment) was emphasised in the HIV awareness sessions. The Biblical expositions and group discussions analysed the role of churches in providing a platform for vulnerable communities to attain the fullness of life through the holistic healing of Christ. 

An interactive session allowed participants to share their personal experiences of encountering HIV in their homes and their neighbourhoods, highlighting the realities of HIV being close to one’s families and communities, and not a distant or isolated phenomenon. The participants committed to acting in their own surroundings to ensure that comprehensive knowledge of HIV is shared. 

Two sessions further analysed the challenges and opportunities faced by Cambodian youth, the fourth-largest youth population in Southeast Asia. They included understanding the vulnerabilities of youth and identifying solutions for the problems they face, such as mental and psychological weakness, violence and abuse, high incidences of teenage pregnancies and unsafe abortions, and forced migration. Sessions also discussed how young people could overcome challenges through faith, values, and traditions, followed by a presentation on servant leadership and other concepts and models of leadership.

About forty Cambodian Christian youth leaders including young pastors and church workers from different provinces participated in the national training programme. The CCA continues to prioritise equipping young people with the knowledge and leadership skills to be mobilised in efforts against HIV and AIDS through its special programme, Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

More photos can be found here.